2003 Ford Focus ZX3 Zetec review from North America

Second day of ownership, the fuel gauge quit, then started working properly. The day after, the fuel gauge did the same thing.

At around 2,000 miles the engine would stall out when started after a short trip.

I take my car in at 14,000 miles for service and come to find out my tires are wearing badly. One tire was feathering.

Since 10,000 miles the engine will shudder, or act like it wants to stall when coming to a stop.

And 2 weeks ago, about 24,900 miles, my belt started to screech when I start the engine.

I love the engine performance. Acceleration is quick for being 4 cylinder.

Fuel economy is good, but could be better.

I really like the interior, it is roomy enough and is laid out nicely.

The handling is very good, crisp and sporty.

This car is very fun to drive.

I don't like bumpy roads in this car, the rear end likes to "loose grip" if you will. It shifts slightly side to side when I hit minor bumps.

I've replaced 2 tires because of the Firestone tires that are on the car. They have a case of rapid wear syndrome. I replaced 2 tires at 15,000 miles because the tires were so horribly feathered my fuel mileage went down, not to mention they gave a horrible ride.

I'm still working on getting 2 more tires. Ford wouldn't do anything about the tires so I'm having to buy them myself of course and these tires aren't cheap!

I like the styling of the Focus ZX3 and the black accents against the Cloud 9 White paint. It's cool in the summer, too.

I have a gripe about the sloppy shifting the automatic transmission has. It is a bit rough, but gets me through the gears. It jumps into gear rather than shifting into gear, but I don't bother to take it to Ford since there has never been enough "evidence" to prove there is a problem with the car.

Overall this is a nice car. I like the ZX3 model much better than the sedan model.

I would recommend this car to anyone who likes American made cars. If you have a foreign made car, keep it or go with another foreign made car. You'll be happier.