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Ford Focus ZX3 / SVT vs. Honda Civic Si / RSX - READ ONLY

232 messages,  Last post on Aug 15, 2009 at 8:47 AM

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What is this discussion about? Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Acura RSX, Coupe, Hatchback

Messages Page 1 of 24

#3 of 232 Here is the new place... by revka

Nov 28, 2002 (7:55 pm)

to discuss the Ford Focus vs. the Honda Civic Si.
 

 
Thanks for your participation!
 
Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards

#4 of 232 A couple notes & Helpful Links box by revka

Nov 28, 2002 (7:59 pm)

A couple notes about comparing vehicles in cyberspace: Civility and respect underlie the success of an online community such as Town Hall. Please respect and interact with fellow members as you would in any public arena. Thanks!

Helpful Links: Look for direct links to Ford Focus and Honda Civic Si new vehicle information on the left side of the page in the Helpful Links box. Also, keep your eyes open for other related articles, discussions, and tools to be linked to that area.

Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards

#5 of 232 Hey I'm first!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! by anonymousposts

Nov 29, 2002 (5:10 pm)

If you don't count the host that is .. :
 
I have a 02 SI. Love this little car although I believe it's cursed. The SVT may be faster, may have a 6-speed, may have 17" wheels but it's a Ford and 15" tires are much cheaper to replace than 17's. I'll trade the above-mentioned advantages for a better interior, smoother transmission, better build quality, and the SI's awesome steering wheel.
 
Also interesting to note than even with the Mustang and the SVT/Focus in Ford's fleet there are nowhere on the radar when it comes to what cars appeal to Gen-Y. Honda is 1st 28.77%, VW is 2nd 18.49%, and Acura is 3rd 16.44% and they are followed by Pontiac, Subaru, Toyota, Hyundai, and KIA according to this month's issue of Motor Trend.

#6 of 232 Civic hatches by vadp

Nov 30, 2002 (12:31 am)

Just took a look at the latest CAR mag which is being published in the UK. They're talking about their experiences with the long term Civic TypeR which is being build in Swingdon, on the same assembly line as your Civic Si.
They praise the car and its performance.
They also mentioned about some unusual feedback they were getting from the British owners.
According to them the Civic hatch doesn't seem to be reliable, at least not as reliable as their previous models.
Lots of complains about excessive oil consumption - I mean EXCESSIVE (as much as several liters per 7,000 miles), easily chipped paint, rattles everywhere, easily scratchable dashboard and some other things.
The funny thing is that when the editors contacted Honda demanding an explanation the factory just blamed the dealers???
The oil consumption thing was mentioned numerous times on the Civic Si forum.
Sounds like the new Honda engine does like to burn oil and not just during the break-in period.

#7 of 232 I'd personally like a link by anonymousposts

Nov 30, 2002 (10:16 am)

to that article. Otherwise it's just cow manuer. I can say that I read an article where the SI was tested faster than a Vette but unless
I provided a link to it noone would believe me.

I can say that since you have a Focus you should trade that in for a SI and burn a little oil .. at least you can check your oil. Not much you can do about your suspension falling off, brakes failing, windshield wipers falling off, or your car catching on fire.

http://www.newschannel9.com/vnews/print/consumer/1030144296
http://www.jsonline.com/wheels/peak/jun02/49111.asp
http://www.fordfocusbrakeproblems.com
http://www.safetyforum.com/fordfocus/
http://cartalk.cars.com/Columns/Archive/2002/July/05.html

OMG ...... DONT EVER DRIVE THAT CAR AGAIN!!! In fact I think you should have it towed to even the Hyundai dealer. Anything has got to be better than the Focus.

#8 of 232 there is something wrong by dzigit

Nov 30, 2002 (1:39 pm)

with my ZX3. i have no complains. it drives like a rocket. i hope i'll soon have a oportunity to blow away a civic or a hummdie, with my 130hp and 135 ft/lbs. thats stock and i will upgrade. to everyone who got scared by all those recalls about focus, hear this. my focus drives and handles like a charm. stop reading the headlines and believing in what they say 100%. their job is to find things and blow them out of proportions. i had owned several models of cars ranging from 1985 monte carlo to my current 2002 zx. i have never had any kind of thing fall off or burn up on any of those cars although i'm sure there was plenty of recalls for everyone of them. and i never took anything back to a dealer for a recall. focus is a good car and a good design but since it was a BRAND NEW design it had couple of things that needed addressed. since then it has continually climbed on reliability charts. think about how many recalls civic must have had when the model was introduced in japan 15 or 20 years ago. and then think about the fact than 3 year old design such as focus managed to grab car of the year award in europe. to put it simply look at the situation from all the angles. not just what the papers tell you. also unlike civic focus participates in wrc but i'm not sure how to use that as an argument.lol

#9 of 232 by anonymousposts

Nov 30, 2002 (5:36 pm)

The Focus competes in WRC but doesn't compete with Peugot or Subaru. Out of all of the races they have only won 1 race. Unlike the Focus the Civic competes in British Touring Cup races where it regularly wins the production class. I don't know about you but I think that BT racing which is on asphalt is a much better real-world driving test than blasting your car up and down through the woods in the snow. And I might add the Focus in WRC is 4WD so if I were you I wouldn't be planning to take my Focus out on the rally circuit .. at least if you want to keep driving it.
 
As for the US Focus .. it's a PR nightmare for Ford. The car is now a 3 year old design and they still have safety investigations going on. I will admit that the Civic had a few first year niggles but they were all addressed and the quality is back up to Honda levels. And even the issues that the Civic had were more on the lines of rattles and misaligned trim pieces. Not gas tanks falling off, defective suspensions, bad brakes, etc.
 
I'm surprised that you didn't take your car in for the recall work. The point of a recall is that it COULD happen to your car and if it does after they have issued the recall you have nobody to blame but yourself, and consequently, no one to sue.

Messages Page 1 of 24

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