Hi,

Firstly thanks for taking the time to read this and for any advice you can give.

I am in the market for a low milage, reliable, economical Focus for under £2,000.

Can anyone tell me the 'one to buy' i.e is it the 1.4, the 1.6 (in which case is it the zetec, 16v etc) LX or Ghia (i understand these have better options but from a second hand point of view are they worth it?) Plus any other advice you can give. I am not fussed about speed, mpg is important, and spare parts availability and servicing costs etc are a big part of my decision. I like to tinker about a bit with my cars so the easier the engine is to work with/understand the better.

Also, where to buy? Are dealerships the best (as they might want to get these old cars off the firecourt) or private sellers? I have also considered a car auction...is this a good idea for this type of car?

Any other advice you can give on things i should look out for, or places i should look would be great.

In an ideal world i would like an '04, 1.6 Petrol Manual 16v Zetec, with under 50k on the clock, but am totally open to better suggestions.

Thanks again.

Paul