2011 Ford Focus Runout - 2.0L Tdci For Just 999,000 Baht

[WarpSpeed]

Here's another comparison

The Toyota Prius 1.8L CVT does 25.64 KM/L around town, which translates to 1.25 Baht per KM

So, 0.76 Baht/KM cheaper to run than a 2.0L Focus TDCi 6AT.

However, even the most base model Prius 1.8L CVT (which is incredibly basic features wise) costs 1.19M, so in theory you'd need need to travel 250,000Km to break even with the runout 2.0L Focus TDCi 6AT - but of course the Prius would have needed a new battery pack by then (at your expense), so it's moot

All good points MRO I'm really hoping we can make this deal now..

[WarpSpeed]

Crap! Just realized by conlsuting the dealership finder that I must have driven right by at least one dealership today and maybe 2, I guess I should slow down to under 240 tomorrow so I don't pass it again ..

[WarpSpeed]

you have to calculate how many kms your going to be doing to get the servicing and fuel incentive of oilers, i heard the mazda3 and ford focus run on subsidized e20 though im not sure.

There's not much to gain in using E20 - what you save at the pump (~3%) is largely negated by it's poorer fuel effieciency. Even E85 (which is massively subsidized) has a hard time stacking up against E10 91 RON, which in turn has a hard time stacking up against benzene 91 RON, given the current state of the oil fund...

But anyways, let's do some calcs

Something like a Mazda 3 2.0L 5AT gets 8.85KM/L around town, which on E10 91 RON equates to 3.62 Baht per KM.

The Focus 2.0L TDCi gets 14.5KM/L around town, which equates to 2.01 Baht per KM.

So the Mazda3 2.0L 5AT costs 1.61 Baht more per KM in city driving than a Focus 2.0L TDCI 6AT.

You can do you own math on that based on the KM's you'd travel over it's lifetime, bering in mind that the gap will only ever widen, not lessen.

Here's how it'd work out for me:

Based on my around town usage (25K per year) that means the Focus is 40,250 Baht cheaper to run, every year.

Multiply that by 3 years (the max. I'd ever own a car) and it's 120,750 Baht saved.

Now compare purchase prices:

Mazda3 2.0L 5AT: 1.064M

Focus 2.0L 6AT TDCi: 0.999M

So before resale, the Focus would have cost me 185,750 less, or if you want to look at it monthly, 5,159.72 Baht per month cheaper.

There's absolutely no way the Mazda3 make anything close to that up on resale (if indeed it would make up anything at all).

So if I were in the market for a larger hatchback, it would be a no brainer. (I'm not though )

And let's not forget the current low gasoline prices have less than 9 months to go, then they'll rocketing back up again - but diesel will always be (relatively) cheap.

Just my 2 satang

It be nostalgic to drive a diesel sedan like i used to drive a petrol many years ago without paying at the pumps.....the "good days" for us car ethusiasts.

I don't think the sedan qualifies does it? Only the hatch version..

[MoonRiverOasis]

I too have a brain last i checked

Wasn't for a second suggesting otherwise

did thailand roll out the 5spd recently or was the 4spd only for the 1.6l unit?

The 2nd gen 2.0L models (released in March this year) are both 5AT, the 1st gen 1.6'rs are still 4AT.

which is content to miss models (ford escape) or facelift their platforms more times than goldie hawn

LOL @ the Goldie Hawn stab

Just as a but of trvia, the Escape models sold in TH have always been imported from the Philippines - the next-gen Escape (end of next year) will be Thai made for the first time.

MRO, I think you said the new focus will be introduced at the Motor Expo in December. Any idea on the price yet, and engine specs? Is the diesel engine all new or modified from the previous model?

It might get an unveling then, but deliveries are said to start around March 2012. The diesel engine is the same unit, with revisions.

Edited November 23, 2011 by MoonRiverOasis

[MoonRiverOasis]

I don't think the sedan qualifies does it? Only the hatch version..

No deals have been announced for the sedan - I think Ford are willing to let it just slip quitely away into the night (it was always a terrible seller).

[wandrinstar]

Are Ford Thailands management team related to Worzell Gummage . ?. Would seem to me its common sense to sell your Best Selling Mondeo. Not some iffy buzz box like they are promoting now. One would think Honda and Toyota are pleased there is zero competition for their mid range. Ive yet to meet a dissatisfied Mondeo Man.. Has anyone out there tried one. Ive never seen one apart from pics. . I concede the New Power Trains good on the Ford, but to me thats it. Sooner have a Mazda 3 .

[DJH77]

I don't think the sedan qualifies does it? Only the hatch version..

No deals have been announced for the sedan - I think Ford are willing to let it just slip quitely away into the night (it was always a terrible seller).

I've read so much i have got a little confused, but if your talking about the Focus Ghia TDCI 4 door it is the same price, 999,000 and the only difference in the spec is no aluminium foot pedals and a different array of spoilers due to the different shape of course. I almost bought one of these 2 years ago but decided on the 3.2 Pajero GT as it was more car for the money but with this deal i am considering it again very seriously.

[katabeachbum]

Are Ford Thailands management team related to Worzell Gummage . ?. Would seem to me its common sense to sell your Best Selling Mondeo. Not some iffy buzz box like they are promoting now. One would think Honda and Toyota are pleased there is zero competition for their mid range. Ive yet to meet a dissatisfied Mondeo Man.. Has anyone out there tried one. Ive never seen one apart from pics. . I concede the New Power Trains good on the Ford, but to me thats it. Sooner have a Mazda 3 .

my wife had 2 Mondeo estates, 2000 and 2001, great cars at thet time. reported to be even better now. yamaha petrols

[caphant]

Ahh so the 2.0 L 1st gen Maz3's came with a 4spd like the others outside LOS then, I was wondering because the 2.0 is the top spec model in Th whereas its the base in other markets. Not suprised the 1.6 engine apparently returns poorer or similar fuel economy than the 2.0L especially with spirited driving, Id be interested to see the level of the almeras little 1.2's thirst when forced to carry passengers in its class leading spaciousness...

Yes you're correct about the ford escape comming from the phills, which made it affordable relative to the overseas competition thanks to FTA for ASEAN members, I would like to see ford shake up the crossover class with their diesel powerplant and hopefully for our market that very generous moonroof which goes to the rear seats, would be VERY nice to see PPV's like imv2 and new ranger everest offer a moonroof option

Edited November 24, 2011 by caphant

[stefan2519]

Are Ford Thailands management team related to Worzell Gummage . ?. Would seem to me its common sense to sell your Best Selling Mondeo. Not some iffy buzz box like they are promoting now. One would think Honda and Toyota are pleased there is zero competition for their mid range. Ive yet to meet a dissatisfied Mondeo Man.. Has anyone out there tried one. Ive never seen one apart from pics. . I concede the New Power Trains good on the Ford, but to me thats it. Sooner have a Mazda 3 .

I had a 2000 Mondeo V6 24V for a company car back in the UK for two years, basically the ST200 without the body kit, big brakes a few horses and leather. I would easy clock up a 1,000 miles a week and it never let me down. A very easy car to drive nothing harsh about it at all.

[WarpSpeed]

I don't think the sedan qualifies does it? Only the hatch version..

No deals have been announced for the sedan - I think Ford are willing to let it just slip quitely away into the night (it was always a terrible seller).

And ironically yesterday when I was searching a Ford dealer I saw more then I ever have on the road, I guess because I was looking for Ford, but within a span of a few minutes I saw several of them and no hatches, I was surprised by that, there is nothing at all standout about the sedan styling, very vanilla IMO.

I don't think they even offer a diesel in the sedan do they?

Edited November 24, 2011 by WarpSpeed

[skydiver77]

Well I have to say this thread has made me consider a new car for the first time since being here. 170,000b discount on the outgoing model is great by any measure and no one will know how much discounted it was on resale so it accounts for depreciation and still keeps us right side up on the sale depending on down payment.

My neighbor just bought one a few months ago and they love it so parking mine next to his being newer for a substantial discount will feel good if we do finally opt for it, depends on trade deal.

Being the tried and true sorted model also peaks my interest versus the first year newer model so that's another feather in the deal. Thanks for the heads up MRO we'll post an update, searched round for a local dealer close to Bang Na today but no joy. May have to go all the way to Cheangwhattana we plan to go there anyway but would like to check out more then one dealership.

Guess I'd better repeat the format of my prev. post. Why such a high discount. Visit a dealer like mine on Ram Intra, and you'll discover that your selected Focus appears to be super glued to the showroom floor. The hard pressed sales guys just can't move 'em. Even near 4 years ago, when the Mrs and I made to walk away, the guy slid after us on his knees offering to load up for free. We ended up with front and side bits and mags. Inside, a flip out dvd/tv player. We also got more than expected for our venerable Lancer.

After all this time I can count on one hand the number of Focus's I've seen in this area, Bangchan.

If you insist on becoming the proud owner of a Focus, I suggest you put it to the salespeople that the discount, though welcome, is not good enough.

Infer that you will conduct a deal at a bt200,000. They will be all over you like a rash. Personally I would up the ante a bit more.

Good Luck.

Love the hew Ranger though.

[WarpSpeed]

Great! I hope the dealer here does the same thing for me. The more they offer the better and the more they grovel the better, it's always better to be in a buyers market when your the BUYER ...

I believe you're speaking of NOT moving them @ the price of 1,169,000b which is a much more exclusive market then is a Yaris price of around 600,000 for example so, I'm not the least bit worried as with the discount I can liquidate it when the time comes and still come out on top after having driven a brand new car in the mean time, mostly and hopefully trouble free. I include that disclaimer because there is never any guarantee of being trouble free regardless of manufacturer.. Don't forget the free first rate insurance too..

JFYI I'm in Bangkok so don't have your problems of exclusivity, I see focus's all the time here..

Edited November 24, 2011 by WarpSpeed

[culicine]

<br />Great! I hope the dealer here does the same thing for me. The more they offer the better and the more they grovel the better, it's always better to be in a buyers market when your the BUYER  <img src='http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> ...<br /><br />I believe you're speaking of NOT moving them @ the price of 1,169,000b which is a much more exclusive market then is a Yaris price of around 600,000 for example so, I'm not the least bit worried as with the discount I can liquidate it when the time comes and still come out on top after having driven a brand new car in the mean time, mostly and hopefully trouble free. I include that disclaimer because there is never any guarantee of being trouble free regardless of manufacturer.. Don't forget the free first rate insurance too..<br /><br />JFYI I'm in Bangkok so don't have your problems of exclusivity, I see focus's all the time here..<br />

<br /><br /><br />

But I've only seen a dozen or so diesel focuses around my area (Nonthaburi) over about 4 years. The petrol versions were more popular, but their numbers are still dwarfed by T & H sedans. I'd alos push hard for more - the introduction of the new model is generation focus is imminent.

[WarpSpeed]

Well like I said, I will, info is power ..

[WarpSpeed]

Had a look at the Focus today can't believe I passed up the dealership yesterday and proceeded on a tour of Bangkok as it was quite close actually but near an overpass that obstructed my view across the road and we were also on the frontage road and not on the main road at the time. The sales girl is a honey but not very well versed but that's ok not too many sales people are where I'm concerned.

I like the car but haven't tested it yet as I'm not quite ready to make the deal but it's mostly a formality anyways in this case.

I did notice a rather quirky feature about it though, I definitely do not like but it won't prevent the purchase. The hood or "bonnet" (for those colonialists among us) only opens with the ignition key in a lock behind the Ford emblem on the front grill, so if you wanted to open the hood to say, jump someones car you'd have to shut off the car first, get out and open it and then start it back up. I think this was poorly thought out trying to be too innovative and will turn out to be quite a P-I-T-A at times.. There may also be times when I want to open the hood without shutting the car off..

Other then that the leather seats seem a bit hard initially though not driven it yet, and they lack what I consider good side bolsters for solid support when cornering from my point of view. It is also a bit frustrating & disappointing these days to open a hood and see only a large plastic cover, I want to see the engineering underneath it..

The doors feel really heavy and solid suggesting the whole car is such. While solid and strong is desirable it has to be packaged accordingly and for a car that size it may drive heavy but I'll reserve that opinion for the test drive..

I like the DSG on the center shift console instead of the steering wheel, that feels more natural for me and doesn't interfere with cornering and shifting like small shift pads do on the wheel which also tend to be difficult to locate changing position with the wheel constantly. Before race car comparisons are thrown out, a race car does not require the turning radius a street car does and as such seldom do they need to use more then a half or 3/4 rotation trough turns and not 2 or 3 rotations a road car often requires while turning especially with FWD and controlling torque steer and a turbo diesel torque steer to boot..

So the only question left is if we close the deal should I begin a new thread cheerleading the Focus purchase ala the Cruze thread? Save for the fact that the car comes standard with leather seats ..

Edited November 24, 2011 by WarpSpeed

[skydiver77]

Had a look at the Focus today can't believe I passed up the dealership yesterday and proceeded on a tour of Bangkok as it was quite close actually but near an overpass that obstructed my view across the road and we were also on the frontage road and not on the main road at the time. The sales girl is a honey but not very well versed but that's ok not too many sales people are where I'm concerned.

I like the car but haven't tested it yet as I'm not quite ready to make the deal but it's mostly a formality anyways in this case.

I did notice a rather quirky feature about it though, I definitely do not like but it won't prevent the purchase. The hood or "bonnet" (for those colonialists among us) only opens with the ignition key in a lock behind the Ford emblem on the front grill, so if you wanted to open the hood to say, jump someones car you'd have to shut off the car first, get out and open it and then start it back up. I think this was poorly thought out trying to be too innovative and will turn out to be quite a P-I-T-A at times.. There may also be times when I want to open the hood without shutting the car off..

Other then that the leather seats seem a bit hard initially though not driven it yet, and they lack what I consider good side bolsters for solid support when cornering from my point of view. It is also a bit frustrating & disappointing these days to open a hood and see only a large plastic cover, I want to see the engineering underneath it..

The doors feel really heavy and solid suggesting the whole car is such. While solid and strong is desirable it has to be packaged accordingly and for a car that size it may drive heavy but I'll reserve that opinion for the test drive..

I like the DSG on the center shift console instead of the steering wheel, that feels more natural for me and doesn't interfere with cornering and shifting like small shift pads do on the wheel which also tend to be difficult to locate changing position with the wheel constantly. Before race car comparisons are thrown out, a race car does not require the turning radius a street car does and as such seldom do they need to use more then a half or 3/4 rotation trough turns and not 2 or 3 rotations a road car often requires while turning especially with FWD and controlling torque steer and a turbo diesel torque steer to boot..

So the only question left is if we close the deal should I begin a new thread cheerleading the Focus purchase ala the Cruze thread? Save for the fact that the car comes standard with leather seats ..

New thread cheerleading the Focus purchase!

Jeez. Reckon you like living dangerously, mate.

Re. the cute method of lifting the hood. Be prepared for malfunctions, despite keeping the unit clean and greased. Its a bit flimsy.

Did you notice the crap positioning of the battery. In order to check 2 of the cells, everything has to be disconnected, including the retainer box and then repositioned about 5 inches. Better make sure its a sealed one.

While youve got your head under, check the location of a.c.res and what you have to do to check it....

As I said...Good Luck.

[DJH77]

Had a look at the Focus today can't believe I passed up the dealership yesterday and proceeded on a tour of Bangkok as it was quite close actually but near an overpass that obstructed my view across the road and we were also on the frontage road and not on the main road at the time. The sales girl is a honey but not very well versed but that's ok not too many sales people are where I'm concerned.

I like the car but haven't tested it yet as I'm not quite ready to make the deal but it's mostly a formality anyways in this case.

I did notice a rather quirky feature about it though, I definitely do not like but it won't prevent the purchase. The hood or "bonnet" (for those colonialists among us) only opens with the ignition key in a lock behind the Ford emblem on the front grill, so if you wanted to open the hood to say, jump someones car you'd have to shut off the car first, get out and open it and then start it back up. I think this was poorly thought out trying to be too innovative and will turn out to be quite a P-I-T-A at times.. There may also be times when I want to open the hood without shutting the car off..

Other then that the leather seats seem a bit hard initially though not driven it yet, and they lack what I consider good side bolsters for solid support when cornering from my point of view. It is also a bit frustrating & disappointing these days to open a hood and see only a large plastic cover, I want to see the engineering underneath it..

The doors feel really heavy and solid suggesting the whole car is such. While solid and strong is desirable it has to be packaged accordingly and for a car that size it may drive heavy but I'll reserve that opinion for the test drive..

I like the DSG on the center shift console instead of the steering wheel, that feels more natural for me and doesn't interfere with cornering and shifting like small shift pads do on the wheel which also tend to be difficult to locate changing position with the wheel constantly. Before race car comparisons are thrown out, a race car does not require the turning radius a street car does and as such seldom do they need to use more then a half or 3/4 rotation trough turns and not 2 or 3 rotations a road car often requires while turning especially with FWD and controlling torque steer and a turbo diesel torque steer to boot..

So the only question left is if we close the deal should I begin a new thread cheerleading the Focus purchase ala the Cruze thread? Save for the fact that the car comes standard with leather seats ..

Hi Warpspeed, I'm very interested in what sort of a deal you are able to get, and as i put in a previous post, you can get the TDCI in the Ghia Sedan but i agree it hasn't got the looks. Up here in Mukdahan there has never been any diesel in the showroom so 2 years ago i contacted the Khon Kaene dealer who had one but wouldn't let me test drive it. I sent many E-mails to Ford but never got a reply so their approach to selling cars is rather strange. The Ford Dealership owner here actually told me to only buy a petrol engine car and when asked why he replied that maybe they can't fix the TDCI in Mukdahan. I gave up in the finish and bought a Pajero GT. But with this deal they are offering now i am very interested again, so please let me know what you can screw out of them. Tell them if the deal is good enough they may get 2 sales, OK.

[DJH77]

Had a look at the Focus today can't believe I passed up the dealership yesterday and proceeded on a tour of Bangkok as it was quite close actually but near an overpass that obstructed my view across the road and we were also on the frontage road and not on the main road at the time. The sales girl is a honey but not very well versed but that's ok not too many sales people are where I'm concerned.

I like the car but haven't tested it yet as I'm not quite ready to make the deal but it's mostly a formality anyways in this case.

I did notice a rather quirky feature about it though, I definitely do not like but it won't prevent the purchase. The hood or "bonnet" (for those colonialists among us) only opens with the ignition key in a lock behind the Ford emblem on the front grill, so if you wanted to open the hood to say, jump someones car you'd have to shut off the car first, get out and open it and then start it back up. I think this was poorly thought out trying to be too innovative and will turn out to be quite a P-I-T-A at times.. There may also be times when I want to open the hood without shutting the car off..

Other then that the leather seats seem a bit hard initially though not driven it yet, and they lack what I consider good side bolsters for solid support when cornering from my point of view. It is also a bit frustrating & disappointing these days to open a hood and see only a large plastic cover, I want to see the engineering underneath it..

The doors feel really heavy and solid suggesting the whole car is such. While solid and strong is desirable it has to be packaged accordingly and for a car that size it may drive heavy but I'll reserve that opinion for the test drive..

I like the DSG on the center shift console instead of the steering wheel, that feels more natural for me and doesn't interfere with cornering and shifting like small shift pads do on the wheel which also tend to be difficult to locate changing position with the wheel constantly. Before race car comparisons are thrown out, a race car does not require the turning radius a street car does and as such seldom do they need to use more then a half or 3/4 rotation trough turns and not 2 or 3 rotations a road car often requires while turning especially with FWD and controlling torque steer and a turbo diesel torque steer to boot..

So the only question left is if we close the deal should I begin a new thread cheerleading the Focus purchase ala the Cruze thread? Save for the fact that the car comes standard with leather seats ..

Hi Warpspeed, I'm very interested in what sort of a deal you are able to get, and as i put in a previous post, you can get the TDCI in the Ghia Sedan but i agree it hasn't got the looks. Up here in Mukdahan there has never been any diesel in the showroom so 2 years ago i contacted the Khon Kaene dealer who had one but wouldn't let me test drive it. I sent many E-mails to Ford but never got a reply so their approach to selling cars is rather strange. The Ford Dealership owner here actually told me to only buy a petrol engine car and when asked why he replied that maybe they can't fix the TDCI in Mukdahan. I gave up in the finish and bought a Pajero GT. But with this deal they are offering now i am very interested again, so please let me know what you can screw out of them. Tell them if the deal is good enough they may get 2 sales, OK.

The finance rate here is 2.55% for 48 months, 2.65% for 60 Months, both based on 20% deposit.

[WarpSpeed]

Had a look at the Focus today can't believe I passed up the dealership yesterday and proceeded on a tour of Bangkok as it was quite close actually but near an overpass that obstructed my view across the road and we were also on the frontage road and not on the main road at the time. The sales girl is a honey but not very well versed but that's ok not too many sales people are where I'm concerned.

I like the car but haven't tested it yet as I'm not quite ready to make the deal but it's mostly a formality anyways in this case.

I did notice a rather quirky feature about it though, I definitely do not like but it won't prevent the purchase. The hood or "bonnet" (for those colonialists among us) only opens with the ignition key in a lock behind the Ford emblem on the front grill, so if you wanted to open the hood to say, jump someones car you'd have to shut off the car first, get out and open it and then start it back up. I think this was poorly thought out trying to be too innovative and will turn out to be quite a P-I-T-A at times.. There may also be times when I want to open the hood without shutting the car off..

Other then that the leather seats seem a bit hard initially though not driven it yet, and they lack what I consider good side bolsters for solid support when cornering from my point of view. It is also a bit frustrating & disappointing these days to open a hood and see only a large plastic cover, I want to see the engineering underneath it..

The doors feel really heavy and solid suggesting the whole car is such. While solid and strong is desirable it has to be packaged accordingly and for a car that size it may drive heavy but I'll reserve that opinion for the test drive..

I like the DSG on the center shift console instead of the steering wheel, that feels more natural for me and doesn't interfere with cornering and shifting like small shift pads do on the wheel which also tend to be difficult to locate changing position with the wheel constantly. Before race car comparisons are thrown out, a race car does not require the turning radius a street car does and as such seldom do they need to use more then a half or 3/4 rotation trough turns and not 2 or 3 rotations a road car often requires while turning especially with FWD and controlling torque steer and a turbo diesel torque steer to boot..

So the only question left is if we close the deal should I begin a new thread cheerleading the Focus purchase ala the Cruze thread? Save for the fact that the car comes standard with leather seats ..

Hi Warpspeed, I'm very interested in what sort of a deal you are able to get, and as i put in a previous post, you can get the TDCI in the Ghia Sedan but i agree it hasn't got the looks. Up here in Mukdahan there has never been any diesel in the showroom so 2 years ago i contacted the Khon Kaene dealer who had one but wouldn't let me test drive it. I sent many E-mails to Ford but never got a reply so their approach to selling cars is rather strange. The Ford Dealership owner here actually told me to only buy a petrol engine car and when asked why he replied that maybe they can't fix the TDCI in Mukdahan. I gave up in the finish and bought a Pajero GT. But with this deal they are offering now i am very interested again, so please let me know what you can screw out of them. Tell them if the deal is good enough they may get 2 sales, OK.

Ok but my deal is going to be unique including possibly 2 trades so in consideration of that I may not try to screw too much out of them if they go for my proposal at all, I may have to eat some to get it done but in the end it will be worthwhile for personal reasons.

[MoonRiverOasis]

So the only question left is if we close the deal should I begin a new thread cheerleading the Focus purchase ala the Cruze thread? Save for the fact that the car comes standard with leather seats ..

Judging by the responses here, it won't be anywhere near as contraversial as being the Chev Cruze product evangelist slut.

You'll get one or two die-hard Ozzie Holden fans coming out with one-liner "Found on Rubbish Dumps" type backronyms they can scarcely recall from their teens, and the odd ex-service tech complaining about how hard it is to regas the A/C -The rest will probably just agree with you (for once! LOL!)

Best of luck!

Edited November 25, 2011 by MoonRiverOasis

[WarpSpeed]

So the only question left is if we close the deal should I begin a new thread cheerleading the Focus purchase ala the Cruze thread? Save for the fact that the car comes standard with leather seats ..

Judging by the responses here, it won't be anywhere near as contraversial as being the Chev Cruze product evangelist slut.

You'll get one or two die-hard Ozzie Holden fans coming out with one-liner "Found on Rubbish Dumps" type backronyms they can scarcely recall from their teens, and the odd ex-service tech complaining about how hard it is to regas the A/C -The rest will probably just agree with you (for once! LOL!)

Best of luck!

Yeah but I grew up with the famous NASCAR Mercs and such winning most weekends and the T/A Mustangs in SCCA and IMSA so most from my era know about First On Race Day

Agree with me?? Well some are predicting the end of the world next year so who knows? But not as long as the sun still rises there'll always be the same few that'll try to argue the sky is not blue .

There's already one detractor making his thoughts known, though not one of the usual suspects..

[culicine]

<br />

<br />

<br />So the only question left is if we close the deal should I begin a new thread cheerleading the Focus purchase ala the Cruze thread?  <img src='http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> Save for the fact that the car comes standard with leather seats  <img src='http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/cool.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> ..<br />

<br /><br />Judging by the responses here, it won't be anywhere near as contraversial as being the Chev Cruze product <strike>evangelist</strike> slut. <img src='http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /><br /><br />You'll get  one or two die-hard Ozzie Holden fans coming out with one-liner "Found on Rubbish Dumps" type backronyms they can scarcely recall from their teens, and the odd ex-service tech complaining about how hard it is to regas the A/C <img src='http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> -The rest will probably just agree with you (for once! LOL!) <img src='http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /><br /><br />Best of luck!<br />

<br />Yeah but I grew up with the famous NASCAR Mercs and such winning most weekends and the T/A Mustangs in SCCA and IMSA so most from my era know about <b>F</b>irst <b>O</b>n <b>R</b>ace <b>D</b>ay  <img src='http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> <br /><br />Agree with me?? Well some are predicting the end of the world next year so who knows? But not as long as the sun still rises there'll always be the same few that'll try to argue the sky is not blue  <img src='http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/dry.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='<_<' /> . <br /><br />There's already one detractor making his thoughts known, though not one of the usual suspects..<br />

<br /><br /><br />

My dad worked for Bryan Byrt Ford in Queensland for many years. At that time Dick Johnson raced for them. My dad was asked to be a mechanic for his team, but he turned it down - apparently this was voluntary weekend work 55. Anyway, always had fords at home - an XP, XY, unfortunately not a GT, and a ZH V8 fairlane - never a problem with any of them. Pity ford service in Thailand is not so great - anyone know of a good ford dealer / service centre in BKK??

[caphant]

I dont know mate, but the ford in patters is useless, thankfully the car has been reliable. I remember someone saying mitsubishi had poor service and expensive pricing but i cant say enough positive things about their service and pricing. guess it depends on which service center....for the daily driver it really pays to have good post sale service even after the warantee elapses.

[katabeachbum]

cant see any reason for relibality issues with present TH focus. Its been around as RHD and same 2,0 diesel for years. Fords dsg auto as used in focus has been in taxis for years. Its all proven stuff.

as always with a car more advanced than a simple pickup, there can be lack of qualified techs at garages, but for warp in bkk there are plenty of ford service options

its increadibel value for money for this car. get it while there are any left

[WarpSpeed]

its increadibel value for money for this car. get it while there are any left

This is what concerns me too, is it going to end up being that old bait and switch I wonder? They have put a date on the deadline and it says nothing about available stock but is it conceivable that they could run out of stock by then? I can see it being possible given the timing and the need for new cars over the next few months to replace wet ones. Would the old bait & switch come into play then where they wanna try to sell me up to the new Focus with wait time and at a much higher cost? I hope it doesn't come to that.. We aren't waiting but there are a lot of factors that come into play in this deal so a few obstacles to be reached, we'll test the waters on Monday..

[Haooo]

I already ordered one, delivery next week.

3% interest rate over 5 years. Free 1st class insurance and film.

It's my first time to buy a new car. I hope I made a right choice.

[MoonRiverOasis]

hrmm...

I just had a look at the Racehip site, and they have a dyno plot for the 136HP Focus TDCi:

OK, it's what they claim (178HP/405Nm), but it's still nice to see it

I've been searching for videos of chipped Focii, but they all seem to be MT's not the Powershift (the latter being ~0.5s to 0.8s faster 0-100). Anyways, this one's one of the clearer ones:

This Thai guy has a nice exhaust system on his, but dam_n he needs to stop using that PTT shit.. Sounds better than I'd expect out of an oiler

I also note that among the OEM accessories, there are options for 18's and 30mm lowering springs & shocks.. I wonder how much arm twisting it'd take to get them as freebies?

[MoonRiverOasis]

And to finish off, here's a video of a stock-standard 2.0 TDCi being autocrossed here in LOS

Add a chip, suspension, tires and someone who knows how to recover from a handbrake slide, and it'd be one fun little car

Edited November 26, 2011 by MoonRiverOasis

[katabeachbum]

most german cars come with 3 ride heights/3 sets of springs and shocks. TH most of asia, africa and midle east usually the longest springs

In Scandinavia the 2 longest by choise, no extra charge, some makes/models even the shortest without extra charge. I would assume Ford Indonesia/malaysia manufactor long ones only for Focus

back to ford quality, perhaps I have mentioned this one before, we did some major testing when sierra sedan came out in the 80s. studded winter tyres, 12 different makes on 3 identical cars. at least they where supposed to be identical sierra sedans. but we got some od scores on the tyres and had to check out the cars. Rear ground clearence differed with 30mm!!!! .

we contacted ford ant they said, yes thats normal, tolerance on sierra sedan is +/- 15mm on rear springs................... ford has come a long way since

we ended up having to do all tests with one sierra only, still 4 drivers, so took 3 times as long, to find the best tyres