Does anyone have a Ford Focus?

[demelza]

Thinking about taking a closer look at the 2012 Ford Focus, anyone test drove it or buy it? I want a reliable car with great gas milage. Wish I didn't have to go to a compact car to get decent gas milage.

[WOT?*]

We bought my son a 2004 and it's been fine for him. It needs new wheel bearings but it's been a good little car. (I've had two Escorts, the precursor, and loved them both.) My neighbor has a 2010 and says it's a great little car for commuting.

You can look at Camry, Accord and Fusion for slightly larger cars with good mileage. Toyota and Honda also have smaller cars in their product line.

[pedanticwench]

I have a 2010 Focus and I truly love it.

It's definitely a compact car, so it's not like I can use it for road trips or anything. But I do love that I can whip in an out of parking spots in crowded areas.

Gas mileage is great, but the tank is small (only holds approx. 10 gallons). I fill up about once a month, but that's because I live very close to work (less than 20 min).

It's a great car for commuting.

[sonrisa]

We don't but we have a prius and find the interior more roomy than expected if that is a factor. The gas mileage has been phenomenal (it cut DH's gas bill by $150/month).

[janegold]

My mom had one for a rental the last time she came to visit and I drove it b/c it is one of the ones I've been thinking about for my next car. My favorite thing about it is the gas mileage. It is fairly compact but I didn't feel cramped in it. I also liked the interior and the design.

One thing that I didn't like is that its engine didn't seem very strong - but I currently drive an SUV with a V8 engine so obviously a small, fuel-efficient sedan is going to be a lot different.

The Ford Fusion is larger and has a hybrid option, if you don't want a compact. The non-hybrid model gets pretty good gas mileage too.

[mkesweetie]

I drive a 2012 Ford Focus! We have the model that's not the hatchback.

The car is comfortable, we get good mileage, and are generally really happy with it. The only thing I wish we had that we don't is blue tooth so I could talk on my phone, but that was part of the "Sports Package" which was like, $5K.

I do agree w/ the PP about the smallish, not very powerful engine. I live in Chicago and our parking is under our building so we go up a huge ramp and sometimes I have a hard time getting my little car up it. But, really for the daily driving and the road tripping (my H's family lives in Atlanta, and we've taken the Focus there twice now) it's a great car.

[emoflamingo]

I have an 06 ZX4 that I bought brand new. I've been really happy with it. I have some things to repair on it, but I hit a deer going 50 mph (or so) that is causing the repairs. I also drive it like a madwoman and still have 25 mpg or so in the city. I've taken it on two road trips and while it wasn't comfortable for a lot of passengers in the back because of my giant carseat in the center seat, I can fit a lot of stuff in the trunk. (Most I have had in there is 2 full-sized baby strollers, an emergency bag, some jumper cables, 2 big diaper bags and a blanket. Or, in non baby terms, 2 large sized Rubbermaid totes with the other non-baby accessories and a few other random items thrown in the extra spce.)

My brother has an 08 Fusion and I think it's pretty equivalent to what the Focus has, thought it's less compact.

[WOT?*]

Oh, I forgot I rented a Focus when I went to Cali in June. It was a sedan and rather a fun little beastie.

[adlove]

I drove a 2007 from '07 to '11 and it never gave me one problem. I loved that car, the mileage was awesome and I frequently made a 4.5 hour commute back home when I had it. Could literally drive all the way on a full tank.

[fuckyourcouch]

I had a 2003 focus for 5 years. It was the biggest piece of junk ever, required multiple $1000+ repairs several times a year (luckily we had purchased an extended warranty), etc. it seemed like every month was another huge repair.

But, I have read 2003 was a really weird model year, some people had excellent experiences (like above) and other people had mine. They seem to have improved significantly since then. I'll never even consider ford again after my experiences (and H's with a different ford) so I'm obviously slightly biased.