ifigureditout Posted November 28, 2006 Posted November 28, 2006 ok, so i went on a mega test driving session today. initially set out to test drive the c4 and the meg 225 but dropped into ford, and although they couldn't let me take one out they took me out in a focus st. so, first off... the C4. was pleasantly suprised, loved the interior, has a very nice feel to it. you feel like your in something special and different when sat in there. not the biggest fan of the clutch, it felt too soft for my liking. felt very nippy though and handled well. very well in fact. absolutely love the styling of the c4 and did in person. the steering would take a bit of getting used to (weird thinking your wheel isnt moving when it is). then came the megane. felt cheap inside, only marginally better than my current clio. which is not what i want from a car of that price. the exterior looks are growing on me and i really like them. the drive, well wow. its amazing i thought. just stuck and hold the road. very good drive and very quick. then came the focus st which i didnt even drive and had not even thought of until today. didn't feel like it had the same road prescence as the other two unless bought in orange. which i must say looks nice, if not a little loud. it felt like the perfect in between of interiors, nicely styled and felt well put together. very nice and calming place to be. the seats are amazing (leather recaros) and the guy who was driving knew how to show off its capabilities. it goes like you wouldnt beleive. and for day to day driveability and speed it has the megane. the torque it has is immense. just felt so seemless and smooth, any gear and it just goes. and it sounds beautiful. so after that day i have at least made an ellimination of the megane but added another into the mix (the focus). so the focus is more to run and insure but has the performance in its favour so much its unfair to even compare to the c4. then again the c4 is cheaper to run and still a more beautiful car. tough choice, one that i have about a year to make but this car needs to last me 4 years realistically so i need to still be excited by it in four years time. the ford will hold its value alot more which i feel could be a big plus. Josh Quote
wozza Posted November 28, 2006 Posted November 28, 2006 Clutch you get used to. Typically thing with renaults to be honest the ones i drove including my clio had very harsh clutches and once you get used to that coming to something which is a little softer seems odd. But i dont get any leg ache no more in my C4 like i used to driving the clio so thats a bonus. Quote
ifigureditout Posted November 28, 2006 Author Posted November 28, 2006 yeah i'm used to a very stiff clutch in my clio. like it. but i could easily get used to the softer c4 one Quote
wozza Posted November 28, 2006 Posted November 28, 2006 There is the depreciation thing but i keep hearing about how badly those focus's drink fuel. Getting more than 20 miles to the gallon is not common apparently. Which is gonna be bad. Compared to the C4 which will get some decent mpg it gets similar to my 1.6. But the focus is a lot more tuneable but i just think its a very dull car to look at and i cant stand all the chrome around the lights etc. Quote
Safety Engineer Posted November 28, 2006 Posted November 28, 2006 One big problem with the Focus, the centre line of the seat doesn't match the centre line of the steering wheel so all the time you are driving your twisting your back slightly. I worked on the original Focus where this was a problem and Ford knew it, but the budget had run out, talking to former collegues involved in the new Focus, they still haven't resolved it. Quote
ifigureditout Posted November 28, 2006 Author Posted November 28, 2006 yeah the running costs are important. i got a prespective insurance qoute on both of them to see how much i will be roughly looking at when i buy either car. c4 - £1250focus st - £2300 and it does sound like i will be lucky to be getting 25mpg but bare in mind alot will be simple motorway driving. the performance on the focus was amazing though i thought. really suprised me Quote
lab44 Posted November 28, 2006 Posted November 28, 2006 The Focus ST is probably the better car (it has a lot more power and will handle better) though you need to consider it is going to be considerably more expensive to buy, run and insure. the C4 does look much better though Quote
ifigureditout Posted November 28, 2006 Author Posted November 28, 2006 yeah each car has convincing arguments. as i said this car has to last. will the c4 still thrill me in a few years, then again will i still be able to afford to fill a focus in a few years. i suppose im just starting out in a very good job and have very little expenses at the moment to worry about so i dont mind spending a chunk of my wage on it as i haven't to worry about kids or a mortgage yet thankfully. Quote
Stuey Posted November 28, 2006 Posted November 28, 2006 the cost in a couple of years will be the big thing...Focus will definatly be the more expensive. The manual says that you will get 30mpg combined, this is lies! a friend has one and he gets 22-25 tops. If driven with a heavy foot he gets about 18...Cant comment on the VTS but if the 1.4 is anything to go buy I get 45mpg, normally 430 miles from a full tank. Quote
Z3M Roadster Posted November 28, 2006 Posted November 28, 2006 Why don't you buy a reasonable daily runaround and a quick car for the weekend? Quote
ifigureditout Posted November 28, 2006 Author Posted November 28, 2006 hmmm its a big dilemma. after today i just felt the c4 wouldnt be enough, but by the same token, the focus running costs are high. any other models people can think of? audi s3 very appealing but you have to shell out a ridiculous amount of coin for a car with 70k on it. golfs bore me. vxr's are not for me. and the civic type r's and clio 182's don't have enough quality to them to last the distance as a nice cruiser as well as a fun drive Quote
ifigureditout Posted November 28, 2006 Author Posted November 28, 2006 Why don't you buy a reasonable daily runaround and a quick car for the weekend? hmmm maybe. still live at home though, the driveway and garage is big enough though. that could be an option. runaround and a diesel for the commute. Quote
Z3M Roadster Posted November 28, 2006 Posted November 28, 2006 2nd hand C4 1.6hdi for the weekday and an Elise/Caterham/S2000/.... for 10-12k for the weekend. Depreciation won't be so much of a factor then either. Quote
ifigureditout Posted November 28, 2006 Author Posted November 28, 2006 what group are elises though. Quote
welshys90 Posted November 28, 2006 Posted November 28, 2006 i think elises are group 20 if i remember correctly Quote
ifigureditout Posted November 28, 2006 Author Posted November 28, 2006 but then again i couldnt justify spending that much on a car if i only drove it at weekends and had to put up with something not as good majority of the time Quote
wozza Posted November 28, 2006 Posted November 28, 2006 In a few years you will want something better honestly. And you might also be in a better financial situation in future tend not to think about how long a car will last me as a result as i know i will get bored of it. Will either car still thrill you in a few years probably not. The focus though is easier to get extra power form to provide that fun a little longer and will also have a lot more aftermarket parts for suspension etc. But theres many cars in that budget area you can pick up a monaro for around £15k now. Mustangs are going for that for 05's. Can get a corvette for £20k M3's come in around the 15k mark too depending on which model. Can pick up evo's and imprezas in that area as well. And im betting insurance prices arent much different if your looking at running an ST then running an impreza etc wont be much more money. There is the Focus RS due out though sometime in future 4wd 300bhp. Quote
Z3M Roadster Posted November 28, 2006 Posted November 28, 2006 Depends on the Elise. Don't think they are all group 20. I bought my Westfield when I was just 23. Insured it for 6,000miles a year and cost me £400 with 0 years no claims as I had a company car. Quote
ifigureditout Posted November 28, 2006 Author Posted November 28, 2006 thats a good price on that westfield. impreza's and evos dont do it for me. looking for a nice cruiser with a nice interior but also has the performance side to it. if Renault (Rubbish) would just bite the bullet and bring out a 2.0l turbo c4 this decision would be simple for me. also, there seems to be nothing out there for a c4, so a conversion doesnt look likely or if it can be done its going to be so so expensive Quote
wozza Posted November 28, 2006 Posted November 28, 2006 The C4 uses the same engine as the 206 GTi 180 / 307 gti so places that cater for them can sort your C4 out and parts from them will fit the C4. Suspension theres a few kits on the market now. But compared to the focus theres no much. But bolting turbo's onto a C4 is a lot of money and money you wont get back it will devalue the car and cost you a lot in a conversion done properly means replacing most of the internals should not be much less than £10k for a good job of a conversion. Not sure if anyone could supercharge it though that would be a little simpler and cheaper. As superchargers require a lot less parts and no need for new exhaust manifolds etc. Quote
ifigureditout Posted November 28, 2006 Author Posted November 28, 2006 yeah its not really worth looking at a turbo conversion i dont think. just been looking at the new leon cupra. looks nice. Quote
ifigureditout Posted November 28, 2006 Author Posted November 28, 2006 anyone know how much the new cupra is? there aren't prices on the seat website. Quote
Rich_Eason Posted November 28, 2006 Posted November 28, 2006 If you want something wilder than a Focus ST...subtle looks old school hot hatch what about a Mazda 3 MPS? 256bhp0-60 6.1 secs Quote
Z3M Roadster Posted November 28, 2006 Posted November 28, 2006 It is now called the FR not Cupra. They look pretty nice and seem well built. I looked at an FR diesel which was under £16k. Quote
ifigureditout Posted November 28, 2006 Author Posted November 28, 2006 nah the fr is the one out now but the cupra is coming out (240bhp) its on their website just no prices yet http://www.seat.co.uk/generator/su/uk/mode...upra/main.html# Quote
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