2001 Ford Focus ZX3 2.0 Zetec
Summary:
Pretty car, great gas, a NIGHTMARE to OWN!!
Faults:
Everything, and I mean everything.
The car stalled / hesitates whenever it feels like it. Some days are good, and others are horrid and a nightmare.
Mechanics can't figure it out; anytime the car starts to act up, I've got to sit (at least a half hour) wherever I am, and let the car cool (not overheating), but some wire / sensor is obviously acting up, and once it sits, it fires up like nothing is wrong until you stop again, and then it's a repeat performance as stated above.
I've drove this vehicle for less than 200 000km, and it's been an absolute nightmare; this is the ZX3 model.
I've replaced fuel pump / fuel filter for $1100 bucks.
I've replaced entire PCV system, hose, elbow and valve.
I've replaced EGR valve and hoses.
Replaced plugs and wires.
Cleaned the throttle body, and the mass air flow sensor.
Hood latch sticks and has to be opened / closed with a screwdriver.
Driver's seat has worn out.
Clutch is notchy / shifting is shifty at best.
New front brake rotors / pads and calipers.
New front tires and new rear tires.
New brake lines.
New fuel lines.
Battery light comes on and flickers out.
Crank position sensor.
Coolant position sensor.
New battery and terminals.
I don't even remember everything else; I'm exhausted just typing this out, and thinking about it.
General Comments:
When the car works well, it works well, but it's when it doesn't work that is the real nightmare.
The car handles very well, stops well, accelerates decent, and gets great gas mileage.
The cabin has a great design and feels spacious inside.
The hatch is awesome; incredible amount of room.
However, for the above "good points", the "bad is just not worth it", and the Zetec has many known issues that basically seem to be uncorrectable.
It seems that when you replace 1 part, something else goes wrong, and after you fix that, then you are back to fixing the first part that you replaced 2 months ago.
Ford had a great idea of a car here, and everything could have been great, however, with all of these issues, and who knows what else that hasn't been diagnosed, it's just not worth it.
I wouldn't buy this car again, and I doubt I'd buy anything else that is "Ford related".
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 25th June, 2012
25th Dec 2014, 13:41
At 121,000 miles some of the electronic sensors are going to wear, but from your description, it needs a good cleaning of the mass flow air sensor; the previous owner probably never changed the air filter on it. Inexpensive high mileage cars aren't going to get the same care as other vehicles, and buying a used car will mean you need to do repairs and care for it, unlike a new or low mileage car.
12th Nov 2016, 00:08
I fully agree with the reviewer. I have owned multiple cars having more than twice his amount of km with far less problems, even cars with the original engine and transmission with 800 thousand km on the clock (!!!).
I dare you to find a Focus with that mileage.
1st Jul 2012, 18:34
So you're complaining about a vehicle that has well-over 200,000 KM and over 11 years of service under the belt, about it stalling? What do you expect? These sort of things happen in a used car.