Robert Jones’s Ford Focus estate car has failed its MOT, he has £7000 to spend on a replacement.

A Car for the Head

Robert does not make too many demands on a car, wants it to be capable on a motorway run, spacious and with a low loading lip to the boot. When it comes to practicality and reliability I would point him in the direction of the Toyota Verso. I don’t think he would have any need for seven seats, but in the down position they are part of the boot floor. That leaves lots of room for shopping or luggage. Robert could buy a 2009 example with a 2.0 diesel in TR trim with 60,000 miles.

A Car for the Heart

As he was perfectly happy behind the wheel of the Focus before it gave up, let’s get Robert behind the wheel of another Ford. I think that the C-Max would be a very good fit. Here is a stylish supersized Focus which should be perfect as it has bags of room inside and easy to live with and drive. Also, Robert wants better economy than his old car and if he went for a 1.6 TDCi example then potentially he could expect up to 57mpg. £7000 buys a 2011 example with 82,000 miles with a full Ford history.

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