2007 Ford Focus ZX5 SES 2.0 Duratec I4

Summary:

It's still a Ford, so don't get your hopes too high

Faults:

There were things wrong with it when I got it. Valve cover gasket, a broken radio ground (Ford, why does the radio ground even connect to the ECU's circuit?), worn away bar links and a clogged fuel filter. So the car made a bad first impression.

General Comments:

This car is light, and quite tinny, compared to my Subaru.

The seats have a squishy-soft bottom cushion, but a rather hard back cushion. They just encourage proper driving.

The radio's gone from mine.

The shifter feels on par with the Mazda unit Ford had for the Escort GT I owned. Notchy but easy to tell where you are in the gear pattern, unlike the 1980s Escort's gear change, which turned quickly into a gear bag.

The ride is decent, for such a short wheelbase.

This car makes the most of its rear cargo area, though I would have liked the light to be mounted up in the roof, rather than down on the beltline.

Ford's propensity to be inconvenient continues with cupholders a mile away, and with nothing to hold drinks in. I drive carefully to get around that.

The traction control and ABS respond late and strongly.

The heater in these is decent, but don't expect the car to be amenable to cold starts (under -15°C) without being plugged in.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 22nd December, 2020

24th Dec 2020, 05:58

Sounds like reviewer was expecting perfection, or something close to it, from a 13 year old car with 138K miles on it.

In reply to 24th Dec 2020, 05:58

9th Jan 2021, 01:06

OP here in response:

It's not perfection that I expect, but drivability. I have had many faults in many cars, and still been satisfied with them. My family's had good and bad experiences with Fords, about 50-50. This has, so far, been one of the bad ones.

In reply to 9th Jan 2021, 01:06

10th Jan 2021, 00:38

I would agree with you on this. I reguarly have driven cars around the 10 years old / 100K mark. General reliability has been good across various manufacturers, but I always buy looked after good condition cars.

Used dealers these days want a lot of money for old cars, so if it fell apart in a short time I would be mad regardless of the car's age.

2007 Ford Focus SE 2.0 Duratec

Summary:

Miles ahead of the Festiva, yet somehow NOT a Ferrari. It's just a Focus!

Faults:

Right front wheel bearing went at around 70,000 miles.

Lost the transmission at 132,000.

Finally had to replace the factory brakes at... 117,000 (highway) miles.

The floor mat, carpet, and padding on the driver's side, are worn through in two spots from the heels of my shoes.

At 142,000, the suspension needs to be serviced for the first time.

The airbag lights come on from time to time, after a TV I was transporting slammed into the passenger dash while I was braking hard.

Driver's seat back cushioning is wearing out pretty badly, forcing me to admit to having a bit of a center lean when I drive.

General Comments:

Bought the car brand new from a dealer in Canton, Ohio back in late '07. SE model, with both the safety and convenience packages, and 5-speed transmission. 80% of the 142,000 miles are highway, hence being able to go over 115,000 miles on the stock brakes.

It's been to Iowa and back 4 times, D.C., NYC, Canada... even had a 2nd life in Pittsburgh for a while. 6 Ohio winters later, and still not a hint of rust. I even managed a trip to Pittsburgh with bald front tires during the winter of 2010 with no real issues in the snow... only bumped into one fence in Lawrenceville... (sorry).

It's certainly not a race car, and it's not quick enough to put a big smile on your face... but it's an entry-level Ford; if you expect more than entry-level performance, you're foolish. It's more than quick enough to gain speed on an entrance ramp to be above that of the traffic flow, and has ample passing power... though I've read that if properly set up, it can handle a 50 shot of nitrous with no reliability issues ;)... really want to try that one!

...but I digress. I beat the hell out of the car for the first year of ownership. I've had all four tires off the ground, and I've taught two people how to drive stick with it... so the tranny crapped out at 132,000, but I was lucky enough to have a mechanic who found a 5-speed out of an '09 Focus, with only 9,000 miles on it. That, and a new clutch and some bearings for good measure, and I'm hoping to get close to 250,000 before I have any more major problems. It surprises me to type this, but it's been a GREAT car. I plan to drive it until the wheels fall off... or I find a nice 94-96 Fleetwood/Roadmaster wagon to replace it with ;)

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th September, 2013

21st Sep 2013, 00:32

Better choice, had a 94 Caprice & I'd buy another. Gotta be the LT1!

In reply to 21st Sep 2013, 00:32

22nd Sep 2013, 19:27

Yeah! The Roadmasters and Fleetwoods both had the LT1 as well... along with the Impala.

24th Aug 2015, 18:15

I agree, a very good car. Taken it on a 400 mile trip twice since I owned it. Bought it last year in 2014. A 2007 Ford Focus SE 2.0 Manual Sedan. This car is sluggish at the bottom end, but at the top end in 5th gear, it picks up fast. I have a cold air intake also, so that might give it a bump from its standard 136 horses. I did the trip in about 3 hours each time, because I was doing 70 mph and above; sometimes even 110, but most of the time 80-100 mph no problem. This car goes and the needle really moves up there too. Great car, no real problems yet. The car has a rumbling noise at the back suspension bearing or something, and it rattles and shakes a little bit, causing the passenger side of the car seat to sometimes vibrate, but not when there is weight on the right side of the car. But overall a great car so far. Drove it over 10k miles and it's great. Had it just over a year.

In reply to 21st Sep 2013, 00:32

28th Jun 2017, 11:16

Funny thing about your comment... In 2014, I actually bought a '94 Fleetwood with about 116k miles. The LT1 is fantastic! I'll do a review on it, but there have been some issues... It apparently had the original spark plugs and wires. 6 of them broke off in the block when trying to change them... brutal! I had Eibach Impala SS lowering springs and Bilstein shocks put on, along with Impala SS wheels and 255 tires.

I think it's time to save up for 3:73 gears, heads, cam, and headers!

28th Jun 2017, 11:30

I figured I'd give a small update to my review. This Focus now has over 170K on it, with its 2nd set of brakes being done about 2 months ago. The suspension rattles, and the rear in particular is getting pretty soft and bouncy... time to replace it. I'm fairly certain it has a broken motor mount and when up-shifting, there is a bit of a *klunk* sound. Still shifts firm and runs great with NO leaks and no oil burning! Being in Ohio with the winters after a decade, it's FINALLY starting to show a small amount of rust on the bottom of both doors... I'm surprised it's taken this long, as I've seen Focus' of around the same year that are completely rusting out.

Power steering is dead... A/C is dead... ABS is dead... but those are luxuries at this point, and I've got my '94 Fleetwood to drive if I want those comforts... and a lot more power!

I do mostly city driving now, as opposed to the mostly highway I did when I wrote my original review, so things are probably going to start going downhill faster... but it's been an amazingly reliable car that's never left me stranded in 170,600 miles!