FORD FOCUS2004 · 1.8L Diesel

The 2004 Ford Focus presents as roadworthy with a stable maintenance trend, evidenced by the most recent DVSA test on 23 July 2025 at 120,020 miles returning a pass with no defects recorded. Prior tests on 11 July 2024 at 119,226 miles and 10 June 2022 at 118,705 miles also passed cleanly. The vehicle shows no worsening mechanical faults across its recent history, and the only blemish is a single failure on 24 May 2022 at 118,700 miles where the tester logged no specific defects, suggesting an administrative or unrecorded minor issue rather than a hard mechanical fault. Recorded mileage sits at 120,020 against an age of roughly 22 years, equating to about 5,455 miles per year, which is low for a vehicle of this type and era. The odometer moved only 2,323 miles between the November 2020 test at 116,097 miles and the June 2022 pass at 118,705 miles, then crept up just 315 miles to the 2024 test and 794 miles to 2025. Such low annual use implies long standing periods, which typically accelerate rubber perishing, brake caliper seizing, and underbody corrosion even where the MOT shows a clean sheet. A buyer should physically inspect suspension bushes, coil springs, and brake discs for age-related degradation that low-mileage storage hides. The absence of advisories across five years of tests does not rule out latent corrosion to structural members or exhaust systems, particularly on a 2004 chassis exposed to damp British winters. Given the May 2022 failure carried no listed defect, confirm with the seller what triggered it and whether any rectification beyond a retest occurred. Otherwise the record implies a lightly used car with consistent basic upkeep, though in-person checks on binding calipers and tyre sidewall condition remain prudent before purchase.