Faults:

Suspension struts.

Expansion tank (twice).

Every water hose (some twice).

Thermostat housing (very expensive to replace).

Alternator.

Coil.

Engine mount.

Front disc brakes (non-stop problems).

General Comments:

My eighth Ford. The best to drive, the best cabin, the best in every way apart from terrible reliability and hopeless petrol consumption - 7 km per litre in town.

Faults:

The only problem we've ever had is the car started trying to stall when I'd stop at a light. We didn't know if the fuel filter had ever been replaced, so my boyfriend installed a new one, which took about 15 minutes. We haven't had a problem since.

General Comments:

I bought this car, because my boyfriend took over my Mercury Mountaineer, so I was stuck driving a $500 beater Oldsmobile.

This car is exactly what I was hoping for. It gets great gas mileage, and seems to be indestructible.

One thing that I don't like so much is the front seats. They are fine for around town, but whenever we go on a road trip, you tend to get pretty sore.

Also, this car is horrible on snow and ice. We live in ND, so we get a lot of snow in the winter, and this year I broke down and bought a 4-wheel drive, so the Focus just sits in the winter. At least I don't have to worry about anyone sliding into and wrecking my pretty little Focus!

Faults:

New dashboard installed due to several connectors burning out.

Small matter of bulb replacement on front offside headlights, almost impossible without removing the whole light assembly.

Other than that, expected wear and tear, maintained by regular servicing.

General Comments:

General experiences as a Focus owner are positive. Bought the car as a next step up from a Fiesta, and you can appreciate the extra room, driving position, performance, handling and instrument layout on the dash.

Basic 1.6 Zetec LX Hatchback included climate pack, which gave aircon and heated front and rear screens, a must during hot days, and a time saver on those frosty mornings! Though being a smaller engine, performance does suffer when these are used during your journey.

Running costs are favourable without hitting the wallet hard on tax, insurance and general servicing. Fuel consumption averages 400 miles out of each full tank when used for short journeys, pushing almost 600 miles when used mainly on motorways, which I found a quite impressive return.

The cabin looks rather bland but is robust, with acceptable rear leg room when carrying passengers and regular cleaning can keep it in tip top shape. Nothing has worn down or broken to date.

The car has been a pleasure to own from first ownership to present day. It maybe showing its age due to recent facelifts, but it's always been a reliable commute.

Faults:

The dashboard had to be replaced, that was about $700.

There were electronic complaints for 03, but that's it except for routine oil changes, etc.

General Comments:

Wonderful car! Ford had it right when they built this. For only 110 hp, the car was peppy... and wonderful on gas. I had a beautiful champagne color, and tan seats. Funny enough, it actually rode like a big car, slightly stiff, but very solid. It handled great.

The only complaint I had though, was that the road noise was too much in the back seat... especially on the highway. Other than that, I truly miss the car. A tank in the snow too. Despite the fact that I drive a Grand Marquis now, and a Lincoln Continental... I still miss the Focus.

Faults:

The main issue with the car was its automatic transmission. This car convinced me to look only at manual transmission cars in the future, and accept automatic ones if I decide to buy high end car only (e.g. Mercedes Benz, etc.) I went back to Ford while the car was still in its original warranty, and they tried to check and fix the transmission, with no visible results.

The gas mileage was way off from Ford's charts - I had an average of 10 liters per 100km in the city, and 7.9 liters on highways. Part of the blame I would put on the transmission.

General Comments:

Other than the automatic transmission and higher mileage, I loved this station wagon. Since I had accident and the car was completely written off, I did not hesitate to buy another Focus (newer and higher model Ford Focus station wagon again), but this time it's 5 speed manual transmission. I have noticeably more power, way better mileage and no issues with the transmission, and love my 2005 Ford Focus ZXW SES now.