Cars.

[henryscat]

Never had any probs with Fords other than the fact they let cheesebrains like Bristol Street sell and service them. But the actual cars are fine.

 

[db]

Never had any probs with Fords other than the fact they let cheesebrains like Bristol Street sell and service them. But the actual cars are fine.

indeed.. i am lucky, in that the chap i dealt with is a) not a moron and b) a friend (well, as of yesterday, fiancé) of a friend so my buying experience wasn't too bad.. anything he didn't have direct control over, however, was as a shambles..

the gf bought a new 107 from peugeot a couple of weeks before i got mine, and the difference in.. well, everything, was unbelievable.. you could barely compare experiences, i really am/was disappointed with bristol street, which is such a shame as you say cos i love fords

 

[joshua]

Only dealt with bristol st once and that was the bodyshop and they were excellent, whats the problem with the sales/service side of things ?

 

[proactive]

Never had any probs with Fords other than the fact they let cheesebrains like Bristol Street sell and service them. But the actual cars are fine.

Totally agree with that, but since we've started dealing with Bank Top Garage, the service has greatly improved.

 

[shoes]

I shall stand corrected then! Those pesky americans and their tasteless lust eh?

Just been for a blast in my focus (liverpool to stafford) on a pretty much clear motorway. I've decided that whatever car i get next cruise control is a requirement, because as lovely as the car is, being the 1.6 it has approximately as much power as a modest fart so to keep the car at any speed...., especially on uphills I have to put quite a bit of pressure on the accelerator. It gets a little cumbersome after seven or eight hundred yards. Maintaining a constant speed is a little tricky too sometimes, especially when there is little difference in tickling the throttle and standing on it in 5th.

Whilst I'm at it, a left foot rest would be nice too.

On the plus side the clever side aerodynamics were taking care of the wind nicely, i was tailing a small old peugeot (106?) for a while and it was swaying all over the place in the wind. I wonder how much skill it takes to drive a high sided lorry in high wind? I'm guessing a lot!

I was passed at great, well frankly, ridiculous speed, by a scirocco - at a guess I would say it was going about 50mph faster than me so presumably it was the 'R' model. Looked absolutely stunning, albeit briefly, but being so low to the ground at speed and appearing to glide over the road, it really caused a stir in the trouser department. They look just as cool as the guilietta in the dark, although the lights aren't quite as stylish. I do quite fancy one now though!

 

[henryscat]

Driving a VW bay window on a motorway in windy conditions is an interesting experience... No aerodynamics whatsoever!!

 

[db]

Maintaining a constant speed is a little tricky too sometimes, especially when there is little difference in tickling the throttle and standing on it in 5th.

something i noticed in all the foci i've had: it's damn near impossible to drive slowly in them lol.. they take off in 1st, and the slightest pressure on the accelerator really brings the fury! blates not a criticism, natch

Whilst I'm at it, a left foot rest would be nice too.

i had one in my last focus, and the new fiesta has one (presumably to accompany the cruise control) so meb's look into getting a pre-2008 model.. i dare say you can pick one up for a few grand if you try hard enough!

 

[shoes]

Nah, waiting until the summer when I will have enough NCB to get a type r

 

[db]

Nah, waiting until the summer when I will have enough NCB to get a type r

you're having a midlife crisis at 25??

 

[shoes]

Nah I reckon it'll be a hoot on track days! Getting a company car in the summer, so this will be a weekend warrior rather than a daily driver. Something to offset the dull diesel bluemotionness of the vw i'm likely to get.

 

[toooldtorock]

Never had any probs with Fords other than the fact they let cheesebrains like Bristol Street sell and service them. But the actual cars are fine.

Agreed!

 

[shoes]

something i noticed in all the foci i've had: it's damn near impossible to drive slowly in them lol.. they take off in 1st, and the slightest pressure on the accelerator really brings the fury! blates not a criticism, natch

I find quite the opposite, my focus is woefully underpowered. The engine is just hateful!

Power delivery is smoother since I replaced the sparks and oil though.

 

[Dabbler]

But the difference between Bank Top and Bristol Street is family run vs corporate! We had a couple of experiences with Bristol Street but soon defected to Hill & Swift in Stone, which like Bank Top is family run.

 

[proactive]

But the difference between Bank Top and Bristol Street is family run vs corporate! We had a couple of experiences with Bristol Street but soon defected to Hill & Swift in Stone, which like Bank Top is family run.

Being family run is no guarantee of good service though. Bostons was family run but their after-care and service was diabolical.

It's all down to the person who runs the company and the standards they set and expect (or don't).

 

[db]

something i noticed in all the foci i've had: it's damn near impossible to drive slowly in them lol.. they take off in 1st, and the slightest pressure on the accelerator really brings the fury! blates not a criticism, natch

I find quite the opposite, my focus is woefully underpowered. The engine is just hateful!

Power delivery is smoother since I replaced the sparks and oil though.

did i hear you mention it's a 1.6? in which case, that will be the cause of the difference, i guess.. i've always had 1.8 foci.. i believe (although i can't think where on earth i got this from so might be making it up) that the renowned Duratec™ engine found in modern fords start at 1.8, so perhaps there is that to consider as well..

 

[shoes]

Nah the duratec engines start at 1.4 although the engine in mine is the zetec-SE engine. I quite like the zetec engine for about town use, but for cruising it's woeful. And you can forget 'spirited' driving. My brother has the 1.8 and it is definitely a much quicker feeling car - a combination of the larger engine and shorter final drive gear.

I'm quite tempted by the ST170 as the focus is a very very comfy car and lovely to drive, but I think it'll feel underpowered again. A real shame for such a good chassis. As such, come the summer I reckon I'll probably go for the Type R. Saying that, the interior is hideous :/

 

[My Name is URL]

I'm quite liking the Nissan Juke now I am getting used to it.

But did Nissan buy Renault or did Renault buy Nissan....? Nissan used to be regarded as good quality, Renault less so, so I wouldn't want to end up with a crap-mobile.

 

[shoes]

Surely not this:

Edit: Neither, by the way - nissan own a small amount of renault and renault own a massive amount of nissan - amost half I believe.

Either way I wouldn't buy a renault or a nissan.

 

[My Name is URL]

Yes Shoes... I quite like it.

 

[shoes]

Each to their own I guess - It kinda reminds me of a Fiat Multipla