Skippy905

Well, I've owned a 1998 Accord as well, and up until recently had a 2004 Civic (traded it in to get a Pilot for family use). I have always loved Honda. I like how their cars are put together and stay together. Yes, the reliability is legendary. However, Ford has come huge strides in past years, and is rated quite high for reliability. My brother has a 2004 Focus, of which there has been no major problems at all. It has been a great little car. With the new design and features, I expect that the Focus will feel and handle much better than my old Civic (which was fun to drive) In Europe the Focus has always been a good reliable performer. Just watch Top Gear, they actually rave about it, and that says a lot. Of course with the 2012 Focus there will be some first year issues, but considering all the effort put into the release (just look at how they are handling MFT), I expect the recalls will be minimal. One problem I can comment about Honda is this: Simple jobs on a Honda can be a ton of work. I remember trying to replace the rear speakers, and found I had to pull out the entire back seat, and rear deck lid just to do it.