Is it time to ditch my Falcon?

[Hunter]

Ok, been a fairly happy Falcon owner since I bought it way back in 04, mostly fault free motoring (except the exploding radiator tank) but sadly I think the old girl has had her run and I'm very much on the verge of considering getting a new(er) car for most of my driving. Seeing as the EL ain't worth a piece of poo anymore, I'm not going to sell it but I was thinking of perhaps getting either a Focus, Fiesta or whatever other small cars they make these days.

I'm not happy about having to get a FWD econobox but times change and my wallet no longer can afford $70 for 350 km of travel that I'm getting these days.

So far this is the list of things that will need fixing in my Falcon:

-New front/rear rotors
-New front/rear pads
-Front/rear caliper overhauls (they are shot, one of them is basically seized)
-Need all new front bushes/rubbers
-Need all new front ball joints
-Steering rack and pump are shagged and the pump has been noisy for sometime
-Need caster/camber kit for front end - chews outside edges of tires with regularity
-Rear end makes squeaking noises whenever you go over bumps/rough terrain
-Handbrake stopped working all the time. Sometimes it works, most of the time it doesn't.
-Severe drive train shunt, loud clunking noises from diff when backing off.
-Trans needs a major service
-Idler bearing on drive belt is shagged/noisy
-Engine idle has been rough as guts since I got it (gave up trying to figure out what it was)
-Fuel economy around city areas is woeful. I hardly do any highway driving nowadays but paying $70 for 300 km worth of driving is ridiculous. A newer more powerful v8 would use less!

So yeah, do you guys think its time to retire it and buy something else? My girl won't drive the Falcon because she feels uncomfortable in big cars and the cost of fuel is only going up. So I figure a smaller, more economical (yet boring) car might be the go. I estimate it's going to cost about $2000 to get the Falcon up to a roadworthy standard and really, for a car that's probably only worth about $3k at the most, it seems kind of stupid to put big money into it. I've just hit 202,000 km so by Falcon standards its a baby but the fuel is really hitting my pocket. Used to cost about $45 to fill the tank now it costs me about $80-90.

I like the look/style of the new Focus/Fiestas but I am kind of reluctant to buy a new Ford given the horror stories I've heard. And Toyotas seems overpriced IMO. Would you guys buy a Focus? Any Focus owners got some stories to tell me?? Any other cars I should consider instead of the Falcon?

Cheers.

[I FluXx I]

try and get a XR5 if ya can. A mate has one and there bloody great cars. good amount of power and sticks to the road pretty well with esp. I couldnt seem to fault it. It seems more refined and a little better built then our aussie built fords. If I was in the small car market, id be getting the xr5.

[Kryton]

how about a diesel focus?

[goldfire]

the above responses are certainly warranted based upon what you are looking for, but have you considered making your search a little broader?.

you could pick up a good condition AU or even a BA XT for a good price and both are realistically priced for their fuel comsumption etc etc, who knows you may want the extra space or not, atleast it'll be there if you want it.

Failing that, and I'm proud to say I bleed blue blood, but maybe another car manufactorer could present another small car option to you?, if that is indeed what you have your heart set on.

I would personally suggest you look at all your options before making a choice, or atleast making a short or small list of replacements.

Best of luck in your search and i hope you find what you are looking for.

[I FluXx I]

btw, check out the mondeo's aswell. Iv never driven one, but they look and feel great. The XR5 mondeo is a very nice car

[asusdragon]

if i had the cash when we brought the missus car i would seriously have looked at the XR5 only problem with the car was a bit small for the long term kids etc etc, so the Mondeo XR5 would have been great or any of the mondeo range they all look really good but we also were not in a postion to buy a $35000 car, but if i was in your boat i would be looking at this car heaps of room and from the sound pretty good economy