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All depends... OEM Struts/Shocks on my '93 Ciera were completely shot at 80k, so I put a set of Monroe Sensatracs on it. Drove it about 75k, and replaced them with a new set of Sensatracs before giving the car to my grandmother. Noticed no difference. Had a Festiva with 225k on the OEM struts...

Torsens have their own fluid requirements, as opposed to the ring gear, as far as lubrication/protection and T2/T2Rs can safely be run in ATF and thicker fluids. AA Torsen's bias("lock-up") is fluid dependent. The thinner the fluid, the greater the bias, so you want to run the thinnest fluid...

Charcoal is what I prefer. I think that the main reason it tastes better is that it's a dry heat. With propane, it's almost like you are steaming the food.

That is a valid argument, if they are going to a prestige college or out of state, in a major that leads to $50k jobs. I went in debt to the tune of $17k over 4 years of college and made far more than that my first year out. I went to a local college and applied for every grant and scholarhip...

I think that college as a continuation of highschool is way to common. Many people are simply not ready for college, they are still viewing school as a burden rather than as a benefit. I know I was not ready when I got out of school, and by the grace of ________, I did not get deeply in debt...

2003 and 2004 the Duratec 2.3 was an option over the 2.0L Zetec. Yes, those 0-60 and 1/4 mile times are correct. Yes, it was a heck of a bargain. It also pulled a taller gear that allowed the 0-60 to be made in 1st and 2nd, where the 2005+ makes you shift before 60 is reached, so it is often a...

Yup, it has rattles I'd not expect already. I'm pretty good at eliminating rattles though. Just have to get annoyed enough about it. I find my headlights to be fine and highbeam is much better than low. Not the best, but certainly not the worst I've had, which would be the Impala's. The...

Oh. and I've only been in my post college era for 6 years...

It was worth a heck of a lot more than $23k for me. I made more in 2 years after graduating college than I did in the 10 years prior to it. This year I'll make more than I did in those first 2 years.

Honestly? Not really, but the guys on the Focus forums keep telling me to wait for 10k. I'm keeping a detailed fuel economy spreadsheet going and have seen no noticeable, mile-related, fuel economy improvements. It's a jewel of an engine anyway though. The midrange is simply incredible with this...

Correction, stock sway bar is 21MM

Well, 4000 miles later and I'm loving this car more than when I got it. It really excels on long trips, and the handling simply amazes me at times. As with any car, it takes some learning to exploit its limits, and I'm getting better every day. Modifications to date are a 22MM rear sway bar...

Mazda3 tach redline is at 6.5k. As mentioned above, rev limiter is at 7100. I agree that the Civic blows the Focus away on overall quality, build quality, performance, and handling(mainly due to an LSD), but all of those things were more than I needed to be happy with what is essentially a fun...

Is that normal fuel economy for a 9-3? That seems really good for the performance. What are the EPA ratings on it? For '07, the 2.0 Focus has gone from 26/34MPG to 27/37MPG. The '06 PCM can be reflashed to get the same fuel economy as the '07s. The ST has a rating of 22/31. If it gets what I'm...

The Mazda 3 is a better car, all around, as it is based on the 2nd gen Focus, the one we Americans don't get from Ford. That said, the 2.3 Focus is quicker than the 2.3 Mazda 3, and the handling is the same on smooth pavement. The Focus gets more easily upset by bumps in turns, but it's not...

Yes, the ST has 4 wheel disks. Great brakes on the car. It is the only model to have them though. Same with the 2.3. I do wish we could get some of the diesels the rest of the world gets. Diesels have come so far, but we don't get them. The base Focus is pretty nice, and it was actually a...

I was making too many 6 hour trips in the 2000 Miata LS, and was beginning to dislike it because of limited seating positions. I wound up trading it in on a 2007 Ford Focus ST. This car has a 151 HP 2.3L Duratec 4 cyl with a 5 speed manual transmission. It does 0-60 in just under 8 seconds and...

The great thing about cars like the Impala SS, Miata, and Civic Si, is that they are predicatable, but still tossable, and having decent, though not extremely high, levels of grip. They are fun to drive at sane speeds, whatever you call them. Many of the more expensive and faster, more...

I claim that 0-60 is meaningless when it comes to whether a car is "Sport" or not. I can still have a minimum 0-60 time that is acceptable to me. That a car's time is more than that time does not keep it from being a sports car. There are times, on the street, when a 1 second 0-60 difference can...

Wow, can't believe people still using 0-60 figures to tag a car as a Sports oriented or not. Guess my Miata is not a Sports Car since it takes 8 seconds to do 0-60... I've driven the tC and Mazda3. The tC did not make me change my mind about FWD. The Mazda3-s comes very close, but still not...