Used Ford Focus Estate 1998 - 2004 reliability review

What should I look for in a used Ford Focus?

The Focus is generally a tough little monkey, but, as ever, there are a few things to look out for.

Listen for noisy, creaky suspension on your test drive, especially if you're after an older car - this is what's most likely to fail. Lots of scratches on the rear bumper might mean a hard life in the hands of rough owner, so be particularly wary here.

Also make sure the engine runs smoothly. Sometimes the ECU isn't so clever and causes the engine to misfire. This shouldn't take long to put right. Run the air-con from low to full blast and from Arctic to Sahara to see if it's still up to the job or needs re-gassing.

During its lifetime the last Focus was recalled seven times for safety checks, so log onto www.vosa.gov.uk to see what needed to be done - and then check with the logbook that it was.