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Ford Focus buyers remorse

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  #21  
Old 06-19-2012 | 07:10 PM
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Originally Posted by kgb4187
Pics or it didn't happen.
Sorry for big size, too lazy to resize. Made a run to car wash on lunch which is a little bit away, VTEC kicked in, only 30 minute lunch today, so I lost a few in the process. O well. May have been 38.9 if I said 39.8. I don't remember. Anyway.






Here's another one from a 3 day commute. I think it was Mon - Wed.

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I drive 880S from San Leandro to the 237W to the 101N in morning rush hour. Anybody from SF can tell you what a nightmare the Nasty Nimitz can be. No pics of traffic. Sorry. LOL
 

Last edited by Wanderer.; 06-19-2012 at 07:28 PM.
  #22  
Old 06-19-2012 | 08:11 PM
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Buy the Fit and don't look back..(5 Speed) Everyone makes mistakes it's all part of life. 2009 sport 98K miles. 500 miles a week back and forth to work for the last two years.. How many issues have I had?? ZERO!! I love the FIT!!! Bar none the BEST car I have ever owned!!
 
  #23  
Old 06-19-2012 | 08:21 PM
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my daily commute is 50, enjoyed it always w/ my manual transmission
 
  #24  
Old 06-19-2012 | 09:49 PM
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Originally Posted by krunk13
Never buy american....There all made in mexico anyway. Funny thing is all the Japanese and Korean cars are made in america
I finally got my Fit!! Waited 6 weeks. Mine was actually made in Japan. Is that good or bad? Your thoughts...
 
  #25  
Old 06-19-2012 | 09:50 PM
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From: FORT LEONARD WOOD
Originally Posted by Craig Johnson
I finally got my Fit!! Waited 6 weeks. Mine was actually made in Japan. Is that good or bad? Your thoughts...
All US Fits are made in Japan....For now

Thats very good.... The Fit is built with zen like precision Daniel-san
 

Last edited by krunk13; 06-19-2012 at 09:59 PM.
  #26  
Old 06-19-2012 | 09:54 PM
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Originally Posted by Craig Johnson
I finally got my Fit!! Waited 6 weeks. Mine was actually made in Japan. Is that good or bad? Your thoughts...
Cars made in Japan = good.
 
  #27  
Old 06-19-2012 | 09:59 PM
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Thx for quick response. Just got home w mine. I'll take somepics, excited to have it. I commute 30 to and 30 from work each day to work in Tampa. I'll let you know how it goes. Oh, btw, mines an AT.
 
  #28  
Old 06-19-2012 | 10:28 PM
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What color did you get?Six weeks was that because of the color you wanted?

When I was looking the problem was you could not get a manual transmission and the color you wanted unless you order one. I gave the dealer 4 colors I would take and he did a dealer to dealer swap that week.
 
  #29  
Old 06-19-2012 | 11:37 PM
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I had a 2004 Focus. Nice car, comfortable, good handling, and a pleasure to drive. It didn't see the dealer once in the year I had it, except for an oil change. It had 50,000 miles on it when I bought it, totalled by my wife with 55,000, I think. Much preferred it to her 2003 Sunfire, replaced the engine in that car with 40,000 miles on the clock.

I looked at a 2012 Focus a couple of weeks ago. Comfortable drivers seat, didn't take me long to find a good spot (but, I'm fairly small). Then, I moved the seat all the way back, and tried hopping into the back seat. It was difficult to get in, and once I was in, I had less room than I do in the fit. That really turned me off, since the Focus has a longer wheel base, and is a compact, vs our sub compact Fit. Will I buy one? Not likely.
 
  #30  
Old 06-20-2012 | 09:31 AM
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Originally Posted by miketxny
I had a 2010 Fit Sport, and was talked into getting a 2012 Ford Focus HB by family members (buy American, 40mpg, etc...). I got the Focus in October of 2011, and it has 6600 miles, been back to the dealer 4 times for various issues, gets 22-24 mpg, the "leather" rear seats are falling apart because I had the gall to lower em and try to carry something in the back, and the transmission is weird (CVT auto?). Sometimes the pickup is good, but other times it will lurch a bit, and most unnerving is trying to take an unprotected left from a stop when I hit the gas and...nada. A full 1-1.5 seconds before there is *any* forward motion at all.

Bottom line, I miss my old Fit, and am going to the 'ol Honda dealer Saturday to see if I can get back in a Fit, upside down or not. I can drive a stick, and would love the extra pick-up, but it will have to be the automatic, since my commute is 10 miles of bumper to bumper highway gridlock.

Wish me luck, as I am wayyyy upside down on the Ford...easily the worst car purchase I ever made.

...and as an aside, if anyone has a stop-and-go commute like I do, could you share your MPG?

Thanks!
Buyers remorse sucks. I had it when I sold my Tacoma for a Tundra. And I still have it - the Taco was a great truck!

Your transmission on the Ford is their new dual clutch transmission; its not a CVT. But I and others report that it is clumsy as hell and doesn't feel or act like a DCT. But DCT's to lurch, especially at low speeds. Your mileage will all depend on how you drive it - if you hot rod it from stop to stop while in traffic, you'll likely get the EPA rated mileage. But others here claim to do the b2b thing and still report mid 30's. Personally, I don't know how they do it. I am currently averaging 35-36mpg with 70-80mph driving 140 miles round trip (90% highway). Although speeds below 60 will net some excellent mileage (>40mpg).


Originally Posted by krunk13
Never buy american....There all made in mexico anyway. Funny thing is all the Japanese and Korean cars are made in america
My thoughts exactly! This is what I tell my father-in-law who is a "Buy American" guy. He then remarks that at least the money stays here ! I'd rather pay an American to work for a few dollars an hour and have an overseas CEO make modest money than pay a Mexican, Chinaman, or some other foreign worker pennies an hour while a CEO here makes millions. But hey, that's me.

Originally Posted by eurobeaner
Ford focus. One of the worst cars around. Manual trans 2012 fit. You'll be incredibly happy
I disagree - they were once great cars. I had an 01 ZX3 and loved that car. It handled excellent (I did have a coilover kit on it) and had adequate power. The Fit reminds me of it. Then Ford started making the car heavy, expensive, and started revoking manual transmission in them with higher trim levels (apparently new this year is Titanium trim available with the 5MT).
 
  #31  
Old 06-20-2012 | 09:58 AM
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Originally Posted by PaFitter
Sorry,No sympathy in buying the Ford. Simple internet research of consumer car owners would have reveled the reliability,drivability, or problems. Don't ever take a car's web site or reviews as gospel. Most of them are paid to say nice things. Owners will tell you what they really think,and either love it or hate it. Not much bad mouthing of the Fit when I bought mine. I was checking out this site before I bought mine. Bought one,happy as hell with with my 2009 Fit. Have cousin that has 2012 Fiesta,and does nothing but bitch about it,and how many times it's been back to the dealer. Admitted to me last Christmas he should have bought the Fit when he drove mine, liked it,but wanted to do the "American" thing. Guess that bit him in the ass too.
Curious what sources you'd recommend for researching. I'm on here researching before buying a Fit too.
 
  #32  
Old 06-20-2012 | 10:55 AM
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This forum for starters if your wanting a Fit. We have an 08' w/ 120,000 miles & 2012. Excellent cars.
 
  #33  
Old 06-20-2012 | 11:13 AM
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Originally Posted by mkane
This forum for starters if your wanting a Fit. We have an 08' w/ 120,000 miles & 2012. Excellent cars.
The problem with that idea is that most people who stick around a specific car forum for a long time are the ones who own the car for a long time and have good experiences with it. People who have bad experiences and dump the car fast aren't likely to stay on the board just to give their bad experience over and over.
 
  #34  
Old 06-20-2012 | 11:32 AM
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Good point. Most issues have been with the front seats. The throttle pedal on the early Fits had a placement problem which led to a sore ankle. Out 2012 seems to have worked this out, but it may have something to do with the telescoping wheel. We would buy another in a heartbeat.
 
  #35  
Old 06-20-2012 | 11:32 AM
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I look at used cars, say from Carmax, to see how they've held up when they're a few years old. Hondas always impressed me as retaining integrity more than other makes.

Checking resale values is another good indicator. Hondas (especially Fits) hold their value well. If people were dumping them, used car prices would be lower.

Consumer Reports is a good source, I think. They don't accept advertisements, they look at long term problems. The car mags and edmunds etc are next, but I think they have biases.
 
  #36  
Old 06-20-2012 | 11:52 AM
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Originally Posted by japaninator
The problem with that idea is that most people who stick around a specific car forum for a long time are the ones who own the car for a long time and have good experiences with it. People who have bad experiences and dump the car fast aren't likely to stay on the board just to give their bad experience over and over.
You are correct I had a Volvo 240DL and was on the Volvo forum everyone thought that was the best car ever built that own one.

I picked my 2012 Fit because I wanted a hatchback to carry items (did not want a SUV), manual transmission, decent gas mileage, reliable, good resale value and fun to drive. Not too many cars out there fit my needs at the moment. Also consumer reports rated it high in customer satisfaction.
 

Last edited by cjecpa; 06-20-2012 at 11:55 AM.
  #37  
Old 06-20-2012 | 12:15 PM
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Originally Posted by Steve244
I look at used cars, say from Carmax, to see how they've held up when they're a few years old. Hondas always impressed me as retaining integrity more than other makes.

Checking resale values is another good indicator. Hondas (especially Fits) hold their value well. If people were dumping them, used car prices would be lower.

Consumer Reports is a good source, I think. They don't accept advertisements, they look at long term problems. The car mags and edmunds etc are next, but I think they have biases.
I agree with resale value to a point, some cars like the Mini Cooper have outrageous resale but come with enormous repair bills as a possibility.

Sometimes you gotta just be smart about it.
 
  #38  
Old 06-20-2012 | 01:38 PM
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Originally Posted by miketxny
Thanks for the info!

Thinking about my old Fit did give me one bad flashback though....$900 repair bill because rodents ate the wiring harness. I guess they make tape for that now though...or maybe Honda no longer uses peanut butter flavored wiring.
This gave me a good chuckle! But at your joke, and not at your expense. I can laugh now, but on my previous car (Element), I had to replace a $700 fuel tank because rodents chewed through a 60 cent gas line, which, for better or worse, is part and parcel of the fuel system. Squirrels: 1, me: 0.

Originally Posted by Wanderer.
2010 M/T Base in San Francisco traffic daily, 30 mile commute each way, usually get 36-38 mpg even in bumper to bumper.

The key is to just put it in 2nd or 3rd and just idle along, small throttle inputs, don't use the brakes, don't slip the clutch revving and all that noobish bullshit. Stay in a lower gear and use the gears to accelerate, not the throttle. You will have to downshift. Just because everybody else is riding each other's ass doesn't mean you have to.

I much prefer a manual in traffic. I can't stand having to keep my foot on the brake the whole time. It's tiring. More tiring than shifting.
^^ 100 times THIS.
In the Element I was averaging about 23mpg, which, based on other reports, was low compared to other Elements on the road. I chalked it up to my particular commute, and perhaps an overly aggressive driving style. Well, it's day 3 with the Fit, and my average calculator is reading 42.7 right now. Granted, this may be the falsely optimistic reading from the firmware bug (I don't know if my car was ever serviced for that, or if such a fix exists). But that is what I'm seeing now. My drive is 35 miles each way, with a mishmash of just about every road type and traffic type you can think of -- maybe 5 miles of steady highway (50-75mph), plenty of middling county road traffic, 35-45mph, and a few stretches of bumper-to-bumper backups. When I get to the bumper-bumper sections, I drive the way Wanderer describes, and evidently it's working for me. I never wished I had an automatic tranny.
 

Last edited by bustamelon; 06-20-2012 at 02:06 PM.
  #39  
Old 06-20-2012 | 01:47 PM
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This would make me give up my Fit:
Mugen wants hot Honda Jazz

Honda's five-door hatch is an unlikely candidate for UK tuning treatment







Honda’s UK-based performance tuning division has admitted to a desire to develop a hot version of the Japanese manufacturer’s Jazz supermini.
Staff at Mugen Euro, the Northampton-based firm responsible for a supercharged version of the CR-Z hybrid that’s likely to make limited production, say they’ve long envisaged producing the most unlikely of hot hatches, using Honda’s practicality-focused five-door.
See pics of the Mugen version of the Honda Fit
Mugen already offers a number of styling upgrades and some tuning parts for the Jazz in Japan, where the car is known as the Fit, but the performance increases are small. Mugen Euro’s idea is for much more hardcore version of the car.
To achieve the necessary performance gains, Mugen Euro management say they could use either the CR-Z’s supercharged hybrid powerplant - or a normally aspirated, high-revving 2.0-litre VTEC unit similar to that used in the last Civic Type R.
“Always in the back of our mind as a car that we’d like to do is the Jazz,” revealed Mugen Euro’s general manager Colin Whittamore.

He said that it “wouldn’t be much of a stretch” to fit the 197bhp supercharged version of the CR-Z’s 1.5-litre hybrid motor, currently being dyno-tested by Mugen in the UK ahead of a public debut at the Goodwood.
Tim Dickson
 
  #40  
Old 06-20-2012 | 02:59 PM
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I too bought a Focus, a 2012 SE Sport 5MT. Beauty of a car...for 3 days. The it refused to start. No power, nothing. Towed to the dealer. They worked on it for a week. Nothing. They could not figure it out.

I went back to the sales manager and said "kill the deal". They still had my 2009 Escape on the back lot (had not even been reconditioned for sale). After a lot of convincing they killed the deal, gave me my Escape back, and I am good to go. The Focus was sent back to Ford for "diagnostic". Focus forums have quite a few similar tales. Mine was a Sept 2011 Build, so not a first run.

Interestingly I had always wanted the Fit but my wife said it was "too small" and "not cool enough". Still driving the Escape -which has been a good car just tough on fuel - but will likely trade it on a Fit this summer.

My Ford dealer is amazing...the best. Fortunately he also owns a Honda franchise
 


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