Good Power, relability and looks Can beat a honda civic hands down Good community support online Handles well, good suspension Quiet on the freeway decient stereo for stock 30 MPG in mixed driving

Needs 170 + HP Late on the aftermarket scene Resell Sucks, expect 30 percent frop in value first year

I have always liked the style of the ford focus and the financing of the car made the deal sealed. I bought the car just as the 01's were going out to the 02's. We now have over 30000 miles and despite a rattle that required repair, have had no problems with the vehicle. There is good community base for the car online to modify and maintain the car. The zetec is a good power plant and is quite a bit faster than the honda civic in its class. I have never had a recall on this model , maybe ford fixed all the issues before this model came out.

Similar Products Used:

Dodge grand caravan Handa CRV 58 Volkswagen bug 1967 Ford F100 long bed 352 V8

none in my opinion

-Ford's quality control problems i.e. ignition problems -Lack of power -Gas mileage lacking for four cylinder engine

I will not be buying any Ford products in the forseeable future unless quality issues are resolved. We had the same ignition problem "fixed" five times in the period of time in which we owned the car. A quick summary of this problem was that the ignition either one fell totally out of the steering column or the key became locked inside the ignition and would not turn to start the car. Along with the ignition troubles we found that the car was underpowered. I suppose only having a 110 hp four cylinder that should have been expected. Another complaint was that the car did not hold its value. When we decided to trade it we were upside down with what the dealer was willing to give us on a trade. Before this I owned a 1990 toyota corolla. In the five plus years I drove that car I did not have a single problem. Many days I found myself wanting that car back to replace a vehicle that was ten years newer. I now own a 2003 subaru impreza outback sport. So far I have no complaints about it. The focus has tainted my view of domestic four cylinder vehicles. I hope someone reads this review and it saves them some headaches and some heartaches.

Similar Products Used:

Toyota Corolla Subaru Impreza Outback Sport

It handles nice. My wife thought it was cute.

-RECALLS, RECALLS, RECALLS -Bad brakes -Bad engine -Tiny Rims -Door handles that freeze shut in the winter -Constant rattles -No Power -Many mornings when it was hard to start -Fan belts whines when damp -If you get a flat tire, the rear rims corrode and get stuck to the brake drumbs. -Cheap plastic interior is falling apart. -Problems with the wiring -Engine iding problems -Terrible re-sell value, I can't get anything for this piece of junk.

I've driven a lot of lemons and this little car was the worst of them. Right from day one I was getting recall after recall, and not for something like weather stripping, but for major safety issues. Things like seats not installed properly and rear tires flying off moving cars. I've replaced the brakes 3 times since I've had the car, if you don't believe me go to www.fordfocusbrakeproblems.com. Its been at the shop so many times the dealer-ships receptionist recognizes my voice when I call. I hate this little piece of junk and I can't wait to get a new car!

Similar Products Used:

Honda Civic Toyota Camery VW Golf Dodge Neon

reliable, good milage

Cabin noise, looks weird,

The car has been all right. Has 16 value engine and automatic. No mechanical problems after 45,000 miles. Average 31 mpg. The 16 valve engine is quite peppy. w/ automatic Tires replaced at 40,000. (Must air up rotate tires to prevent cupping). The cabin is noisy, especially in the back seat, which is sized for children. CD player is fine. Will choose a quiter and larger car next.

Similar Products Used:

Mercury Tracer

sleek appearance

engine is very noisy, too much rattling; highway performance is POOR; AC is not cooling enough

I never had a nightmare with owning a car till I bought this Ford Focus 2001 sedan. For almost every week since I bought it, there seems to be endless problems. The AC sucks, it just blows hot air even after the repair. The engine is noisy and the brakes are terrible.

Similar Products Used:

toyota ECHO

Adjustable seat heights.

Performance and safety.

Do not buy this car. No matter what. I am not a mechanic or very knowledgeable of car parts and whatever so I dont know the technical ways to tell you all that is wrong with the Focus. In plain english: 1. It makes noise 2. The car doesnt accelarate safely- you know how some cars boast they do 0 to 60 in 6 seconds, the Focus does that in three minutes. This is not the car to be in, trying to merge onto the highway. 3. The whole front of the car shakes like it is unraveling at 65MPH. 4. Three recalls in six months for problems with the electrical systems, steering wheel and bolts. 5. The extended warranty doesnt mean a thing and Ford Customer Service is very adept at screwing you while smothering you in kisses and kind words. 6. The "front air damn cover" fell out from under the car while I was on the highway. I dont know what it does or what it was covering but Ford will not replace it and its not covered in my warranty. 7. The car makes noises 8. The fuel economy that was so great in the beginning is now shot. 180 miles to the tank. Unless you like going to the dealership and spending money on car repairs, do not buy this car. Under any circumstances. Do not even trade someone your old car for this car.

Handling, styling, roominess highway mileage Decent power (only w/Zetec)

City mileage No tach on the SE model Really irritating and totally useless shift light (can be disabled if you know how...)

I Was very hesitant to purchase this car due to all the trouble with the 2000 & 2001 model years. Found a deal too good to pass up (dealer ordered 10 of the SEs for a car rental company with sticks. Oops.) So I now own a Focus and have had 0 problems with it after 15k miles, and am very pleased. My condolences to all you 2000 and 2001 owners out there. Your complaints made Ford address the problems with this car.

Similar Products Used:

Similar in handling and performance to a Saab 900S my wife had. Nowhere near the build quality of course, but at 1/3 the price....

None

Grows every week. I wonder what is next.

Extremely disappointed in a car of the year. Lets see 4 or 5 recalls which are mainly an inconvenience. I have had the following, which have all been covered under warranty. Luckily I have the extended warranty, but it still costs me $100 per visit. Blown head gasket, ignition lock-up,broken wheel bearing, broken spring piercing brand new tire, and now a cracked EGR Tube. Ford is lucky that the broken spring happened upon my son coming home from school.Fifteen minutes later and he would have been on the highway going 55 mph. Picture the Focus doing 55 mph and a spring breaking, piercing the fron tire, and locking up the wheel. I see a Focus flipping with my son in it. Then when we have service done as we were leaving I heard a clicking sound, only to find a bolt in the other NEW front tire. Needless to say my new tires (2 Weeks old) are no longer new.

Roomy, clean lines, sharp looking, decent ride.

Too many things going wrong too early in the life of the car. Don't think it will make it for long.

At first I really liked the Focus and was pleased with its looks, handling, etc. Then the first problems occurred - the air conditioner was leaking into the front passenger side and I had to take it in and have it repaired. The dealership had to keep it for two days, so I had to use a rental car (extra cost). My brakes started squeaking real bad and I took it in to see what the problem was. Ends up there was a recall, but I had never been notified. The brakes were replaced at no cost. I have had little, aggravating things happen on a regular basis - no vinyl cover piece for the truck lock; truck lock wouldn't always catch; driver's head rest wouldn't stay down; started hearing loud, roaring noise and had to have right shaft and bearings in back right wheel replaced; told needed to have tires rotated and balanced (25,000 miles) then start hearing a loud, whooping sound; told tires were worn and needed to be replaced. All of the above problems have been repaired under warranty except the tires which they would have gladly replaced for over $300 dollars! I have tried to be patient because I originally really liked the car, but I am getting scared there will be more and more things going wrong. Seriously considering trading in the car.

Similar Products Used:

Nissan Sentra

Economical, comfortable for its class. Dependable. CRASH WORTHY - my family was unhurt after hitting an obstacle head-on at 20-25 - just under speed for air bags. And the car has been fine once repaired - no tire problems, etc.

Underpowered by some people's estimates - you have to get used to that. Probably need's tinting to help the A/C in the south.

This car has been trouble-free since we bought it. There were about 6 recalls, but from my perspective, hats off to Ford for not hiding problems. All fixes were done quickly. It has been an ideal budget station wagon, acceptable for long trips. A good car.

Similar Products Used:

Ford Escort Wagon '93 Multiple other compacts