We'd been looking for a P1 platform car for a little while and the delayed sale of our V70 meant that the C30 we'd had our eye on didn't work out.

So, we decided that, rather than pick up something neat, we'd sink our teeth into another project.
The shared Volvo/Ford/Mazda P1 platform has a strong following, with lots of parts interchangability - particularly between Ford and Volvo variants - and a big scope for performance upgrades.

The criteria list, this time around was short -
* Must be Volvo 5cyl turbo powered
* Must not have biege interior
* Working heater and AC
* No sunroof (applicable to Focus only)

Preference too was that it would be manual.

After a few non-returned phonecalls, voicemails and emails about some Volvo V50T5s, we stumbled across a filthy blue focus. I'd have settled for an auto if I could have had a V50T5, but it wasn't to be.

It met the basic criteria, we agreed on a price and with our V70T5 having been sold, we had a free spot ready for it.

Here's the starting point -
It's a fairly untidy car but most of the issues will be easy to sort out.
The current two big ones are -
* Airbag light on the dash
* I cant open the bonnet (common focus issue, and I could open the bonnet when I went and checked it out, pre purchase).

It may be of interest due to the shared platform and all of the area's we're interested in are directly transferable to the Volvo C30/S40/V50T5 FWD models.