27th Nov 2009, 22:51

Our 2001 Focus ZX-3 got over 35mpg highway easily (much better than our piece of crap Honda Civic) and was flawless. The biggest factor in buying used is trying to determine if the car has ever been run hot. This weakens all modern engines and makes them very unreliable. If the Focus has the same system as the 2006 and newer Fusions, this is not as much of a problem. Ford idiot-proofed the Fusions so that if some moron continues driving after the engine starts to overheat, the computer simply shuts it down. This information will be in the owner's manual (and DEMAND an owner's manual with the car. It has VERY IMPORTANT information you will need).

28th Nov 2009, 12:28

I'd recommend the Civic before the Focus. My Focus never got more than 28 MPG. My Civic gets over 45 MPG and hasn't needed a single repair.

28th Nov 2009, 12:44

New well-equipped Focuses are a bit pricier than the Civic, but are far more reliable, drive better, and even if they get less mileage, will more than make up for it in less repair costs than the Honda or Toyota.

28th Nov 2009, 13:44

My Focus was just the opposite. Like I said, it needed brakes every 25,000 miles. Those are not covered by the warranty. The Civic is much cheaper.

29th Nov 2009, 12:50

I have to agree. The Civic IS much cheaper. We had one and I have never seen a more cheaply built car (with the possible exception of the Kia Rio). As for brakes, NO CAR needs brakes in 25,000 miles unless you constantly drive with your foot on the brake. The earliest I ever change brake pads is 70,000 miles (and I was furious they lasted that short a time). Usually it's more like 100,000. In the past decade I've never kept any of my Fords long enough to replace anything. The longest I kept any of them was 105,000 miles. In that time it required nothing but tires and a couple of batteries.

30th Nov 2009, 14:48

"NO CAR needs brakes in 25,000 miles unless you constantly drive with your foot on the brake"

Funny since I do almost all highway driving with the cruise control on.

I'm done with this argument. I don't even own the Focus anymore.

1st Dec 2009, 16:04

"Funny since I do almost all highway driving with the cruise control on."

Lots of people are duped into brake jobs they don't need by unscrupulous shops. NO CAR (not even an import with smaller brakes) could EVER require pad replacement in highway driving unless the driver drove with his foot on the brake all the time. Just NOT possible.

7th Jul 2010, 01:17

I own a Ford Expedition. I heard that it has the same brakes as a Explorer. I have to get new brakes every 25,0000 miles, and it sucks. Ford sucks when it comes to brakes and wheel alignment.

7th Jul 2010, 15:45

Hey, same guy who had the Focus that needed pads every 25,000 miles. How could I have been duped into brake jobs I didn't need? I do all my own work. I can tell when pads need replacement, this thing chewed through pads like you wouldn't believe. By the way, all the imports I've owned easily went 70,000 miles on a set of pads.