Smooth running engine, slick 5 speed transmission. Solid on the bumps. Lotza head and leg room front and rear for a compact car. Great sound on the premium sound system, CD. One more important thing: Excellent and long lasting "new car smell"- Yes, this alone is well worth the price of a new car.

Disappointed at the poor gas mileage considering size of (Ztec) engine and car. Could have better sound insulation. Driving with low beams & driving lights is very inadequate in poor weather conditions. High beams are also totally inadequate and almost useless.

I bought this car thru Ford's "A Plan" (relatives of Ford employees) Got a haggle-free/no hassle reasonable price from my local Ford dealer. Can't remember exactly how much was paid for the car, so disregard price paid above. I bought this car for my wife. It is her 1st 5 speed and learned rather quickly, but just watch out for those stops on the hills...(see warning message below). I enjoy driving the Focus when my wife let's me. The car is nimble, responsive, and tight. We have just over 6,000 miles on the car with no problems other than the ones listed above in the weakness section. Ford engineers should make it a point to improve engine performance, gas mileage and lighting for the 2002 model year if they have not done so already.
We just had an oil change performed at Wal Mart for about 20 dollars- they use Ford filters and oil!!!.
Overall, I would recommend buying this car. I may buy one for myself in the fall when a five door hatchback is coming out.
WARNING: Don't eat while driving your car, especially one equipped with a 5 speed transmission. Why? Safety reasons, of course. My wife was caught in the act of driving while eating (DWE)last month by her husband. Her newly opened bag of "Bugles" had a blow out, spilling those tasty little babies all over the car. This act, innocent as it may be, totally ruined the "new car smell"!!! Subsequently, Mrs. S's XXXXX privileges were suspended and/or revoked for a period of three (3) days, and with no hope of payroll.

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Considering the current gas prices and the non-availability of cheaper fuel in the short and long term, I would consider buying a Honda Civic. It seems to have better power/acceleration along with better fuel mileage. Also, you might want to check out the Mazda Protege too (If you are a Ford person- Ford owns Mazda)

Good looks, solid body, ride quality, roominess, responsiveness, trunk space, gas mileage (uses regular), quiteness, fit and finish, good brakes (after it was fixed!), sound system.

Brakes, dealership mechanics, price

I was actually looking for a Ford Escort but it was being phased out. Haggled with the dealer about overpricing the car due to it's Car of the Year status. Finally bought one after a couple of hours wheelin' and dealin'... I still thought it was overpriced at the end of the deal! Great car after awhile but then the brakes started to squeel louder and louder. Brought it back to the dealership and was told it was normal for the brakes to make noises. The squeel started getting louder and more frequent. The dealership insisted it was normal. Then the brakes started squeeling all the time, anytime, getting louder and louder. Threatened the dealership with the lemon law and was checked when one of the mechanics rode with the car. The problem was a glazed rear drum, dealership replaced brake and problem solved. Otherwise the car rides smooth, no other problems so far. I still think it was overpriced!!

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Pontiac Fiero..luv the car. Pontiac Trans-Am..what can I say. Other cars.. Datsun, Dodge Van, Ford Torino, Country Squire

This car has the engine and susspention I've been yearning for. (Can't afford a Bimmer or a Jetta for that matter).

Nice dash, great radio.

Had the hood repainted, had the trim recall (dealer did a lousy job of this), had the brake recall, have a missing cap on a wheel. Buzzes and noizes abound. Car should have been tighter.

I factory ordered a loaded ZTS and received it in May of 2000. Right off it looked like there was a lousy touch up job on my hood.

Gas millage was less than I expected (around 25mpg).

Love the car's passing ability and cornering, its redeeming feature.

I find plastic rattles in my dash and a buzz in the engine when I excellerate now. Seats in the 2000 were not supportive. Newer models seem beter.

Had the dealer do an oil change and the mechanic left the oil cap off, oil sprayed all over the place. I now do my own oil changes. The oil smell is from careless mechanics who don't wipe down the dripped oil from replacing the oil filter.

The car is pretty safe with the side impact air bags (option) and ABS (option) newer ZTS's are mentioned to have traction control.

From a value point, not much is better out there. When seasoned a few years this car should be more reliable.

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4 generations of Escorts, not all that good except for my 93.

You mean there are strengths? Hmm let me think about this one. Well I guess you can say it looks good. Interior looks nice, as well as the exterior.

Oh wow, do you have some time on your hands?

1) Paint is chipping.
2) Bad burning smell coming through the vents (on occasion).
3) Very, very bad vibrations.
4) Very poor gas mileage (ignore the sticker in the window - lies!)
5) Engine is way to loud for a 4-banger (maybe if the noise came from the other end of the car it would be better - possibly sounding more powerful)
6) Seems like the more I drive it the slower it gets (acceleration)
7) Whats the deal with all these recalls? Are we lab rats? Shouldn't they have gotten all the kinks out before they sold us this piece of S**T?
8) I know there is more, I just can't think of any...

When I bought this car in May of 2000, I was thrilled. My first NEW car. I was the only one in town (at the time) with a focus. Many people thought it looked like a spaceship or a dinosaur egg. That made me feel unique. Not even 2 months after I bought it, the transmission started hesitating, from 2nd to 3rd, and from 3rd to 4th (automatic - bad choice). So I took it in to have it fixed. The dealership couldn't figure out what was wrong, so they just replaced the entire transmission. Ok fine, one little quirk. So what? THEN I got the first recall letter. Ok, the left real wheel can fall off, how nice. I am a busy person, so I don't have time to goto the dealership and have them fix this right away (45miles away). So I just keep driving it.. Then finally the car starts to vibrate a little. Hmm maybe its just the road..? Or not. a couple of weeks later the vibrations are so bad that I pray before leaving my driveway. Then I am finally able to make the commute to the dealer. I even have them change the oil while they're at it. I get it back a few days later. GREAT! no more vibrations. Enjoying my some odd month old car.. and a few weeks later the vibrations mysterious start showing up again. Now mind you it didn't happen all the time. Now 2 recalls (that I havent had time to have fixed) and 6-9 months later, the vibrations are so bad that I am again afraid to drive the piece of crap, gas mileage sux (98% highway driving - 22mpg if im lucky), acceleration sux, and finally the transmission is acting like its wanting to just quit on me again. Oh and now, occassionally when I start the car... the whole damn thing jumps like a rabbit with a stick up its Butt. (wtf is this?) The wheels/tires have been balanced and rotated so the vibrations problems cant be attributed to that.. I am so ready to send a letter of notification to Ford Motor Company and then give them ONE more chance to fix these problems (if im not mistaken, Va State law only gives them one chance to fix problems that affect the drivability or the value of the car - in this case both), if they don't - I will ask them politely to volunteer a refund (minus the miles Ive put on it of course), if they refuse.. I will take them to court faster than they can give me a reason why these are my problems rather than theirs.

Oh I can't use profanity.. let me * out some of those harsh words =P

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My 1990 Bronco II on a bad day was more reliable than my Focus..

Acceleration with the DOHC z-tech. Good handeling at higher speeds and has plenty of passing power.

I cannot keep up with all the recalls. In addition to the recalls I had to service my car for the folling problems:
Damaged half-shaft
Faulty stereo - twice
stress fracture in windshield
faulty trunk release
engine lunge at cruzing speeds
headliner replaced due to rust spots
interior trim rattles - everywhere
bound up passenger side window

The service I have received from Ford has also been minimal at best.

This car has been nothing but a headache and Ford has been anything but helpful in getting the problems resolved. I am currently exploring my options for trading this car in. I do not want to sell it privately because I would not feel right pawning this worthless pile of bolts onto someone else. This is my first new car purchase and I am utterly disappointed in my decision. My wife (who commutes 80 miles a day) is now left with a totally unreliable car.

I do not recommend this car under any circumstances due to its unreliability.

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1993 Saturn- 120000 miles and have had no problems except an engine mount. This car is highly recommended.

Engine is fast for a small car. Seats are confortable. Trunk has excellent room. Car warms up fast. Speakers are situated in a great places.

This car has had many problems. The breaks squeak all the time. Ford tried to fix. Not fixable. Defective rotors were warped after 6 months of ownership. Trim had to be fixed under warranty. Side mirror started to fall off. FORD WAS HARD TO DEAL WITH. They battled with me on the mirror issue and the outside trim for 2 months from purchase before they fixed it. I will never buy a FORD again! I don't recommend it for you. Gas milage is poor. Buy a Saturn SL2. It gets 40 mpg.

I don't recommend this car because of the poor reliability that FORD provides. Once you buy it, Ford will leave you on your own. Numerous problems from purchase: Broken mirror, bad outside trimming, defective rotors, accelerator pedal sticks, and squeaking breaks.

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Saturn SL2 2000 (This was a great car)

None

- brakes make noise constantly
- horrible Firestone tires

THE NEWS IS TRUE!!! FIRESTONE TIRES ARE THE WORST!!!!
At 2000 miles of highway driving my front tire gets a bubble, it needs to be replaced, Ford and Firestone tell me it's road-hazard, buy a new one. At 6000 miles a rear tire starts and annoying slow leak. That did it I put on 4 Pirelli P7000 Supersports, never to deal with the problem again. The brakes make noise and lose power and Ford proudly explains that they can't do anything about that either.
I will keep the car for now but have penciled in replacing it.

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It has had more problems than any of my other cars.

Rail straight stable highway comuter car. Plenty of passenger compartment and room for 4.

Average fuel ecomomy 29mpg. Split rear seat isn't really usable when split.

Overall this car is a comfortable comuter car. I expect to to take a several hundred mile trip and do not forsee any problems. A much larger and substantial car than either the Civic HB or sedan. Larger more comfortable and quieter than either Honda. Some small complaints though, smallish fuel tank yields a 300 mile range requiring 2 fill ups per week. Split rear seat is stupid as the top only is split making unusable. Some squeeks in door retainers that are not fixed with grease. Wheel center caps are cheap plastic and 1 has broken and I will replace for $5 from the dealer parts dept.

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Honda Civic 4dr & HB

room, Zetech engine

too many recalls, even for a new model
airbag light comes on in cold weather, meaning it would not deploy if hit
door ajar light and dome light come on for no reason- Ford supposedly fixed it but it's still occurring
gas mileage not what it is supposed to be

I'm dissatisfied with my vehicle. At first I loved it until the problems with the electrical system started and now 5 recalls. We will give it back when our lease is up and not consider a Ford product. The terrible thing is that we believe in buying American built vehicles and a family member is a Ford/Mercury dealer. We told him no offense but this particular car is a piece of crap.

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our 95 Mercury Tracer is a much better car for the money- and I believe only one or two recalls at the most

Gas mileage ain't too bad. Decent enough handling. More trunk than there seems. Interior is pretty decent. As for looks, it's the best looking American car in the class.

Feels brittle, and unsafe. 2.0l SPI Engine is pretty poor, couple that with Auto Trans = not great. Engine too loud also. Too noisy on freeway. Doesn't weigh enough, needs to be heavier. Best one for last - Unreliable.

Initial thoughts on the car were positive. Had decent gas mileage, roomy enough and looked good.

A few weeks to a month later, it had already been in for squeaky steering and a weird engine noise. That and after doing a lot of driving I just couldn't get over how loud and underpowered the engine was. It also feels like it's made out of paper.

3-4 months down the road. Car has now been 3 times for a stalling problem. Engine still too loud, body still feels like paper and at 28k on the clock there ain't too many more miles before warranty and my patience runs out.

Buy only if you get a huge warranty.

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As similar as it gets - VW Golf. Has more strengths and noe of it's weaknesses.