Just wondering if anyone has one of these vehicles and how they compare to say a Civic or a Corolla.

Thanks

By Trina~moderator on Monday, August 22, 2005 - 08:37 pm:

Although I have never owned a Ford Focus, I can honestly say everyone I know who has, hated it. I don't believe they did well in CR ratings either. You really can't go wrong with a Honda or Toyota.

By Karen~moderator on Monday, August 22, 2005 - 09:21 pm:

Ditto Trina.

By Paulas on Monday, August 22, 2005 - 09:30 pm:

Actually, the latest CR rated them as the top pick in the small sedan category which is why I am asking. We had pretty much decided on a Civic until I read that today.

By Crystal915 on Monday, August 22, 2005 - 10:15 pm:

I had one, and hated it! It's small and cramped, and cheaply made, IMO. The steering wheel is oddly small, I know that seems like an odd complaint but it's true. Civics don't have the best crash rating, and they are high on the list of stolen cars (they were #1 until recently), but my mom and a good friend both LOVE them.

By Cybermommyx4 on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 - 01:01 am:

DH has a Focus (4dr.) We bought it new and have 4 payments left. It has 92,000 miles on it, and gets about 30 MPG. Never had any mechanical problems with it other than perpetually "noisy" brakes (common with this design) and we did have to have the ignition switch drilled and "rekeyed" due to cheaply made ignition switch that wore out (one day, the key just wouldn't turn anymore) If I had to pick, I'd probably go with the civic for better resale value, but it depends on what you can find for a price, etc.

By Karen~moderator on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 - 07:47 am:

I have previously owned a Civic and the biggest complaint I had was it's size. It ran great, little to no repairs, and got terrific gas mileage - 33 MPH CITY - got between 35 and 38 on the highway.

By Lauram on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 - 03:20 pm:

We have a Focus. It's great. It is about 1 1/2 years old and has about 21,000 miles on it. It's kind of fun to drive.

By Kaye on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 - 05:14 pm:

I know nothing about the new focus's, BUT when I was in college (early 90's). One of my classmates had a flat, she had no clue what to do, so I helpped her out. We got all the stuff out, it had a jack, etc. We go to take the lug nuts off and they are stuck (you do this before you are jacked up..lol) anyway they won't budge, so we put it on, thinking more leverage would be good, she steps on the lug wrench and it literally bends in half (this was not a big girl). So I made a mental note that if I ever drove a small car, I would make sure all the jack stuff is really sturdy. She had to call someone to come change her tire. I do have to say I have changed at least 30-40 tires in my life (I stop and help often) and this is the only time I have run into such a piece of junk and I think from that experience I am not likely to want to own a ford!

By Crystal915 on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 - 05:23 pm:

I have been thinking about this, and now I remember some of the specific problems we had. We had to replace the entire brake system twice, because the rotors are VERY thin, and can wear badly. We also had problems with an axle, the lug nuts crossthreaded (could have been the tire changer's fault, but still) oil pan plug stripped (cheaply made) things in the interior fell apart, cracked, chipped, etc. This was a 200 model, I hated that thing so much!!

By Tayjar on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 - 05:40 pm:

We are looking at cars right now. We too are looking at a Ford Focus for a couple of reasons. One, gas mileage and two, I absolutely love the Ford dealership we deal with. They have absolutely wonderful customer service. I am looking at the civic and corolla as well but those dealerships don't quite have the same service that I am looking for.

From what I have read, the early Focus was absolutely awful. But, in the past couple of years, it has improved greatly. But, this car will only be a to and from work car and won't really transport kids or hubby or dogs much. So, my requirements may be different than everyone else's.

By Paulas on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 - 05:49 pm:

I'm appreciating all the comments on this thread. Thanks

By Missmudd on Tuesday, August 23, 2005 - 05:49 pm:

We had one that we traded in after a year when it hit about 70,000 miles. Ran fine, never had to have any repairs done on it, only complaint was it seemed to run through tires pretty quickly. All in all a was a fine car but my dh wanted something a bit bigger, would advise getting one that it is a year old or so, so that you still get warrenty but not the new sticker price. They depreciate pretty fast.