Just bought a used 00 Focus, extended warrenty??

try

if the car is still under the original 3 year 36K warranty then it will be cheaper to buy from them.. here is a link to the warranty section troy

As the owner of a 2000 Focus, I recommend you BUY AN EXTENDED WARRANTY as you will likely need it. I bought my Focus mainly because a magazine in which I have faith (Automobile) named it their Car of the Year in 2000. It is a fun car to drive and relatively inexpensive by today's standards but it is fraught with problems. Lots of electrical issues (gauges, door locks), brakes last < 30K miles and a host of other issues. Looks kinda neat though. jor

Joe.

I'm surprised the option of an extended warranty is still available on a

2000 model car. When making your decision, please consider my experience:

Earlier this year, I bought a 2000 Focus from a dealer, and also opted for a Ford of Canada extended warranty package to go along with it. I had to pay an up-front cost of $1200, but felt this was acceptable, to give me the peace of mind of not having to pay for a major repair, while also paying for the car, itself. Ford had four levels of protection available, and I chose their second level. It protects the drivetrain and some, but not all, of the more vital components. I felt there was an acceptable level of risk in leaving some components uncovered. The dealer told me that the majority of their warranty purchasers also choose this level.

Within two months, a problem developed with my car (failed ignition switch), and Ford refused warranty coverage. I appealed their decision, but could see I was just wasting my time. I would need the highest level of extended warranty to have been covered. This one $300 repair, alone, would have made purchasing that level of coverage worthwhile. Naturally, I now regret not having purchased more coverage.

If I had it to do over again, I'd either decline extended coverage all together, and keep the money on-hand, or I'd go for the highest level warranty available, to be sure that everything was protected. I think these are the only two viable choices. Partial protection seems, in retrospect, to have been a poor choice. I can still come out ahead, but only if no other component on my car fails. What do you suppose my chances are?

For some cars, extended warranties may not offer good value - the Ford Focus is probably not one of those cars. I would recommend to any Focus purchaser that they also buy the highest level of warranty coverage available, or look at purchasing another type of vehicle.

BTW, I should also mention that my extended warranty also gives me access to Ford's roadside assistance service. I had to use it when my ignition switch failed, and found the service to be excellent. If that same service is available to you, that might impact your decision.

Rob

I also got a 2000 (LX) in early Nov. It has a 3 mo. dealer warranty (Chrysler) which I can extend to 5 yrs./85k mi. any time before the 3 mos. are up for only $1100.00 ! !

I didn't buy it right then 'cause I wanted to shop around first. Here's the first three online sources I've hit so far. The second two were recommended by someone on this NG a while ago.

I'd like to also check out Ford's ESP but I think it's too late now for a 2000 model. Someone correct me if I'm wrong about that. To ditto everyone else on this topic, READ THE FINE PRINT FIRST as to things like: who pays for repairs first, where service can be performed, what exactly is covered, etc. Although Ford drive trains aseem to be their strong suit, I only want basic drive train that includes the axles and CVs but they seem to exclude those in the basic plans. Everything else I can handle myself. I changed out a VW beetle engine once, which is actually supposed to be easier than most, and swore never again.

John

Personally I wouldn't. Most of the things likely to go wrong now are not that expensive (in my case, a new ignition lock for $250 Can) or probably not covered. In spite of the media hype, early North American Foci were basically good cars with a few poor-quality parts from some outside suppliers. By now the recalls should have been done and they should be as good as most other cars. After a few years, the condition of the car depends far more on how well it's been looked after than what model it is.

you are so correctdave