Astra or Focus

Aussie Sean

Hello All

Finally getting around to upgrading,narrowed it down to a choice between a Ford Focus and an Opel Astra,any views,recommendations etc???

Ta
sean

bikki

Focus no if our buts.

je55ie

what year ? Id go astra myself

Aussie Sean

some good deals on 08 ex demo Astras and O7 Focus

Sean

bikki

Like a said in the other thread, if u buy a new Astra in 6 months time its going to be worth half the money you paid for it. Theres 100's and 100's up for sale on carzone, just check out the year and sales prices if u dont belive me.

Just look at the price difference between 2007 and 2008 cars. Its over 50% loss in less than a year.

bazz26

If fairness the Focus sells by the bucket load here too so based on that theory they should be worthless second hand.

Really depends what the OP wants from a car. The Focus has superior driving dynamics to the Astra but the current generation Astra ain't a bad drive either. Both 5 door and 4 door models of each car are conservatively styled but the Astra 3 door definately beats the 3 door Focus on looks.

Interior of the Focus is also a nicer place to be and the driving position and gear change are streets ahead of the Astra in my experience.

Focus would win overall though on practicality and versitility. There is a model for everyone in the range and it feels better built than the Astra. Though I am a bit bias as I drive one.

loc5

astras last longer are bit dearer but the quality is a bit better if it has to be a ford make sure its german the rest from the other factorys i would be suspicious all long lived fords come from germany same for astras dunno why but just my and others experience also had couple of crashes in opels and came out ok unlike vws/fords/toyotas (no no we didnt bang into all them:pac:) but have seen neighbours get whoumped in them yokes and it wasnt pretty but the newer stuff isnt as good as the older stuff unlike hondas/toyotas these seem to last from generation to generation so have look at these too

Holsten

Focus for the 5 door.

Astra for the 3 door.

bazz26

Don't know where you are getting your information from but according to EuroNcap the Focus does slightly better than the Astra:

Focus:
http://www.euroncap.com/tests/ford_focus_2004/204.aspx

Astra:
http://www.euroncap.com/tests/opel_vauxhall_astra_2004/185.aspx

It's not about how thick the metal feels on a door or boot. It's how well the overall structure is designed.

Henry Ford III

loc5 wrote: »

astras last longer are bit dearer but the quality is a bit better if it has to be a ford make sure its german the rest from the other factorys i would be suspicious all long lived fords come from germany same for astras dunno why but just my and others experience also had couple of crashes in opels and came out ok unlike vws/fords/toyotas (no no we didnt bang into all them:pac:) but have seen neighbours get whoumped in them yokes and it wasnt pretty but the newer stuff isnt as good as the older stuff unlike hondas/toyotas these seem to last from generation to generation so have look at these too

Utter tosh

ninty9er

I drive an Astra, and having driven the grandparents Focus, only buy a Focus if you're going to seriously avoid the 1.4 like the plague.

tred

loc5 wrote: »

astras last longer are bit dearer but the quality is a bit better if it has to be a ford make sure its german the rest from the other factorys i would be suspicious all long lived fords come from germany same for astras dunno why but just my and others experience also had couple of crashes in opels and came out ok unlike vws/fords/toyotas (no no we didnt bang into all them:pac:) but have seen neighbours get whoumped in them yokes and it wasnt pretty but the newer stuff isnt as good as the older stuff unlike hondas/toyotas these seem to last from generation to generation so have look at these too

What nonsense. The focus is a far superior car to Astra. look for a 1.6 diesel if u can source one. The 2007 focus on has 5 star euro ncap.
Haven driven both...i found the astra cramped, and un comfortable.
thats me personally of course. Drive them both and see what you like and get the best deal, and re sale value in this market hardly exists for any marque.

TheNog

ninty9er wrote: »

seriously avoid the 1.4 like the plague.

+1

The 1.4 Focus sucks balls. I drive one at work from time to time. No power in any of the gears except 3rd but not till you are doing 100kph. I nearly always drive it in 3rd gear anyway. Petrol consumption is very, very high too even when driving normally.

Henry Ford III

TheNog wrote: »

+1

The 1.4 Focus sucks balls. I drive one at work from time to time. No power in any of the gears except 3rd but not till you are doing 100kph. I nearly always drive it in 3rd gear anyway. Petrol consumption is very, very high too even when driving normally.

It has the same (fairly low) power in every gear!

loc5

bazz26 wrote: »

Don't know where you are getting your information from but according to EuroNcap the Focus does slightly better than the Astra:

Focus:
http://www.euroncap.com/tests/ford_focus_2004/204.aspx

Astra:
http://www.euroncap.com/tests/opel_vauxhall_astra_2004/185.aspx

It's not about how thick the metal feels on a door or boot. It's how well the overall structure is designed.

only car mags dependant on industry ads for revenue quote euroncap
but your dead right- its more to do with design but the general rule of thumb is if its made of rubbish itll be at best a well made piece of rubbish (fords generaly arent rubbish but in my expericence not as long lasting as opels- (excluding vectras) fords are also harder on juice
the metal on volvo 240s/740s was pretty thick and ask anyone who had a smash in one the extra mms of quality metal certainly helps (especialy if youve got to panel beat it back into shape after:(

Zube

loc5 wrote: »

the metal on volvo 240s/740s was pretty thick and ask anyone who had a smash in one the extra mms of quality metal certainly helps (especialy if youve got to panel beat it back into shape after:(

The strength of the metal in panels is irrelevant in a crash. Modern car designs use high strength steel in the structure to channel energy around the cabin. I'm not worried about any crash which involves panel beating afterwards, I'm worried about accidents which will destroy cars. Check out this video.

Brabus

Having owned the previous model of both, theres very little to choose between them. Their both fine cars IMO. Very solid and very reliable if looked after properly.

It really comes down to making a choice, which one you think you might like better. Even I couldn't make that kind of a decision!

Good Luck with which ever one you choose. I know its tough!!

Redpunto

The focus has so much more street cred!!

Seriously I find the focus a much nicer car to drive and the interior is lovely, the astra is just such a boring car

ninty9er

Redpunto wrote: »

The focus has so much more street cred!!

Seriously I find the focus a much nicer car to drive and the interior is lovely, the astra is just such a boring car

I'm comparing new model Focus to old model Astra, and the Astra wins hands down in all areas except rear legroom and bootspace (hatch)

CDfm

the astra would - they are a nice car

but ask yourself how you will fee in 12 months time with the old model

my feeling is looks will feature

and i had an astra beforeand is a lovely drive

Zube

Redpunto wrote: »

The focus has so much more street cred!!

Have to disagree: these are both just cars, and neither has any particular advantage in "cred" or reputation. Buy the one you like.

blackbox

The sheer ugliness would put me off an Astra.:(

I couldn't get past this to even consider specifications, reliability etc.

Stevie Dakota

I'm on my first ever Focus after 8 years of BMW ownership, and am loving it, great to drive with a nice feel good factor (although it is a higher spec version). After years of cruising I am really enjoying driving again.

daRobot

Go for the Focus. It's a much nicer drive than the Astra

sk8board

Focus every time.

Drove a few 1.4's over the years, and changed last year to a new 1.6 Zetec connection. If you are buying a Focus get that exact spec. It represents the best value, and has a huge amount of extra's that the Opel can only dream about.

aside from the 17' wheels and keyless entry/start, inside you get duel-electronic climate control, integrated bluetooth phone (best I've ever used), and voice controlled radio, CD, climate and phone.
there more, but I'd like to think the Astra has them too.

had it in for servicing this week, and the 1.4 '02 model Focus I had in exchange was a dog. Made me realise I may never trade the one I have. The Sport's seats and suspension are excellent in the Zetec spec, the courtesy car I had was like sitting on a sofa!

EPM

Out of those two it would have to be the focus but avoid the 1.4 like the plauge (the 1.4 Astra isn't up to much either). The 1.6 Zetec Connection petrol would be far superior plus if you can find a Ghia it will have a slightly more powerful 1.6 which is better again. You can also get the Ghia with the 110 brake version of the 1.6 tdci (afaik) which would be another good option. Only thing the Ghia wont have as fancy a spec as the Zetec Connection but has got cruise...

Henry Ford III

ninty9er wrote: »

I'm comparing new model Focus to old model Astra, and the Astra wins hands down in all areas except rear legroom and bootspace (hatch)

Laughable.

p.s. What do you drive again?

E92

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Laughable.

Why is it "laughable"?

Is it because he's expressing an opinion that you don't like:rolleyes:?

FWIW I'd have the Focus too, but the Focus isn't anything like as much "better" as it's being made out to be, and the 1.4 sucks a$$, like most 1.4s in this category do. The 2004 onwards Astra is a very good car in its own right, and should not be overlooked, the 1.3 diesel is the critically acclaimed FIAT Multijet unit, while the 1.4 has 11% more power than the Focus's 1.4 too.

You need the 1.6 minimum in any cars of this size in reality. There's no subsitiute for cubic inches as the Americans say:D!

I'd be looking for a Ghia model(even though they have the fugly fake wood); these also have the added benefit of using a more modern 1.6 than the 1.6 petrol in the LX/Style and Zetec, it's got more power and mpg too.

Alternatively the 1.6 TDCi in 108 bhp guise is a reliable, smooth engine with enough go for most people, though I'd always go for petrol because petrol is better. My guess is that the less powerful version of the 1.6 TDCi, which has only 89 bhp, has all the power of a bumble bee and is unlikely to be a lot better than the pedestrain 1.4.

Henry Ford III

E92 wrote: »

Why is it "laughable"?

Opinions count for nowt. That's why. The facts speak for themselves however.

ninty9er

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Opinions count for nowt. That's why. The facts speak for themselves however.

What "facts" would those be exactly. And yes....my car is the 1.6, but the 1.4 isn't as slow as the 1.4 Focus, which in the new guise is, as I've mentioned before is as slow, if not slower than my previous 1l Corsa.

E92

ninty9er wrote: »

What "facts" would those be exactly.

+1.

The 1.4 Focus is woefully underpowered.

A 1.0 Corsa is definately slower though, and is a horrible little engine to drive:D!

(then again it has only 3 cylinders, 4 cylinders sound as ****e 3 cylinders but that extra cylinder makes such a difference for refinement and smoothness, which tells its own story, I dread to think how bad the 2 cylinder engine FIAT are developing will be)