I've been through a dozen or so 'economy' cars during my life, and this one was by far the worst experience I have ever had.
The vibration in the dash should have tipped me off when I took it for a test drive.  But, I was desperate for a car, it looked OK and the price was within my budget.  Had I known the amount of money I would end up throwing away on this car, I never would have bought it. As it is, I will NEVER buy a Ford again.

The repairs done to this car were so numerous; I cannot begin to list them all.  What sticks out in my mind was replacing the engine at 32,000 miles.  (It blew a piston head).   Ok, major expenditure there… but maybe it will solve some of the problems it was having.  Nope… it continued to fall apart.  I cringed, every time I took it in for routine maintenance… there was always a major issue that needed to be dealt with.

The dashboard fan (the one that defrosts the windshield, and provides heat?) was replaced 4 times.  The ‘Check Engine’ light was ALWAYS on.  I’m amazed that my mechanic shop was able to keep it running, and got it through New York State Inspection as many times as it did.  They are amazing.

I believe I had this car towed at least 9 times during the short time I had it.  It was scary to drive, I was always expecting it to break down.

The kicker was when I hit 72,000 miles, the engine went again.  (The engine block cracked).   I was stupid to replace it the first time, not doing it again.  So, this 10 year old car, with 72,000 miles was sold for scrap.

While it was working, if you could get over the noise and vibration in the engine and dashboard, the car was actually not bad to drive.  It handled well, and I had no problem getting through thick snow and ice during our Upstate NY winters.

The interior was comfortable and it was 'roomy' for an economy car.  Not alot of bells and whistles, although I had the SE version.  It did have A/C which seems to be the only thing that continued to work with no problems (besides the dash fan conking out).
Amount Paid (US$): 8,750
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2001
Model and Options: SE