Used 2005 Ford Focus Hatchback Consumer Reviews
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Average car, but will not buy again
magastratus, 07/11/2012
2005 Ford Focus ZX3 SE 2dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
24 of 24 people found this review helpful
I bought this car in 2007 with 30k miles, and had to replace transmission before it hit 70k; set me back about $1200. Previous reviews about the interior being especially noisy are accurate. Gas mileage is lower than what I expected. A lot of minor things go wrong with this car. The vent selector switch broke, so it is stuck on blowing air on my feet. I have yet to get this fixed, so I am uncertain what it will cost. Armrest was also flimsy and broke within 6 months. It also takes a very long time to warm up during the winter, and will sometimes have issues starting cold. It will always eventually start, but not without some hassle. Not terrible, but buy something better if you have the $$.
271k and climbing daily
Jake, 06/07/2016
2005 Ford Focus ZX3 S 2dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
35 of 36 people found this review helpful
Base model crank windows no power locks car was bought new with 20 miles on it and has been driven on an hour and a half commute to work each way for the past 12 years. Car has 271k original clutch, starter, water pump, alternator, motor has never been opened for repairs. Royal purple oil its whole life and it still doesnt burn any. Has gotten brakes, struts, and an axle seal. Great car interior is junk but it was 12k new so of course it is
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2005 Ford Focus for sale near you
3 of 57 listings
- ZX4 S SedanMSRP: $4,95032 mi away
- ZXW SE WagonMSRP: $7,99536 mi away
- ZX3 SE 2dr HatchbackMSRP: $3,99554 mi away
See all 57 listings
205,000 miles and climbing
Nate Marialke, 02/06/2016
2005 Ford Focus ZX3 SE 2dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
45 of 48 people found this review helpful
I bought this car with 12,000 miles on it in 2006. I now have 205,000 miles and have had no major mechanical issues! I did re do shocks and struts a couple times and I did replace the tie rod ends and axle shafts. (Michigan winters are hard on any car). Other than that the trans and engine are solid. Shifts great, no leaks, drives very well. My only complaint is the road noise and interior started vibrating at around 150000 miles. But it is an inexpensive car and I plan on driving for 3 more years. You can't go wrong with a focus for the money.
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220,000 Miles and still starts right up!
Shadow2450, 08/07/2018
2005 Ford Focus ZX3 S 2dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
I bought this car back when i was in highschool my senior year used for a fairly good price, now since im looking into getting something else I thought I would share my experience with my focus and I want to start out by saying I loved it. I have the 5 speed manual transmission and while theres not much power under the hood its still very fun to change the gears and hear the little car go. reliability is nothing short of amazing. when I purchased the car It had close to about 80,000 miles on it. the only issue that left me stranded was an alternator that needed to be replaced at around 160,000 miles. small things such as the mass airflow sensor ar about 195,000 miles and the rear wiper motor at 215,000 miles. I live in the northeast so I have my fair share of terrible winters, but if you throw on a set of good snow tires the traction is nothing short of great! I would be on the highway on my way to work passing jeep wranglers and other AWD cars because of the confidence I had in my car. I am beyond happy with my focus and I think its nothing short of an excellent car to own.
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Electrical system sucks
Terry, 01/08/2016
2005 Ford Focus ZX3 S 2dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
31 of 35 people found this review helpful
I bought the car used. The battery light came on intermittently. The dome lights and signals would go on for no reason in the middle of the night. I went through 3 batteries in less than 5 years. The electrical issues became worse as time progressed. It was determined that the "cluster" was bad. There was an unidentifiable drain on the battery that got to the point that a brand new battery was burnt out in a matter of months. When a new battery was installed, the car was dead the next morning. Getting rid of the ghost in the electrical system would be a costly repair -- more than the car is worth. My mechanic found that these cars are notorious for electrical/cluster problems.
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