Got A Focus

[Gunslinger]

Hangs head in semi shame.  Yes after 10 years I traded in my Jeep Wrangler.  It was a long fought battle to keep it but the price of gas seems to have one. 

I Looked around at a good commuter and decided on a 2008 focus.  I have to say I'm pleasantly suprised with the car.  It's got ALOT of bells and wistles for the price (namely the sync radio).  To top it off the 35mpg just was too good to pass up.

Please don't judge me, I allready miss my jeep.  I hope he's ok and not lonely!  I won't miss all the knuckle bleeding wrench turning I did on it.  Most of wich is well docunmented on this forum.

When it comes down to it, I work 7 days a week for 8 weeks at a time and $300 a month just in gas is too much!

[texasmom]

What's to make fun of in that?  Nice job doing something financially wise for your family 

[SPKmes]

wow $300 a month, that would be nice...I use that in a week.

[Halo]

I had a 2000 Focus station wagon.  Really liked it.  Drove great, versatile, what's not to like?  Its reliability.  Brakes squealed (wheels were actually rusted but dealer acted like that was normal), and air conditioner crapped out at 37 months, a month after warranty expired.  Probably a seal somewhere, but of course dealer insisted entire AC had to be replaced for around $1,500.  

Instead, we traded away the Focus.  It's the last Ford I'll ever buy.  Thinking back, I guess we had the usual variety of luck.  One Pinto never ran right, another Pinto served us well, a Continental we bought with 90k on it gave us a taste of luxury but so many headaches we gave it to the mechanic in payment for its last repair bill.  However, we had an excellent ultra reliable 1978 Fairmont station wagon I think is still running somewhere.  

I hope you have much better luck with your Focus.  A friend bought a 2001 Focus station wagon, has had good luck with it, and is still enjoying it.  As the wheel turns ...

[Gunslinger]

about the bells and whistles....I have to say the sync system is pretty cool.  As soon as I get into the car it recognizes my cell phone via blue tooth.  From there the steering wheel button turns on the voice activation where I say "call home" and my phone does.

In addition it works with my wife's Ipod.  I plug it in and hook it up and say "play ACDC" and it creats a list of all ACDC songs and shuffles between them.  I'm hooked at just playing around with this thing.  Navigation would be the only step up.

[ramzey]

If i understand you correct you trade 300$/month gas bill for 300$+ gas cost of lease??????



btw. im getting something 4 cyl next month, probably Focus

[Gunslinger]

If i understand you correct you trade 300$/month gas bill for 300$+ gas cost of lease??????



btw. im getting something 4 cyl next month, probably Focus

288 actually and not a lease.  The out the door price was about 16.5K before tax title and fees.  My jeep got about 15 to the gallon....this thing doubles that.  So really the increase on the budget is about 150 or so.  Also I don't have to worry bout the transmission going out....or the exhaust bracket that just broke...or the brakes that allways seemed to have air in them. 

The biggest thing....AIR CONDITIONING!  yes I did not want another south Texas summer without it.

[CAP1]

Hangs head in semi shame.  Yes after 10 years I traded in my Jeep Wrangler.  It was a long fought battle to keep it but the price of gas seems to have one. 

I Looked around at a good commuter and decided on a 2008 focus.  I have to say I'm pleasantly suprised with the car.  It's got ALOT of bells and wistles for the price (namely the sync radio).  To top it off the 35mpg just was too good to pass up.

Please don't judge me, I allready miss my jeep.  I hope he's ok and not lonely!  I won't miss all the knuckle bleeding wrench turning I did on it.  Most of wich is well docunmented on this forum.

When it comes down to it, I work 7 days a week for 8 weeks at a time and $300 a month just in gas is too much!

nothing wrong with that dude.

[Xasthur]

I'm not sure if this will make you feel better or worse but my mother drives a Focus and she loves it. 

Nah, I picked the car for her. She had a Supercharged V6 luxury car but it was a lemon and was costing her more and more money and got to be dangerous in the end so we ditched it for 5k.

She works in the city so we decided to get her something smaller and I ended up finding a bright red Focus Zetec Hatch with 35k on the clock, not a scratch on it and owned by a mother who had to go back to work and sell the car because she was having another kid.

I've taken it for a spin a few times and it's a good little car... In trip-auto mode it's pretty quick (it hangs in second gear for too long otherwise, I find) and it's quiet, firm and responsive with very smooth handling and nice suspension. Hers is the model underneath the XR5 Turbo (I don't know if you Yanks get that, but it's the model with the 5cyl turbo and 18" alloys) and it's a tight, fuel efficient way to get from A to B.

Not a bad choice, mate.

[Gunslinger]

I'm not sure if this will make you feel better or worse but my mother drives a Focus and she loves it. 

Nah, I picked the car for her. She had a Supercharged V6 luxury car but it was a lemon and was costing her more and more money and got to be dangerous in the end so we ditched it for 5k.

She works in the city so we decided to get her something smaller and I ended up finding a bright red Focus Zetec Hatch with 35k on the clock, not a scratch on it and owned by a mother who had to go back to work and sell the car because she was having another kid.

I've taken it for a spin a few times and it's a good little car... In trip-auto mode it's pretty quick (it hangs in second gear for too long otherwise, I find) and it's quiet, firm and responsive with very smooth handling and nice suspension. Hers is the model underneath the XR5 Turbo (I don't know if you Yanks get that, but it's the model with the 5cyl turbo and 18" alloys) and it's a tight, fuel efficient way to get from A to B.

Not a bad choice, mate.

nah we don't get those models here.

I've decided to find/make a bumper sticker for it.  On the back it will read "I DON'T HAVE TO COMPENSATE"

some of the jeep's greatest hits collection.  It's good that hangtime aint here to rub it in my face



http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,197048.0.html

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,159673.0.html

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,145050.0.html

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,104388.0.html

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,155372.0.html

[Xasthur]

But isn't that compensating for your lack of compensating? 

[Fulmar]

I drive a 06 Focus ZX3 and my wife has a 05 Focus ZX4 SES.  My best bud bought an 08 ZX4 SES (I should have waited!).  Overall it's a pretty good card.  The interior on the 05-07's (mainly the dashes and console) aren't that great but the 08's were nicely improved.

We just replaced the stock Pirelli tires on my wife's car at about 30K.  Mine will probably last that long as well.  There was a recall on the brakes for the 05-06's for premature wear IIRC.  Neither Ford or the dealer notified us with this (mine would have been under warranty - 1 year for the recall) when the recall started...  They didn't need to be replaced right then and there, they're just going to wear faster than normal apparently.

Otherwise they're nice cars, I've had no problems with mine (knock on wood).  Good pick up and ride, not too bad on the noise.  Mine is a 5 speed and there have a noticeable amount of more pick up over the Auto.  To get 35MPG* (5 speed), you really need to drive it at 55 MPH.  65MPH on a 5 speed gets about 30-32MPG.  75 MPG gets about 27-28 MPG.  City in the summer, about 25-27 MPG, winter about 1-2 less.
*I've never registered a full tank of gas calculated to beyond 33 MPG, but not too many trips have roads as slow as 55 MPH (Wisconsin Freeways are 65)

Of course my trips are less than your $300 a month.  I do about 10,000 miles a year and my work commute is 10 minutes (4.5 miles city/highway mix).

The hatchback ZX3/5 is quite handy and I can haul more stuff than my wife's ZX4 because of it.

Would I buy again?  Well I'd have to give it some thought.  At the time I thought long an hard about getting an economy car, but I'm glad I played my cards right.  I've always owned Ford products so I am biased to them, but I've began to look at other makes too.  Focus's hold their value not too badly, should do better now with $4 gas.

[indy007]

The biggest thing....AIR CONDITIONING!  yes I did not want another south Texas summer without it.

A/C Repair should be a mandatory highschool class here.

[Gunslinger]

A/C Repair should be a mandatory highschool class here.

Can't repair was isn't there.  The jeep had no A/C

[bj229r]

I've been looking around for a car for my kid---Focus looks to be the only US car I'd consider (This, coming from someone who owned a $#%^#$@^#$^!@##@% Bronco)