I'm getting really to change jobs and I will be forced to drive ~90-100 miles round trip to work. Obviously, my '00 5.4L x-cab F150 probably isn't going to be to cost effiecent to drive that all the time... (probably cost ~$100 a week in gas ). So, been out spying on new cars..

I would like to stay Ford, but I know you can't beat the realiability of a honda or toyota..

I really like the new fusion and the sedan type focus.. obviously $$ is an opinion since I've only paid ~1 year on my truck.

I guess I'm just asking whats the current best deals on the focus and fusion, and if they are pretty reliable, and how they (I guess more on how the focus) compares to the civic and corolla..

if i'm in the wrong forum, please move it to the right one..

thanx

 

I drive about 170 miles RT each day. I have a Focus but it’s a 2000. I have also owed a civic but that was many years ago. My Focus hasn't had any major problems. Ford has corrected most of the minor issues that it had in the later model years. I also have 2006 Ford Freestyle, which I usually drive to work. The Focus (my 2000) drives great, sips gas and handles well but is a little bit picky about tire balance. If the front tires are a bit out of balance you can really feel it through the steering wheel. If you're used to driving the truck, the Focus might feel a bit strange. I guess it's the price you pay for fuel mileage. I drive the Freestyle almost everyday even though it only gets 22 MPG because it's really comfortable and has a smooth ride. When you're doing almost 1000 miles per week comfort is very very important. I'm not saying that the Focus is uncomfortable, it's just got that small car feel. I like the looks of the new Fusion too, but if you get the 3.0 your mileage is going to drop a bit.

 

Wife's car is a 2005 Focus wagon (ZXW?), 2-liter automatic. She loves it--decent performance and gas mileage. Not bad on the road, rides like a smaller car but not uncomfortable. Haven't had any trouble with it, just regular oil changes.

 

Civics cost more, but have better resale value. Focus is cheaper but isn't worth as much when you go to sell it. Me? I would get the Focus . . . so my payments would be cheaper, others might argue that the Civic is more reliable, but the Focus has a 100K/5year powertrain warranty. I think a comparable Civic would cost $2000 or more than a like Focus.

 

Tell3131 brings up a good point. The Japanese cars will likely have better resale value than their Ford counterparts. However, with the mileage you'll be putting on the car, you probably won't get much for resale anyway.

I'd say test-drive a Focus. They handle nicely, have decent pep, and get good gas mileage. If you hate it, then look around at the others.

I've seen raves about the Fusion on here, but I wasn't floored by it. I was impressed by the 4-cylinder/5-speed powertrain, though. Don't assume you'll need the V-6 just because it is a bigger car, try to drive a 4-cylinder if you go that route. (polarbear said his dealership doesn't stock the 4-cylinders, so you might have to look around a bit to find one you could test-drive.)

 

Hmm. all interesting points. I am probably going driving around 30k a year. I'm wondering if any of them will have any resale value with 150k miles on them..

the civic I was looking at was roughly ~$14,500.. they have a cheap deal for the focus zx3 for $10000, but then again, I am not sure if i'll qualify for ford financing or not..

 

My wife drives an 03 Focus, actually we have been driving it alot more with gas prices on the rise...again . It does get very good mileage high 20's mostly city. The biggest problem we have had is the rear brakes, very noisy lots of squeeks. They work fine but are noisy. Did have an EGR tube break, not covered under warranty and the rear trunk auto release messed up. It is fairly quiet and rides good and it handles very well and we have the 4 door grocery getter se model. I too am interested in the Fusion, I think ford is on the right track with it.

 

cds, your post make me chuckle. I have some of the same issues with my 2000 Focus. Still like the car though. The squeaky rear brakes and the trunk latch that appears to be completely closed but will come open when you pull it. Sometimes it takes 3 or 4 tries to get it to latch. Last Thursday we experienced the fuel module problem. I believe they have this fixed after the 02 model year. For the 00 and 01 Ford has an Extended Coverage Program on the Fuel Delivery Module (fuel pump) # 03N01. Basically, the fuel pump is covered under warranty for 10 years and unlimited miles for these model years. It gets clogged up with crud and will only pump fuel when the tank is full. There is a supplement to the original 03N01 that says to install the new pump first if the customer has the symptoms and test drive it after, no pre install diagnostics recommended. What happened to me last week (at 90,000 miles) was the car drove fine on the way to work but on the way home (when the gas was getting lower) when I pulled out to pass someone and floored it, it just stalled out until I let off the gas. It's even worse going up hills. I drove the rest of the way home only being able to use the first half-inch of the throttle. It idles fine but it just won't go. It's going to the shop on Thursday for it's new pump. There is a TSB out for the rear brakes too but I'm not sure of the number. It involves gluing some dampening material to the backing plates of the brakes. I also heard that if you use Ford pads and newer (thicker) drums that the squealing stops.

 

Yes, we still like the car. Anything with that many moving parts is going to have some things that don't work right. As far as the rear brakes go, I have thought of just replacing the drums and shoes but they are hardly worn at only 42K miles. Our trunk problem was you would hear it click 4 or 5 times but it still would not release, as well as the looking closed problem. You may be able to adjust the striker on the bottom of the trunk up or down and that may fix your latching problem. They told me at the dealer to try that first, it fixed the latching problem but the release still was not working.

 

Might want to get that taken car of. My father's '00 did that for a while, then one day, the trunk wouldn't open at all. Nothing in there but a plate of Christmas cookies , but it was three weeks before we could get an appointment at the dealer to get it fixed. They were unable to unlatch the back seat from inside the car for us, but I was able to do so with a straightened coat hanger, through the child-seat anchor holes in the parcel shelf.

I took advantage of that warranty in Denver, 2000 miles from home...

 

Well, I'm obviously biased, because I just bought one, but the mazda3 is a very cool car i think. It has a 2.3 liter w/160hp choice of 5 speed sport AT or manual hatchback or sedan, I bought a black hatchback. The thing is glued to the road, its so awesome having a car that handles well after driving trucks forever.

The focus is a good choice also, very reliable from what i've read, and my buddie's has been trouble free also.

Corolla is a nice looking car, but its kind of sloppy in the corners and isn't that quick (my sister has one.. so i just had to go out and push it to it's limits ) And you can't beat toyota reliability, no matter what some people will say.

Haven't had any experience with the civic, so I'll just say that it is probably very reliable, but thats about it.

Good luck with oyur choice and pick a car that you'll enjoy, you don't want to be stuck in a car you absolutely hate because you saved a few bucks.

 

So, how were the cookies?

 

I don't remember, but I'm sure I ate them unless someone else threw them out! Three weeks isn't all that long in the winter.

The most memorable part of that was when the dealer (who had the benefit of an identical car to look at) was unable to pop the seat latch, but I did, in the driveway, in the dark. I was probably about 15 at the time...

 

My wife just bought, well actually leased, a new Fusion. Got the V-6, 6-spd tranny, and every goody they could build into it. She really loves it.

I wanted her to make her own choice for a new car. I've been Ford a long time, but I wanted her to get whatever she liked. We looked around at the typical imports (Sube, Toy, wouldn't look at Nismo, and were coming out of a Honda Accord). After driving them all, she came back and chose the Fusion.

I also had to test it out, and they did a really good job. Very solid on the road, tight steering, and no torque-steer on hard acceleration (the Honda always wants to go left on power takeoffs!). Gets decent MPG and is really comfortable. Back seat is really roomy too (like that does me any good at my age). Only problem for me is the moonroof...took away precious head room (I'm 6'2") so it kinda bothers me.

Uses the same 5w-20 as my 150, so I'll be buying it by the barrel, I guess. Ford did a really good job domesticating this Mazda-6 takeoff.

 

A Fusion will probably replace my Focus or maybe a Five Hundred. We recently got a 2006 Freestyle and love the crap out of it. The best I can squeeze out of the Freestyle is about 21 MPG. Which is fine for a 4000-pound car but our focus gets about 31 for the same commute. One of the reasons we didn't get the Fusion is because our 2000 Focus is a first year car and we didn't want another one. The Focus hasn't been a bad car but I believe it set a new world record for recalls. In my previous post I forgot to mention the ignition cylinder problem. Ford has also finally corrected it. The ignition switch would refuse to turn, leaving you and your groceries stranded in the parking lot. Our Focus ate two of them before the re-design. The new cylinders have the key slot in the middle of the cylinder instead of offset to the side. I did learn a lot about ignition cylinders though. I can now remove, re-key the new one, and replace a Focus ignition cylinder in about 30 minutes (If the broken cylinder doesn't have to be drilled out).