After much contemplation I am trying to grasp the thoughts that many of us fellow fanatics have, its a very simple question and this post will be short but I feel it may spark up an interesting conversation.

Why do us focus owners decide to do up our cars and make them look amazing, and even spend loads of money under the hood for our cars to still only have 130hp?

Dont get me wrong I love my focus but it seems that I am categorized in a race bracket that really is not satisfying.

Thoughts and opinions, btw this thread is anti-flame so just leave the insulting at home...

me i've always wanted a hatch and loved the focus after i saw it..was looking through autotrader and found out they had a svt focus and fell in love w/it..so now i have one. as for putting money into it, i've always wanted a car with a good kit, and really good performance..now that i have a better job that pays a lil more i can pretty much buy a few things for the car now also this job led me getting some money to put down on a car. other job just paid bills and groceries....but to sum it up its just something i've been wanting to do..

Some people don't have the money to actually buy there "dream car" so some are happy with the focus and fuel there desire by modding it! Cause it could be worse...you may not have anything at all lol So I make what I have better.

I think a lot of the appeal with our cars is if you throw $500 dollars at the suspension and get some decent tires, our cars will handle like a MFer

well for me...its the joy of seeing what ive done. seein the car stock, and then seein how it sits today, i get a feeling of "damn, i did that and noone helped me". lol. when i got my focus, i knew absolute crap about cars. now im a absolute car nut!! so i dont mind spending the money on something i absolutly love to do, even if i would still run 16's at the track.

Its either that or buy a rust bucket honda civic/accord add a huge wing, aftermarket taillights, fartcan, blue headlights, & a large honda window sticker before fixing the rest of the car like the dozens around here do.

I totally agree with kttnmthkngs (great band btw) it's the progression and development of the car that keeps me enticed to do more. It's going from a bone stock granny mobile to something that turns heads everywhere it goes, sure it's not the fastest thing on the road but it certainly has the most (cost effective) potential of any car on the road. Sure you could argue that it's cheap to mod a civic or some rice like that, but I believe that people respect you more in a Ford than a rice burner (speaking of the older crowd of course.) Those guys who built 69' Mustangs are going to respect you more for your efforts with the Focus, than if you put a 6" exhaust dangling my a coat hanger on the back of your Toyota. I love my Ford, my parents work for Ford and that's what I am going to drive. Sure there are people that could argue that it's not the coolest, fastest, or most desirable car on the road, but I love it and if I can push out 200 whp out of a 4 cylinder sometime soon, than all the time and effort will be well worth it.

Or you could look at it financially $15,000 focus + $10,000 engine modding = $25,000 and well over 250 whp
or........ Buy a generic evo, no fun with modding and building and $33,000 for the same power.
I could buy a used svt for lets say $8,000, I could buy 4 for less money than a new STI hmmm

^^^ Funny You should mention that. I was kinda headed down that road when I came across what is now "My lil Money Pit". Now, I don't care about screwing up yet another Civic, although I still like the exceptional few. I have liked the Focus since 1999 when I first drove one, and know full well of Its' rally roots. I think I enjoy the challenge of building up a car that not everyone who has one tries to 'tune'. It has a TON of potential, it just costs more than most imports to get "there". That's fine, I'd rather have a car that handles great at mid-level speeds than a rice rocket that handles only decently at any speed. I certainly do have a somewhat re-found appreciation for this car, the lil bugger is FUN!

Really never though of it that way because I only made slightly minor modifications to all of my vehicles I own, not particuarly my type into big performances out of expensive mods.

But it's just a feeling of accomplishment that counts I think.

im happy i have the focus, but modding it gives me a sense of accomplishment, so i can look at it and say i did that. that was one of my conditions when i got it, i wanted a coupe with a manual. i can have fun driving it, but i feel by modding it i can have more fun, and i can even feel the work i put into it

Why I first got my fofo it was really because I needed a car, but within 5 minutes of leaving the lot I was in love. Bine stock it was just a fun ride. I love how it handles & everything. I can't wait until I get to put a few more mods on her & really start opening her up. LIke Ezpimpin said I would rather get this for dirt cheap & make it mine rather than spend 25k for stock.

I bought my fofo b/c it had good gas mileage, was American made, and TC's didn't come in hatches...lol. Then driving down the road I saw a ZX3 just like mine....then it gave me the Idea to make my fofo, well, mine. So thats what I did. I started making it different than all the other fofo's arround my area. Now I gives me pride every time I walk away from it. I think I can speak for every one when I say that, every time I walk away from my car I have to look back and assure my self that, Ya that looks good.

now its like people see a civic or anything with a fart can and laugh at it. well you all know how it is with them, the prime bumpers, riding on a donut and three good wheels..etc..and what..we all laugh at them...but yea i think fords are more respectable in my opinion...

Why do us focus owners decide to do up our cars and make them look amazing, and even spend loads of money under the hood for our cars to still only have 130hp?



Why not?

before my focus i drove a z28 camro i had bought used with headers and full catback, a shift kit and god knows what else, it was fast though, but i hated driving it, i would often times offer to buy other peoples lunch or dinner to get them to drive. its was fast, it felt heavy, and it make me feel uneasy; after 3 weeks with it i couldnt take it any more and had to have something else i didn't care. this time i was picky though, i wasnt buying anything that i didn't love, and after about a week of test drives and demo car loans, they found my car, 5speed zx3 with 22000 on it, and from the moment i got in it, i didnt want to get out.

this car made me fall in love with driving again, and yeah, i even laughed to myself a little bit, trading in a z28 for a focus with half the horsepower, and now i'm looking at mods to play with, but nothing is better than having a car that you absolutly adore, stock or not, driving my focus is fun and i love it. a great car for gas milige now while i finish up college, a great car to throw a turbo on next summer and scare the living hell out of anyone who see's it coming at them in the rear veiw on the highway at 100+ mph, not that i would do that, you know, because i'm responsable[deviltail]

that and when you blow the doors off a "sports car" in a lil econo-box the face people make is priceless lol

*ah hem* will the real tunazx3 please stand up?? hehe i wanna hear why you have one.

*Standing*


Well I bought my car about a year ago and I do love this car, but I think what gets me is the bracket of cars I am in my car is a 2000 zx3 5 speed everything on the car is cherry except the windshield and hood which are very very minor fixes, the car just hit 100,000 and I can not justify turboing the car, everyone has a need for speed, and I bought this car because of the deal I got on it, I paid 6,500 for this car, 6,500 canadian that is, some lady around town drove it into town once a week to get groceries for her farm, and she had upgraded to a mazda 3 so badda bing badda boom, I have a cold air intake, and exhaust and a stereo in it, but I do not think its all quality stuff, the cai is from ebay but i do not think it makes that much of a difference, and the exhaust is a full cat back magnaflow which is fairly good, but I was considering lowering it and I almost cant justify that although it would make the car alot sweeter, we have fairly bad winters here and my dad thinks it would get hung up alot if i dropped it 1 1/2 inches...

bahhh....

what to do what to do...

^^^ Just think of it this way> Those shocks are only rated to 50,000Mi. and You are @ 100k, so it's time to replace those anyway.... what's another couple hundred to put adjustable coilovers on( just in case You DO get hung up) while the wheels are off anyway? I justify every mod I've done and will do by thinking about the "safety" aspect of it. Real, or Imagined...

I am on my 2nd foci and when I had my first one I wasn’t all that into it, but after I sold it (it died) I found my self looking for new cars and none of them measured up to the fofo so I picked the type of focus that I wanted and I waited till I found it LG zx3 zetec 5spd, and got it. I started modding about a month later, and out of all the modds I would recommend a full suspension. set up, I went with the svt and I love it made the car a lot more fun to drive, and you don’t feel as bad about being slow in a straight line because you can run like you are on rails. It’s only a .5inch drop so most don’t know but its def. worth it. I mod because I enjoy it don’t know why I just do

I recently traded in my '02 ZX3 for a '08 Rabbit. It's interesting that you bring this topic up, because the whole upgrading thing is probably what lead me to the trade-in. The investment on upgrades is definitely not for everybody. I learned that the hard way. At the time of the trade-in I had quite a few upgrades on it. The SVT front bumper was installed after a minor accident. An SVT suspension was later added to improve handling. And literally about a week before I traded it in, I had installed a MagnaFlow exhaust.

It was around the time when I installed the MagnaFlow exhaust when I realized that I should probably stop. The Focus looked and sounded great in the end, but I knew that I'd probably never be satisfied with it, no matter how much money I'd burn on mods and upgrades. I was stuck in a loop of buying something expensive for it every few months, aiming to reach the goal of having some mythical dream car in my head. I knew if I kept going I'd be stuck in this habit.

At around 54k miles, maintenance was also becoming an issue. I had quite a list of minor issues that needed to be addressed eventually: a cracked windshield, an intermittent problem with the driver side window regulator, a minor power steering fluid leak, an indecisive automatic transmission that would shift hard between hunting gears 1-2, a non-functional interior trunk release button, some paint that has been chipped down to the metal at the very edge of the driver door (thanks to the previous owner), a state and emissions inspection coming up, and the expense of new tires.

Did the car run fine? Absolutely. But I love to baby my car and try to keep it in peak condition at all times. With that above list I knew that I was probably looking at a few thousand dollars of professional repair work. Unfortunately I don't have the tools, patience, or time to learn a car inside out and to do these repairs myself. So I began exploring the idea of looking into a new car--preferably one that would keep my happy for a long time in completely stock form.

I settled on the '08 Rabbit. In some ways I do miss the Focus though. I primarily miss my SVT suspension badly. The Rabbit may be a faster car stock, but without the stiffer suspension I've become used to (on my Focus) I have to slow it down along highways to prevent some pretty uncomfortable wobbling. It's nothing a new suspension kit can't solve, so it's not a big deal. But overall I'm nearly 100% happy with it and feel that it doesn't need any sort of modifications whatsoever.

So instead of buying a cheaper car and investing in thousands of dollars worth of mods on the thing... I've always felt that it's just better to save up and buy a car that already looks and performs great in stock form. But I guess other people think differently and have a more personal attachment towards a car when they work on it themselves, and transform it into a vehicle that's one of a kind on the road. That too I can understand. To each their own.

although I agree modding a car is fairly sweet, I some what agree with mmmoose and I think that is sadly why I will part ways with the focus in the future, it is never going to be the 200whp car that I want it to be, and it is not worth throwing 4000-6000 in it with this many miles to turbo or supercharger it. Give me your opinions.

Why not?

X2[thumb]

So instead of buying a cheaper car and investing in thousands of dollars worth of mods on the thing... I've always felt that it's just better to save up and buy a car that already looks and performs great in stock form.


That's why I bought my Si. I love how it performs, looks & handles in stock form sooooo we haven't touched it (except for tint & debadging it and that's about all further we are gonna go on that) and the Focus is the 'toy'. And you are right, to each his own.

Right now it seems sort of foolish to own two cars, plating them here in saskatchewan is fairly high, plus the gas on both cars, I do not even have a full dedicated career yet, I am mainly seeing if it really is worth doing up one of these cars, I mean at 100,000 clicks is it worth spending the money to upgrade the car at all, or will I always be in that low bracket, where cavaliers beat me :( (cavaliers equal epic fail in my mind)

well... if you built the bottom end it would be worth it... Have you checked your compression?? Your transmission holding up??? It depends just how rough those 100k mi have been.

They have not been bad at all, I got the car at 72,000 km's and it was actually an elderly womans car who drove it from far out of town to goto the city to go shopping, and she sold it for a bigger mazda 3 hatch back, and then the times I have had it the only problem is the distributor went, so i replaced it, the ac fan broke, so i replaced it, and the third gear synchro mesh makes a grind when it goes into third, but nothing worth fixing for 1100.00

The car itself is just always going to be in that bracket unless I do some heavy modding, which I do not think is worth it considering the km's on the car.

I was allways in love with the Fofo since it came out. Hence, many moons ago I had 13 (yes thirteen) cars in my garage: 7 VW beetles, all different years, 1 modified Beetle/Porche, 1 930 turbo, 1BMW 3.0 CS, 1 3.3 CS, 1 Ferrari GTO (biggest POS I ever owned) and 1 Renault Alpine V6 turbo and I mostly drove the beetles 'cause they looked kinda cool.
Today I drive my ZX5 (autotragic) and I LOVE it, 106000km's, only minor repairs to do (mostly maintenance) and adore the handling. Sure I still have the chance to drive some major kick butt cars but I'm allways happy to return to my Fofo even if it has few mods.

I have spent very LITTLE on making my car look good..... but I have spent MAJOR dollars on making it go fast and handle like a slot car.

Preference.

1. beacuse if I had bought a Mustang I would be dead by now.

2. the focus is a good solid tested car. little mechanical faults, easy to take apart, fun to drive.

3. I am learning by modding this thing. I never boosted a car.....I am learning with this one...both good and BAD alike.

4. I like the design and "focus" of the focus...lol.....pure euro car over here too.....

5. IF i wanted to go fast I would have an 87 Notchback w/a 331 stroker and Nitrous. I want to be different with this one......

6. +1 for why not? IRS, DOHC, 6-speed, 17' Rims, good sound......it's SVT man!!!! lol..

and what of those who do not have the svt model, the svt model is something that is desireable, it has the 6 speed and comes stock with 160hp if i am not mistaken, so by people saying that they love there focus's I can see where they are coming from, I love the sheer euro aspect of my car, but the power loss is just not making up for the good looks and speedy corners.

because you can go from this

http://www.focusfanatics.com/gallery/data/512/26970my_focus.jpg

into this

http://a944.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/25/l_8a23280c0c568f416f890c77699258d7.jpg

with some patience, time, and money.

thats why

http://www.focusfanatics.com/gallery/data/512/26970my_focus.jpg

Holy ugly wheels Batman![ohcrap]

If you want a fast car, and you don't want to mod the one you have, then maybe the focus is not for you. I have a 2000 zx3 w/mtx. I've modded it slightly and I smile all the time while driving it. I sometimes laugh out loud while driving, I'm having so much fun. In my 50 years I've owned and driven a lot of performance cars. I like this little econo-box best.

People mod because thats what they want to do. It doesn't matter what kind of car it is from a Yugo to a Lambo, someone is going to mod it. If you try to break it down logically, modding any car can be seen as foolish. If your looking to be the fastest thing on the road, then you better save up at least 500k. Because even if you mod a Mustang , STi or Evo, your still going to get your doors blown of by a modded Porshe, Ferrari etc...

http://www.focusfanatics.com/gallery/data/512/26970my_focus.jpg

Holy ugly wheels Batman![ohcrap]

X2. They look like a set of the old ULTRA brand wheel Wal-Mart used to sell. I love how it's turn out for you though man.

Well, I have an SE with the SPI ATX and I would rather drive My FoFo than the Lincoln Town Car I use for work... if that means anything. Sure, I'd love to drop an SVT block in this thing, and may actually do so someday. But until that happens, I'm happy with what I've already eeked out of this lil block.

Why do us focus owners decide to do up our cars and make them look amazing, and even spend loads of money under the hood for our cars to still only have 130hp?


Some of us spend our money on engine and suspension instead of body kits and stickers. [;)]

This is true about me.

When i lived in Tampa they had me working second shift (NEVER TAKE SECOND SHIFT UNLESS YOU WANT TO GET AWAY FROM PEOPLE PERIOD!) An at start i hated it b/c i had made some new friends from this site an Tamparacing.com, then i got use to it for about a month an then i started missing my friends. The only thing that Kept me Sane (it got so bad at one time i almost checked my self into a psychiatrist) was my car at the time i had boughten part for my car left an right so i could take my mind off of work. so thats why i bought parts for my car.

I have spent very LITTLE on making my car look good..... but I have spent MAJOR dollars on making it go fast and handle like a slot car.

03orangesvt [pray] [pray] on some answer that people receved from you but what the hell is a Slot car?

Well for me... It's about making my first car everything i want. It looks great as is, has a nice interior and i love that sport exhaust. I don't have the money to buy a true sports sedan with plus accessories and drive trains. So i make the best with what i have. A focus is not a bad vehicle to start with. Eventually I'm sure most of us will trade up. For me, it's my first.

03orangesvt [pray] [pray] on some answer that people receved from you but what the hell is a Slot car?

???? SLOT CAR ????..... from wikipedia

A slot car (sometimes, slotcar) is a powered miniature auto or other vehicle which is guided by a groove or slot in the track on which it runs. A pin or blade extends from the bottom of the car into the slot. Though some slot cars are used to model highway traffic on scenic layouts the great majority are used in the competitive hobby of slot car racing or slot racing. Slot cars are usually models of actual automobiles, though some have bodies purpose-designed for miniature racing. Most enthusiasts use commercially-available slot cars (often modified for better performance), others motorize static models, and some "scratch-build," creating their own mechanisms and bodies from basic parts and materials.


Two-lane slot car track with partial scenery. Ninco, 1:32 scale.Drivers generally use a hand-held controller to regulate a low-voltage electric motor hidden within the car. Each car runs on a separate lane, with its own guide-slot. The challenge in racing slot cars comes in taking curves and other obstacles at the highest speed that will not cause the car to lose its grip and spin sideways, or 'deslot' and leave the track altogether.

Some enthusiasts, much as in model railroading, build elaborate tracks, sculpted to have the appearance of a real-life racecourse, including miniature buildings, trees and people. Hobbyists whose main goal is competition often prefer a track unobstructed by scenery.

Model motorcycles, trucks and other vehicles which use the guide-slot system are also generally included under the loose classification of "slot car."

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Ninco_JGTC_Fahrerfeld.jpg

as for me, yeah i know getting a focus wont beat almost every car stock... its better to get a focus and mod it.. or go FI.. instead of buying an expensive car and mod it and spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on them. plus, Focus offer good MPG, so I cant complain.

Well, here I am back again,

Do you guys think it would be worth it to turbo a focus that has 100,000 km's on it? Will the engine last? I am looking into a cheaper turbo kit I do not need something that is going to run 20 psi, I am thinking like 8-9 hoping to hit that 200 mark, how much would I spend, would it be worth it? Its a 2000 ZX3

or would an NA build be better? I could probably do the whole engine for the cost of a turbo kit.

The chances of you hitting 200whp on a NA build and it still be drivable are pretty slim. There are several folks on here that have went FI with well over 100k km on their cars.

The Focus’s rally heritage made it very appealing. I don't know what you are talking about, I have 210 hp.