Britain’s biggest selling new car, the Ford Focus, will be five years old in October. So next year the Focus is due to be replaced. But that’s next year: at the moment Ford is struggling to sell new cars and as a consequence second-hand values are starting to tumble. You can pick up a very tidy second-hand Focus 1.4CL with 50,000 miles on the clock for just £4,000 from a private seller.

So if you were thinking about spending £10,000 on a new Ford Fiesta, save £3,000 and get a two-year-old Focus. It still looks newer than its more recently launched little brother and in almost every respect is a better car.

The hatchback is more popular and much prettier than the saloon. Standard equipment includes central locking, engine immobiliser, power steering and electric front windows. ABS and air-conditioning are options on most models. Most drivers will appreciate the adjustable steering column and driver seat.

And the Focus has bags of driver appeal. On the move the steering is precise and the ride and handling put the car in a different class to most others of a similar price. The interior fit and finish are good, making the car feel solid. All models have twin front airbags and offer high levels of secondary safety.

Power comes from a broad range of petrol engines from 1.4 to 2 litre and a 1.8 litre turbo diesel. Best bet for all-round performance is the 1.8 petrol; you’ll get close to 40mpg, and 115bhp takes you from 0-60 in just over 10sec. Whichever engine you go for you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the low insurance groups: even the 2 litre petrol is only group 8.

In 2001 Ford gave the Focus range a facelift with new headlights, bumpers and front mesh grille. A few models gained more equipment, but the most significant improvement was to the 1.8 diesel. The introduction of direct injection boosted power from 89bhp to 113bhp and the car was transformed.

CHECK IT OUT
Style Hatchback looks good with three or five doors but four-door saloon is a real ugly duckling
Spare wheel Space-saver after October 2001 facelift
Exhaust Check carefully, prone to rust, even on low-mileage cars
Insurance Group 4 for 1.4s, group 5 for 1.6s and group 7 for 1.8s
Colours Avoid non-metallic finish on all but base models
Sunroof Factory-fitted tilt/slide glass panel or air-conditioning optional on many variants
Windscreen Check Ghia's useful heated screen works
Security Locking bonnet is opened by key, lock hidden behind grille badge
Steering Power assistance standard across the board<!-- Beginfunction Start(page) {OpenWin = this.open(page, "CtrlWindow", "toolbar=yes,menubar=yes,location=yes,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes");}// End -->

VALUES: Ford Focus 1.8 Ghia 5dr
Mileage 30,000
1998 S Trade £5,275. Retail £6,575
1999 V Trade £5,825. Retail £7,125
2000 W Trade £6,100. Retail £7,395

Mileage 40,000
1998 S Trade £4,975. Retail £6,275
1999 V Trade £5,475. Retail £6,775
2000 W Trade £5,750. Retail £7,095

Mileage 60,000
1998 S Trade £4,425. Retail £5,725
1999 V Trade £4,850. Retail £6,150
2000 W Trade £5,050. Retail £6,350

2.0 litre Ghia worth about £200 more Source: estimates based on confidential CAP black book prices. 'Trade' is what a dealer would pay to buy your car; retail is what you would pay a dealer

THE ONE TO BUY
Ford Focus 1.8 Ghia 5dr manual 2000 W-plate with 40,000 miles. Pay £7,095 at a Ford main dealer or £6,250 privately

OR FOR SIMILAR MONEY...
2000 W VW Golf 1.6 SE 5dr
2001 X Vauxhall Astra 1.8 CD 5dr
1999 T Audi A3 1.6 5dr
1996 N Mercedes-Benz C180 Elegance
1998 S BMW 318i SE