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Alright, I've been looking for a car on and off for like a year now. I need
to buy one by the end of Christmas break (January 7th-ish) for a couple
reasons (long story). So I went out today, and found a 2005 Ford Focus ST
at a local dealership. Here's a quick summary:
-40,000 miles (65,000km)
-Leather heated seats
-Power everything
-Manual
-4-door
-Sunroof(moonroof?)
The guy gave me a deal (I think), and knocked the price down from $12K to
9. I haven't heard bad things about the Focus, but I'm wondering if anyone
here has--the car is a bit more than I wanted to spend, so I need it to
last a while. Also, is that a deal or should I look for something better?
chris_knows
Well I can give you my opinion. I have never personally owned a Focus, but
I know someone that did. He bought a brand new (back then) 04 Focus 2.0
auto. (It was the small 4 cyl. I don't remember what size, but 2.0 sounds
right. Please correct me if I'm wrong) He ended up putting in a new
transmission around 35K and personally, it just wasn't that good of a car.
(Everything that broke on the car was strictly because of him) I personally
won't own one ever. I hate the styling, inside and out. But, if you treat
it right, it could be a good car. Personally, I think there's better cars
out there than a Focus though.
Satty101
Driven a few, and they aren't terrible but generally feel like washing
machines, loud and rough. Plus, don't you think that he knocked 3 grand off
the car is kind of surprising?
What budget are you working with, and translate it into USD for me please
:laughing:
newyorker
It's a bit odd that he'd knock it off, but I figured it was since it's a
manual and not many people are in the market for that. It's still got like
2 or 3 years powertrain warranty, so I didn't really think about that
much.
Absolute max I'm looking at around $8,000 Canadian, or about $7,000 U.S.
(but if I buy from the U.S., taxes are lower so it kinda evens out).
chris_knows
There's plenty of cars in the 7G range that have about the same miles and
are better cars. Might not be as new, but there are better ones..
Satty101
Yea, I have a pretty big list of cars I want, but don't seen them often at
dealerships. Kinda nervous about private sellers, too.
chris_knows
Knowing where dealers get their cars, I would be more inclined to go with a
private seller, trust me, I have seen the cars that come through the
auction block, and I would not have bought mine from my dealer if I didn't
know the full history of the car beforehand. I'm happy to help you through
the car buying process, because I deal with it every day and have a decent
ammount of knowledge on how things work, just let me know if you have any
questions. What is your list of cars? Better yet, what are you looking for
in a car?
newyorker
Go Ellis Juan...
Satty101
Who??
newyorker
Could I go straight to the auction and get it for the same price as the
dealer?
Generally, I'm looking for something like:
Chevy Cobalt
Pontiac Pursuit
Pontiac G5/G6
Toyota Celica
Hyundai Tiburon
Lincoln LS (test drove this one and it was great)
Mazda 3
Mazda Protege
Hyundai Sonata
That's just a general idea off the top of my head, but along those lines.
I'm considering Civics, Accords, and Integras but they cost more to
insure.
Basically, here's what I'm looking for:
-seats 4 or 5
-decent fuel economy
-manual/automatic (prefer manual)
-awd/fwd/rwd no big deal
-don't need a lot of cargo room
-2000 model year or newer
-max of about 100,000km or 60,000 miles
-max price of around $7-8,000 (maybe a bit higher if it's worth it)
chris_knows
Ellis Juan...LS1
Satty101
Who??
Chris, I am in the middle of doing some work for school but I will give you
some info on your post tomorrow night when I can actually digest it all and
answer properly.
newyorker
Chris, how about this?
http://cornwall.en.craigslist.ca/cto/927090874.html
Satty101
That HAS to be a scam, those cars are worth over 30k still...that's USD
newyorker
I've done hundreds of miles in both a petrol Focus and a diesel Focus.
Obviously the diesel wont mean much to you over there, but the reliability
of the petrol model probably will. Before it got written-off, the 2001
1.6-litre petrol Focus we had where I used to work, had 212,000-miles on
the clock. As far as reliability goes, they're ok, although ours had about
160,000-miles on the clock when I toom a speed hump too fast and badly
damaging the engine...Meaning a knew one was apparently 'needed'. Anyway,
other than mechanically, they're ok, too, the interior wears as you'd
expect, although I can't vouch for leather as our upholstry was cloth.
Newyorker has a point about them sounding rough etc when driving, but the
are Fords afterall, lol. The ST you mention should have the 5-cylinder
2.5-litre Volvo Turbo unit in it, which should erradicate the roughness of
the otherwise installed 2.0-litre Zetech 4-cylinder engine. This engine is
arguably more reliable than Ford's own lump too. And much quicker, lol.
You could do, assuming things are the same in all countries, lol. Obviously
there's alot more risk buying at Auction than there is at a Dealership. I
suggest taking someone with Auction experience with you if you choose to go
to one! One of the best tips for buying at an auction is to set your budget
and don't go above it, as it's very easy to get carried away! Also, you
usually get the chance to view the cars before the auction starts, take
this time to have a good look over any cars you're interested in.
If I was looking to buy a car in Chris's pricerange, I'd certainly go to a
dealer rather than buy privately. For starters, regardless of the dealer,
you'll always have more backup from either them, or another agency, if the
car goes wrong just after buying it. Also, there's ways in which to find a
good dealer, by reading reviews etc. You just have to be careful about who
you buy from, by using a little common sense.
Cliffy
The NSX looks sikk. I'll email the guy but even if it is real, he's like
500 miles from here.
Newyorker, take your time, finals are a bitch.
Cliffy, our ST comes with the same 2 litre, but it makes an extra 14hp.
Thanks for the input, though...seems like they're more reliable than I
thought.
chris_knows
Well you just have Ontario as your location so I had to guess where.
lol:thumbs:
I'f it's real, I think I'm gonna say **** Wyoming, I'm movin to Canada
where shit is even cheaper!
Satty101
You don't have to look for cars for me, but if you feel like it, I
appreciate the help. Generally, I'm looking in the Detroit-Windsor area.
chris_knows
The auctions dealers buy from most of the time are dealer only auctions, if
you know a dealer though, I'm sure they can get you something.
Cobalt - never drove them
Pursuit - same as cobalt
g5/6 - here they cost more than your budget, about 2x more i think
celica - good car, i would get a GTS if you can (180hp one)
tiburon - hyundai's quality has gone up over the years, not sure on the tib
though
lincoln ls - we hate them in the industry becasue they tend to break a
lot
mazda 3 - price range?
protege - good car
sonata - same as tiburon, not a fan of the styling except for the newest
generation though
Look at the 1.7EL, I hear they are like my old civic (which was great btw)
but more...acura
As far as the auctions, things are fairly guaranteed where we buy
(Manheim). Cars come with condition reports at the auction, carfax reports,
you can look at them, and then for a little extra money you can do what is
called a PSI (post sale inspection) where they check the car to make sure
it's fine mechanically, if something is wrong, you have the right to refuse
the purchase and not pay for the inspection. It makes buying from the
auctions very safe IMO.
As far as warranties go, they can be purchased from aftermarket companies
like GE and Continental. Buying privately there is a better chance someone
will have kept service records of the car, and if you do end up with a
lemon, here in the states we have something called Lemon Law which protects
you from that, how I am not sure, but all I know is you won't have trouble
with it. Just be very careful inspecting a car regardless of where you get
it, and if you have a trusty mechanic to look it over, it's better to slip
him/her a few dollars to check the car than buy blindfolded.
European Ford is different from North American Ford (at least it applies to
the states). Cars in europe generally tend to be more reliable to begin
with, I don't know if it has to do with how they are assembled, parts used,
better maintenance across the pond, or whatever else, but don't think that
because someone in England had a good car that you will. From what I
understand, VW in Europe is fairly non-problematic, here in the States,
they are nothing but trouble when it comes to electronics and sensors and
other little bits that result in big bills.
newyorker
I'm positive I saw a Mazda3 for like 8 or 9 grand the other day. It's
uncommon, but they exist.
For the G5/G6, here's
(http://www.stricklandautosales.com/detail.php?id=83058) a G6 that's
$8,000. This place is pretty close to my house, and I saw a flier the other
day that had a G5 for the same price.
I'm more reluctant about the LS though. I'll check for an EL but haven't
seen them around much.
chris_knows
Weird, I thought they were still more pricey. If you want a decent ride,
one car that recently impressed me was a Hyundai Accent (if you have them).
We have an 06 all bare bones only options are auto trans and cd player,
power nothing, no ac, and it just drives so well. Has a nice feel to it,
and its not quick but peppy plus practical IMO.
Maybe cars are cheaper in Canada, maybe they are just depreciating faster
than I can keep up with it.
newyorker
If you plan on hauling more than 1 person besides yourself, stay the hell
away from the Tiburon. The back seat had 0 room. If you're over 5'8", your
head is hitting the top of the hatch. Oh, and NO leg room either.
Satty101
The 2005 Ford Focus ST is a solid choice for a young person's car.
It's cheap, sporty, quick, stylish, safe, and can get ridiculous gas
mileage. (upwards of 35 mpg).
Unfortunately, the vehicle was discontinued in 2006, but fortunately, the
2.3L engine which is in the american ST, is still used in the ford rangers.
You'll find that part prices will continue to rise as it does with most
discontinued vehicles, but not as much as others. he tranny has had a few
problems with people that enjoy dropping the clutch, but is backed by the
warranty. If something's going to go wrong, it'll happen in the 5 year,
60,000 mile period. The vehicle was rated highly by consumer reports, and
the ST has every option available. It can comfortably seat 4/5, and has a
sporty sound, peppy acceleration, tight handling, plenty of trunk space,
excellent visibility, extreme gas mileage, and rally car looks.
I see no reason not to buy this vehicle for a first solid car. It has
everything you need and want for cheap.
Don't overthink this, Chris. You'll like and be as, if not more happy with
this vehicle as you will with any other comparable vehicle.
Godlaus
Thanks for the reply Godlaus, I'll keep it in mind
I forgot about the most important criteria; I want to buy a car with pussy
magnet.
(I think) girls like pick-ups, so I'm considering that.
I don't really need to carry around stuff, but it could be useful..
chris_knows
That really depends. Every girl likes different things. I don't like to
steriotype (Mainly cause I confuse the different types), but the "preppy"
girls DO NOT like trucks or sports cars. They seem to prefer high class
luxury cars (I.E. BMW, Audi, Mercedes, etc). The more level headed girls
seem to go more for sports cars, and some trucks. Country girls go for big
trucks with whips (CB antennaes), and the smart girls (The girls you
typically would want if you care about them and not just about the
sex/looks/status) usually don't give a shit what you drive. As long as you
stay you, you're good (Or bad..that depends too:laughing: ). Usually no
girl likes 4-door econoboxes.
Satty101
And aren't pick-up trucks associated with Alabama? :laughing: :joking:
Cliffy
He wants to be white trash? :laughing:
newyorker
I don't want to be white trash, I want something girls will like.
There's lots of pick-ups in Canada too..
chris_knows
We have 2 and looking at a 3rd. I live in Colorado. You're thinking of the
lifted S-10/Blazer frames with Camaros and El Caminos on them with big
confederate flags in the back window, usually reading something of the
nature of (Redneck, Cowboy Up, Yee-Haw, etc.).
Satty101
Yeah....My bad, lol...:laughing:
Cliffy
I dunno, if you ask me, the Focus has enough good looks behind it
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w271/shaun_ford/S6300600.jpg
Godlaus
With a decent set of rims, a bodykit, and maybe a small spoiler, they look
decent.
Satty101
