[spacegravity4me]

Hey, how's it going? Ok, here's the deal. I've got a 2006 ford focus zx4 ses. Leather, great sound system, moonroof. Those are the pluses. The downside is the car feels cheap for 19k and I only have the 2.0. Originally I wanted an orange mazda 3s hatch but thanks to my father i got the focus instead. That aside, what I'm asking you here is do you think it would be wise for me to get the 3 now, even if it was a 2004 and are there any reliability issues? I fell in love with the 3 the moment I saw it and drove it! What do you think. Please try and be as objective as possible. Thanks. SPACE

 

[mr_Fan]

I bought the new-Focus in January of 2005 from the showroom. It was so nice and shiny. 10K miles later the armrest broke, the brake pedal made a creaky sound everything inside rattled and I was just sick of it. After dealer accident, I got full value trade in and guess what mistake I made again? I picked up ANOTHER focus! It was the ST and though it didn't give me as much fit and finish problems, the list was still rather long for a car of that price...

Today I drive the mazda3 with 28K miles in 1 year. Despite all of the minor shortcomings/issues I've had with the car, and I swear they're minor, i've been VERY happy with it. I've only had one real problem and that's the weather strip around the sunroof needed to be lubed. 20 minute Service and the car runs perfect which is nice to say since it's been under near 30K stress in a concentrated ammount of time.

Also want to say i've been in your shoes with the focus, its resale value is disgustingly bad. Your 18-19K purchase is going to be worth only 9-10K dealer trade in so you're financing near $9,000 negative equity which you don't want to do. Quite frankly I don't think most banks would approve a loan like that anyway unless if you had at least some down payment.

I was lucky to be in an accident (lol sad i know) and it totalled my car. Because it wasn't my fault, the insurance teamed with Gap Insurance took care of everything and here I am with the 3!

 

[f4i kyle]

[quote author=mr_Fan link=topic=66749.msg1145799#msg1145799 date=1168591769]
I bought the new-Focus in January of 2005 from the showroom. It was so nice and shiny. 10K miles later the armrest broke, the brake pedal made a creaky sound everything inside rattled and I was just sick of it. After dealer accident, I got full value trade in and guess what mistake I made again? I picked up ANOTHER focus! It was the ST and though it didn't give me as much fit and finish problems, the list was still rather long for a car of that price...

Today I drive the mazda3 with 28K miles in 1 year. Despite all of the minor shortcomings/issues I've had with the car, and I swear they're minor, i've been VERY happy with it. I've only had one real problem and that's the weather strip around the sunroof needed to be lubed. 20 minute Service and the car runs perfect which is nice to say since it's been under near 30K stress in a concentrated ammount of time.

Also want to say i've been in your shoes with the focus, its resale value is disgustingly bad. Your 18-19K purchase is going to be worth only 9-10K dealer trade in so you're financing near $9,000 negative equity which you don't want to do. Quite frankly I don't think most banks would approve a loan like that anyway unless if you had at least some down payment.

I was lucky to be in an accident (lol sad i know) and it totalled my car. Because it wasn't my fault, the insurance teamed with Gap Insurance took care of everything and here I am with the 3!
[/quote]

Same exact thing happened to me. Had a 04 ZX3, and got hit from a dead stop by someone going 45 mph :shock:. G/f, myself, and her sister walked away. IMO, the only thing those cars have going for them are their safety.

 

[mr_Fan]

[quote author=oneill8769 link=topic=66749.msg1145982#msg1145982 date=1168613052]
[quote author=mr_Fan link=topic=66749.msg1145799#msg1145799 date=1168591769]
I bought the new-Focus in January of 2005 from the showroom. It was so nice and shiny. 10K miles later the armrest broke, the brake pedal made a creaky sound everything inside rattled and I was just sick of it. After dealer accident, I got full value trade in and guess what mistake I made again? I picked up ANOTHER focus! It was the ST and though it didn't give me as much fit and finish problems, the list was still rather long for a car of that price...

Today I drive the mazda3 with 28K miles in 1 year. Despite all of the minor shortcomings/issues I've had with the car, and I swear they're minor, i've been VERY happy with it. I've only had one real problem and that's the weather strip around the sunroof needed to be lubed. 20 minute Service and the car runs perfect which is nice to say since it's been under near 30K stress in a concentrated ammount of time.

Also want to say i've been in your shoes with the focus, its resale value is disgustingly bad. Your 18-19K purchase is going to be worth only 9-10K dealer trade in so you're financing near $9,000 negative equity which you don't want to do. Quite frankly I don't think most banks would approve a loan like that anyway unless if you had at least some down payment.

I was lucky to be in an accident (lol sad i know) and it totalled my car. Because it wasn't my fault, the insurance teamed with Gap Insurance took care of everything and here I am with the 3!
[/quote]

Same exact thing happened to me. Had a 04 ZX3, and got hit from a dead stop by someone going 45 mph :shock:. G/f, myself, and her sister walked away. IMO, the only thing those cars have going for them are their safety.
[/quote]

I'm not really so sure about that either. I got side swiped, in an attempt to avoid the car flying by me I steered to the right (otherwise we're talking head on here) I didn't have time to react and hit the car parked on the street.

The picture below is my Focus in a 27mph head on crash with a parked car.
Sure I didn't get hurt.. at all... but I would expect a little more durability from the car. I'd assume tons of damage is normal, but it had bent the frame out of shape from front to rear so the minor half an inch stopped the doors 4 doors from closing properly. This in itself caused the guy who came to estimate to deem it a totall loss.

The airbags didn't open either.

 

[small town king]

thats exactly what my tiburon looked like after i hit someone going roughly 15mph, and slowing down.

my hood went under their bumper. new radiator, ac, hood, headlights, bumper. 5k worth of damage.

my airbags didn't go off either.

 

[mr_Fan]

[quote author=small town king link=topic=66749.msg1147484#msg1147484 date=1168666988]
thats exactly what my tiburon looked like after i hit someone going roughly 15mph, and slowing down.

my hood went under their bumper. new radiator, ac, hood, headlights, bumper. 5k worth of damage.

my airbags didn't go off either.
[/quote]

I think frame damage = total loss (by most ins. co's)
In most cases... (which was my case)

I don't know, I just kind of expected more...

 

[small town king]

[quote author=mr_Fan link=topic=66749.msg1147497#msg1147497 date=1168667490]
[quote author=small town king link=topic=66749.msg1147484#msg1147484 date=1168666988]
thats exactly what my tiburon looked like after i hit someone going roughly 15mph, and slowing down.

my hood went under their bumper. new radiator, ac, hood, headlights, bumper. 5k worth of damage.

my airbags didn't go off either.
[/quote]

I think frame damage = total loss (by most ins. co's)
In most cases... (which was my case)

I don't know, I just kind of expected more...
[/quote]

your frame got bent? thats pretty weak...


at least if they total it you can get a mazda 3 haha

 

[mr_Fan]

[quote author=small town king link=topic=66749.msg1147935#msg1147935 date=1168714071]
[quote author=mr_Fan link=topic=66749.msg1147497#msg1147497 date=1168667490]
[quote author=small town king link=topic=66749.msg1147484#msg1147484 date=1168666988]
thats exactly what my tiburon looked like after i hit someone going roughly 15mph, and slowing down.

my hood went under their bumper. new radiator, ac, hood, headlights, bumper. 5k worth of damage.

my airbags didn't go off either.
[/quote]

I think frame damage = total loss (by most ins. co's)
In most cases... (which was my case)

I don't know, I just kind of expected more...
[/quote]

your frame got bent? thats pretty weak...


at least if they total it you can get a mazda 3 haha
[/quote]

Yeap. That's what i'm saying too. But then again i havent been in a similar accident in another car to compare...

It was deemed total loss and I actually have been driving my Velo Hatch for 1 year now this January.

 

[Focused]

While I'm sorry to hear about all the accidents, I can't help but :lol: at you guys for the Focus bashing!!

Your Mazda3 rides and handles the way it does because of that loser Ford Focus.

 

[MetalCord]

... not THAT loser focus.. but the European model which is completely different.

As far as getting more "durability" from the car in a crash... your expectations of modern cars are a little misplaced. Modern cars are designed to absorb as much energy as possible. Unfortunately, that means that even low speed crashes can result in ridiculous amounts of damage. The front of the car has particularly "flexible" parts to protect pedestrians that get hit. I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Your airbags may not have gone off, but you said yourself that you were uninjured. That tells me that the car did it's job. Trust me, you don't want that airbag to go off unless it's absolutely necessary.

 

[DemonOfTheFall]

lol, I had a honda integra hit my jeep at 30mph... I was stopped. Completely totalled her car, bent frame, destroyed the engine, radiator basically everything from the windshield forward. She cracked one of my fog light lenses Sometimes I really miss my ARB Bull Bar

 

[Focused]

[quote author=MetalCord link=topic=66749.msg1149072#msg1149072 date=1168796075]
... not THAT loser focus.. but the European model which is completely different.

As far as getting more "durability" from the car in a crash... your expectations of modern cars are a little misplaced. Modern cars are designed to absorb as much energy as possible. Unfortunately, that means that even low speed crashes can result in ridiculous amounts of damage. The front of the car has particularly "flexible" parts to protect pedestrians that get hit. I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Your airbags may not have gone off, but you said yourself that you were uninjured. That tells me that the car did it's job. Trust me, you don't want that airbag to go off unless it's absolutely necessary.
[/quote]

Do alittle research, bud. The Mk1 Focus/C170 platform was greatly carried over much into the Mk2/C1 platform. All suspension systems are virtually identical between the two. The majority of the Euro Ford/Mazda3/C1 platform is very much (read: NOT loosely) based upon the C170 chassis.

The C1's a natural evolution of the original platform.

 

[mr_Fan]

[quote author=Focused link=topic=66749.msg1148510#msg1148510 date=1168746542]
While I'm sorry to hear about all the accidents, I can't help but :lol: at you guys for the Focus bashing!!

Your Mazda3 rides and handles the way it does because of that loser Ford Focus.


[/quote]

But for what it's worth the ST Focus actually had a very impressive ride. I guess to be fair I should point out the positive aspects. The feel of the clutch, gears, shifting, and overal ride was just very impressive and it's handling compares to the Mazda3, if not at times better around the sharp corners.

The European Focus however is another story though because this is where the Mazda3 shares it's platform.

 

[mr_Fan]

[quote author=MetalCord link=topic=66749.msg1149072#msg1149072 date=1168796075]
... not THAT loser focus.. but the European model which is completely different.

As far as getting more "durability" from the car in a crash... your expectations of modern cars are a little misplaced. Modern cars are designed to absorb as much energy as possible. Unfortunately, that means that even low speed crashes can result in ridiculous amounts of damage. The front of the car has particularly "flexible" parts to protect pedestrians that get hit. I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Your airbags may not have gone off, but you said yourself that you were uninjured. That tells me that the car did it's job. Trust me, you don't want that airbag to go off unless it's absolutely necessary.
[/quote]

No. We're not talking about cosmetic damage and crumple zones, we're talking about overal strength and I think my expectations are right where everyone elses should be. My Focus looked like a wide V shape when we looked from under the rusty bottom of the car.

I'm not asking for a Blind Spot Monitoring System (for example) from my Focus or various other "safety" features, I am however expecting the essentials in safety and overal structure to remain intact in a high 20mph impact. Especially like the one I was in where it was an almost "picture perfect" crash: Head on to a parked object.

Check out the two videos below. Don't let the price point or the Volvo brand fool you because a Mini Cooper in the same year as the F-150 had higher ratings. To prove my point I simply chose the best, and arguably worse, to show the integrity of the frame from both cars during and after a crash.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCIBOYxzqko

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vnKnN8eSrM&NR

 

[MetalCord]

[quote author=Focused link=topic=66749.msg1149858#msg1149858 date=1168831183]
[quote author=MetalCord link=topic=66749.msg1149072#msg1149072 date=1168796075]
... not THAT loser focus.. but the European model which is completely different.

As far as getting more "durability" from the car in a crash... your expectations of modern cars are a little misplaced. Modern cars are designed to absorb as much energy as possible. Unfortunately, that means that even low speed crashes can result in ridiculous amounts of damage. The front of the car has particularly "flexible" parts to protect pedestrians that get hit. I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Your airbags may not have gone off, but you said yourself that you were uninjured. That tells me that the car did it's job. Trust me, you don't want that airbag to go off unless it's absolutely necessary.
[/quote]

Do alittle research, bud. The Mk1 Focus/C170 platform was greatly carried over much into the Mk2/C1 platform. All suspension systems are virtually identical between the two. The majority of the Euro Ford/Mazda3/C1 platform is very much (read: NOT loosely) based upon the C170 chassis.

The C1's a natural evolution of the original platform.



[/quote]

Thanks for setting me straight! ...and I apologize. The Euro Focus is far from being "completely different". However, it is widely believed that the C1 offers superior handling thanks to all around improvements of the chassis despite the suspension components and geometry being virtually identical (with the exception of a slightly longer wheelbase?). I'm sure, in that, we can both agree. Now all Ford has to do is stop making the Focus uglier.

 

[MetalCord]

[quote author=mr_Fan link=topic=66749.msg1149983#msg1149983 date=1168837431]
[quote author=MetalCord link=topic=66749.msg1149072#msg1149072 date=1168796075]
... not THAT loser focus.. but the European model which is completely different.

As far as getting more "durability" from the car in a crash... your expectations of modern cars are a little misplaced. Modern cars are designed to absorb as much energy as possible. Unfortunately, that means that even low speed crashes can result in ridiculous amounts of damage. The front of the car has particularly "flexible" parts to protect pedestrians that get hit. I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Your airbags may not have gone off, but you said yourself that you were uninjured. That tells me that the car did it's job. Trust me, you don't want that airbag to go off unless it's absolutely necessary.
[/quote]

No. We're not talking about cosmetic damage and crumple zones, we're talking about overal strength and I think my expectations are right where everyone elses should be. My Focus looked like a wide V shape when we looked from under the rusty bottom of the car.

I'm not asking for a Blind Spot Monitoring System (for example) from my Focus or various other "safety" features, I am however expecting the essentials in safety and overal structure to remain intact in a high 20mph impact. Especially like the one I was in where it was an almost "picture perfect" crash: Head on to a parked object.

Check out the two videos below. Don't let the price point or the Volvo brand fool you because a Mini Cooper in the same year as the F-150 had higher ratings. To prove my point I simply chose the best, and arguably worse, to show the integrity of the frame from both cars during and after a crash.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCIBOYxzqko

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vnKnN8eSrM&NR








[/quote]

Fan, I'm obviously missing something because I haven't quite figured out how you've invalidated what I've said previously.

 

[reivaj]

metalcord i need a hug

 

[MetalCord]

[quote author=reivaj link=topic=66749.msg1153169#msg1153169 date=1168994958]
metalcord i need a hug
[/quote]

Sorry, bro. I don't know you well enough. No E-Hug for you!! :chuckles:

 

[mr_Fan]

[quote author=MetalCord link=topic=66749.msg1153116#msg1153116 date=1168993416]
[quote author=mr_Fan link=topic=66749.msg1149983#msg1149983 date=1168837431]
[quote author=MetalCord link=topic=66749.msg1149072#msg1149072 date=1168796075]
... not THAT loser focus.. but the European model which is completely different.

As far as getting more "durability" from the car in a crash... your expectations of modern cars are a little misplaced. Modern cars are designed to absorb as much energy as possible. Unfortunately, that means that even low speed crashes can result in ridiculous amounts of damage. The front of the car has particularly "flexible" parts to protect pedestrians that get hit. I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Your airbags may not have gone off, but you said yourself that you were uninjured. That tells me that the car did it's job. Trust me, you don't want that airbag to go off unless it's absolutely necessary.
[/quote]

No. We're not talking about cosmetic damage and crumple zones, we're talking about overal strength and I think my expectations are right where everyone elses should be. My Focus looked like a wide V shape when we looked from under the rusty bottom of the car.

I'm not asking for a Blind Spot Monitoring System (for example) from my Focus or various other "safety" features, I am however expecting the essentials in safety and overal structure to remain intact in a high 20mph impact. Especially like the one I was in where it was an almost "picture perfect" crash: Head on to a parked object.

Check out the two videos below. Don't let the price point or the Volvo brand fool you because a Mini Cooper in the same year as the F-150 had higher ratings. To prove my point I simply chose the best, and arguably worse, to show the integrity of the frame from both cars during and after a crash.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCIBOYxzqko

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vnKnN8eSrM&NR








[/quote]

Fan, I'm obviously missing something because I haven't quite figured out how you've invalidated what I've said previously.
[/quote]

My point is that Metallica rules, and I have nothing further to say.

 

[Sealy]

[quote author=MetalCord link=topic=66749.msg1153283#msg1153283 date=1168998495]
Sorry, bro. I don't know you well enough. No E-Hug for you!!
[/quote]

Good call - I hear he's a groper and doesn't wash his hands. :shock:

Back to question: Cheap Fords always seem to act like cheap Fords. MZ3 is Mazda's entry level vehicle and it acts like a much more expensive vehicle. If you can get out of the Ford and into a MZ3 Hatch, you won't be looking back. Post in the Just Got It section when you change over. :goodjob: