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  1. #1
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    Question Which of these Ford will do...?

    I'm really stuck by these car in my head, but which one still can't decide. What would you guys advice on buying the Ford Focus ST170 or the Focus RS. I can only buy one, hehe..., ...and ST170 are cheaper of course but RS has more power and much much cooler.... sigh...

  2. #2
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    Well

    I dont know what to tell you man, I dont know my fords well. Now you asked me about Toyotas and Nissan cars I could help ya out better, or a nice BMW car. Well test drive them both and see if the extra cost of the more expsensive one is worth it. If not get the cheaper one.

    Thats my 2 cents.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Easyese
    I dont know what to tell you man, I dont know my fords well. Now you asked me about Toyotas and Nissan cars I could help ya out better, or a nice BMW car. Well test drive them both and see if the extra cost of the more expsensive one is worth it. If not get the cheaper one.

    Thats my 2 cents.
    Well first of all, it's a sure buy for a Focus. But which one, can't decide.
    RS has 210bhp and ST got 170bhp. I've rent a Focus Zetec 1.6 (that's because I couldn't get anyone renting the RS or ST) for a week and it's been a good week for me and hell for the engine, i returned it unscratched so they never know. The Focus have everything that I want in a car, the standard audio are mount on your knee level, it would make a great car to put a great speakers inside. (but the radio are 1.5 DIN only, I have plans for 2 ooh.. well). The performance? I couldn't get a motorway to speed it to the max, but I reaches 200kmh without putting my feet to the ground. Wow... now that's 1.6, 2.0? Can't imagine the pleasure of high speed with nice audio. haha... but still have to decide thou. All review on the car gets good side, I trust most of them.

  4. #4
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    Why would you buy a Ford in the first place?

    They depreciate like crazy and fall apart around 100,000 miles. Why in the world would you put your money into that?

    If I were you, I'd look into:

    Acura RSX Type-S (least expensive, great performance)

    Impreza WRX (Turbo power!)

    BMW 330ci (most expensive, niceest ride)

    Lexus IS300/330 (sweet car, test drove this one)

  5. #5
    Spam Reaper Site Moderator Slanter's Avatar
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    I beg to differ...

    As it so happens, I have one Ford in my carport right now with 206,000 miles on it, and other '80s Fords are still quite common in my neck of the woods. I don't know whether this is due the locals putting more effort into keeping them on the road or because of the way they're built, but it certainly is possible to keep Fords on the road a long time, at least in the States. Since the Focuses (Foci?) he is looking at are built in Europe, I'm not sure how their build quality compares to US-built models.

    BTW, I'm not entirely sure what country you're from, other than that it doesn't seem to be the United States since neither of those versions of the Focus is available here. Since I don't keep up with non-US market cars very much, I don't have much of any recommendation myself as to which version of the Focus is a better choice or what alternate cars might be your best bets.

  6. #6
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    I'm here in California, been here for 10 years and learned alot about cars.

    Lesson # 1: Don't buy a domestic.

  7. #7
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    peleg, that bad huh?

    i'm from malaysia. I've been following Focus RS since they were first introduce in the magazine few years ago. RS an ST170 are not available here (yet), but when I got a chance to flown to UK, I'd take that chance and seek these Focus and damned, only Zetec 1.6 available. It turns out to be a good experience indeed.
    So come on guys, feed me every bad thing about the Ford that you guys knows or the goods... it wont be a quick buy, I like to know more about these sweet beauty. hehe....

    Peleg, for your case, same to me, domestic sucks!...
    But for my case, Ford here are damn tough and I own two trucks of them. Couldn't find any complains about them.

  8. #8
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    Fords

    First of, they depreciate very fast, so don't count on being able to get anything for it in case you try to sell it. Not sure how long you keep your cars, I keep mine for a long time.

    Example 1: My friend bought a brand new Mustang GT back in 1999. V8, 260 hp fully loaded, leather, 5 speed, etc etc. He was the happiest man on earth. The car was fast, everything was great. At that same time, I bought a 1994 Acura Integra with 86,000 miles. I wanted something sporty and reliable. I had some maintenance issues, due to the last owner not taking care of the car.I learned about every bolt in my car and got it fixed up. My friend was jealous because I had no payments, and I was jealous because he had a V8 and got all the chicks.



    Back to his Mustang, around 20,000 miles the rear rotors went out, the radio stopped working and he said the engine didn't feel alive. Ofcourse the dealer said the rotors aren't covered under warrenty...etc etc...man this guy was pissed, he said he will NEVER buy another Ford again out loud in the middle the dealership.

    He traded the car for $14,000 and got a Toyota Truck. He bought the Mustang for $26,000, not sure how much he paid, but he lost a ton of money on that vehicle.


    Example 2: Another friend of mine, he drives a Mustang too. Roush GT stage 2. 35,000 miles the front suspension is being replaced....I wonder why.

    His wife's Expedition has 92,000 miles and is falling apart. He's not going to get more than $14,000 for it, car cost $47,000 brand new...I'm trying not to laugh at this point.


    My Acura has 135,000 miles, runs great with Mobil 1 synthetic oil. I plan to buy a new weekend vehicle, 2004 Subaru WRX STi.

    Personally I research any car I'm about to buy, and have realized a long time ago that domestics don't even come close to Japanease cars.

    Most Japanease cars didn't come with alot of power, which is what most people look for in this country, so in recent years they started to come out with awesome V8's like the Lexus GS 430, Infiniti M45, Toyota Tundra and the list goes on. They now own this market, I checked Lexus sales figures last years, they beat Mercedez and BMW together here in California, I don't think the domestics were even a match.

    This is my view on cars in the US today, some people will disagree and I'm not about to argue with them forever, but facts are facts.

    Good Lucks.

  9. #9
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    i want to share how Ford live it up here too... The bad one on past times would be Explorer, all owners of that car could be seen in a Ford service center at least once a month. Before that, and that, and that, they have no problems with Laser, Cosworth, Lynx, Telstar, Econovan, Courier, Ranger, and all others. Escape came out 2 years ago had been recalled quickly for the something - oil - seal - leackage, and the problem solve quickly. Good for them, but Escape got bad impression for a while.

    Been on 2nd best after sales service customer satisfaction, (1st when to Honda and 3rd to Toyota), I am pleased how well they built a relationship with me, and how they take care of their customers.
    For me, and many others here, Ford are one of the best car builder out there.

    For my turck, been running two and a half years, 60,000 miles ( 96,000km), loving every mile of it.

  10. #10
    Spam Reaper Site Moderator Slanter's Avatar
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    My experience

    Well, Peleg, I have personally owned four domestics (still have two of them). I won't argue on retail value - then again, I bought them used, so depreciation to me means that I can get more car for my money. But my experience is that they definitely do not fall apart after 100,000 miles. Every domestic I have owned has lasted significantly beyond that. The average miles these four domestics racked up was 160,000 miles per car, and the average age they made it to was 20 years.

    My immediate family (myself included) has owned 12 domestics built after 1980. Of these, the only one we got rid of for any reason whatsoever with fewer than 100,000 miles was a Ford Escort that had been totalled in a wreck. They've only had to replace one engine in one of these - a Mitsubishi 2.6 in a Dodge Caravan. No cases with those cars where a transmission or suspension needed a rebuild or replacement either, although a few of them have needed new clutches.

    And that is why I believe domestic manufacturers are capable of building quite reliable cars.

  11. #11
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    I've owned vehicles from most major manufacturers.In 2001 I traded in a 1995 Mercury Tracer wagon with 130,000 miles on the odometer[Ford product].The only reason we [my wife and I] got rid of it was that it couldn't get into 4 wheel drive territory where our daughter and son in law had moved to.We had bought it used,1 year old and the only repairs we made to it were a tie rod end,sensor and brakes.The car was still beautifull and running well when we got rid of it.Japanese vehicles don't do any better than that .The funny part though is that most auto manufactureres use the same suppliers and frequntly shared platforms .I presently own a 97 Ford Ranger[same platform as the Mazda B series].I'm an origional owner and have no complaints.As I recall,the Ranger is 70 % domestic--the manual trans is Japanese.

  12. #12
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    Well i help out in an auto repair shop and we get Focus' in here all the time. The motors are great. Its everything else that is the problem. Just look up the recall list on them.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by 01MalibuLS
    Well i help out in an auto repair shop and we get Focus' in here all the time. The motors are great. Its everything else that is the problem. Just look up the recall list on them.
    hmm.. this is very helpfull, it never cross my mind to seard for this. when i read them, it was major on 2001 and 2000 only. i search more. thanks.

  14. #14
    They call me Kemo Registered Member rccars411's Avatar
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    Screw ford and dodge... just wait until this fall for the new Chevy Cobalt. It comes with a 2.4, supercharged. It is sure to please you: http://www.chevrolet.com/cobalt/

    Fords just fall apart after about 160 miles.... dodge's problem is that they still make vehicles lol.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by rccars411
    Screw ford and dodge... just wait until this fall for the new Chevy Cobalt. It comes with a 2.4, supercharged. It is sure to please you: http://www.chevrolet.com/cobalt/

    Fords just fall apart after about 160 miles.... dodge's problem is that they still make vehicles lol.

    Is that a Cavalier replacement? Looks like it's basically the same car, but with more 'stuff' to please the tuner crowd.

  16. #16
    Spam Reaper Site Moderator Slanter's Avatar
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    If you'd been paying attention, rccars411, you might have noticed that Matchip isn't in the United States. And that GM doesn't sell Chevies where he lives.

  17. #17
    They call me Kemo Registered Member rccars411's Avatar
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    Damn I guess that duz suck, sigh(no Chevys). Well I guess its back to the Accura conversation lol.

  18. #18
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    A couple of things...

    The Cobalt is on a new platform so it isn't the same old J-Body from 20 years ago.

    Second, GM doesn't sell Chevy badged Holdens in Malaysia? I know they sell the Commodore Sedan and Coupe in some middle eastern countries as the Lumina. I wish they sold them here. I guess they will when the GTO gets here but it's going to be over priced (for my tastes).
    That which hits the fan will not be evenly distributed.

  19. #19
    They call me Kemo Registered Member rccars411's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Peleg
    First of, they depreciate very fast, so don't count on being able to get anything for it in case you try to sell it. Not sure how long you keep your cars, I keep mine for a long time.

    Example 1: My friend bought a brand new Mustang GT back in 1999. V8, 260 hp fully loaded, leather, 5 speed, etc etc. He was the happiest man on earth. The car was fast, everything was great. At that same time, I bought a 1994 Acura Integra with 86,000 miles. I wanted something sporty and reliable. I had some maintenance issues, due to the last owner not taking care of the car.I learned about every bolt in my car and got it fixed up. My friend was jealous because I had no payments, and I was jealous because he had a V8 and got all the chicks.



    Back to his Mustang, around 20,000 miles the rear rotors went out, the radio stopped working and he said the engine didn't feel alive. Ofcourse the dealer said the rotors aren't covered under warrenty...etc etc...man this guy was pissed, he said he will NEVER buy another Ford again out loud in the middle the dealership.

    He traded the car for $14,000 and got a Toyota Truck. He bought the Mustang for $26,000, not sure how much he paid, but he lost a ton of money on that vehicle.


    Example 2: Another friend of mine, he drives a Mustang too. Roush GT stage 2. 35,000 miles the front suspension is being replaced....I wonder why.

    His wife's Expedition has 92,000 miles and is falling apart. He's not going to get more than $14,000 for it, car cost $47,000 brand new...I'm trying not to laugh at this point.

    Dude, everything you said in that post is pretty true... congrats.
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  20. #20
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    everything you guys are saying is ridiculous. theres always gonna be people who find problems with everything and i meen everything. i could find a list od complaints about any car so what does that list peleg meen not to much. and 92 thousand miles lol wow you guys need to start working at a dealership i dont care what kinda car it is but with 92 thousand miles it not worth much at all noone wants to spend alot of money on a car with high mileage on it. first question everyone asks about the car

  21. #21
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    get a dodge neon srt-4

  22. #22
    They call me Kemo Registered Member rccars411's Avatar
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    Just one question tho... why pick a car thats all show and absolutely NO GO?
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  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by matchip
    peleg, that bad huh?

    i'm from malaysia. I've been following Focus RS since they were first introduce in the magazine few years ago. RS an ST170 are not available here (yet), but when I got a chance to flown to UK, I'd take that chance and seek these Focus and damned, only Zetec 1.6 available. It turns out to be a good experience indeed.
    So come on guys, feed me every bad thing about the Ford that you guys knows or the goods... it wont be a quick buy, I like to know more about these sweet beauty. hehe....

    Peleg, for your case, same to me, domestic sucks!...
    But for my case, Ford here are damn tough and I own two trucks of them. Couldn't find any complains about them.
    A Ford Focus RS is a different beast than we have here in the states. It's turbocharged and is built in Europe. It probably doesn't have alot of the issues associated with it that we're used to here. I'd buy the RS only because it's an RS. They gotta be fun cars. Depreciation and build quality likely aren't the same between the Focus you'll buy and the one we get here in the States.

  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by rccars411
    Just one question tho... why pick a car thats all show and absolutely NO GO?
    The European Focus RS is not the Focus you know of. It has some "go". It's a 210hp turbocharged Focus that uses some of the same design components as the WRC version you see in the rally races. Don't get it confused with what you see on the roads here in the US. This guy lives somewhere else and won't be buying a US-spec car. The same complaints don't necessarily hold true.

  25. #25
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    troubles with domestic CARS DON'T EVER PURCHASE ONE!

    I must say that you really shouldn't be looking at any domestic cars as others have said, the carsmade here are often of bad workmanship and do not like to stannd the tests of time. Ther are few exceptions but I must say that the Focus is definttely not one of those exceptions. With the RS you may get some go yet it will break down alot before you would normally get rid of a car. (even for several years).
    Honestly if you arewanting to buy a car that will last you for a long time then you should go the way of toyota, honda or of course BMW because of the build quality or reliability of those afore-mentioned cars.

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