Help me choose 07-08 2nd hand Focus TDCi or 99-01 Pajero FM 2.5

[lourd_neo]

Hi guys, Ask ko lang if you're in my shoes, alin pipiliin nyo with a budget around 600K more or less.

Ford Focus TDCi 07-08 yung unang labas yung within budget, sporty car, good FC.

Mitsubishi Pajero Field Master 99-01 - meron mga 4x4 Mt/AT na pasok sa budget as per sulit prices. Pwede na din 4x2. SUV sya so the advantage of a bigger and meaner car is there.


My background:

Married with 1 child, I owned a Civic SiR. If I buy the focus i might be forced to sell the SiR kasi 2 sedan na i might as well trade it to Starex or something. If i go with the pajero, i will hold on to the SiR.

Pros and Cons of both car? Hindi ba mahirap at mahal parts ng Focus lalo na yung engine specific parts? How about sa FM? wala ako idea about the prices and availability of both Unit. BTW, im from the batangas

Brand new car maybe out of the question, tingin ko kasi masyado malaki cost of depreciation pagbago eh.

[GTi]

Napakalayo naman ng dalawa! Reading your post I can see that you are obviously unwilling to dispose the SiR. So, I'd suggest you go for a bigger vehicle for the outing, hauling, carpooling purposes and save the SiR for the weekends and coding days. But I do not suggest the Fieldmaster Pajero. The performance is poor, and so is the fuel mileage. Maintenance is not cheap and the tires are very, very expensive. Since you mentioned the Starex, I suggest you consider getting the Starex instead. For your budget you can already get a much newer 2004-2005 Starex GRX CRDi which is more comfortable, more spacious and more powerful than the Pajero.

[lourd_neo]

Thanks for the input sir GTI. medyo malayo nga yung choices. Is the focus a good replacement for the SiR for a daily driven car? medyo nagiisip na kasi ako magpalit kasi medyo matagal na rin yung civic ko im afraid lumabas na mga sakit nya.

[GTi]

Mabilis at matipid yung Focus like your SiR. Yun nga lang being a modern diesel means that the maintenance is more expensive and so are the parts. It is, of course, up to you to weigh out the options. The SiR is a great car, and I'm quite sure that if you had been very nice to it, you shouldn't be experiencing many headaches even after many more years of ownership.

[CVT]

If I were you (and from what I read, you want a car and a van/suv), I'd buy a Starex to complement your SiR.

The Starex's gen3 model started in late 2004 and I am sure that you can find one within your budget. TCi engine is also a good choice and in the long run, cheaper to maintain than a CRDi variant.

13.9K:mop:

[niky]

Focus parts in general are not any more expensive than new Civic parts. There are just two parts in particular you should watch out for... the Dual Mass Flywheel, which is not available outside the casa, and the liquid passenger engine mount. In both cases, you can replace them with aftermarket parts that are not as sophisticated (single-mass flywheel and rubber engine mount) and in both cases, the replacement part will cause more engine vibration, but at least will not cost too much.

The TDCi is a very nice car... better than the SiR in almost every way except top speed (207 versus around 220). But yeah, unless you need two sedans, it might be redundant.

[lourd_neo]

CVT, youre right iniisip ko nga 1 sedan and a vehicle that can seat 5-7 people. If i decide to hold on to my SiR i might as well look for an Starex. Concern ko lang kasi is the 2nd car should take care of a little flooding. Galing nyo naman nalaman nyo i really like my civic. Dream car ko kasi yun when i was still studying kaya nung nagkawork na and had enough money to buy a car yun agad hinanap ko. take me a while though to look for a fresh unit.

Niky, yup two sedan doesnt have make a lot of sense. SiR can go that speed done that... but hindi na ngaun iba na pagfamily man na. bihira na umabot ng 140. Focus is the newer alternative to the SiR, and from what i read very good FC. Hindi kasi ako familiar sa diesel engine for car. kung power plant pa i have enough knowledge hehehe. hindi naman siguro kailangan palitan lage yung two parts that you mention? how about the AT TDCI hindi ba hirap yung transmission nya?

[GTi]

By the way the discussion is turning out, I'd suggest you get the Starex GRX na talaga. If you are willing to maintain it properly, then the CRDi will serve you very well as proven by our "problematic" 4JX1 Trooper which has so far served us for more than eight years already, is running as it was when we first bought it, and can still keep those Fortuners and Monteros at bay. The Focus TDCi is a very nice car, its just that as compared to your SiR, you'll have to do maintenance more often and it'll need more motor oil. Replacing parts like the turbo and injectors can also be costly if it fails on you. As for the Powershift, I hear that its almost as good as the manual, just heavier resulting to slight decrease in performance.

[niky]

With diesel, you have to strictly follow the 5,000 kilometer maintenance interval. Not much different from your SiR... only that's synthetic at every change. Regular fuel filter changes are a must, too, especially with the goat's pee we have for diesel here.

The big problem with buying secondhand diesels is the hit-or-miss nature of local diesel. Some people have no fuel system problems for 100,000, 200,000 or 300,000 kilometers. Some people get injector and pump issues at as little as 150,000 kilometers... and in some extreme cases, even 50,000 - 100,000. And these parts are expensive, whatever the brand.

Being in the Ford Club, I haven't heard of any fuel system or pump issues for people using Metro Manila diesel. For Hyundais, I've heard a few, but all well past the 100,000 km mark... and I haven't heard much about the new systems. Toyotas... well, pretty notorious for pump issues around 40-60k kms here, but I still believe that's station dependent, because I know people well past 100k kms with no issues.

The only extraordinary wear item on the Focus is the turbo. If you drive like an idiot: start the car, do a burn-out out of the garage, drive like a maniac, then turn it off while it's still burning hot... then the turbo will wear out. This is just as in any oil-fed turbo car (note: the Pajero and Starex are both turbo). But the turbo can be rebuilt. If you drive it normally: Let it warm up. Use it gently. Go "whee" every once in a while... then no problem-o at all.

You will often see a few TDCis for sale at a really cheap price. These people will have had issues with the clutch or the turbo due to abuse, poor maintenance or flood damage. If you care for it properly, though, the car will do you no wrong.

The new TDCi has a wet dual clutch system. Extra maintenance is the replacement of transmission fluid, but with the dual clutch, I think you don't have to worry about flywheel replacement. Still... those cars are probably still out of your price range.