Simple and clean design. Cheap and practical.

Not so good gas mileage on city driving. Weak engine power especially with automatic. Low resale value. It took more than 2 month to sell. Had to replace engine starter on 33,000mile. Dealer service cost me about $300. Radiator''s collant leak after long driving. Questionable reliability.

Good commute car. I liked design of the car. It''s cute. I owned for 2 years and had no major problems. It wasn''t good for a spirt driving but just fine for a daily driving.

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1995 Honda Civic EX. I think Civic is better for overall.

Perfect size for petite women and parking in cramped spaces.

No pick up speed. Transmission jerks at low speeds (mechanics say its a standard problem with the Tracer nothing they can do.

Loved the car at the start. Now I wish I could get rid of it. Had to rebuild engine once at 72000 and replace it at 91000. Great milage, right size. Temp gauge not reliable. transmission shift is slow at low speeds, jerks. Passenger floorboard gets soaked no one can find where water comes from. Next thing you know car quits you''re stranded on the side of the road and the car won''t start. Head blown. No steam, temp gauge reads normal. No explanation. Everything looks good to all the mechanics no reason why it should happen.

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Ford Mustang, Ford Escort, Buick Regal

Interior size - At 6'2", I can drive or ride with lots of interior room to spare.
My Tracer is a GS with a manual transmission. Having a manual can make those 110hp feel like screaming 116! Seriousely though, it gets incredible gas mileage and it's a little perkier than the automatic.

I've bought my car new in 10/98 with no major or minor repairs, only regular care. I got a tape stuck in the tape player after two months. It would cost $150 just for Ford to remove the tape (Ford says the tape is the problem, not the tape player, which was under warrenty). I was going to buy an aftermarket cd player ($180), but I never got around to it. So three years later, the tape is still in there.

Great little car! It's no sports car (or even a sports car wannabe), but it's great for commuting. It was my first new car after being a student, and I've never regretted buying it.

I don't like when people select a car based on what they're willing to spend, then complain about it having a weak engine. If you want 220hp, you need to part with more money. It's a great car for the price.

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I had wanted a Civic, but they were just too expensive for me back then. Overall, I think this car stands up to the foreign entry level compacts very well. I rode in a new Civic a few weeks ago, my Tracer has much more room.

My wife has a Ford Contour SE. She has more power with a V6, but the interior of her car is so tiny and cramped. I believe She paid about $18k.

I have a Tracer LS and with 110 H.P. and 125 lbs torque it has a lot of get up and go for the small 2.0 litre engine. The interior is nice and has nice colors. It has a decent stereo and gets good gas mileage.

No gas locks. Hard to find parts for.

My Tracer is a great car for the price I paid. I bought it wrecked and rebuilt it. It has a Ford Escort front end and a Mercury Tracer rear end. It is truly one of a kind. It shifts well, handles well, and will preform if I need it too. Has a lot of power and is a excellent car for people without a family or just need it for one person. It is a good car.

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Ford Escort, Toyota Tercel, Ford Probe, Ford Tempo

Good headroom. Reasonable gas mileage.

We got this car as a loaner while our Civic was being repaired. What a disappointment. The engine growls and the automatic transmission clunks into gear. The windows don't fit snugly. To open the passenger door from the inside you have to pop the door lever. No gas cap lock inside or outside, no heating strip in the rear window to remove ice or frost. This is one cheaply constructed econobox and the decontented plastic interior makes our Civic Ex feel like a Lexus. I can't believe Ford/Mercury is foisting this vehicle on the public. Small wonder that sales of Detroit cars are down while the japanese and Germans make further in-roads. lest anyone think I am a pawn of the foreign car cartel, I have owned three Detroit vehicles including another Ford that were decent vehicles (except for the 1980 Pontiac Sunbird).

This is only a good choice if you can't find a comparably priced Honda, Toyota or just about any other make. I guess if the buyer is on an extremely tight budget or can negotiate a great deal it might be possible to tolerate this vehicle for a year or so until a more appropriate vehicle was found.

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Honda Civic, Mazda Protege, Volkswagen Golf/Jetta, Toyota Corolla, Ford Escort and Toyota Tercell

after 6 yrs, little bomb is one of the best I have ever had.my only complant is w/ a/c going, up a New england hill, I sometimes have to shift down to 4th. (I have the 1.9 motor, could use the mill out of my '86 GT) Fit and finish is really good for such an inexpensive piece(sic) Also it tows great behind our camper.

THEY DON'T MAKE THE LITTLE BEGGAR ANY MORE!!! Don't find the Focus at all attractive, and overpriced.

Overall, (price withstanding) it is with out a doubt one of the most reliable & useful all around vechiles I have had the pleasure of owning. UP to this point, I have had NO cost with this vechile, above normal maintance to date! ( Hope I don't jinks my self!) By the way, I DON'T WORK FOR FORD !!!

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Once rented a Sentra ,and I suppose at a lower altitude ,they might compare (Utah )

The color.

Everything on this car broke or had to be replaced. No power at all. i spent more in 4 months on repairs than i did on my previous cars lifetime

i just wouldnt recommend this to anyone

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cant think of any cars that ford makes that are good.

The nice overall size, not to cramped, easy to park.

The power, the quality of build, im never buying a ford again, it was not what I looked for in a car.

I would NOT recommend it, if you are going to spend the same amount you might as well go with japanese cars, they are built better, the service is better, they perform better.

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none

good all around car. good gas mileage. easy to work on with the exception of the stupid oil filter. quick for a 4-banger.

lack of power, even though it is still quick. top end speed is low as well.

I personally love my tracer, it goes everywhere including off-road and it doesn't ask for much. it holds a ton of stuff. the addition of good speakers helped the factory radio. heater and a/c work great for a nine year old car. the new front end the previous owner put in it three months before i bought it really help it's handling. not bad for 1000 bucks and a new clutch 6 months later.

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83 subaru (first car) nothing beats this car, i still wish i had it today even with it's shot tranny.
89 VW fox great car but not as quick as the tracer.
2001 jetta, new car much better than the tracer all around.

It has a ton of zip! Very good first car. I love the styling and good gas mileage. Not much to say but a good reliable car!

Havn't found many except for the gasgets around the winsheild are cooming out of place on the inside and outside.

I would find this car to be highly recommended. I paid 7 K for it as a 1 year old car and it has held up very very well!

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2000 sunfire... sunfire was smoother ride and sharper looking yet 2 times the cost!