Used 2003 Ford Focus Consumer Reviews
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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.
It Works for Me!
marj, 03/30/2006
2003 Ford Focus ZX5 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
I really love this car - its fun to drive and very reliable. The only weird thing was that I had to have the (automatic) transmission replaced after only 25K (I bought it with 17K). Nobody - dealer or Ford - seems to know why this happened, but its been running fine ever since.
2003 Ford Focus for sale near you
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- ZX5 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $2,19596 mi away
- SE WagonMSRP: $4,49599 mi away
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7 yr review: a reliable car overall
randy, 09/20/2010
2003 Ford Focus ZX5 Premium 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
Just reaching the 140,000 mile mark, car has been very dependable and easy to maintain, and much MUCH cheaper to maintain than the 99 Civic i had before. My Focus has been used as a commuter car, sees a mix of highway and city miles and all four seasons (cold brutal winters) Had a few minor problems along the way, but it never left me stranded or cost a fortune to fix. I would recommend this car, it would be a great vehicle for a student because its reliable and economical.
fun to drive
Shane Paradis, 09/25/2015
2003 Ford Focus SE 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
14 of 18 people found this review helpful
fun to drive, just be sure to buy the one with the ztec engine. the spi is slow and unreliable
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I love this car!
Andy Z, 05/19/2019
updated 11/20/2019
2003 Ford Focus SE 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl 4A)
9 of 11 people found this review helpful
I knew nothing about the Focus 7 years ago when I was shopping for a replacement for my 1993 Explorer, so I drove across town to checkout a wagon on the low end of my budget. It had 114,000 miles on it, but in quite nice shape and plenty of hauling room in the back. A 20 minute test drive on the freeway impressed me as the car was nimble and fun to drive; it reminded me a bit of my motorcycling days! Over 7 years later, it's still running great and delivering almost 27 mpg on average for the last year. It's made many 800 mile round trips and one 2400 mile drive to Denver and back without any issues, and will cruise all day at 80 mph and deliver almost 30 mpg. I do my own work and have done a lot of the regular repairs needed, such as timing belts, water pumps, thermostat housings, shocks, struts, exhaust, hoses, 7000 mile oil and filter changes, blah blah blah, and the engine and tranny still run well. The only reason I am looking for a replacement is that the road salt here is eating the body alive. That being said, I'll drive this car into the ground, as I do all my cars, but this is my first car to exceed 200,000 miles and I bet it will get to 300,000 if the body holds up. Update: I had to salvage the car due to severe subframe rust caused by Michigan road salt. The car ran fine, but became unsafe to drive due to the deterioration of the rear end.
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