ford Focus or ford Bogus?

[kami240sx]

I was driving my 01 focus and was thinking "this car is FUN"i was thinkin of the endless possibilities of a focus. First of all, this car has more torque than hp and pulls better than a civic. I know you guys don't have respect for civics or and FWD for that matter but there were several turbo kits out for the new focus's than the new 01+ civics at that time.

I mean its been proven that this 4 banger can achieve 300+ hp with a turbo kithttp://64.135.17.2//ubbthreads...art=1and they've stuck a GT40 V8 in there toohttp://www.kugelkomponents.com/focus/focus.htmli think they sells parts for the V8 cobra now.

most of you guys, wait. . . all of you guys are gonna be like "hey, its a ford" and "this thing's some cheapo FWD" car. But this car does race in the WRC with 300hp AWD and the guy driving it doesn't do too shabby either

So yeah, I love my 240, but i also have a place for my focus too.my dream cars i plan on owning are the Twin Turbo Rx8, s15 silvia, 300hp AWD Focus RS, and a lincoln Navi

so uh, what do you think of Focus?

[89240sx]

my sister had a focus and that car i'll admit is a bit slow but it can be fun being that its so agile...

she always hated when i drove ;-)

[BadMojo]

most of you guys, wait. . . all of you guys are gonna be like "hey, its a ford" and "this thing's some cheapo FWD" car. But this car does race in the WRC with 300hp AWD and the guy driving it doesn't do too shabby either

Well, it's really a stretch comparing the WRC car to one you can buy off the lot. AFAIK, the my local Ford dealer doesn't offer a $250,000 gear box as an option.

The WRC Focus has had reliability problems for a while, even back when Colin McRae was winning with it. The new Focus has had problems too, but I suppose those can be attributed to the bugs that need to be worked out in any new rally car.

Marrko Martin *is* one hell of a driver, and I'm sure Ford will get the Focus running consistently soon.

Now, as a consumer car...the two things that trouble me most are

a) The number of Focus recallsb) My prior experience with Ford products. ****ty electrical system, really piss poor.

I actually get a discount on most Ford vehicle (new) because of where I work (large insurance company). If I had to buy a new Ford, I guess it would be a Focus SVT.

[Bubba1]

The problem with Focus isn't its drivability. They're great to drive. Problem is build quality and reliability. I believe Ford has had to recall the Focus more in its short run than other manufacturers have had for the same period for their entire product lines. That's bad. I'm amazed so many people still buy Foci. I'd consider renting one...maybe, but not owning one.

[BadMojo]

I believe Ford has had to recall the Focus more in its short run than other manufacturers have had for the same period for their entire product lines.

I believe the recalls are well over 10 for a car that's only been out since 1999. That's not good, and keep in mind that recalls are for things that can lead extremely dangerous situations. Car companies don't recall cars for defective cup holders.

I wouldn't buy a Ford product at this point, and I pray the taint doesn't spread to Mazda. Jaguar reliability was always ****, so at least that was a good match.

[SmithSR]

BadMojo is right when he says it's a stretch comaring the WRC focus to a comsumer model. Nevermind the 200+ extra welds that the WRC model receives as part of the race prep, nevermind the magnesium-encased transmission, nevermind the telemetry box that Nicki Grist was holding, when he said "this black box costs as much as a road-going Ford Focus."

The two cars share a name, and share a body shell(now slightly changed) that originally did come from the same place, but that's about where the similarities end. Ford has had numerous recalls on the Focus, and will forever have a dark cloud over it.....people STILL talk bad about Audi, from back in the day(80's, early '90's) when it seemed like everything they built went to crap, Audi still gets a black eye from some people....much like the SRT-4 will have. Wait and see....

[kami240sx]

yeah, the number of recalls on this thing's a butt. god knows the number of crap parts ford sticks in this thing. the battery terminals corrode like crazy and i don't drive 5 minutes without feeling the thing stutter from no gas.

it was embarassing to go to my very first autoX event and do a 35second run in 70 seconds cause we didn't know we had to have 1/2 a tank of gas instead of 1/4 tank cause of the fuel slushin around.

I dont think the american focus isn't too great to boast about but i was thinking those Euro focus aren't too shabby.

[Jookmasta]

my friend has a focus and i think that for the money, they arent that bad and arent that bad looking. considering that it is a replacement for the hideous escort, its doing what its doin. it is giving the civics and corollas some competition seeing as how it is priced but remember that it is a ford. i was looking in the paper yesterday and i saw a 2002 svt focus for 12 thousand. now that just goes to show how poor the resale value is on it but u get what u pay for. if i was to get one, it would b an svt and nothing less. i think u need as many ponies as you can get from factory because i dont remember ford's strong point being durability. adding a turbo may just jeopardize whatever life the engine had to begin with

[240SXedUp]

You said the Focus has more torque than hp and pulls better than a civic. I wouldnt be proud of that. Not a big accomplishment. The 240 does too... but with better numbers. Im not a big fan of Ford. I like the Mustang and thats about it.

[JustinStrife]

I like the SVT Mustang and SVT Lightning. Other then that, forget it. Ford sucks..

From personal experience. They are crap.

[Onizuka]

ford lightning and GT (gt40) too.

All ford mustangs are peices of crap IMO except the SVT (the ONLY mustang with independent suspension in the rear, or so i hear)

[JustinStrife]

:bearchug

[PGZX3]

Okay, le me step onto my soap box because as much as I hate my car, I have to defend it somewhat.......

The recalls.....look at other cars...there's Beemers and Lexus' with jsut as many recalls...why do you mock the focus about its recalls??? Because the media has highlighted it....don't buy into the hype...makes you nothing but sheeple.....the TV goes BAAAAH and you all go BAAAAAAH....thats my outlook on the recalls...

Here's my power and handling rant.....I have an automatic focus....I was told it'd never amount to ****.....WELL, be3fore I put it to stock again a month ago it was running mid to low 15s....doesnt sound like alot but if you've ever seen automatic focuses bracket race you'd know that they run like...18s stock...I had one of the fastest focuses in town....and was taking ALOT of cars by suprise.....to quote my own sig....when pigs fly indeed....

I know several guys who do fairly well, if not place at every autocross with their focuses....they're incredibly stout and the hesitation on right hand corners is a sure sign of a failing fuel pump....mine's been dying for 10K now...I'm trying to milk it....as well as my transmission thats been dying for 5K now.....not to mention its the second one in the car....

I can't complain toooo much to be honest, this car has been through ALOT......4 sets or wheels, 4 front bumpers, 4 rear bumpers, 3 sets of side skirts, modded, stock, modded to hell again, gutted like a racecar, fully done suspension, then back to a newer stock suspension.....its been through ALOT, I'm not easy on cars.....but to say this car is a POS would be going too far if you ask me....there's alot of people getting these cars to do things no one would have ever imagined....and just wait for the new 2.3L duratecs to come out those things are going to rock the domestic compact world.....

I still love my 240 more, though

[TomsMR2]

All ford mustangs are peices of crap IMO except the SVT (the ONLY mustang with independent suspension in the rear, or so i hear)

i dont recall 240's having IRS either.. or ae86's. both are concidered excellend handling cars.

the ford mustang 9 inch rear end is a masterpiece. people upgrade their supras to rustang rear ends. nothing wrong with it.. id rather have that than the IRS.

[PGZX3]

actually the first Mustang to have the IRS was the new 03 Cobras

[SmithSR]

PGZX3, that is incorrect. Mustang Cobras have been using IRS as far back as '99.

GT and base models used solid axle rear.

[SmithSR]

An independent rear suspension, to the layman is any non-solid axle(in the traditional sense, example ford 9") design.

240sx, lincoln ls, mustang cobra, jaguar, lotus, bmw, mercedes, porsche, corvette, volvo, Audi, 300zx....just to name the first few off the top of my head, all use various multilink arrangement IRS. Don't know what AE86 has, since I haven't seen one in quite some time.

[Onizuka]

i dont recall 240's having IRS either..

Even the old school S12s had IRS (turbo and V6 models), and that was like 18 years ago, and mustangs are just getting around to using them, and only on the SVT.

Ford technology pales in comparison to what nissan uses.

EDIT: as far as the ford 9 inch rear end, thats for drag racing

[Bubba1]

PQZX3. I hate to push you off of your soapbox, but the complete Lexus LINE has had fewer recalls than your Focus. I didn't see negative comments about how the Focus performs, but 10 major safety recalls is more than enough reason to keep many folks from buying them. If Ford had spent more money on building the Focus right the first time, instead of wasting it gobbling up foreign automakers, they'd have sold a lot more cars.

The only Fords I consider owning are maybe a Rousch Stage III Mustang, or Saleen Mustang ( a real one). The GT40 looks awesome, but will be priced out of reach..The revised F150 looks interesting too, but I'm not a pickup guy.

[SmithSR]

At a round table discussion among friends while drinking beers, most would agree that American engineering seems archaic and outdated when compared to Jap engineering methods. Still, we must not forget that while Japanese auto industry pours millions into refinement R&D, the grumpy old Detroit is opening it's eyes. Finally, there is a realization and acceptance that Detroit has been severly beaten in refinement, luxury, economy, longevity.

What is Detroit doing about this? Joining forces with Euro companies(mainly) to build a higher quality automobile.

As the big three continues it's ventures with car companies outside of the U.S.(to find refinement, styling), they are slowly morphing into less and less of the "old iron" that some people love to hate. Replacing the boring and often ugly cars from the various wings of GM will be a mixture of models from GM-partially owned outfits such as Saab, Subaru, and soon...Fiat. Ford is doing the same by borrowing heavily from Jaguar parts bin, and is hoping to up the appearance/perceived refinement of it's middle-of-the-road brands/models.(Ford is also diluting the pool with parts/chassis from Volvo, land rover as well)Chrysler is already public with the first of it's joint venture specials, touting "American muscle with German refinement."

As to the 9" being for drag racing......yes, and offroading too. Ford 9" = Bombproof!

[Holisticbeatz]

ford lightning and GT (gt40) too.

All ford mustangs are peices of crap IMO except the SVT (the ONLY mustang with independent suspension in the rear, or so i hear)

I like the SVT Mustang and SVT Lightning. Other then that, forget it. Ford sucks..

From personal experience. They are crap.

:rolleyes All those Fords are :puke compared to these wicked :firedevil badboys..

[BadMojo]

PQZX3. I hate to push you off of your soapbox, but the complete Lexus LINE has had fewer recalls than your Focus.

Gotta agree with Bubba1. The amount of recalls on the Focus is entirely unacceptable. At this point, there's nothing Ford could do to get me to buy one of their vehicles. Nagging repair issues are one thing, life-threatening defects are entirely another. Hell, I get a decent discount on Ford products and I still won't buy one.

I wouldn't be shocked if the NHTSA were cooking up a few more recalls.

Its going to take a long, long time for people to forget about 11 recalls and counting...in what, three model years? I'd hate to be a salesman at a Ford dealership right now.

http://www.auto.com/industry/iwirk4_20030104.htm

[Jookmasta]

:Werd

[PGZX3]

you want to challenge my knowledge??? Have at me...Here's a link to MY focushttp://www.alldata.com/TSB/19/01195379.html

TSBs for INDIVIDUAL Lexus' by far outweigh those for MY focus....http://www.alldata.com/TSB/0131_mo.html see for yourself

how about my beloved 1992 240SXhttp://www.alldata.com/TSB/41/92411337.htmlstaggering number or service bulletins....

you want a REAL argument??? look at these gems....2003 Focushttp://www.alldata.com/TSB/19/031950DU.html2003 G35http://www.alldata.com/TSB/27/03271211.html

Have I pissed in your cheerios yet??? Or do I need to carry on?2003 350Zhttp://www.alldata.com/TSB/41/03417793.html2003 Nissan Frontierhttp://www.alldata.com/TSB/42/03425759.html

I could have gone on for DAYS....but look at MY car's recalls, the 2001 Focus....defective wiper motor switch.....rear hub bearing kit iinstallation....fuse cover replacement.....warranty guide supplement.......

SUUUUUCH Safety issues....you guys 110% bought into media hype, face it, you havnt done a lick of research.....and it pissses me off that you can go into this argument without numbers....look at the 03 focus compared to other 03 cars that you probaly hold in higher value....which would YOU say has less recalls/TSBs??? I don't think the numbers lie.....you guys have severe issues....

[PGZX3]

I mean, seriously.....I hate to carry on but you guys have really insulted me with all of this, you didn't even bother to find out for yourself what the REAL facts were, you just started spouting off media hot words like "10 MAJOR SAFETY RECALLS" ....you guys are rediculous....Ford has probably some more Focuses than Lexus has sold cars since the Focus started selling...high volume comes at a cost, despite what any of you may say....and yes, the focus has had alot of recalls I'm not denying that, but to badge the TOTAL of 11 recalls as MAJOY SAFETY RECALLS is F'n rediculous...I showed you a few in my last post, and if you call a warranty guide supplement a major safety issue I've got a bubble house waiting for you....

[SmithSR]

you didn't even bother to find out for yourself what the REAL facts were, you just started spouting off media hot words

Sir, I ask you, where did you get YOUR information on the '03 Cobra IRS? You show a blatant lack of knowledge with regard to the Cobra, then you took the time to put up several links with info that is supposed to back up all of your other arguments. Only thing is, you showed your true colors earlier by saying that the first IRS mustang was the '03 cobra.

Are you sure you're accusing the right people about not looking up info??

VERY frustrating to see people speak on subjects about which they have no knowledge. If you don't know the spec, keep quiet.

[Bubba1]

PGZX3, Uh buddy there's a huge difference between a service bulletin and a government ordered recall. Every manufacturer puts out service bulletins, but Ford was ORDERED to recall the Focus. The problems were significant and numerous enough that Consumer Reports, a non-biased publication that accepts no advertising and doesn't give into "media hype" would not recommend a Focus despite it scoring best in it's class. You might want to ask yourself why... Do I feel compelled to research all individual Focus recalls before responding to you in a Nissan chat room? Of course not. I read CR's report and happily do not own a Focus. Do I think a Focus is a fun car to drive? Sure. I drove a manual transmission one once and enjoyed it. Would I buy one? No. Do I know someone that had a Focus who had so many problems with it that they got rid of it as soon as they could? YES. Have I owned Fords in the past? Yes. Do I respect your right to own and enjoy an automatic tranmissioned Focus? Sure. Did you admit here you hate your own Focus? Yup.

I think you to chill, my friend. Did not mean to insult you, but there are many that do not feel as warmly about your Ford as you do.

Good luck



Take a deep breath/

[JustinStrife]

the way things have been going I wouldn't be surprised to see this thread closed...

[SmithSR]

JustinStrife, I agree. Probably for the better, as this thread has basically become a Ford bashing contest. Too bad the defender of the Focus used some poor judgement and was speaking on a subject without the proper info....then tells the rest of us to get our facts straight. That's when he lost credibility IMO.

[JustinStrife]

People just get way too anal about things. I hate to say it but..

Can't we all just get along?

Guess not...

EDIT: The one thing I've loved about this forum over others I've been to(Integra, honda, Prelude, etc forums), is the people who frequent it, are level headed, knowledgeable, and friendly. There are exceptions, granted. But for the most part, this is a nice place to find information, befreind people with similiar interests as you, and a place for good laughs. It's sad how a small few get all antsy and ruin it for the rest of us...

I'm not naming names. I'm just saying in general. We're all friends here. We all have things in common that we enjoy. Why don't we look at the positives instead of attacking the negatives.

Just my $.02 from a youthful 23 year old in California...