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ferrum

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  1. That's a good point. My concern is buying a new car and in 15,000 miles being stuck on the side of the road. I have enough troubles like that with a 13 year old car, and I don't want to experience it again but after plunking down many thousand dollars more. I'm not as concerned about "Average" as long as it doesn't mean I'm putting in a new transmission in four years. As such, seeing a recently redesigned vehicle (Fiesta) that reflects Ford's current processes (engineering and QA) that scores so poorly tends to make me hesitate. It sounds like Ford is being more particular with the Focus, and more technology has been tested. But I just don't want to ignore warning signs that indicate the Focus launch would end poorly. That said, every time I consider a Civic again, I wince a little. They are so devoid of features (and to some degree, styling) that I hesitate to go there. Right now, the 2012 Focus is holding the top of my list (against the 2011 Civic and 2011 Mazda3), but I suppose the biggest problem with the Focus I have is the risk of purchasing an unproven car--it could turn out as well as the Fusion (which I'd be comfortable with in the reliability spectrum), but obviously, I can't be sure... The next best question is: how long does it take to get reasonable reliability information about a new car?
  2. Thanks again for the responses. I'd like to revisit the reliability again. I was surfing TrueDelta, and decided to check out the Fiesta, being that it is a recent Ford sedanish vehicle. I was surprised to see over 70 repairs per 100 for a 2011 car-- a pretty abysmal score. It makes me really jumpy about considering a Focus for at least another year (and since I'm aiming for a purchase this year sometime, puts it out of my target). I don't want to get stuck with a new car that has that kind of rating.... Any thoughts?
  3. This would make sense from what I've seen in the build system. It looked like SFE isn't available for Titanium or SEL in "Build Your Ford" (and it doesn't look like it is standard on those models either).
  4. Thanks guys, your comments have been really helpful. Just a couple more questions: - One thing I've heard is that the "tightness" of the handling often degrades with the car's age, but moreso in the case of the American auto makers. I've heard that the Japanese automakers don't experience the same problems. Any truth to those rumors? - One thing I do like about my Accord is how well it holds a straight line (I hardly have to touch the steering wheel when driving on the highway). The Contour never held that well. Any news on how well the new Focus will hold?
  5. In the build your own configuration, I didn't see an option to get the rain-sensing wipers apart from the premium package. Is that correct? Anyone know if it's possible to get the rain-sensing wipers apart from that package?
  6. I've gotten confirmation from a local dealer (near Charlotte, NC) that they'll be receiving their first sellable (i.e. non-demo) models by the end of the month (April).
  7. 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!
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