New to me - 2005 Ford Focus manual trans

[ClutchDisc]

A few weeks ago I picked up a used 2005 Ford Focus with the 2.0 and a manual trans. It only had 67k miles on it, and I paid $3,700 for it. Car was taken very good care of by a retired couple. Tires were brand new Michelins when I got it, only had 1K on them! I love this car so far! I have already put over 1k of miles on it, and it rides really well. The seats are very comfortable for long drives. I have been averaging 30.5mpg with a lot of rush hour driving! My best tank so far was 33.5mpg doing 70mph on a road trip. And now, for the pictures!

 

[gathermewool]

I really liked my 05 ST, with the 2.3 duratec. Very comfortable car. What's the maintenance history look like? If the coolant, brake fluid, PSF and MTF hasn't been touched, I'd change those asap. Has the timing belt and water pump been replaced?

 

[ClutchDisc]

Fully serviced at the Ford dealer for everything. I have all the maintenance records, will have to go through them all soon. I also believe it has a timing chain, not a belt.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Wow low miles what a steal!

 

[Mr Nice]

Nice purchase. The only thing I don't like about these cars is that the rear brake lights are mounted too high. On a very dark night it makes the car seem much further down the road than it really is. I'd put reflective tape on the lower trunk .

 

[Merkava_4]

Good looking little car. Engine needs to be washed.

 

[OneEyeJack]

Is the engine cover missing?

 

[Nick1994]

Great deal, the thing I don't like about the Focus is the rattles and motor mount vibrations. My mom's 03' was awful as far as vibrations from the motor mounts. Other than that, that's low miles.

 

[ClutchDisc]

Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack

Is the engine cover missing?

I don't believe that it ever had a cover.

 

[69GTX]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4

Good looking little car. Engine needs to be washed.

Do it by hand though, not with a pressure washer...or you will be tracking down fresh electrical gremlins for a while.

 

[Mr Nice]

Originally Posted By: 69GTX

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4

Good looking little car. Engine needs to be washed.

Do it by hand though, not with a pressure washer...or you will be tracking down fresh electrical gremlins for a while.

Yep. The engine is pretty clean and really doesn't need to be degreased and hosed down.

 

[dareo]

What a good deal!

 

[Lolvoguy]

I have the slightly newer version and they are very easy to service. Yes, these have a chain and not a belt. yes, these cars never came with an engine cover. Also, make sure to change the passenger side engine mount (there's three) I purchased mine also at 60k miles and thought the vibrations were normal... After I changed it, the car became smoother in ways I never thought possible. It was like a different car! It's really easy to change and with a floor jack and some common tools you can change it in less than 30 minutes Only thing I'd STRONGLY suggest, is getting the FORD part only. Anything other than OEM and it's basically the same as a bad mount. These are actually hydraulic mounts, so when they go bad they leak the fluid out and transmit engine vibrations into the cabin etc.

 

[KrisZ]

Those are nice, cheap and very underrated vehicles. I really liked my 03. Mine was a Zetec which was less refined and more buzzy than the Duratec you have. Too bad Ford sat on this platform in NA and basically did no meaningful improvements over the years. Ford really did have a better product in this segment than the Japanese, but they never did anything meaningful with it, as far as improvements go, until 2012 or something like that.

 

[CT8]

My daughter has a 2010 and they are really nice cars.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: ClutchDisc

Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack

Is the engine cover missing?

I don't believe that it ever had a cover.

No they didn't, and the wiring looks a bit sloppy, but I rarely seem to have a reason to look under the hood. The ZX-3 is a fun little car though and if you keep your speed down it will do some decent mileage.

 

[MCompact]

Nice find!

 

[ClutchDisc]

Thanks everyone! I have already driven it over 1,500 miles and I love it! It should serve me for many years.