Review Golf + Focus + ??

Joeface

Hi Guys
I know I could go through hundreds of web sites and read car reviews but I would prefer to hear from owners. I will be assisting in the purchase of 2 cars over the next couple of weeks...GF dad and Sis are both upgrading .......there lookin at 01 or 02 years......so I just need couple of quick pro's and cons for oh i suppose i may as well add all of them ....all 1.4ltr VW GOLF, Ford Focus , Honda Civic, Peugeot 307(crap i all ready know) , Renault megane.


Any way so owners give me ur notes on these cars ...:D

Thanks
Joe

kluivert

1999 Opel Astra 1.4 Ecotec Engine 89bhp combined mpg 39.4 0-60mph 11.8 Secs.

I have owned this car for two years and I am very happy with it, the car has 86k miles on the clock and it feels good for the same again. Reliabiliy - I have had only minor issues that I was able to fix myself or was fixed at service intervals. E.g No water coming from the window washers - right indicator lights stayed on.

The car is easy to drive and grips the road very well, 8/10 for handling.
The performance is good for a 1.4, I have no problems at all doing overtaking moves.
I had to drive from South Monaghan to Dublin five days a week for classes after work and motorway driving was comfortable and performance was good. If you drive the Astra you will notice that the performance kicks in at 3000rpm up. I never push more than 4000rpm. But normal driving change up gear between 2500-3000rpm, kepts the car on par.

I am consistantly return mpg as per manual if not greater. Most i have got was last month when I got 41 mpg. On long trips ie Dundalk to Waterford I was able to get 45mpg very happy with that.

The 1.4 Ecotec engine requires the head gasket to be changed due to a design fault, I knew this when I bought the car and had the gaskte changed to a alloy gasket instead of rubber 250e including new water pump.

The car gets serviced every 8k in an Opel garage and it runs very well. I cant see myself seeing it any time soon as I fear that I will not get as good again.

Joeface

Forgot about the Astra

Thanks Kluivert, exactly the kinda reviews im lookin for

prospect

*cough*
I'm selling an 04 1.4L megane if interested

Joeface

*cough* no lol


between 01-02 year cars ..tis on a budget the 2 of them are buying

conor_mc

Had a 98 Astra 1.4 a few years back - always found it to be a decent car, gets a bit of grief from petrol-heads like Clarkson for some reason, but I think thats just an anti-Opel/Vauxhall thing. Brother used to works in Parts in an Opel garage though, reckons the 98/99 Astra was much better than the 2000/2001 version - less finicky things going wrong. He left before he could comment on 02's!

Anyway, changed that to a 1.4 Focus - guzzled petrol, but my commute to work is a 65mile round-trip, most of which I would spend at 70-80mph on motorway.

Had to ditch the Focus after about 6 months because of this so got a Golf 1.9TDi instead - loved the torque out of that engine and fuel economy was staggering compared to what had gone before! Handling was poor compared to Focus though, so I don't think I'd go for it in a 1.4 litre engine.

If I was forced to decide on one, I'd go for the Focus as long as motorway driving wasn't an issue as it was for me. In that case, I'd go for the Astra. Not sure if a 1.4 Golf is worth paying the extra money for.

Joeface

oK so far

Astra
2 for

Golf
1 for .... 1 Against

Focus
2 for.... 1 Against


keep them comming

Wing Walker

Hey there, some interesting choices to be made I think.

Personally, I don't go much for the French cars, I'm not a fan of their electrics although they are probably the most comfortable cars on the road.

The Golf is a nice safe choice but isn't a real head turner; neither is the Astra IMHO. But the Golf does hold its value well.

From my own experience, I'd have to recommend the Focus. The control blade independent suspension is a dream and the car literally sticks to the road. The 1.4 petrol is a little bit small I've found for any of the cars in this segment. I had a 1.6 Focus and it was fantastic. It wasn't that much heavier on petrol and it didn't cost a hell of a lot more in terms of insurance or initial purchase price. The one thing that you might want to check is whether the ignition coil has been replaced as this is a common fault on the 1.6 Focus at least.

So, in terms of what car I'd go for:
1. Focus (sheer fun to drive)
2. Golf (good residuals)
3. Megane (for the comfort)

unkel

I'd go for the Focus. It will be cheaper to buy and own compared to the Golf and it is a far better drive. Both are sluggish, but they'll be fine in city traffic and provided you don't have to do a lot of overtaking on national roads