Used 2002 Ford Focus Hatchback Consumer Reviews
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Great Car
This has been an extremely reliable and fun car. I've got 35K on the odometer and loved every mile.
Fun car
Tight, crisp handling on 16-inch low profile (205x50) tires. Delivers decent power from a sweet sounding, twin-cam engine at 4-6000 RPM. Precise rack and pinion steering gives good feedback. Very comfortable inside. Lots of room for big people. Nice sound system with 6 cd changer in the dash. Good ergonomics. Neat, edgy exterior and interior styling. Flexible cargo carrying configurations possible with 60-40 fold down rear seats (which are also quite comfortable). Good head and legroom front and rear.
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Small Price = Good Buy
I bought my ZX3 7 years ago at age 16 and have only encountered one problem with it besides regular maintainence. At 36K, the front half-shafts went bad, but since they were replaced, it's been smooth sailing. I have made many engine modifications, as well as bigger wheels and a lower suspension, and the car has been fantastic. This vehicle is really worth the money.
Focusing on the Focus
I love the Focus. I am not a fan of domestic cars, so this should tell you something. The European flavor of the Focus comes through. The handling is excellent for a cheap, FWD car, the ride is pretty decent. Build quality is surprisingly solid for a Ford and no squeaks or rattles in 10,000 miles . I do mainly highway driving, so I get about 28mpg steady. The seats are comfortable. The car is not bad on the highway, but it is kind of buzzy at times. Not nearly as bad as the Dodge Neon, but not as smooth as a Honda. If you love to drive and your pocketbook doesn't allow a BMW (as mine doesn't) the ZX-3 Focus is your small car.
Utterly Awful, Unreliable
I bought this car at 20k miles. At 30k, it needed new brakes and completely rebuilt calipers. The mechanic told me that it was very common for the factory installed plastic calipers to fail at 30k miles. The car is now at 60k miles and has gone through 3 sets of brakes (I do not drive like a maniac at all) 4 sets of tires, and 3 stereos. The factory-installed 6-disc changer on this car is a piece of junk and fails constantly. Recently, the engine has started leaking copious amounts of oil. With all of these problems, I have been told that they are common with the Focus (especially the 2002) but not with other cars in its class like the Toyotas. No pickup, bad car.