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Bought this cheap/cheerful little car, it had failed in a a dramatic manner for the last owners so it was practically free.
Overall it is very simple, light, and cute. I've never owned anything so basic other than my Saturn but that one was a manual and old enough to be quirky etc.....this thing is just a really cheap simple car.
Sorry for the bad lighting, I just threw it in the bay as I was leaving today Not a bad looking car actually, really embraces the New Edge look Super roomy engine bay, it has never had the timing belt changed and I'll be replacing it due to that. It's a non-interference engine though so it doesn't matter much Interior is like new Ultra simplistic.... Doesn't even have fog lights but it DOES have auto down drivers window No tach, low miles Very simple design Practically nothing here This is the side that is still intact..... The problem
I have a lender I work with who makes great money but is incredibly cheap, be had one of these. He called it the “fun sized Focus”.
My mother in law also had one of these for years and it gave her lots of years of faithful service. I would rather be lobotomized
It's fun to just drive once, mostly to remind myself how good my other cars are lol! It's not something I can comprehend driving every day as my actual car.....I should be getting rid of it shortly once it is fixed since I know it will sell very easily/well.
Last edited by Striker223; Jul 8, 2023 at 10:43 PM.
Nice, maybe you can throw a few turbos on it and get it up to speed.
I mean you joke but they totally have done that....it's very funny though since most guys just throw turbos on without building the engines and they fry rings/pistons. Then again they are SO cheap to work with and pull engines etc I can understand why people don't care, one of these days I'll buy a honda and throw a K20 into it and see how stupid it can get.
The focus is not too simple in the back - most cars of that class have simple beams, except when specced with "AWD". On the other hand, why were drum brakes still being used at the time...
I don't think I've seen a control arm failure like that just yet. The spring also looks relatively spotless...?!
Re: K20 (& K-series in general) - one you know about the camshafts pitting... you always look at them in a "what the f" way. Good engines no doubt, just... how the h*** does this happen.
It's fun to just drive once, mostly to remind myself how good my other cars are lol! It's not something I can comprehend driving every day as my actual car.....I should be getting rid of it shortly once it is fixed since I know it will sell very easily/well.
I am always amazed by what people choose to drive when they don't have to.
Consumer reports rated these cars pretty high in the small car category. And with the Mazda engine they were pretty reliable too.
Yeah I've found it ironic that the most reliable fords are really Mazdas underneath, this and the fusion are the best examples of that.
The rear suspension is somewhat complex I guess, for the class absolutely and it definitely lends it some serious handling ability but compared to anything like an ES even it's not that outstanding. This same system was originally developed for "world car" small cars and the Mondeo/Jag cars. It was intended to be able to be packaged as a torsion beam size wise but still have good control and most interestingly have "active passive" rear steering via bump steering under load to liven the car up.
In that respect I would say it works but it's not like a multi-link and the system relies on the long trailing type arms flexing under load to provide the turn in. The feel is good on the X-type and I imagine it will be great for the class on this car.
The drum brakes are super typical of the price range and age of this car.....they work and are in good shape so I'm not messing with them.
Mazdas are very reliable, my cousin had a Model 3 that he put 215,000 miles on it and it never had one repair, not one. Just oil changes, brakes and tires.
Not all, and not on the same level as Toyota. On the other hand, they're one of the few (if not only) manufacturers thinking outside the box when it comes to engine development. Plus they're still making the Miata, and it hasn't been ruined. Plus soul red
Not all, and not on the same level as Toyota. On the other hand, they're one of the few (if not only) manufacturers thinking outside the box when it comes to engine development. Plus they're still making the Miata, and it hasn't been ruined. Plus soul red
I have yet to have a Mazda come through with actual issues and I have three 200-300k cars. The only time I have ever really worked on one was a trans solenoid issue and all have had valve cover leaks but that's not really true issue in a 4 cyl car lol!
I am suitably impressed by them in terms of reliability, rust however is what kills them.
Mazdas are very reliable, my cousin had a Model 3 that he put 215,000 miles on it and it never had one repair, not one. Just oil changes, brakes and tires.
2004 focus SE
