The fact that a Ford Focus RS is for sale from the Dutch government is certainly nice. And the fact that the 'country of origin is unknown' makes it completely fascinating. It gives us the chance to do our second favorite activity of the boss's day: playing internet detective with cars. After reading this article, you will probably leave this Focus RS behind.
What immediately stands out are the orange reflectors in the headlights; you usually find this on American models. You can see the kilometers on the screen behind the steering wheel, but you can just see that the '20' and the '40' are highlighted in large, which indicates a mileage counter. We're guessing this is an American import. That's a red flag anyway, but we'll explain that in a moment.
The first owner cherished his car
We asked license plate checker Carfax to confirm our suspicions. A spokesperson says that the car was sold new in 2016 in Oklahoma, America. The first owner drove his car more than 5,000 kilometers in the first year and visited the dealer three times for some maintenance. Someone who takes good care of his car, that is. Or someone who had little problems.
In 2017, the car was suddenly exported to Germany. Exporting an American car that was also delivered in Europe to this side of the globe is actually only done for two reasons. The first is if the owner moves and takes his car with him, and the second is that the car is unsellable in the home country due to its damage history.
The first red flag
Carfax confirms that damage is the leading reason for export of American cars. Interestingly, no accident was reported in 2017, but there was in 2019. The car reportedly had damage front and rear. “I think the American insurance company only provided this data very late,” the spokesperson said. So we can say that this is a damaged car from America.
The car arrived in Germany in February 2017 and three months later the car was registered again in Madrid, Spain. It is not known what the condition of the car was at the time. It is certain that mechanical damage was repaired (again?) in November 2017. Then the odometer showed 10,000 kilometers, which is about 5,000 kilometers more than when the car arrived in Europe.
The car is now in the Netherlands
In 2019, the car was exported from Spain to an unknown EU country. A year earlier there were 20,000 kilometers on the odometer, so the Spanish owner was still driving his car. From that moment on, it is unclear what happened, but we do know that the Focus RS is being offered in an auction with the Dutch government today.
Considering the mileage, the odometer reading of 79,000 kilometers could well be correct. However, the car is in terrible condition. Parts are missing from the outside, the bumpers are hanging at half past seven, the rims are broken and the interior appears to have been thoroughly searched. And the police don't do that if they suspect that you stole sweets from the Kruidvat.
The biggest red flag
A Ford Focus RS with some cosmetic damage, that is still a nice project. Especially if the price is right, you still have some room in your budget for paintwork, some interior parts and a set of new rims. The hot hatchback is really one of the 'they don't make them like that anymore' genre, so it could even be an investment. The biggest problem is the close-up photos of the roof.
On the plates of Domeinen Roerende Zaken it is difficult to see what exactly is being zoomed in, but it seems as if the lines of the sheet metal are not quite correct. This could indicate that the car is 'crooked'. In any case, the car must be very cheap if you want to take this gamble. Or you want the coolest car at the autocross…
#Focus #government #bargain #delve #dubious #history
