Well the FL 1 certainly gets loads of bad press but I'm happy with mine most of the time. Can be a labour of love but then buy a Focus if you want a hback. They need to be maintained properly - I use RCV for anything I cant do and recommend them. As for transmission noises one piece of advice - have the wheelbearings checked out first. I had the whole ird, viscous, rear diff panick - rear wheel bearing is the problem and did not show up on MOT a few weeks prior. Needs to go on ramp with transmission engaged and knowledable people checking. Hope this helps somebody.