This thread may not garner a lot of unbiased responses (being on a Ford forum asking about a Ford car), but what better place to get impressions of a car than a place where lots of people have driven it.
Background
Basically, I'm currently driving a 1998 Honda Accord EX (4 cyl.) and recently passed 170,000 miles. While the car certainly has many more miles on it, I've been feeling more and more it is time to investigate getting a new (or newer) car.
Prior to the Accord I'd owned a 1998 Ford Contour V6, a reliable car, but not nearly as fun to drive as the Accord. So when it came to looking for a car now, I've been looking more on the Honda side of the fence (Accord or Civic). But as I checked out competition, I saw that the Ford Focus (a car which always seemed a bit blocky and tiny to me) was getting the 2012 redesign. And I was impressed, not just with the design features, but also with the way packages and features are set up (e.g. Honda puts a moonroof standard with all of its upper level trims. I never use a moonroof; I'd prefer to put my money in other features).
So here are my questions.
Questions and Issues
The only Ford vehicle I've experienced in the recent history was the 98 Contour. As noted before, I felt the Accord's handling blew it out of the water. I'm wondering what the Focus has been like in past model years, and if anyone has test driven the 2012 model yet. My impression is that it will handle much better than the Contour or Accord, but I wanted to get some first-hand non-reviewer impressions.
Another concern I've had is reliability. Honda tends to be pretty legendary with reliability, and I balk a little to betray that. However, I understand that Ford has been improving its reliability recently. Is that true? I don't want to take a plunge into a car that will require major repairs before the 120,000 mile mark. The Contour didn't have any problems, but I'm not sure how different models rate. Given, I know that the new Focus is just that--new. But I also wondered if anyone had reliability impressions of previous Focus models, including the European ones (from which the 2012 supposedly gets its heritage). There's a common reputation for Ford amidst my friends and family...primarily, the acronym "Fix Or Repair Daily". I'm willing to consider Ford because of the huge improvements I see in features and finish in their new products. But I don't want to be embarrassed by serious repairs or issues in a short period of time.
Any feedback you guys have (however biased ) is welcome!