22nd Jul 2010, 15:40
The Focus has been majorly improved in the past 10 years. It really is on par with Honda and Toyota as far as quality is concerned. They also offer more options for the money than either import.
If the Aveo is a rebadged ASIAN car, then how could it be inferior to any Asian car? Also the Aveo is a compact, not sub-compact. The Focus and Cobalt are sub-compacts.
22nd Jul 2010, 19:01
"Also the Aveo is a compact, not sub-compact. The Focus and Cobalt are sub-compacts."
Sorry, think again. The Aveo IS a sub-compact. The Focus and the Cobalt are compacts. You've got it backwards.
23rd Jul 2010, 21:15
Actually, according to J. D. Powers most recent quality survey, Ford is ahead of Honda and WAYYYY ahead of Toyota in build quality. Ford ranks 5th, Toyota 21st (out of 33 car makers). We owned a 2001 Focus. It was a far better built and much more reliable car than our Civic.
2nd Aug 2010, 18:56
"So I was just wondering if the new Ford Fiesta is considered a sub-compact car?"
Yes. The Ford Fiesta is a sub-compact car, along with the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, Chevrolet Aveo and Hyundai Accent (the Fiesta's top competitors).
2nd Sep 2010, 20:10
Okay, so the Aveo is inferior to any OTHER Asian car. The Aveo is inferior to the Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, Honda Fit, Nissan Versa, and Toyota Yaris. My point was that the big three never cared about small cars. The fact that Chevrolet's only sub-compact effort was to re-badge a pathetic Daewoo, shows that they never cared about small cars.
Their second smallest offering was the Cavalier/Sunfire. They were best summed up as consumer reports stated, 'crude, outdated, and unpleasant.'
Chrysler's smallest Neon ate head gaskets for breakfast. And as stated before, Ford's smallest Focus set a record for recalls.
Things may be changing now with the Fiesta, and the soon to be European Focus, but the big three ignored consumers who wanted efficient, reliable, small cars. They were essentially all Truck and SUV companies. This strategy led them to ruin.
20th Feb 2011, 14:54
This statement is not entirely true. Since we are talking Ford here, let's remember that Ford was NOT lead to ruin, and did not take bailout money.
Secondly, they were the only American car company looking to the future. They closed several truck plants prior to the economy crashing, and started outfitting them for small car production. The Fiesta is built in a former Ford Truck Plant down in Mexico. The new 2012 Focus will be made in a former Ford Truck Plant up in Michigan. I hope they re-open the former Truck Plant in Virginia and start building cars there too! Don't blast American cars with the old "Big Three" reference, when only two of the three went broke. It's like saying, "all Asians are good at math." Ford is the bright bright new hope of the American car manufacturing future. Let's all hope that GM and Chrysler will see what Ford is doing, and say "Hey, if Ford can do it... why can't we design and build cars of equal quality to the Asian companies?" Then perhaps Americans will be more willing to spend their hard earned money on Domestic models, and keep that money here in America!
I now understand why my Grandfather (a WWII Vet) only bought American cars, even when they were inferior. He fought against Japanese/German/Italian forces during the war, and never stopped. He would have rather kept his money in America, than drive a car from any of those countries. In this economic crisis, we need more of that kind of thinking. We need to battle to recover our economy. Buying imports does little to boost sales in this country. Buying a Ford is actually patriotic and, makes good financial sense. Buying an import only helps boost their economy. Little of that money stays in America.
I'm a Vet of our most recent wars. Now seeing what our country is going through, I have changed my way of thinking. I've never owned an American car per say. My Mazda6 is American built by UAW autoworkers in Flatrock, MI at the same factory that makes the Mustang. My next car will be a Ford. How else can I help my country, now that I'm retired?
Grandpa was right after all. He never minded the ribbing's we gave him for driving rusty, less dependable American cars. Now that Ford is building quality cars, why shouldn't I buy one? Fusion will have better resale value than Camry, they say. Sign me up! Why not, I signed away 20 years to our military!!
25th May 2011, 20:21
Original poster back for an update:
Well, I am at around 24K miles now, which is pretty low for a 2009. It has been a good car overall and I enjoy owning it. I did an oil change today, though, and I was disappointed at the amount of rust underneath the car already. The disturbing part is the strut bases on the front wheels. They are literally flaking apart already. Seems to me they should have used a more galvanized type of metal in these parts or something a little more corrosion resistant.
Keep in mind that I have driven this car in snow and salt about 10% compared to the average driver. It has mainly been sitting in the driveway over the past two winters, and it is kept clean as well.
Other than that there are only minor complaints. The engine is starting to have that ticking sound already and isn't as smooth as it was. My Sync system is still not working right, so I have to get it back into the dealer at some point and see if they can actually get it working, as it never has really worked all that great since I have owned this car. It is a nice idea in theory, but my experience has been anything but good with it. It was actually really annoying at one point. It kept asking me if I wanted to perform a check on the maintenance system every time I drove the car. Nothing worse than cranking up your favorite song, and right in the middle this stupid voice cuts in after a really loud chime and asks you if you want to perform a check. This happened every single time I was in the car, and I didn't get a chance to get it in. Suddenly it stopped and hasn't done it again. Stupid Sync. Why anyone thought a Microsoft product would be a good idea in a car is beyond me!
I will probably head back to an import next. I really want an AWD car again anyway. This car is absolutely terrible in the snow... which is why I used it so little. Maybe it's time for another Subaru, now that the Impreza is going to achieve around 36 MPG in the 2012 model. I have never had an issue with any of the Subarus I've owned.
21st Jul 2010, 22:07
The Ford Focus set a record for recalls during its first four years of production. It was a huge lemon. It was also known for premature tire wear, and greatly exaggerated fuel economy. Strangely, it kept getting recommended by Consumer Reports.
I would never want a domestic small car. The big three never cared about small cars. They make good trucks, but I believe many people were turned off by their lack of products or decent quality in this field. That's why they turned to Toyota and Honda.
The Chevrolet Aveo is the only subcompact currently offered by a domestic car brand. It's common knowledge that this rebadged Daewoo is completely inferior to any Asian small cars.
I'll keep my Toyota Echo for a long time. It has over 100 000 km of trouble free driving, and good fuel economy. No recalls or safety issues either.