My dad bought our 01 SE new in 2000. We religiously kept up with the maintenance and care of the car, using the best fluids and materials we could afford. In the nearly 22 years we have had it we have never replaced a clutch, never had to have any major work done, and always had a fun reliable vehicle to drive. That is until earlier this year when we made the mistake of taking it to a new mechanic after ours retired, went in for an AC recharge and a general tune-up, was returned with the valve cover blown to pieces and a diagnosis of a blown head. They denied any wrongdoing, but didn't charge me for "the many hours spent working on it." The moral is that with proper care and love these can be amazing cars, but one mistake will end in disaster.

I purchased my 2001 Focus in 2012 to have as a second beater car--only paid $700, as the front end suspension needed lots of work. I will say that this car is comfortable and fun to drive. The interior is holding up after over 20 years of use. However, if this was my only vehicle-- and if the love of my life was not a mechanic, I would have cut my losses a long time ago. the car is easy to fix. Parts are easy to find, but there is something that always needs fixing. Motor mounts have been replaced several times, serpentine belt replaced more often than the manual calls for, and because the engine rattles and is noisy, engine related gaskets have been replaced more than once. This is a good car if you like working on cars.

This car ran good for the first 5 months then the problems started. It was first the fuel sensor the the fuel pump then back to the fuel sensor. The cost of the repairs was more than the car was worth. It began to stall out and not go faster than 20 and eventually did not start. I would not recommend this car to anyone trying to get ahead and have reliability because this car only set us back and left stranded multiple times.