Think I am going to need a new car before the winter :o((((((
Mine is 9 years old and done 117,700miles. Its an Escort.
Looking at a Focus estate,1.6 - 1.8 about W reg.
(I have an old girl that cant get into my escort very well and will only get worse as she gets older, and I may be strong, but not strong enough to lift her in and out of the car every time!!!!!!:o((((
Has anyone got any advice (preferably not the type that I get alot that says dont buy fords, I like driving them and they are in my price range!!!!!)
I know I will get a good one if I get one as the guy I will go to, I do work for his dad, and he is a ford dealer (been in fords 40 years!!!!!!!)
He gave me some very impatial advice today, including not getting finance of him!!!! LMAO
Thing is, I am terrified about spending that much money on a car!!!!!! Most I have spent so far is £1500 and that was bad enough!!!!!!
Oh to have a partner to consult, but am on my own, so its up to me!!!!!!!!!
Lea :)

Hi Lea, you go for the Ford girl, I never drive anything else. I'm In a Mondeo 2.0l Zetec at the mo, need the space with 7 dogs, but my last one was a Focus and I loved it. My OH is an employee of a Main Ford Dealer so I would be daft to drive anything else. I have no complaints though, and the Focus is a lovely drive.

Dawn R.
P.S. Hi to Beano, (Peter) from all the Yanks here.

Thanks Dawn. All I seem to get is you shouldnt get Fords!!!!!!!!!!! an ex said FORD =Fix Or Repair Daily!!!!!!!!!!! But My escort has been good in the 2 years I have had it!!!!!!!!!!!
I asked about the Mondeo,because I fell in love with them when they first came out about 13 years ago and the guy said its too big for me!!!!!!! I felt like saying yes dad!!!!!! But he was doing what his dad told me!!!!!!(nothings to big for me seeing as I drive transits for a living, but need to think of finances!!!!)
And Beano says hi as well :D
He loves the car, rolls up and falls asleep in it, but has only just mastered jumping into mine. Dont think I would be able to keep him out of an estate car!!!!!!!!! (BTW, how easy are they to get the dogs in and out of????)
Lea :) (who is really going to have to look for a new dog guard when I get new car, none of the Halfords fit everything cr*p!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I loved our Ford Mondeo, and everyone I know who has a Focus thinks they are great, si I'd say go ahead, especially if you have the luxury of knowing a dealer who won't rip you off! (Just don't get that light blue colour that EVERYONE has!)

LOL at charliepud!!!!!!!!!!!
I just dont want the maroon that my neighbours bf has!!!!!!!!! (he is a pr*t!!!!!!!!!)
Or the navy that my other neighbours daughter has, otherwise I will look as if I am copying her!!!!!!
Oh come to that, maybe I shouldnt have black. my bf has black, (he is getting a new car soon as his is a company car!!!!!!) Will look as if I am copying him!!!!!!!!!!
Doesnt leave many colours does it!!!!!
Nice to know that other people think they are good. (I dont really like Estates, comes to something when you are buying a car specifically because your dog needs it!!!!! LOL)
Lea :)

I'm an Escort fan too, have 2 one is a H reg last time around, it is now on it's second trip round the clock and I have had it from when it was 2 years old the other is a W also 2 years when I got it, and neither have given any trouble to either me or the OH, no brake downs, no panic just a service once a year and a wash about every 2 :)

Hiya Jackie,
I love mine. Only thing is it cost me £160 to get it though its MOT last year. and the silencer box fell off it when on holiday :(
I think the clutch may be going :( And I am no mechanic :(
Anyone know a tall dark handsome mechanic with money?????
Lea :) :)

>> Anyone know a tall dark handsome mechanic with money <<

Now if you can manage to hook one of those you are young enough to do the work yourself :)

OK Jackie,
Where can I go on a good car mechanics course??????????
Lea :D

Think most councils run car owners mantainance courses, ask for a list of the courses that will start in the Autumn. Must say I learnt at my Fathers side but it is good fun to do it yourself and not that difficult. Lady in the village who lives near to us took a brick laying course last year and now she has repointed the house and is building an extention, go for it girl.

I'm about to get a 2nd hand Mondeo in a couple of weeks so I'm hoping it'll last me a couple of years.  It'll be ideal for the dogs too!   The Skoda was ok especially on long runs (1 tank of unleaded could take me from where I live to west Worcestershire), but it'll be interesting driving something as big as a Mondeo!!!!

I was told that FIAT +
Fix
It
Again
Tomorrow.

This was told to me by an AA man...........;)

I've had 3 Escorts. 2 were fine, but the third was awfull. It broke down after 7 miles, no matter where I went. I now drive a VW Passat. It's great. Big, but great. My dad is on his 2nd Focus. He thinks there great cars. He used to be a rally driver in his younger days, so he likes his speed ;)

I've heard the Ford and Fiat things before, but have you heard the Nissan one? Needs Immediate Servicing Spend All Night ;)

Ah! Now, in my day Fiats were known as 'No Lights' and in those days with good reason ;) the wireing had to be seen to be believed and the Lada (that had something to do with Fiat) were even worse, I always found them quite worrying.

In my day, Fiats were known as rust buckets.  I have to say though my favourite car of all time was my Fiat Miaforie (sp?) estate in Burnt Orange.  I thought I was the bees knees in it, no one else had anything like it

My company car was a F Focus, the 1.8 TD is excellent, very nippy and very economical in fuel and loads of room in the back for dogs.

You could also leave a fiat with the keys in the ignition with the engine running and it would still be there when you got back :D I wont give my oppion on fords as you wont want to hear it but have you thought about a ramp so you dog can walk up in the car so not having to jump.

Hi Lea,

I have had fords for 10 years, I have recently changed to a new Mondeo estate diesel ghia x (for my Briard and soon to be new Briard Puppy) :) How very sad :D It is very economical and I generally get 45mpg out of it, and being a diesel the road tax is slightly cheaper too ;)

Before that I had 2 focuses, one was a 1.8 zetec which was an absolute dream to drive and then changed to a 2.0 ghia, last one was a bit of a nightmare, but I do think that you get rogue cars sometimes, or "Friday afternoon cars" as their called :D It had periodical starting problems and my dealer couldn't get to the bottom of it, even Ford themselves were stumped, hence I changed to my Mondeo. I can honestly say, even though I have only had it 4 months, it is superb, an absolute dream :) It is basically a Jaguar, the same chassis and diesel engine, only for a lot more equipment and more sensible money, because you're not paying for that little prestigeous badge on the front. Even though I had a rogue one, I still love Fords. (even went as far to give them pet names, oh the shame of it :D )

My OH has a BMW and my father has an S Type and I will still stick with my Mondeo thankyou very much :)

my dad is in the motor trade and what ever car you get it has a fault of some kind.we don't take any notice any more.lol
i don't drive but we have a vauxhall omega tourier estate. hubby wants a merc next but that changes all the time.
i don't care what he gets as long as it has a big boot for the dog thats my condition.its the size of the boot that will pick the car for me (sad i know) but he needs to be comfy when we are out,plus it means i can get more shopping in...............lol

Ok, I am in shock!!!!!!!
Went to a car supermarket, to have a look.(local guy who we worked out over the years mum has bout 9 cars off!!!!!!!! And none have been white elephants!!!)
Well, I now (if everything goes thru ok) am going to pick up next saturday a-
Ford Focus Estate 1.6  AUTOMATIC :O
Y reg 28k miles.
Yikes!!!!!!
Oh and it is Metropolis blue!!!!!!!!
Dont know if I feel rail roaded into it or not.
Only went to have a look!!!!!
But the boot size is great. Not sure about the colour, and having never owned or known anyone thats owned and automatic, I am a bit aprahensive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lea :)

cool well done,ive just bought a little van,trying to "dog it out",before next week (weekend ob show),after writing the astra estate off in april,i got a Kreg ford sierra estate just as a stop gap for the season,done 9000miles in it since april & it was fantastic,went brilliantly  but quirky in a ford type way (handbrake light constantly on etc) then a big royal mail van rolled into it & sadley its not worth repairing,my new van (well not new-but you know what i mean,is a t reg renault extra,1.9 D,just a box on wheels really! by next weekend it will be transformed into a dogmobile,then sadley the sierra may have to go a visit the scrap man! very sad bout that as its been fab & ive treated it quite badley!feel abit guilty,poor sierra!

oh my friend has a honda automatic,she loves it. very smooth ride as a passenger,just abit scary when accarlrating on the mway!& it drops a gear for power!!!!!

LOL @ Michelle. Thats something I couldnt get used tro in the 15 miles I drove it (on NO fuel!!!!!!!! you know the way they put hardly any fuel in. Well, the fuel light was on but enough to go 15 miles!!!!!)
When it changed gear, it seemed to 'jump'. Very strange!!!!!!!
Lea :)

oh clares dosent jump when it changes,its very smooth but you can hear it.

I got told its cause I am not used to driving it!!!! Whice is true. It doesnt jump as such, you can just feel it if you floor it for exceleration!!!!!
(Yeah, I drive my cars, I dont let them drive me!!!!!!!!)
Just not used to it!!!!!!!!

yeh that might be ok,you can feels clares go!!!
also lucy used to have a little mitshubitsi colt that that was a automatic,that used to sound like a hoover craft taking off!

How do you 'dog out' a van?????
I am going to have to get a thing for the back to stop the dogs ruining the carpet, and buy a 'proper' dog guard for it.
Its huge compared to mine. Same engine, but bigger!!!!!!!!!!!!
Time to slow down and buy a family car instaed of my Si!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LMAO
Lea :)

ok,well im going to get a false floor put in, 1/3rd up,under that will be my storage for all the show stuff & tent etc,then the top bit will be made into one big cage with a guard at the front & probaley make the tail gate fit by mounting it on a bit of wood,
also have to get some new stickers,"obedience dogs in tranist" & those funky paw prints to jazz up the outside abit,sadly this is a van on a budget,but its going to look pretty cool!

Whey hey, sounds good :D
Mines going to be boring compared to yours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just a question (and dont take offence to it please) Why do you put obedience dogs in transit???? As it doesnt make p[eople drive any more carefully, and I would have thought it only advertises the dogs in the van are worth nicking?????????????
Lea :)

maybe i should put "obedience but not obedient"-that would put them off.
just think it looks cool,really no dog theft down here & at a show they are locked in or supervised,
alot of obedience people have them on,
if i can get enough paw prints i may put them over the bonnet so it looks like its been walked over,its quite a quirky looking van anyway,going to be cool!

Its sorted. Got confirmation. Pick up my new car on Sat :D
Ok, now need a cover for boot and dog guard for a focus!!!!!!!!!!
mmmmmmmm, think am going to have to sirt that asap!!!!!!
Lea :)