Used 2003 Ford Focus Sedan Consumer Reviews
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Focus for average people
connemara, 11/29/2012
2003 Ford Focus SE 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
62 of 63 people found this review helpful
Cheap to buy used, good solid reliability, few issues, good mileage, fun to drive, very easy to service
Still great after 13! years
kate, 05/04/2007
updated 01/28/2016
2003 Ford Focus ZTS 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
29 of 31 people found this review helpful
I bought this car new and it is just as much fun to drive over 3 years later. I have the Zetec engine, it has lots of pep and I get 25 mpg overall and that's with over 20 stop lights between home and work. The original Firestone tires were...well, junk, and after lots effort on the dealership's part, I gave up and replaced them with Pirelli tires at 8000 miles. The back seat is roomier than I expected and the front is very comfortable. Huge trunk great for travel.I love this car! Updating review 10 years later! I've owned my Focus nearly 13 years now and can't complain. Nearly everything works like it did the day I bought it. Still a reliable, fun to drive car. No major repairs. I keep up with the maintenance and take care of my Focus & it takes care of me. Throughout the years I've learned to buy very good tires because this car is picky. It was terrible in snow so I invested in snow tires. Well worth it, I've driven in fairly deep snow and passed trucks & larger cars that slid off the road. The radio volume is getting a bit unpredictable, it may increase when turning it down or decrease when turning up. That's the biggest problem after all these years! Still a great car and I don't see any reason to replace it anytime soon.
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
As good as the Japanese
connemara, 09/18/2012
2003 Ford Focus SE 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
20 of 22 people found this review helpful
I have a 2003 focus that just passed 160 kilometers and other than regular maintenance like tires, brakes, oil changes I have only had to replace the trunk opening latch ($150). It has the smallest engine (2.0 twin port), manual trans and I put 16 inch wheels and a hogher aspect than stock tires on it to maximize mileage. Even with this high gearing it still has reasonable torque to pass in high gear. Best steering and handing in a North American car and you sit up high not like sitting in a hole like a Honda. Styling is still fresh after all these years, going to keep for at least another 5 years. Hey it long been paid for
avg bang for avg buck
midlevelbuyer, 12/18/2012
2003 Ford Focus SE 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
Whaddya expect... you're buying a used car! Granted I bought it 40km and am now past 130k, but its been a great car for the buck. ( had a Toyota dealer ask 10k for the used price at first though? what the..!!) But reading through these reviews its obvious too many poor quality parts were used given how many similarities in repairs: trunk latch has been replaced 3x now and still doesn't latch all the time. Door handles. Ignition locked up. Battery is being drained by something, replaced once already. Sway bar/bushings. But be realistic. Otherwise its been a great little mid level car.
Great little car
Shannon, 10/23/2009
2003 Ford Focus SE Comfort 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
This is my second Focus. I did have another 2003 Focus LX base model. That one had transmission problems and this one does not. I purchased it with 130k and now has 143k. I have enjoyed this car, only minor problems with it. It handles great, stops on a dime, very reliable and very roomy. Decent gas mileage..without A/C 28-29 mpg, with A/C..24-25 mpg, and that's with regular oil changes and adding B-12 to the fuel tank. Very few complaints, trunk doesn't want to latch when shut after being opened with the key fob or trunk button, but works correctly with the key.
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