Tom's TDCi Titanium X...

[Toms306]

Seems a lot when compared to the Vectra which was only 2 years older at the time I sold it for £3k. But then it didn't have the low running costs, hatchback versatility (saloon style rear end crap for fitting stuff in and small length for easier parking) and had double the mileage and about half the spec. The Focus is probably the most desirable used car on the market atm.

Few things there. Firstly, the Ford will be much more desirable than the vectra. The focus is one of them cars that people will never get bored of yet the Vectra was becoming incredibly tiresome by the time your one was made and becoming less and less desirable. Just look at similar cars produced at the same time and it just shows you how behind the times the Vec was with styling, kit etc.
Also, and this is just my opinion (based on the fact I've just spent 2 weeks in a 63 plate insignia), but vauxhalls are just bloody terrible. Rediculously unrefined, uncomfortable, the quality of the kit in the car is shocking. Like i said in the chat box, Fords are certainly a no thrills car and pretty boring but are a case of what you see is what you get. They don't try and be pretentious (look at the higher spec Insignias. 5 series/A6 spec levels yet they can't even fit a quiet reliable engine or an interior that won't shake its self to pieces) and never claim to be but what they do, they do very well.

Yep, I agree completely tbh. Vauxhalls look good on paper, but they just don't deliver imo. Lots of spec but built pretty cheaply and poorly (imo). The vibrations at speed were awful, whole dash would be jumping at 70 on the A14 (I admit its a shit road) but that's really not good enough for what was a 25k car new, as well as the massive road noise at that speed really wasn't a nice place to be, not somewhere I enjoyed spending time in.

There were daft design flaws with the Vec as well...like the fact they saved on fitting ESP/TC by making the chassis better for the facelift - ok that helped with cornering but not wet junctions lol, and due to the redesigned chassis flexing on corners the windscreens would crack, mine was on its 3rd screen at 7 years old!

However, although the Focus did cost more and I was trying to justify it against the Vec, I know it'll also hold value much better, will still be desirable in a few years time, particularly due to the low running costs and big spec so I wasnt so bothered about paying a bit extra after thinking it through properly.

Christ, I get better than 45mpg in town!

And for perspective, I can't even get that on a 400 mile run at 60mph

Lol, tbf, that's only in light traffic, think it'd be considerably less at rush hour!



On the note of MPG, I watched the instant mpg meter today, I know they're not hugely accurate but its better than nothing.

I did 60mph in the flat NSL limit road between my house and the dual carriageway...

Then did 60 and 70 on the A14...

Came to the conclusion that the A14 is a lot more uphill than I'd ever really noticed before lol. The flat NSL road was getting a fairly constant 65-70mpg. Uphill on the A14 I was seeing low 50s, jumping to 99.9mpg coasting downhill but it wasn't for long enough to bring the overall average back up. So basically I need to move somewhere flatter to see better fast mpg!



And an update on the reverse light issue...bulb looks ok. So I'll have to get the multimeter out tomorrow, will check the bulb itself, then check its getting voltage. Probably a stupid question but I'm having a blonde moment, the reverse light should be on with just igniton on, not engine running, shouldn't it? Obviously I cant get out and check with it in gear. I'm expecting it to be the switch though tbf.

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Looks gangsta with the tints g

Does indeed. So nice to not get glare through the rear window as well, both with the sun and other cars lights! Also means people behind cant see in.

Does make reversing without a reverse light difficult though. And trying to see if theres any exhaust smoke to indicate a DPF regen.