Pros: road visibility and mirrors, roomy and comfortable for econobox, front-end styling, effective a/c, good stereo
Cons: rear blind spot, fairly wimpy engine, slightly disconnected feel from road, gas hogging a/c
The Bottom Line: Has a good measure of style, comfort and practicality. Reliability is unknown, but it feels pretty solid. Buy if you can find it under 6.5K.
byogman's Full Review: Boston Acoustics TVee Model Two TV Speakers
I picked up a gold 2002 Focus LX stripped bare (no cd, cry) with a stick for 4800$ with only 30000 miles on it. It is the first car I can call my own, and the first I've driven with a stick. Before buying this, I primarily drove my wife's 1995 Mitsubishi Mirage LS, with a 1.8L engine.
I've since put about 1200 miles on it since in a combo of short hops, and mostly freeway commuting with a range of traffic. I will update this review in 40K miles or so to comment on reliability, as this is a concern of mine, but at least no problems for the first thousand.
First, the major gripe... the car has no oomph. I was hoping with a stick that at least at some points the car would be fun.... it certainly promises some with the sleek look from the front. Nope, sorry. If you push a little, it will keep up, but you do have to push, and you get only a little more if you put the pedal to the floor. It handles the pavement with a reasonable amount of control, but compared to the old Mirage it's a little floaty for my taste, and due to that feeling and its greater height, I don't feel as comfortable taking a turn at speed. Mind you, I knew what I was getting into in this regard, but a man can dream, can't he? I will say that I prefer the suspension and road feel to a Chevy Malibu I had as a rental, even if it doesn't have as much power.
Right, so on to the positives.
For used car buyers like me, quick depreciation (maybe not true of 2003 model, though):
even quicker than the Hyundais and Kia Spectra, maybe not as quick as on the Dodge Neon, but I like to think this is a better car. I got an especially good deal by getting a stripped model with a stick.
It's very comfortable, especially in front. I've heard others complain of the road/wind noise, but I think it's pretty nominal... it's sheer heaven compared to the old Mirage. I haven't tried yet, but from using this on a 30 minute commute every day, I think this would be ok for a road trip. The trunk is surprisingly large, and the rear seat folds down (although sadly, not flat).
Interior quality is reasonable, and the ergonomics are quite good. I thought the lack of tachometer would bother me, but it doesn't. The upshift indicator is pretty accurate, and I think most stick drivers can gague it by sound/feel just as easily. I'm getting there.
Another reviewer quoted 30 without the a/c and only 21 with. I've noticed a similarly large gap, though I don't have any hard figures to back it up yet. I will update this review when I have figures. At least (in contrast to the old Mirage and 2003 Kia Rio) this doesn't start making nasty vibrations with the A/C on.
That's all I have for now, but I really do like my first car, in spite of a couple shortcomings, and not just because it was so cheap. I think, when I am a little better with the stick and get a CD player installed, it will grow on me even more.
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