# Anyone drives a focus?



## 2000fordfocus (Nov 11, 2004)

Yo, anyone of you guys drive a focus??


----------



## elf (Jul 19, 2002)

You would have to pay me to drive a ford


----------



## 2000fordfocus (Nov 11, 2004)

I understand they had a bad rep for quality, but they really change a lot now! They use a lot of part from like volve and mazda!! and quality are much better with each new model!!

North American pride man!! I don't support J stuff...


----------



## jgvernonco (Sep 13, 2003)

I was a continental pride guy, too...Dodges and Jeeps (plus some notably excellent GMs.

I now have a Cherokee and a Ram 1500 4x4 which is kinda funny, as I was never that fond of German cars. :laugh: 

It's Daelmer Chrysler, not Chrysler Daelmer...


----------



## Volt-Schwibe (Jan 12, 2003)

from what i am to understand, even the newest ones are seen in the shop alot, but this is usually for lesser repairs like broken door handles and broken seat releases, things that ford has been known for having quality issues with.

other than the typical cheap ford problems, the focus seems to be a good inexpensive car.


----------



## elf (Jul 19, 2002)

First of all, ford owns mazda now...secondly, my dad helps build/design engines for ford (namely the prowler). 

He has gone into detail explaining part of why fords are so unreliable. Sitting in a board meeting with some ford engineers him and his coworkers explained that a really thin cylinder wall inside the engine would wear out very quickly, probably within 100,000miles. The ford people said that was enough for the warranty, so they put the parts into production. 

Now I'm not saying that all fords are bad, I have a friend whose ford truck has lasted 200,000 miles, but the chances of getting a bad one are just too high. 

With ford's work ethic it's a wonder that they're still in business.


----------



## Volt-Schwibe (Jan 12, 2003)

it's sad too, makes me wonder what happened.

i remember 300 c.u. inline six ford engines, in old 1960 trucks, and these days, those motors are still running strong, although they power boats now, since they are such powerhouses that it creates a high demand for them as marine engines. (and if you look at modern marine engines, inboard* you will notice old school crafting, and sometimes even flathead designs on some of the newest ones.)

i remember old mopar slant-6 225's like you would find in a 73 dart that would run 300,000 miles plus, and sometimes even for another 50,000 with a broken connecting rod, running on 5 cylinders. (the ending cause of death usually being the missing cylinder.)

i saw 350 chev and ford 351 windsor/cleaveland v-8's that would still outlast the vehicle they were mounted in.

and then, around the time i turned 10...

1985...

the "true" death of the automobile legacy. 

door handles that fall off, windows that stop rolling up, fuel injection, engines that run perfect at the factory, and then steadily decline in performance until the warranty is done, then slowly parts begin to fall off of it.

cars didn't used to be that way. cars were built to last. bottom line.

now, it is true, the car manufacturer does not want you to drive that car past it's warranty, they want you to buy a new car every 5 years. this is why almost all cars will last 5 years, and nearly all cars carry a 5 year warranty to some extent or another.

the focus, i think that will last you 5 years, but i wouldnt even care to cast a guess on _much_ longer.


----------



## superflysmith (Oct 15, 2004)

My wife drives a 2001 Ford Focus. She likes it but we'll be trading it in soon for a Jeep Liberty. She loves that SUV for some reason. I'll be happy when she's driving in a truck, it's safer than a small car and we have a soon to be 1 year old son. Safety first :winkgrin: I drive a 1995 Jeep Wrangler. I bought it brand new and have no desire to get rid of it.


----------



## fearless (Nov 24, 2004)

2000fordfocus said:


> I understand they had a bad rep for quality, but they really change a lot now! They use a lot of part from like volve and mazda!! and quality are much better with each new model!!
> 
> North American pride man!! I don't support J stuff...



ford owns mazda as stated above.... and i have a friend who has over 250,000 miles on her focus and it runs fine, i make sure and get the oil changed every 3000 miles tho... which helps alot

along with the thin cylinder wall, i have seen chevy 350's with a cylinder wall that was 35 thousanths thick. thats really zzz zzzz thin

Matt

Matt, watch your language on here - I have altered the inappropriate part. (moderator)


----------



## crazijoe (Oct 19, 2004)

elf said:


> First of all, ford owns mazda now...secondly, my dad helps build/design engines for ford (namely the prowler).


Last I remember Chrysler built the Prowler.


----------



## fearless (Nov 24, 2004)

haha, yes they do.. i think he means a diff one


----------



## elf (Jul 19, 2002)

You're right that was a mistake on my part, my dad works for Teksid Aluminum Foundry. 

The Teksid group is one of the largest metallurgical component casters in the world. Its casting plants are located in Italy, Poland, Brazil, Mexico, and the United States. The cast products are focused on the auto industry although the company does produce aerospace, biomedical, defense, and special alloy castings. Teksid is the world's largest manufacturer of automotive cylinder heads, casting seven million aluminum cylinder heads each year. Varied casting techniques are employed: semipermanent mold (gravity), high pressure die cast, sand cast, and lost foam processes. The company is a leader in both process and product advance development. Most recent efforts have been in the areas of lost foam, magnesium and SiC(p) reinforced aluminum metal matrix composite (MMC) cast products. The majority of the research and advanced development has been conducted in Turin, Italy. 

They design/build cylinder heads, and blocks for most of the major car companies. Diamler Chrysler, Fiat, Ford, and I think GM (although I could be wrong about GM)

If you want to read more about Teksid, visit their site


----------



## JokerFMJ (Dec 26, 2004)

I drive an '02 Focus and have yet to have a problem with it. I'm happy. And for only $9K, too.


----------



## elf (Jul 19, 2002)

elf said:


> First of all, ford owns mazda now...secondly, my dad helps build/design engines for ford (namely the prowler).
> 
> He has gone into detail explaining part of why fords are so unreliable. Sitting in a board meeting with some ford engineers him and his coworkers explained that a really thin cylinder wall inside the engine would wear out very quickly, probably within 100,000miles. The ford people said that was enough for the warranty, so they put the parts into production.
> 
> ...


So I've been saying that Ford's suck...well now in the news (I have been saying this for the last couple months also, although I didn't post it here). My dad knew about this problem a long time ago, Ford was trying to blame Texas Instruments for making a chip that got so hot. Well anyway...I told you so. 
http://www.wxyz.com/wxyz/ys_investigations/article/0,2132,WXYZ_15949_4062584,00.html


----------



## crazijoe (Oct 19, 2004)

Ford does do strange things. Remember the Variable Venturi carburetor? What a joke that was. It only lasted 2 years before they finally realize what a piece of junk it was.


----------

