2001 Ford Focus SE Wagon

Summary:

A lemon, will advise anyone not to buy one

Faults:

First to go was the air conditioning.

Required the rear lock to be replaced on the rear hatch.

Persistent knocking sound, as if something was loose, even though it was serviced regularly at the dealership.

This Ford Focus was too low to the ground in front.

When traveling on the highway, we felt as if we were going airborne.

Now we have to replace the engine, which blew on us. After checking the Internet, only to find this was a common complaint with many users, making it deserving of a lawsuit, which I want to be a part of if there is one.

We are sticking with Ford, but checking the Internet first for reviews.

General Comments:

Otherwise it is very comfortable and roomy.

Very good on gas mileage.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th May, 2010

2001 Ford Focus ZX3

Summary:

Please kill me now

Faults:

Where do I start..

Everything has gone wrong with this car. And by everything, I mean everything. Don't get me wrong, for 5000 or so miles there will be nothing but annoying little problems.

Front brakes are crazy. i.e. ABS works all the time, and I mean all the time. Not only on a snow covered road at 4 below, but also on the hot pavement backing out of the garage at 99 degrees in the summer. And it's always off and on. Replaced ABS sensor, and also replaced pads calipers and rotors at least 3 times each, problem won't stop.

Replaced springs and struts twice. Once was the recall (which ended up going bad in 2 months).

Currently experiencing half shaft problems.

Replaced valve cover once, the seal twice.

Drivers seat held up with a board.

Passenger door handle on outside shot. Never even use it.

Nothing with the front end of the car ever wants to sit right.

Replaced heater core and water pump twice each, and ended up getting a new radiator once.

Always rattles underneath the car when stopped at a light, unless I put it in neutral.

Replaced fuel cap 7 times. Yes 7 times in 4 years.

General Comments:

Aside from all of the problems, I love this car. I really like ugly cars, and this one fits the bill.

The Focus was not my only option when buying, but I had to have it. The car gets up and goes, even at 141000. But the crap you deal with is not worth it.

I don't want to sell this when I get a new vehicle (which is tomorrow) just because I love it so much. But, I have never dealt with so much heartache from a single car, and my last one was a '90 Dodge Daytona. I know what crap is, and this is it. I can't tell you how much I wish this thing was made in the 70's. A Focus made of steel, sounds like an absolute dream.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 13th January, 2010

8th Jun 2011, 16:17

I owned a 2001 Focus ZX3 for a year and half and was entirely happy with it.

I needed a second car fast, and a friend at a Mazda dealership had this 107000km dark green ZX3 someone had traded in. At first I was a little concerned about Ford reliability and quality issues, but since it was in good overall condition, at a fair deal and I was short of time, I decided to buy it and later in the summer trade it for something else.

But it proved completely reliable, very good on gas (2.0L Zetec) and fun to drive. I enjoyed the very nice handling, the smooth engine and the gas consumption (compared to our 2005 Mazda 3 GT 2.3L).

It only died on me once and that was just a corroded negative cable from battery to body. I replaced that and everything worked until I had to part with it, in July 2010 with 124000km on the clock. ZX3s are in demand and mine got sold better than others on the market because of the lower mileage.

If I need a cheap second car again, I will look no further.

Bottom line, all cars are different when coming off the production line, as are all humans when born. It is good to know about other people's experiences and common faults for specific models. But just check the history of a car and you will know if it has been a problematic specimen or if it is going to be a trouble free one like mine (based on mileage of course).

25th Dec 2014, 13:52

The problem with inexpensive cars is they don't get the same care and maintenance as more expensive cars. If you're buying a car with high mileage (120,000), you are going to have to make repairs on it, and there's a good chance the previous owner traded it in rather than doing the repairs. There is no way of knowing if the original owner took care of or abused the car, so with a used car, you are always taking a chance.

27th Dec 2014, 21:53

We've owned a lot of Fords, including a 2001 ZX-3. All of our Fords have been incredibly reliable. We put well over 300,000 on a 1975 Ford Granda 6 automatic with less than $500 in total repairs. We've never had an engine or transmission problem with any Ford. I currently own an 8-year-old Mustang that has never been touched. Not even the battery has been replaced yet. I never replace brake pads until over 100,000 miles.