peppy considering itsa a 3600lb 4 cyl. kick a$$ stereo stock. great handleing. great brakes. cold a/c trac control is o/k......weird looking ;]

to many damn emission devices. IF YOUR READING THIS FORD STOP WITH ALL THE DAMN EMISSIONS CRAP...WE ONLY REMOVE THEM.

i have owned cars like infiniti, acura, vw,hondas, piece of crap neon. and none of them have been as trouble free as my focus. i had one recall on my rear wheel bearings which was fixed in a 2 hour trip to dealer. i beat the hell outta my car i have 50000 miles and have had not one single problem still sounds and drives the same as the day i picked her up. the car is peppier then my old g20 and will beat the pants of a 16v vw gti. of course its a ford so there are lots of squeeks and rattles but thats why focus' have good stereos :] they handle great and i have a four door. the leather package is kind of a waste of money considering its hard as hell and you slide around on the seats like crazy. the traction control or as ford calls it advance trac is a pretty good option and helps out alot on wet or snowy roads. the brakes are the best i have ever stopped with, clean and straight stops. my car during the week acts as my wifes kiddie shuttle and by the weekend becomes my little toy. after a few performance mods the focus become lots of fun.. i will definately be buying another ford product when my loan is paid.. i will most definitely be buying a focus svt

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INFINITI G20, VW GTI, NEON, MAZDA RX7, SUBARU IMPREZA, FORD MUSTANG which by the way all of em are broken down piece of #$%^'s

I'm thoroughly ticked off about this car, but I'll be fair. It has good headroom. Has real zip for a 4 cyl. Keyless remote entry is a nice feature, especially for the trunk. Split rear seats allow you to move longer items with ease-- provided the item isn't bulky. Dash is set up well and everything is easy to see and reach. Trunk is very roomy-- great for shopping! Headlights give full view of the road. Heat is nice and hot and the AC is cool. Handles well in the snow, but I use real snow tires, not all-season tires.

Transmission counts as a major weakness! Brakes squeak, but only when it's damp or wet outside and then only for the first 4 or 5 pumps of the pedal. Trunk latch has a mind of its own. It seems latched but the dash light says differently. Sometimes in colder weather the electric door locks perform sluggishly. I ignored all this until the transmission opted for early retirement.

When I bought this car, I was in love with it. It was cute and zippy and sexy in black. At 33 mi/gal, it was both inexpensive and fun to drive. Then at a bit over 59,000 miles, the transmission bit the dust. We looked for a rebuilt from a reputable national auto store chain, but they explained that the car was too new and there were none. We took it to a national transmission repair chain, where they informed us the cost of rebuilding the transmission would range from $2000 to $2400. GULP! So now it's cute and sexy and taking up room in the garage. And if anyone is wondering, I drive normally and don't beat my car. Damned if I know what happened but at this low mileage, it's a real pity. Although I have since read reviews on this site where other owners had transmission problems. Looks like I read a bit too late!

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This was my first Focus. It will also be my last. The Focus has a lot going for it, but I have never had a transmission go before, let alone before 60,000 miles.

KICK-ASS STEREO AND LOOKS! MILEAGE ISN'T TOO BAD. SOLID WEIGHT (3620 LBS.)--THAT'S 1240 LBS. HEAVIER THAN TOYOTA ECHO'S SARDINE CAN! BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK WHEN SIZED UP NEXT TO THE REST OF THE CRAP YOU CAN BUY IN THIS PRICE RANGE!

BRAKE WEAR AND SQUEALING. PROBLEMS WITH NOISY SUSPENSION AND BODY PANELS--(ONE CAN ASSUME THESE PROBLEMS TO BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE GROWING PAINS OF A NEWLY DESIGNED CAR.) MORE CLEARANCE NEEDED FOR CANADIAN RELEASES. THERE IS ALSO TOO MUCH WIND NOISE.

BEING SHORT ON CASH, I HAD TO BUY A CAR IN THIS CLASS, SO IT WAS EITHER A NEON, A CAVALIER OR THE JUST RELEASED FOCUS! SO IT TURNS OUT, THIS CAR IS THE LESSER OF THE THREE EVILS IN AUTOMOTIVE CRAP! NUMEROUS RECALLS AND WARRANTY WORK DONE! AND OF COURSE I ONLY HAVE 3 YEARS/60,OOOkm WARRANTY! HOWEVER THE MILEAGE IS DECENT, AND I'M HOPING ALL THE BUGS HAVE BEEN WORKED OUT!

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THIS WAS MY FIRST NEW CAR!

Nice sound system

The breaks constantly squeak. The ignition went out causing me to take it in 4 times before it was fixed. The breaks gave me problems 3 major times. It's in the shop at this very moment. The rear wheel bearings went out. The rooter went out. I had a blow out when my tires are well kept up. The automatic locks all of a sudden wouldn't work. Not to even mention ALL of the freakin recalls. That could take all day.

I am extremely disappointed with this car. It seems like the dealership has no clue of how to fix any of the problems. It seems like it has been in the shop more than I have drove it. With everything wrong with my car customer service doesn't even seem to care. They would rather you walk than to give you a rental car.

None known, constantly going into the shop for one reason or another.

Brakes squeeking, clutch pulsating, poor fuel economy (will be going into the dealership for that today), window squeeks...

First off, I recently visited the Ford website in search of the recalls, of course I found none. Could someone please tell me all the various recalls associated with this vehicle. Secondly, my wife was the one that actually purchased the vehicle, seems like the sales rep saw her coming, no extended warranty, and because our credit isn't the greatest she was gouged on the interest rate.

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None

6 disc player, handling

nothing that I have found yet, besides the fuel injection problem. (knock on wood)

Well, I owned a neon before this car, so of coarse the focus is 15 times better than the piece of crap I had beforehand.The only problem I have had with this car is that my fuel injector went at around my second month owning it. I was pretty mad, but it was covered under warranty, and taken care of in just 2 days.

Nice to look at.

Everything else!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have never had a terrible experience with a car till this pile of %$#@*. The brakes are now still sqeaking after the 6th time being repair but just told today I will have to live with it. Window makes noise,Starter died after having it 2 weeks. And Lemon law say's there is nothing they can do about it.The new recalls on the steering wheel bolts braking and the ZETEC engine wire can catch on fire and they said there is no fix for either one of the two new problems with the car. I am at the end of my rope with the FORD Company and will take anymore *&%$@# from them!!!!!!

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Ford Escort,Nissian Frontier, Saturn and never had any problems with these car makers and there products.

Handling, Quick acceleration, Convenient Cockpit, Awesome factory stereo, 6 disc in dash cd player,great storage area

So far, can't name one.

Ever seen the commercials for NASCAR,"How bad have you got it"? The ones saying the engine isn't tough enough, the brakes go out, and so on are the ones that take corners at breakneck speeds, weave in and out of traffic, and stop from 60 to 0 like they are about to perform a pit stop. The bottom line is this car is very tough, quick, and is well worth the price considering all the awesome options available. Its not a 700 hp car and isn,t designed to be abused by driving it to its maximum performance day in and day out. You want high performance engines and brakes, get a stage 3 Roush!!!

Mileage No-key in the ignition radio system Handling

Space Not a family sedan

I've had this vehicle since October 2002 and like it because it handles really well. As for the space and comfort, Ford should have put that on the "RECALL" list. I have 3 small children and even they don't have any leg or hip room not to mention the carseat in the back is taking up let's say half of the rear area. I haven't had any major problems out of this SE model yet (knock on wood), but by reading the other reviews, I am anticipating a problem w/in the next 2 yrs. The gas mileage is great, I fill up once during the week (Mon-Fri.) and once on the weekends (Sat & Sun.) with all of the running around that I do w/the kids. But all in all this '03 is pretty sturdy. I like the way the Blaupunkt Radio system can be turned on w/out having the key in the ignition. This is not a typical family sedan, more like a first time driver car such as a teenager.

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2002 Ford Escape, 1999 Plymouth Breeze, 2002 Kia Spectra, 1998 Toyota Corolla, 2002 Kia Sportage

Stereo kicks serious butt! Especially for factory...came with 2 230 watt amps and a 10 inch subwoofer. Manu-Tranny is very slick and fast(a lot better than my wifes Mustang) Handling is top notch, I can take corners doing 45 easy. Brakes are second to none! Ride is almost big car plush, but sports car tight. Ford changed there warranty for 2002 to cover "BUMPER TO BUMPER"on all models for 3 years or 30,000 miles!

The engine is peppy but needs refinement. Interior volume is a little loud at 70mph. No recalls for the 2002, but I'm crossing my fingers. Had to take to dealer because of windsheild leak. Was promptly taken care of and I was in and out.

I've been wanting one since '99 when they came out, they looked like nothing else on the road! I heard all of the good reviews and bad ones and was kind of hasty. But I know not to buy a car the first two model years so the manufacturer can get all the bugs out! So I bought it in July of 2002 and have been pretty happy. Mine costs so much because of the dealer installed ground effects, euro lights, limo tint, and Mach edition option!

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Test drove: Mini (awsome but weak) Suzuki Aerio (no thanks, looks similar to Focus but its UG-LY.