Anyone Bought A Late Model Ford Focus Hatch
 

My son is looking to buy his first car. Just out of college and got a job at a constuction company as an engineer. A hatchback would fit his job and lifestyle needs. Of all the hatchbacks we looked at, the Ford Focus seems, cost & feature wise the best deal. Anyone have experience with this car?

What year? I'd look this up on Consumer Reports and see what you find.

Otherwise, my advice would be to get a late model, gently used Toyota Celica or Honda Civic -- those cars are very, very reliable and both have hatchbacks as well.

Didn't Honda stop making the Civic hatchback years ago, I don't recall see those anymore? Unless the Celica has a larger version hatch in back, probably too small.

What year range are you thinking? Say, 2005 - 2012? Something like that?

i think a macho man working at a construction site should be driving a fiat 500.

A few of us have Honda Fit's for our dailys. It is a 4 door hatch. I believe it has more room than the Focus hatch. Only issue is the small 4 cyl engine leaves alot to be desired in the power department. I would like to upgrade to the Focus ST or RS if they bring it over for a more enjoyable commuter car. But for what I need it for the Fit does the job. Gets good gas mileage. Plenty of cargo room. And realtively low cost maintenance wise.

Otherwise I would look at the last of the late model Subaru hatches.

About 2010 to 2012 range.

Can't speak to current models, but bought wife an 03 in 03 and it was still going strong in 2009 when my daughter totaled it. Had almost 100k miles and only ever needed regular maintenance. A couple of recalls along the way concerning exhaust system, which was eventually replaced for free. 03 the focus was new to U.S., and I'm sure the initial model bugs are well worked out.

If you are open on the specific car, i would scan over the following links so you have a solid basis for knowledgeable cross shopping.

Once you narrow it down, I'd search for the make, model and model year of your choosing at, say, Edmunds for further info.

Top car picks from Consumer Reports

Small sedans & hatchbacks: Consumer Reports Tests

Subcompact Cars | Hatchbacks - Consumer Reports

Ive heard good reviews about the Focus ST, It is a little more expensive than the mazdaspeed 3 and gets less mpg. I think the new mazdaspeed 3 -5 door looks nice and gets 40 high mpg and is 5k cheaper, whereas the focus gets 23/32 and starts at 23k(for base). But the focus st brings in performance unless you go with the base model

I had a 2012 Focus Ti + Handling + Sync with the DCT. Got 33 MPG combined. Overall it was a good little car. I don't know about the other trim levels, but I was disappointed in the fact that I couldn't fold the back seats flat. I only had it for a brief period of time, so the only maintenance was oil changes and tires. The DCT was interesting, I would say that it never shifted quite when I wanted it to, even in manual shift mode. It's not a Ferrari... The 2012s didn't offer a manual in the Ti trim. Don't put too much stock in the complaints about the Sync system. Aside from the common gripes that come with any stock Nav system, it worked well.

I don't have much else to add. I liked the car while I had it, but 160 BHP is weak, so back to the Z. I would also mention the ST. Same great car, much more fun. I would have gone that route, had I been able to wait until it's release.

When I was doing research for a four door hatch that got 30+, the Focus came out on top once I started optioning / pricing it out.

Regarding the Fit. My wife has a 2007 Fit. With the way she drives, it gets like 40 MPG. With the seats folded flat, it has a ton of cargo space. Plus, it's tiny, so you can park anywhere. She has the base 5 spd so the interior and amenities are a bit lacking. Once again, oil and tires only, except for this weird thing with her stereo display, the LCD is slowly turning white. I gotta get that replaced. The wife loves the car. I have heard that even though the second gen Fits look very similar to the first, Honda made changes that cut cargo space drastically. That might be something to look into.

If you have any specific questions, I can probably answer them.

I don't, but I'd buy one in a heartbeat. Had a 2012 as a rental for about 10 days (thanks Nissan) and it was a blast, I beat that bitch like it owed me money and it never skipped a beat. I mean handbrake turns at every light redline at every gear change, the whole 9. I loved every minute with sync and 30MPG.

Oh, and sorry all. I think the fit is :supergay:

HOMERUN... I'm in tears!!!! Hahahahahaaaa

He should look at the MAZDA 5 used. You can get 12 for almost half the price it was new. It has a peppy Mazda 3 engine and plenty of room. It's reliable but just unpopular and not the most attractive, yet not quite ugly either.
Has room for 6 in case he needs to pick up 5 Mexicans at home depot. You can remove the seats for big loads of crap you may need to haul.

LMAO!!! I wonder how long this comment will stay up.
We all know it's true though... Lol