buy a 2008 ford focus with 180,000 km? or no?

[jalikaria24]

hello a friend of mine is looking for a car to last him a few years until he sells it and upgrades.
he found a local 2008 ford focus with i assume the most basic engine, main thing it has 180,000 km and the owner said no problems
price is $2500 cad going to see what he will go down to. seems like a decent price especially since my friend is from a small city.

so what i wanted to ask is
1. any known problems with this vehcile or somehting that goes wrong with the engine or tranny? what do u think of the mileage?
2. buy or find a car with less km? for example if he goes to a bigger city a car with 140,000 km can be found for $2000 ish but its probably a saturn ion or something else from 2000-2005 ish

thanks!

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Get the least-rusty car in your budget. A 2008 Focus is probably better than a Saturn Ion. I think that year Focus uses a 2.0L Mazda engine

180k km is only about 110k miles, not really that high

Toyota sold the Echo hatchback up there (in the US we only got the sedan). If you can find a decent Echo hatch, they are also a good choice.

 

[jalikaria24]

exactly like the main thing i told him but i just pulled a number out of my ass was that to find a car with the lowest km and with the best body shape. he of course wants to spend as little as he can.
we found a saturn ion with 140,000 km for about $2000 however he would rather not deal with driving 6 hours to go get it etc etc


i am curious tho, how long would the 2008 ford focus last? like lets say it was driven normally. when would the engine and transmissin give out? or is there anything else that might break soon?

 

[ET16]

Some of these cars had transmission issues. I know the more recent ones do. I'm not sure about 2008. Have a google.

 

[tcp71]

Pretty sure the 2008 has a solid drivetrain. Is it standard or auto? 2012-2016 Focus with the DSG (dual clutch auto) are to be avoided. Focus over Ion by far.

 

[AandPDan]

2008 will have the "good" transmission.

I have a 2010 with just over 140k miles. Only thing I've done is change the spark plugs once at 100k. It's been VERY dependable.

 

[jalikaria24]

its automatic!!
yeah. when he gets it im telling him to change all fluids asap just to future proof it like diffs tranny etc

 

[madeej11]

You cannot take the owner's word for it stating the car has no problems, buyer beware. I would look for something such as a 08-10 Yaris. So simple to work on and super reliable.

 

[Pew]

2008 has the 4-speed automatic. Overall it's a pretty reliable vehicle, assuming the one your friend is looking at looks and drives decent.

 

[pbm]

Some of these cars had transmission issues. I know the more recent ones do. I'm not sure about 2008. Have a google.

It was the 2012 to present Focus with DSG that had A/T issues...the 2008 to 2011 version had a 4 speed A/T and were generally reliable. 110K miles is noting for a Duratech 2.0 (which is really a Mazda MZR)...I recently posted how I bought one with that mileage and found out that it had been put back 100K (in other words I thought I bought a 108K Focus but recently found out it really had 208K when I bought it)....it was just traded in with over 230K (miles) running great....If there is no rust...I'd jump on it for $2500 CDN.
PS: It will probably need a valve cover gasket which tends to leak oil into the spark plug holes...but otherwise they are good engines...

 

[IndyIan]

2008 will have the "good" transmission.

I have a 2010 with just over 140k miles. Only thing I've done is change the spark plugs once at 100k. It's been VERY dependable.

I don't think much changed under the hood from 2005 to 2011. The motor is trouble free with no major issues. Proof that the thermostat has been changed would be nice, they are a PITA to do and its around the right age to go. If the dash is buzzy matching with rpm, probably the passenger side fluid filled engine mount is shot. Easy to change yourself but its a $130 part from ford. I find the alternator in mine is very sensitive to even a moderately weak battery, I've had two wagons and both alternators went out at around 120k miles with a weak battery.
I've never actually been in a 2008 to 2011 but with a bit of refinement over my car, they are fine transportation, and quite a bit cheaper than the equivalent condition toyota. I think the much better deal in cost per year is a 2012+ Focus with the manual only and I debated back and forth when I bought my second wagon. The 2012+ is a world class car, not a dumbed down for North America only model like the 2005-2011.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

its automatic!!
yeah. when he gets it im telling him to change all fluids asap just to future proof it like diffs tranny etc

If it doesn't have a drain plug, get an aftermarket pan that has one

 

[zzyzzx]

Some of these cars had transmission issues. I know the more recent ones do. I'm not sure about 2008. Have a google.

That didn't happen until the 2012 model year. Previous Focus and Escorts had good transmissions. Mine lasted 262K miles.

 

[addyguy]

In Canada, rocker panel and undercarriage rust will be a big issue. Like the Chev Cobalt, the rockers will rust through eventually, and it won’t pass safety with a poor quality repair.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I had a 2011. If it didn't have the rockers and the rear floorpans rust out, I would have it. Great little car. The 4f27e transmission is also a good unit. Change the fluid and it will be happy.

The thermostat is awful. Intake manifold , ps pump, fan assembly and radiator have to come out to do it.

 

[vtec260]

We had our 2008 Focus for 2 years. Bought it at 160KM and now has 196KM for our kids to drive in the city. It stranded us a couple of times due to odd electrical issue (a wire was frayed by emergency fuel pump shut off switch on passenger side kick panel and the plastic trim was loose so someone might have been there before). However, it was diagnosed and fixed and no issues since then.

Expect to change lots of small things and parts are cheap and abundant at recycling yards. So far I have changed broken driver's door handle assembly (snapped at -30C cold), leaking valve cover gasket, fan blower motor that was making squeeking noise at low speed, engine and transmission mounts, and assorted light bulbs. Both rocker panels are starting to rust now and will likely survive a few more winters before they rot out completely. Engine and transmission has been solid, though.

OTOH, SES trim we have comes with leatherette heated seats, Bluetooth audio, sunroof, etc. so it's a comfortable ride.

 

[IndyIan]

I had a 2011. If it didn't have the rockers and the rear floorpans rust out, I would have it. Great little car. The 4f27e transmission is also a good unit. Change the fluid and it will be happy.

The thermostat is awful. Intake manifold , ps pump, fan assembly and radiator have to come out to do it.

Unless its changed a bit after 2007, you can change the thermostat through the passenger headlight and only remove the accessory belt. The coolant expansion tank and PS reservoir can be flopped out of the way without draining the systems. You have to work with a few extensions through the intake manifold but its not too bad if the bolts aren't seized. 2 bolts broke off in my 06 and then I removed the intake manifold and upper rad support to move the rad forward to get some working room. The intake manifold has a lot of wiring harness on it and going to sensors so it was a pita, but I got it back together running well.
My 07 wagon had been rustproofed atleast once before I got it and I was always surprised how easily it came apart. The 06 was rust proofed heavily later in its life but I think was parked in a barn for a year or two at some point and almost all the fasteners are a bit rustier/crustier...

 

[Kristian]

hello a friend of mine is looking for a car to last him a few years until he sells it and upgrades.
he found a local 2008 ford focus with i assume the most basic engine, main thing it has 180,000 km and the owner said no problems
price is $2500 cad going to see what he will go down to. seems like a decent price especially since my friend is from a small city.

so what i wanted to ask is
1. any known problems with this vehcile or somehting that goes wrong with the engine or tranny? what do u think of the mileage?
2. buy or find a car with less km? for example if he goes to a bigger city a car with 140,000 km can be found for $2000 ish but its probably a saturn ion or something else from 2000-2005 ish

thanks!

MK2 Focus is well built and relatively safe. Not a bad buy.

 

[ssamaroo01]

I had a 2008 SE. It's a nice car and very reliable. I picked it up in 2009 with 36k miles. I drove it daily to work and gave it to my mom in 2015 with about 140k on it. In that time, I replaced a thermostat and motor mounts besides regular maintenance. The parts are cheap and the car is fairly easy to work on. Since my mom has had it, it has required new valve cover gaskets and a transmission. The transmission looked like it had a leak on the pan seal and was loosing fluid. I drove it and noticed how badly it was shifting. I thought it was a shift solenoid and dropped the pan to replace. However, I saw metal shavings. I think the fluid was very low and it caused internal damage. My dad ended up putting in a used transmission last year. It has been running fine since. It has about 160k now and still running strong. In the 11 years of having it, it has only left me stranded once when I had a dead battery.

 

[KCJeep]

Surprised to see so many positive comments, but it goes to show how used vehicles are somewhat unique. Our 2009 was a money pit buzz bomb nightmare we couldn't trust and I'm pretty sour on Ford years later because of it.