Description
Welcome to the sale of my stunning Ford Focus 1. 6i 16V Zetec Automatic. Finished in 'Tonic' light blue metallic paint, the car features all the usual Zetec model features plus the addition of the optional Climate Pack (featuring Air Conditioning, heated 'Quickclear' windscreen, heated washer jets and electrically operated and heated door mirrors), along with the optional and very smooth, electronically controlled, four-speed automatic transmission. Other Zetec standard features include original 5X2 spoke 15" alloy wheels (in unmarked condition), remote control, central double locking, the original Ford 6000 RDS stereo radio/ CD player with column-mounted controls, and electric front windows. I have an original 2004 Ford Focus sales brochure which shows all the features and detailed specifications of the car. The original owner also added Ford mud flaps and Ford tailored rubber mats to provide additional protection for the car.
First registered 29 October 2004, one of the last mark 1 Focus models, and bought by its first owner from Ford Main Dealer Sandicliffe in Nottingham, a gentleman living in the Nottingham area who went on to own the car for over 20 years until I bought it in 2025 as a one owner car. It is understood that the car has been garaged throughout its life which is reflected in the excellent condition that the car is in considering its age. The car has now covered only 30, 957 miles from new, backed up with full service history and MOT records. Despite the low mileage, the records show that the car continued to be serviced annually (see detailed history below), with comprehensive service history recorded in the original service book along with a ring binder full of service and maintenance receipts. The original handbook pack is included, along with two keys (the main key being remote control to operate the standard central locking) and all four tyres have plenty of remaining tread, plus the original mini 'space saver' spare wheel as shown in the photo in the boot. Documents show that the important cam belt and water pump were changed in October 2020 at 27431 miles, so just over 3500 miles ago, as part of a major service costing the previous owner some £641.
The most recent service was a major service that I had completed on 30 September 2025 at 28, 931 miles, at Ford Main Dealer Evans Halshaw in Bedford. The MOT lasts until 29 October 2026 - it passed first time again with no advisories. The history shows that, whenever anything came up as an advisory on a past MOT, the owner would rectify this soon afterwards, as supported by the various receipts. This is a truly exceptionally well maintained car that, as a result, drives exceptionally well and is a joy to own.
The full service history records are documented by a combination of the stamped service book and numerous invoices. Summarised details are as follows:
First service 15. 02. 2006 - Sandicliffe Garage Ford authorised dealer
Second service (major) 12. 02. 2007 - 6593 miles - Sandicliffe Garage Ford authorised dealer
Third service (major) 13. 02. 2008 - 9276 miles - Sandicliffe Garage Ford authorised dealer
Next service (major) 17. 02. 2009 - 11715 miles - Victoria Garage Stapleford
Next service - no date or mileage recorded - Victoria Garage Stapleford
Next service - 14. 02. 2011 - 15662 miles - Victoria Garage Stapleford
Next service - 23. 02. 2012 - 18186 miles - Victoria Garage Stapleford
Next service (major) - 22. 10. 2012 - 19365 miles - Victoria Garage Stapleford
Next service - 22. 10. 2013 - 20664 miles - Victoria Garage Stapleford
Next service - 14. 10. 2014 - 21898 miles - Victoria Garage Stapleford
Next service (major) - 21. 10. 2015 - 23092 miles - ATS Euromaster Stapleford
Next service - 24. 10. 2016 - 24243 miles - ATS Euromaster Stapleford
Next service - 17. 10. 2017 - 25173 miles - ATS Euromaster Stapleford
Next service - 18. 10. 2018 - 26147 miles - Victoria Garage Stapleford
Next service (full) including new brake fluid, front brake discs and pads - 12. 10. 2019 - 27006 miles - Victoria Garage Stapleford
Next service (full) - including new brake fluid, water pump and cam belt change - 27. 10. 2020 - 27431 miles - Victoria Garage Stapleford
Next service (full brake service) - 12. 10. 2022 - 28093 miles - D. S. Autoservices Awsworth
Next service - 11. 10. 2023 - 28370 miles - 28370 miles - D. S. Autoservices Awsworth
Next service - 23. 10. 2024 - 28552 miles - D. S. Autoservices Awsworth
New battery and antiroll bar linkages - 07. 02. 2025 - 28597 miles - D. S. Autoservices Awsworth
Last service (major) - 30. 09. 2025 - 28931 miles - Evans Halshaw Bedford Ford main dealer.
In summary, this is an exceptionally well maintained, low mileage car in lovely original condition that has clearly been very well looked after throughout its life. The original mark 1 Ford Focus was first launched to universal acclaim in 1998, winning the prestigious Car of the Year award in 1999, and becoming a favourite as a practical driver's car with the motor press and customers alike. With bold 'New Edge' styling and class-leading independent 'Control Blade' rear suspension, the Focus could not have been more different from the Escort range it replaced. I firmly believe that the mark 1 is the most iconic and distinctively styled model when compared with all the later versions that followed. Ford has recently stopped making the Ford Focus altogether in 2025, and very well preserved mark 1 versions such as this are likely to only rise in both value and rarity in the years ahead, as the mark 1 Focus continues becoming a modern classic. Here is your chance to buy one of the last mark 1 models in exceptional condition, with one elderly owner from new until I bought it in 2025, in well equipped Zetec 'Climate Pack' form and with the added benefit and rarity of being equipped with a very smooth, relaxing automatic transmission, making it a joy to drive whether as a future classic or a reliable 'daily driver'.
When I first saw this car advertised for sale last year, I travelled nearly 200 miles from my home to buy this Focus in June 2025. I was immediately impressed both by the very clean, original condition of the car and the excellent and easy way in which it drove. The visibility is excellent and there is a refreshing simplicity to the car, free from all digital complexity of the latest cars but also having all the features you really need for driving today. I had had a company car as my 'daily driver' for the past 11 years, but this was about to come to an end and I needed a car last year to use in the interim period during which I was between jobs. I have covered just over 2000 miles in the time I have owned the car and I have always enjoyed the way in which it has driven during this time. I have continued to look after the car in a fastidious manner, cleaning it weekly, keeping it garaged most of the time and treating it to a full major service with a Ford main dealer in September 2025, as highlighted in the service history set out above. I would love to keep the car, but I now have a new job and another car through my employer, plus we now have other additional cars we have acquired in the family, which very sadly means that I am short of space for the Focus, so have reluctantly decided to list it for sale.
If you have any questions about the car or would like to come and see it, please let me know. I am based in Ipswich, Suffolk.
