i am looking to buy my first car. is the ford focus sedan a good first car? pros? cons?

Question

ZTS or LX? which is better. Im looking for a 2001-2003.

Answer 1

A better buy would be a Mustang.

You don't need to get a high-performance model, but remember that the V8 cars are MUCH more robust than the 4- and6-cylinder cars.

The Focus only comes with a 4 -- but the good news is that Ford built a ridiculously strong unibody, which is why you can get a kit to convert it to a V8-powered, rear-wheel-drive car. So I'm not worried about the structure of the vehicle itself, but I'd wonder about things like brakes and CV joints and struts and bushings and what if the transmission goes out, etc.

If I had to pick between an LX and a ZTS, and both cars were in equal condition, same number of miles, etc. -- I'd pick the ZTS: it's got slightly heavier-duty parts, which means that under the same conditions, they will last longer than the parts in the LX.

That's true of any used vehicle, but -- over the life of the car -- the costs of maintenance and repair parts for a front-wheel-drive car are generally on the order of a dozen times the cost of the same items made for a rear-wheel-drive car. And a rear-wheel-drive car will typically last 6-7 times as long (sometimes, much more than even that) as a front-wheel-drive car before it has to be retired from service.

Of course, that assumes starting from "new/0-miles" and both vehicles being properly maintained and driven in the same environment the same way, etc.

If I was in the market for a front-wheel-drive car, and I wanted something in that general size, I would definitely go with the Focus over a Honda (and you couldn't GIVE me a Toyota).

I had a '89 Taurus SHO that got 28-32 mpg (best mpg was with the cruise set on 75, but don't do that unless your laws allow), and twice got a best mpg of 36. When that car was relatively new (300 miles on the odometer), I made a 388-mile round trip with 5 stops in 4:05 (average speed 95.02 mph); peak speed was 142 mph (3.0 miles in 76.0 seconds), but the cruise wouldn't set above 125 mph -- and I averaged just over 28.2 mpg for the round trip.

The SHO supposedly required premium unleaded only, but I discovered it would run just fine on 87-octane regular unleaded. I traded the SHO for a Crown Victoria (see below) for image reasons associated with my job -- and promptly regretted both the Crown Victoria and the job.

Note: ex-police Crown Victorias get better fuel economy than "regular" Crown Victorias -- so, if you have the option.

If you do a lot of stopping and starting, and you buy a "heavy duty," "high performance," "police interceptor" or "taxi service" V8-powered car, over the life of the car you will save on maintenance more than the difference in initial price and fuel costs. And as a bonus, resale value will be higher.

Ordinarily, reliability is the #1 consideration -- and that means you can get a very old "gas hog" for chump change, end up with a car that's big enough that you don't have to fold yourself into a pretzel to fit into, that's comfortable enough you can go on long trips without having to stop every 30 minutes to stretch or having to visit a chiropractor when you reach your destination, that will leave you rested despite the length of the journey.

To give you an idea of what I mean, my parents operated a '67 and a '69 Cadillac (one was a Coupe deVille; the other was a Sedan deVille) with all the power doodads that Cadillac could stuff into them.

One had a 429-cubic-inch (7.2-liters) engine; the other had a 472-cubic-inch (7.73-liters) engine. Both cars consistently delivered 25-27 mpg in combined city and highway driving -- and neither of my parents had a light right foot.

We had an Oldsmobile 98 (ex constable car) that had a 455-cubic-inch (7.45 liters) engine in it; we drove it a little harder than the Cadillacs, and it still got 18-23 mpg (depending on how hard we drove it). It was just as loaded as the Caddys, but the seats were firmer (which, imho, made them more comfortable).

The downside to the GM products is that they wouldn't survive extended high (120+ mph) speeds: after several hours of that, the engine needed an overhaul. If you were just driving like most normal people, though, they lasted just fine.

By contrast, the Ford and Lincoln 429-cubic-inch (7.03 liters) and 460-cubic-inch (7.54 liters) engines would run all day every day at 120+ mph, and were still peppy around town. In town they got pretty bad fuel economy, but on the Interstate, they returned 23+ mpg (a friend got just over 27.8 mpg in a 460-powered Lincoln Town Car on an Interstate trip to Texas and back).

The 1996 Lincoln Town Car (4.6-liter engine) will give you 27-28 mpg in combined city and highway driving, and 32-33 mpg on long Interstate trips. All these mpg figures are between fillups: you can't get an accurate measurement any other way.

FWIW, a "210-hp" 1993 Ford Crown Victoria (supposedly the same engine as in the Lincoln Town Car) got only 12-14 mpg in combined city and highway driving -- and its fuel economy varied between 8 (driving hard) and 16 mpg (driving like I had an egg under the accelerator).

Bottom line: do your homework when deciding which used vehicle is for you. With the exception of the Crown Victoria, I and my family have had WONDERFUL results from "land yachts."

The 1979 Plymouth Horizon can deliver 40-44 mpg on the Interstate IF it's in perfect tune. The downside is it just can't take the abuse of Mississippi roads: it will die in less than 125,000 miles (and repairs by that time will have cost enough to have bought several nice used rear-wheel-drive cars).

Answer 2

It's okay, especially for a first car, you don't want to get anything too nice after all 2 out of 3 people always reck there first car. I know I did. So you could pretty much use this as your practice car, until you can save up money for something that you really want in the future. I wouldn't put too much money it to it! Don't forget always stay with in your means, don't buy something you can't afford you will be kicking your self later if you do!

Answer 3

Ford Focus is a great car. My son bought one and loves it. I'm thinking of buying one myself if my Crown Vic ever gives up the ghost.

Answer 4

I think you would find the Focus to be a fine car. Small, fuel efficient and dependable. Even though they have been around awhile the styling and design have held up well. I say go for it. As for which model, ZTS or LX, I would go with the LX.

Answer 5

ugly. very ugly. why not pretty much anything else? toyotas aren't nearly as cheapie inside and out... even the corollas.. efficient and excellent on gas without getting a hybrid. not nearly as ugly as the focus. going all out, I'd say a newer civic hybrid, they have a hot look to them, unlike the prius. If you want something ugly, take a look at the echo even, or the yaris. even an echo is not as crappy as a focus.

Answer 6

I would go Honda. Dependable and higher resale value. I do like Fords but why would you even think of getting a Focus.

Answer 7

Honda, Toyota, Subaru

I would stay away from Ford.

Answer 8

Need more details

Answer 9

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