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Hatchbacks Ford Focus Ford Focus Wagon
613 messages, Last post on Aug 09, 2009 at 8:13 PM
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IN the long run MPG will only be more of a consideration and I expect bigger energy "crunches" in the next 4-5 years, so I believe you are right to factor this in to your purchase. I have only seen pix of the 05 FOcus. Now I see the 05 Kia Spectrum5 hatch is coming soon (see Canadian Driver road test). It's almost dead-ringer for Mazda3 hatch dimensionally and getting good reviews for drive quality. One source says it is actually up there with the Mazda3. That would be a huge jump for Kia. Nice interior, lots of cubby holes and loaded with SAB and SAC, traction control etc. Engine is 2.0 liter but with variable valves now. I know Kia has a bad reputation but it looks like a total new platform they put a lot of effort in and maybe they've got it nearly right. In the US they have 10 year 100K mile warranty. SO the hobbiest here has to wait and check it out! I don't think the MAzda3 will come down much in price because it is made in Japan. THey may be just be breaking even on it. ZTW volume, it used to be rated about 55 cu ft and now it seems to be rated 73 cu ft. I measured it and it seems 73 is closer. Just take the tape measure with you when you road test and take some notes. I actually figured out that we could sleep back there if need be but would have to remove the seat botton (two bolts) to clear my head. Personally, I would take the ZTW over any small SUV. THe ride quality and handling will be so much better. THe ground clearance seems sufficient for some light dirt roading. Note: Cars Direct is showing a 3K rebate on Focus now.
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Hey Cjsb, personally I wouldn't buy a rental car, as they are driven by so many people and in so many different types of weather, that the abuse factor is quite high, especially with mileage 25-30k. It would be too much of a risk for me, financially and the amount time the car could end up in the shop. The potential is there for too many repairs down the road with a rental. Have you found an '04 ZTW to your liking at a local dealer? I hope to test drive one this weekend, along with a Mazda 3 hatch. Not sure why Mazda is only offering the hatch with a black interior, except to save costs. Jimjps.. I checked Ford's website, and the Focus rebate is $2500, so not sure where Cars Direct is getting their $3000 amount. The college grad money is $400. Good idea to take a tape measure with me on the test drive. I too have only seen pics of the '05 sedan, front and rear views, none of the wagon yet. I have also considered a small SUV, like the Honda CR-V, but I haven't test drove one yet. I doubt Honda dealers are discounting the CR-V very much, and it would probably cost $6000 more than a ZTW from my calculations. |
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I have to concur on risk of buying a rental car. I think some demented people almost feel obligated to try to destroy them. What kind of powertrain warranty do you get with such a car? I see I made typo in my last post, I meant the Mazda3 is NOT likely to come down much. Re: rebate - Now I see dealer adverts in the weekend paper saying 3K rebate also for Focus. So sounds like maybe the dealer has $500 more to play with now whether they admit it's a 3K rebate or not. BTW, do not underestimate your ability to deal way down on a Focus. One local dealer has 5-speed 2.3 SE wagon with ABS advertised for under 13K!! THey are not moving I think because most folks just don't want a 5-speed with an SE wagon. THat may be dealable to 12.5K now and his price is ~1K$ less than Carsdirect which I always took as near rock-bottom. ANyone should at least check the Carsdirect price (US) and make sure you are not paying more than this. If you are, just take the carsdirect number in with you and most dealers will at least match it, or lose the sale. My 5 cents.... |
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Had the ZTW out for a couple hours yesterday. After spending this much time with it, I found I liked it better than I remembered from previous, shorter tests. It looks like it's time to firm up a price. Jim - You mentioned dealing way down on the Focus. My situation is I've got three dealer quotes, and each of them knows I've got these other quotes. They are all very close to one another in both cash purchase and financing numbers. I'm inclined to believe they're being about as aggressive as they can get as they know they have to compete with the two other dealers. Thoughts? Any Canadian ZTW owners out there with some pricing details? As per the Kia and Korean built vehicles, you don't need to convince me of it's potential value. One of my current cars is a Hyundai (bought new Dec/99) and it's been dollar for dollar a tremendous buy when compared to some of my previous cars (see Audi). Though the Spectra, and Mazda 3 hatch which I've driven, will/do not have the cargo area of the ZTW - something that is important to me. I'm not crazy about the 3's styling, in hatchback trim - a little "boy-racerish" for me. But friends of mine love it. So there you go. The 3 is a great car however, any way you look at it. One last note; I was dissapointed to find out that the crossbars for the roof racks on the '04 ZTW are no longer standard (were for '03). They are a $383 option!! A little annoying. Cheers.
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| Get Thule cross bars for less than $150. | |
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On Canadian pricing I think I might check cars4u.com if you haven't already. Looks like a ZTW without options is 20,050 C$ with administration fee but before PST and GST. Maybe you are already in this ballpark or better on price. If not, I may suggest checking them out for reference and I think they do financing too. I have to agree with you on the cargo capacity, the Kia will probably be a dead ringer for the Mazda3 on cargo space and the Mazda3 is a bit over-the-top on styling for my taste and the 05 Kia Spectra5 is still about 3 months away from launch anyway. I checked a Mazda6 wagon yesterday and I measured between wheel wells and it is tighter then Focus! It narrows down to 42" in one spot whereas Focus is 45". Overall though I think the cargo on both cars is pretty comparable. My understanding is the rear suspension on the Focus wagon was modified to maximize the cargo area and this explains that exceptional cargo bay for a small car. Looking at he 6 wagon I could just see big $$$ in initial cost, insurance and gas money. I am curious, did your ZTW test car have any long starts? The one I tested may have just sat too long with about a thimble of gas in the tank. Re: cross bars, there are also aftermarket cross bars that clamp on to the side rails and extend past the rails which is great for the hard core outdoorsman. The width then can extend as wide as the car and then you can get a rocket box AND 2 mountain bikes or a kayak up there which you would never fit on the narrow factory crossbar. Maybe this is the type that dudleyr refered to and several mfg make these. I think the factory bars may fit just a rocket box, or just 2 mountain bikes for example. Anyway, the factory bars must be marked up pretty good and maybe a negotiating point if you want them. |
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Replying to: cjsb (Apr 18, 2004 4:48 am)
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Jim: Thanks greatly for the cars4u tip. They're working up a quote for me. Even if they don't beat my other quotes, I had a great chat with one of their sales associates. He was a pleasure to deal with. And in a strange twist, the cars4u office is a short walk up the street from my office! And Toronto ain't all that small (almost 3 million people). So here I am down the street without a clue...geez, guess I'm not as on the ball as I'd like to believe. Do you mind elaborating on the 6 wagon as compared with the focus? Dealers in my area don't have 'em yet? The ZTW tester I had delivered no long starts out of the 7 or 8 during the drive. Nor did the other two testers I've tried in recent weeks. So hopefully yours is an isolated incident. As for the crossbars, I've had them thrown into the negotiations mix. Thanks for the cargo cover feedback retiredguy, my dealer says it is indeed standard and I'll make sure it's there if I buy. Anybody out there know if three children's seats can fit across the back? I'd be surprised if this could be done, but if so, it'd one more notch in favour of the focus. |
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| Actually I didn't drive it. The local dealer got their first one in and were prepping it. I brought my tape measure to check out some cargo dimensions which I mentioned earlier. I sat in it. Interiors are quite nice but when it looked like the cargo was not significantly bigger (if at all) than the Focus I wasn't even interested in driving it. You may have seen the Mazda6 thread here on Edmund's wagons and I'm sure some of those guys have driven it. It definitely has plusher interior then the Focus but the $$$ is nearly 2x and that killed it for me. By the way, how did you find the front seats? A non-issue? | |
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Front seats seem to be fine for me. A noticeable difference from my other two cars, but neither better nor worse. I think they'll work O.K. for me. A superficial check on pricing suggests that the price of a base 6 wagon with no options other than auto trans. will be about 12-13k more than the ZTW here in Canada. So no leather/moonroof. And as you say, if the cargo area of the focus is bigger, it's tough to swallow the extra $$$ for the 6. Though I will acknowledge many other great features and benefits to the 6. How was the room in the rear seat as compared to the ZTW? Hey, I'm just glad to see wagons finally back on the horizon again. When I was 17 I bought a wagon as my second car and they've always held a soft spot in my heart. |
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