Solid great handeling nice looks all round good car

Tires Suck problems accelorating with AC

This car was purchased as my First Brand new Car one year ago. We have had a few problems with it problems that reoccur after they have been fixed. Condensation in front head lamps and brakes apparently are a problem for this year and model. Otherwise my standard tires are prematurely wearing 38 thou clicks and its time to replace the bald things. Performance tires yeah, right! On the other hand this car handles great and feels rock solid in adverse weather conditions. I do recommend this car however I recommend the extended warranty as well!

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Escort

GAS MILEAGE OK STEREO SYSTEM OK 2.0 ZETEC OK SO FAR

STALLING PROBLEMS BRAKE PROBLEMS UNRELIABLE DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS

HAD NO TROUBLE FIRST YEAR OF USING CAR HOWEVER DURING THE SECOND YEAR ENGINE APPEARS TO STALL DURING THE HOT WEATHER MONTHS AND HAD BRAKES REPLACED AND OXYGEN SENSOR WENT OUT. ALSO ALTERNATOR WIRE BROKE AND HAD TO BE SPLICED. I AM FORTUNATE TO HAVE BROTHER WHO CAN REPLACE MOST OF THE ABOVE ON HIS OWN WITHOUT GOING TO FORD MECHANICS. READ OTHER REVIEWS AND AM AWAITING FURTHER PROBLEMS.

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1991 FORD ESCORT VERY NICE CAR 1994 FORD ESCORT ALSO VERY NICE AND RELIABLE

GAS MILEAGE OK STEREO SYSTEM OK 2.0 ZETEC OK SO FAR

STALLING PROBLEMS BRAKE PROBLEMS UNRELIABLE DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS

HAD NO TROUBLE FIRST YEAR OF USING CAR HOWEVER DURING THE SECOND YEAR ENGINE APPEARS TO STALL DURING THE HOT WEATHER MONTHS AND HAD BRAKES REPLACED AND OXYGEN SENSOR WENT OUT. ALSO ALTERNATOR WIRE BROKE AND HAD TO BE SPLICED. I AM FORTUNATE TO HAVE BROTHER WHO CAN REPLACE MOST OF THE ABOVE ON HIS OWN WITHOUT GOING TO FORD MECHANICS. READ OTHER REVIEWS AND AM AWAITING FURTHER PROBLEMS.

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1991 FORD ESCORT VERY NICE CAR 1994 FORD ESCORT ALSO VERY NICE AND RELIABLE

Bang for the buck, excellent stereo (get the audiophile system), interior is awesome, unbelievable handling (will out perform the corvette z06 in the slalom), all around terrific car

none as of yet, other than the poor customer relations at Smith Ford in Conway AR, those guys were morons

I've only had the car for one month, but I love it. Great bang for the buck. I did have to take it in b/c it had a leak in the evap cannister after two weeks. The local dealership (Smith Ford, not the one I purchased from) tried to tell me they didn't have to give me a loaner or rental, when my SVT owners manual clearly states that they do. One call to the 800 number for SVT resolved this quickly. Interior is well layed out. Roomy inside, I have 4 boys ages 3 months - 11 years and we can all ride comfortably while carrying baseball/football/soccer gear in the hatch, have to take the van if my wife is going. The aftermarket mods out there are abundent, though I don't know that I will be adding any of these items for a while. Only had it a month so can't comment on long term reliability, and everything I hear about any model of Foci is on one end of the spectrum or the complete opposite, not much in between.

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2 different probes (good cars) taurus (pretty good car) PT Cruiser (looks nice, nothing else good to say about this P.O.S.)

Get the ZTW: well equiped. Good all around engine: most of your mileage is in the city, yet you need to travel sometines; Agile, economical. Plenty of space in all seats. Silent car. Excellent rear/side visibility. Steering wheel cruise control!

Back seat don't really split completely 60/40. You have to lift the seat completely to fold the back rest flat. I cannot critisise power output: get realistic and you will appreciate it.

We rented a 2000 SE sedan for less than three years and knew we disliked a few points. The gaz would not get to the injection whith low tank and the car in a berm turn like a hwy exit for exemple. Very stressfull. Other problems where interior design. But we beat the car a lot. High mileage, load (two outdoor loving adults, big dogs...) bad roads. So we decided on getting the wagon because it held off. We need a cheap car with plenty of space. We since have added a ski box roof carrier. We really enjoy our 2003 car all problems on previous models seem fixed.

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2000 Focus SE sedan, 1984 Mercury Lynks, Honda (Civic, Accord) Subaru Forester and Legacy, Volks Jetta, Nissan Maxima.

I can open the doors for now

everything that you can imagine

I have had problem with the ignition, it comes and goes. I had problems with the electrical pump that has been repaired 3-4x's that "I" had it towed to dealership and left without transportation, which I paid for rental because dealership did not offer, and it turned out that the repairs were their negligence Now, my engine light came on and is at the dealership as I type in my comment. I have been taking my car in for service at the dealership for every time it was needed. A couple of months ago, I had my car serviced for the 30,000 tune-up and I'm still having problems... I'm waiting for a return call to see what is wrong NOW and am not looking forward to hearing the problem.... I would not recommend anyone to purchase this vehicle... I am now looking into the Lemon Law as to many incidence has happened.

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none

If you keep the maintenance up on them like you should, you can drive this car until the tires fall off. Some people complain of increased wear on the tires, but if you rotate them as you should (even with the way my brother and I drive), we are up to 36K with no problems.

As with most newly introduced vehicles, there will be recalls. Just get them done all at once, and you are all set. Other than that, for it's class and price, I'de say you can't find a better car.

Some of these people have complaints about the focus. Our family has three, all different models. Our first was a 2000 Ford Focus ZTS (2.0L Zetec), very nicely equipped. It's got about 33,000 miles (still on the original tires with plenty of tread). We had a few recalls on it (to be expected from a first year model) and had to take it in several times for a windshield wiper switch replacement. It was a simple fix, and under the warranty. Other than these minor problems, it has been a really reliable, speedy, and maneuverable car. I bought my brothers car, a 2001 ZTS with the same engine and basic specs as the ZTS, only it's a 3-door hatchback. Never a problem with the windshield wiper switch. Most of the same simple recalls with the 2000 were carried over to the 2001. All of which were repaired and never had a problem since. The car runs as it should with 36,000 (very hard) miles on it. Still on the original tires by the way, with plenty of tread. A faulty sensor was another problem with this car, that led to sluggish acceleration. The problem was fixed, and that part replacement (free under warranty) came with a Ford extended 100,000 mile warranty on it. Other than that, the car drives and looks very nice. My brothers new car, a 2003 Ford Focus SVT has had no problems yet, and performs like no other car I've seen.

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Ford Focus ZX3, ZTS, and SVT.

Good gas mileage Roomy interior Large trunk Smooth running if serviced properly

Loses power with AC running Ignition locks up Several recalls

After 2 years of owning the vehicle, I have had 3 recalls. Now two of them were fairly unimportant and if there had been a problem, would have been easily replaced, however one of them was the torque on the rear wheel bearing. Imagine driving at 70 miles an hour on the freeway and having the rear end come off. Sounds major to me. Now after 73,000 my ignition locked up to where the vehicle had to be towed to the dealership for a $450 replacement plus towing. I've also been told of over 50 instances where this has happened. Why is there no recall. You don't hear of an ignition locking up on cars from the 60's to the 80's. You'd think that after 20 years you may have to replace it, not after 3 years. Like many others I have to turn off the AC to accelerate getting on the freeway. If it wasn't for the gas mileage and spacious interior I don't think I would suggest anyone purchasing this vehicle in the future.

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75' Ford Ranchero

Looks great. We've had lots of comments, lots of interest, regular inquiries. Good gas mileage. Drives nice on the highway. Feels solid and is responsive in handling. Engine has been reliable.

OEM tires. Clutch gave out prematurely. Frequent recalls are a hassle - I think they're just an excuse to get me to the dealers' shop so they can try to sell me other repairs. (Why can't they just do it right to begin with?)

When we bought this new, we wanted a simple, economical vehicle that we hoped would be reliable for several years. We were trading in a 1990 Escort that had always been very dependable. We also paid a little extra for some comforts. The only two drivers are mid-late 30's and fairly safe and conservative drivers. Like many other comments I've read, the original tires didn't last 20K miles. Two went out on the same day for different reasons. We've received a steady stream of recall notices. Nothing yet that covered the (apparently) faulty clutch. Clutch went out at 33K miles and cost $850 to repair. The car has been driven exclusively by the same drivers that drove the predecessor Escort from new to 100K miles over a 10-year period with no hint of a clutch problem. Both had a 5-speed manual. (Independent) mechanic tells me that it isn't fair to compare the two - the Focus has a small clutch for its size and weight. Wish I'd taken him along when I bought it! I've loved Fords since long before I was old enough to drive (about 30 years now) and have had great experience with them in the past. I went against my usual rules of not buying a new model until it's been proven for a while. Even though 2000 was an early model year in the US, it had good reviews in Europe (non "PC" comments withheld at this time). I trusted Ford, and understood they were clearing out both the Escort and Contour lines to make room for the Focus. I expected something great. Ford has essentially told me "tough luck" it isn't their problem. They've lost a faithful, repeat customer. It seemed apparent(at least early on) that Ford was marketing this to very young drivers. If we went through the clutch that fast, an inexperienced, jackrabbit start, heavy-footed teen would surely burn the clutch out even faster... I don't know who should but this. Maybe grandma? Do your research before buying this!

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Previously owned (original owner) a 1990 Ford Escort (traded in for Focus at 10 years and 100K miles). Original owner and still driving a 1994 Ford Explorer with 150K miles (THIS has been a mechanical

WHEN RUNNING, GOOD MILEAGE, RESPONSIVE PICKUP

TIRES!!!!!, RADIO, AC, AMOUNT NEEDED FOR REPAIRS

OK, we will start from the top. The covering on the radio knob is melting, and the radio shuts down if I hit a bumpy patch of road. I have had a vaccuum pressure problem. My ignition has locked twice. I have had to replace the brakes, battery, and wiper blades three times. I have replaced each tire on the car at least 4 times, 6 in some cases. I think I have about 500 miles on the doughnut spare looking for a tire shop. And now for the big one. My car died and had to be towed. Upon arrival in the shop, it was diagnosed as a fuel pump. $50 deductible W/extended warranty. After fuel pump was replaced, then it was found that the crank sensor was bad, melted actually. $125 not covered. The tech decided that the clutch looked ok, so the tranny was to blame. They opened it, and found that the tranny was fine. The clutch had to be replaced. $1275 not covered. Finally the fuel pressure regulator had to be replaced. Covered by earlier deductible. That was July. In August my ignition locked for the second time. I got the car back and five days later the radio became "stuck". I could do nothing to it, not change the channel, the volume, the cd (which had also quit working before), or turn it off. I popped the anti theft panel out, but this had no effect. I pulled top the side of the road and turned off the engine. No effect. I finally met my wife at an amusemnet park, and had to take off the battery cables to kill it. When i reattached them, now my headlights do not work. IF YOU BUY THIS CAR MAKE SURE TO GET TWO THINGS WITH IT: THE PREMIUM CARE EXTENDED WARRANTY, AND THE EXTENDED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE (IT HAS MORE THAN PAID FOR ITSELF).

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NONE, Thank God!