Bexlee

I want a cheap but comfortable estate car, & the 'Finesse' looks like a lot of car for the money. I am looking at a 1999 1.6 16v and a 1.8TDi.

All pros & cons of ownership experience much appreciated.

Bexlee

TTT

hades

We had a 1.8 16v Ghia as a works car a while back, and I did several thousand miles in it. My biggest issue is I hated the seats, which always gave be bad backache after an hour - seriously suggest you try a long test drive as several other people found the same thing. I guess the seats were just designed for a different size/shape to me (6', 12.5 stone, fairly wide)

Handling was pretty poor IMHO. Felt faster than it was. Petrol engines were good, ride comfort OK, decent equipment. The TD engine had a horrible narrow power band, you had very little leeway on where to change gear. However, went alright, decent economy. I'd actually prefer an equivalent Astra for the same money.

Obviously this all IMHO, and others will find differently. Personally, I believe the Focus is such a big improvement I'd pay more for one if that's an option.

co55ie

I had a 1.8 16v escort a few years ago. It was reliable enough and cheap to run but the engine was coarse and it was horrid to drive even after it had done 15k miles it felt like it had loosened up. I believe they are prone to idling problem's which can be expensive to fix.
The front bushes wear rapidly as do the front brake discs and the handbrake tends to get jammed on if you wash the wheels and dont move the car until the next day.
Better options at the same price in my opinion.


[Edited by co55ie - 12/17/2002 11:45:32 PM]