I am looking for a dependable car that will get very good fuel economy. I drive over 100 miles everyday on the highway. I want a car that will go 200K miles. Will the focus do this? Any comments would be appreciated. Also would you recommend something else if not the focus
Are you certain you want to drive a Focus 100 miles a day on the highway? Maybe look into a used Grand Marquis, Crown Victoria, or Town Car instead.
15 grand worth of used Town Car beats a new focus IMO. The fuel mileage and repair costs on those cars is pretty good, check them out. If you're buying new a 500 is also a possibility. My 0.02Rodney
economy. I
I drive almost this much every day in a Focus SE sedan (2002 year) and I'm not impressed with the gas mileage. It used to be great when the car was new (>30mpg) but I'm lucky to get 24mpg now, even with dealer maintenance every 3k miles. My wife's 98 Escort SE wagon gets better mileage, in fact.
Also if you're spending this much time in the car, you might find the Focus gets uncomfortable. Test drive it on a GOOD LONG drive before you decide this. I'm 5'10" and about 200lb (hey, I'm an engineer...) and I find it impossible to get a comfortable position for the steering wheel and seat adjustments. Either my ankle starts to hurt from being on the gas pedal, or my arms start to hurt from being on the wheel. No happy medium there.
I'd say go with a Crown Victoria. These are the cars used by people who are in their car all day (police, cabs, etc). They're reliable and comfortable.
"Zane Warren" wrote in news:%YDYd.374333$ snipped-for-privacy@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:
I have a 2000 focus with only about 36,000 on the odometer - so I can't address the question of it lasting till 200,000 miles. HOWEVER, the focus uses the old Escort engine, and it's been around forever and has proven very reliable and dependable.
I do not drive my focus 100 miles a day, but I've taken a few 100+ mile trips and I have to admit I have been VERY surprised at the road manners, ride, and overall comfort of the car. I agree with one of the other posters that tell you to take a LONG test drive, preferably at highway speeds. J
My daughter has owned two Focuses. Her present one is just over two years old and unfortunately was totaled last week by an unlicensed homeless person (bum) driving a work van for some do-gooder agency that put him behind the wheel knowing he had no license. Any way, I digress. Both cars were fairly problem free, just minor trim issues and a couple of recalls. I drove them and found them very comfortable and surprisingly nimble and quick. I'm 6'3" and 300 lbs. Obviously, if you're smaller or taller you may not find the car as user friendly as I did. With fuel prices going up the way they are one is going to have to make some hard choices. Usually, a large car is more comfortable for two plus hour commutes, but man, at $2.50-3.00 a gallon a big car is going to cost you plenty to drive. Smaller cars can feel tight but who can beat 35+mpg? I like the Focus and would buy one as a commuter car. YMMV
What about a Honda Civic? I've had some when I was younger last way pas
200K. Currently right now the guy who lives next door has a 01 wit 265k on it. He drives all over the US for business. I guess the bi thing with Honda is to replace the timing belt-- Mar
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