Ford Focus (1998 - 2003) Reviews, Pricing & Specs

We bought this car brand new in 2003 on year end clearance. 183,000 miles later it has been the most reliable car we have ever owned. Fully independent suspension makes it very fun to drive despite lacking some power. Check engine light has never lit up yet. No issues whatsoever with this vehicle. Back seat is tight for adults, but seats fold down making lots of cargo room.Mar 26, 2014

Got this car after my Explorer kicked the tranny bucket. Have only had it for about a month now and so far I love it. Nice basic car that moves well on the highways and prowls the city streets like a pro! Got our first good snow/ice storm and this little car did fantastic in it. My job is up on a pretty steep hill and we drove past 3 cars that werent able to make it all the way up..the little Focus just cruised right up like the road was flat and dry!!!Oct 04, 2013

Surprisingly great performance and pleasure of driving; it's a perfect handling car and provides lots of power, although costs of maintenance (Diesel engine equipment) are very high and unevitable. It has a fantastic New Edge design, however underneath (besides engine and suspension) it's quite similar to his older brothers - Escort or Mondeo/Contour. Oct 08, 2012

good litle car. Had to only do minor repairs like thermostat, battery, spark plugs/wires, timing belt and maintenance services like fuel filter, transmission flush and oil changes. When I need to "go" this vehicle has plenty enough power to get me where I need to go. I can go weeks without filling up on gas. In the snow...I tried to skid for fun but the cars front wheel drive takes controlOct 20, 2011

Great Car All Around. Handles light and zippy, manual transmission is great around town and getting to highway speeds in a jiffy. HUGE cargo room for this little Hatchback. I moved to and from college and all over the country with no problem by putting down the back seats and using a roof rack. I have barely put any money into it except basic maintenance, tires, brakes, oil, Came with a great stereo, but I had to have the 6CD changer replaced six or seven times while under warranty. Now it hasn't had a problem Manual Transmission in crawling traffic is a pain (but that is with any car). The Blower Capacitor goes out almost every spring due to condensation. A $20 dollar part but still a pain when it is hot. Seats are kind of junky, my rear seat tore from some one sitting on it and it was just a normal person.Aug 23, 2011

With having full intake, exhaust, cam's, and a svt intake manifold, It really awoke this car, it keeps up loves to roast tires in 1st gear. With a auto-x suspension set up of full coil-overs from Ksport and front and rear sway bars, this car always remains flat in the corners, and is very fun to drive, in auto-x environment. This car tends to over-steer which is always fun. Still gets good gas mileage, fairly cheap to own and is easy to work on. May 09, 2011

performance - acc. is ok (except for the electronics), braking ok, handling super quality - somewhat sluggish in some parts, but overall good German quality appearance - hey, this car was built in 2001 - so nothing really fancy now... but still somewhat cool... cost - hm, could have better fuel mileage and lower costs for inspections... but ok fun factor - yeah, if you don't care about fuel prices... or if you want to get new tires ;-) Jan 21, 2011

Performance : the ford focus is pretty quick for a 2.0 liter 4 cylinder and the handling is amazing for an econobox car with its control blade rear suspension and through the cones has a faster time than a jag xj8 or a bentley continental. Build quality : the only issue i have had personally with build quality is the springs break but the problem is eliminated with the svt springs or aftermarkets Appearance : im not a fan of economy cars but its better looking imo than a 02 civic or a chevy aveo so as economy cars go its one of the better looking ones Cost of ownership : 30 - 35 mpg and parts are cheap when they need repair Fun factor : if your into drag racing you may not have fun in a focus but for auto x or really anything with turns its a great car because the handling if you put a 21mm swaybar in the rear the handling will amaze youSep 06, 2010

its just a base modle with A/C 2.0 liter split port with a 5 speed manual trans. I have upgraded the tires to performance Falken ZE 923. the exterior of the car is a little rock chipped but the paint is otherwise good. The interior is factory exept the stereo which is a pioneer 4500mp with dual 10" subs. Gas mileage is good, going 650km on a 45liter tankMay 16, 2010

I purchased this car for my mother, but soon discovered that it is an awesome car for my long commute. Now I drive it as often as I can. The gas mileage is awesome, and it lacks nothing in performance. The car has been trouble-free. The ride is surprisingly smooth for such a small car, and the engine is much more refined than my Escort. The Focus is everything I liked about my Escort...and then some. The heat and air conditioning in the Focus are also much better than the Escort although not quite as powerful as my Mercury Sable. Due to the ridiculous gas prices, I'm seriously considering a new Focus when it is time for another car. I just wish they still made the Focus as a station wagon.Mar 22, 2010

Where can I start? The 2000 Focus is a complete solid car that can bring joy to anybody. First, the performance: The 2.0 litre, 4 cylinder, DOHC, Zetec engine produces 135 BHP and is fairly bullet proof, it will last for a long time. My Focus has done around 180,000 miles on all origional parts, except for gaskets and other parts that need replaced every couple of thousand of miles. Pretty good for a ten year old car! The engine is completely adaquate enough for everyday use and the occasional time when you feel like going fast. Despite this, the engine could do with just a tiny bit more power to add to the sportyness of the Focus. However, when you hit the GO pedal and you let the revs get up high, you will hear the sweet sound of the engine. It is phenominal. The brakes on the Focus are unbelievably brilliant. All you need to do is tap the brake pedal and you stop very quickly. When you stop, put your face back where it belongs and keep going. The brakes stop you quick when you need it and slows you down when you need it. The stopping power is phenominal considering the brakes at the front are about 1 foot in diameter and the rears are drums. The 2000 Focus is well built all round. It will keep its self composed for many years. I've recently replaced the suspension all round and the front rotors just to keep it as safe as it possibly can. After 10 years, the suspension is pretty soft instead of hard. Now that the replacements are on, the Focus sits about 2 inches higher than it did with the sagging, old ones on there. There was nothing wrong with the brakes, just replaced them so I know its safe and they'll last another life time. After 10 years though, the Air Conditioning Compressor is squeaking now, but from frequent use for 10 straight years, it is expected to happen, nothing can last forever. The car does not rattle, bang or anything else. The Focus looks, to me anyway, really good. I like the way the rear lights are situated up high, not only to look more interesting, but so that they are more visible to the car following you. The side of the Focus had very interesting lines and you could spend hours looking around it looking at all the tiny curves, bends, and lines on it. The large headlights look good aswell as lighting up the road amazingly. The interior design is pure and also very interesting. The lines of the dask is unique and is oddly good looking. The gauges are very large and easy to read as well as being accutare. The gauges do need a readout for battery life though. Apart from that, they are brilliant. The way the seats feel are unbelievably comfortable. They hold you well when you are moving down the road. One fo the best things about the Focus is that is is so cheap to run. $20.00 of fuel today will easily last you up to 2 weeks (depending on how you use it, of course). The Focus is incredibally easy to maintain. It will last you a while when you treat it right. This car is a "hatchback", but it behaves as a sports car. It is really sporty to drive and it makes you forget that you are driving a hatchback. It shouldn't be called a hatchback; it should be called a "Sports Coupe". To sum it all up, the 2000 Ford Focus ZX3 is one of the best cars out there today and gives you a feeling of joy that is unique in every way.Mar 01, 2010

Performance-acceleration is great for a heavyish family car,braking is sharp but not as strong as other cars.mynes sitting on eibachs, handling is the best! build quality-no repairs so far, no squeaks or rattles,any work that does need doing can be done yourself, easy car to work on. appearance-fantastic looking car,made even more exciting by mods which are relatively cheap and easy to replace Costs-cheapest car to run ive had despite larger engine size, over past 10 months only had to change the plugs and leads.(leads were only to personal preferance) fun factor- Amazing car to drive, sounds great with induction and exhaust, through this car into any corner (fast or tricky), you'll come out the other end with a huuuge grin on your face! :)Nov 15, 2009

performance is quite good it has slight mods like k&n modified intake uprated front discs but it is non abs which is a big downer especially this time of year,acceleration ok if you can get the power down and its very revvy with the black top zetec much better engine than the earlier zetec no problems with valve or lambda sencor i ve had it for 12 months and covered 8000 miles not failed me yet, and not used a drop of oil, needed a wheel bearing for mot which was £15 and 10 mins work so no problem, fuel wise it gives me 35 to gallon and i would say im heavy footed so thats reasonable, build quality is exellent these more modern ford are much better built than earlier ones no rust the chassis is alley lined and wheel arches are plastic lined , inside the car is not too flash but it has power windows, pas, a/c, heated sceens, heated elec mirrors, it handles great for a car it size on the m way and round town its even better it just grabs the road and grabs it right, and the seats hold you just right and it quite comfortable, on the out side no major styling a set of diamond cut fox rs3 sit under the arches but the car need a drop of at least 50 mm its a 3 door so it looks sleeker and less grandad it just needs some tints and s/s exhaust. Dec 07, 2008

Incredibly solid car. The original clutch lasted for over 160,00 miles. Handles well, has a 2.0L 4 cyl. which is surprising quick (acceleration, speed, etc.). Has had very low maintenance costs and gets great fuel economy. Good looking car and (I own a sitck) fun to drive. Highly recommended. My mechanic has recommended it over many fancier european models.Oct 14, 2008

I love this car, its very reliable and does get quite a good speed on it, its lovely to drive and in the 4 years i've had her the only things I have had to change are the tyres, Would def recommend this car. It hasnt got a cd player though or a sunroof and i would have thought that the time of year it was built those features should have been standardAug 05, 2008

Whoever knocks on owning a hatchback should seriously consider a gen 1 Focus ZX3 (or equally fun to drive VW Golf/Rabbit/GTI). Sure it was a goofy looking pod for transportation, but the combination of a nearly flat, deep load floor and a straight roof made for superior hauling capability over most other compact cars on the road. With the seats folded up, it will swallow 5 people comfortably, 4 people and their golf clubs, or 3 people and luggage for a 10 day vacation (no lie). The interior design was equally as goofy as the exterior, and it was a sea of black plastic, however it proved durable over 5 years and 80k miles of ownership (from 2003-2008). The sound quality of the stereo was acceptable. The front seats actually proved quite supportive and more comfortable than one would expect from a small car. The Zetec engine was eager, but hampered by the Ford 4-speed transaxle. Acceleration was anemic for highway merging, but the okay torque was completely adequate around town. Despite these woes, highway mileage was decent enough, and it didn't hunt for gears on hills at highway speed. Durability was acceptable, but not stellar. No major problems came up, however I had to remember that no matter how hard I push it, it will never be as fast as my Mustang or the Jags. Handling, on the other hand, was a major strong point for the car. It took corners with ease, very little body roll, or tire noise. The ride quality was equally impressive (even with the 16 inch alloys and 205/45R tires). Engine and wind noise were rather excessive at highway speeds, however a good set of tires can cure any road noise issues you may have.Jul 06, 2008

Performance of this car is absolutely fantastic, the tires (Michelin) in combination with the large front Brembo brakes allow up to 1g in braking and 1 g in cornering due to the active front differential. The gear box is a dream as well and a shift light is installed which appears on the speed dial from 5000rpm. The build quality of the car is very good, the brakes however do squeak but i have been told ( by other ford focus rs drivers) that this is normal for the car. The exterior styling is fantastic, the large 18 inch OZ rims and the aggressive front grill as well as the rear spoiler give the car a brutal tone. Interior styling is fantastic, aluminum gear shift as well as aluminum colored pedals give the car a great rally touch; this is heavily complimented by the deep Sparco bucket seats colored in blue and black as the rest of the interior of the car. Maintenance of the car is great if it is kept in its original state as most stock replacement parts are always available at the dealerships (in Belgium at least). Gas mileage varies dramatically since the power is available throughout the revs, the problem i believe is that although the gear box is fantastic throughout all gears it lacks a 6th gear because when cruising at 120kmh on the highway the car is revving at around 3000rpm so it does drink a fair bit of gas in comparison to other cars in the same class. The car is extremely fun to drive as overtaking and cornering are a pleasure at any point of the day. I would highly recommend this car if you are able to keep paying for the high gas prices (min 97 octane). Keep driving :DJul 03, 2008

When the Focus first came to America after being out in Europe for a year, I was impressed by the bang-for-buck quality it had. After one test drive, I was in love with it after considering a Toyota Celica GTS. The aftermarket for parts took a while to get going, but once it did, it was relatively easy to change the things I wanted to. There were quite a few recalls in the first year or two, as can be expected with a car new to America. Since then, I have been thrilled with the reliabilty and gas mileage. The performance of the car is unmatched for cars in its category.Jun 30, 2008

Amazingly the Ford Focus is not a bad car at all. Considering all the requirements and the huge variety of alternatives out there I couldn't find anything else that does the job as well as this. Of course its a minor bonus that the zetec engine is a good performer and the handling is top notch as is the long list of standard equipment that happened to come with the car. And my wife likes it!Jan 29, 2008

Max. Speed: 165 kmph. Initial Acceleration: 0 - 60 kmph in 4.6 seconds. Fuel: Petrol. Fuel Efficiency In City: 13 - 14 kmpl. Fuel Efficiency On Highway: 15 - 18 kmpl. Type of Car Fuel Type: Petrol Car Type: Mid-Size Economy City (kmpl): 9.1 Highway (kmpl): 13.8 Engine Engine Displacement (cc): 1299 Power (bhp): 70 Performance Gear (Nos.) : 5 Top Speed (kph): 156 Safety Air Bags: NA Other Features Gear (Type) : Manual Air-conditioner: Yes Power Steering: Yes Tilt Steering: NA Central Locking/ Remote: Yes Power Windows: Yes Alloy Wheels: NA Stereo: NA CD Changer: NA Fog Lamps: NADec 26, 2007