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Where are the 5-speeds????

63K views 361 replies 147 participants last post by  Pioneer16 
#1 ·
Me and a buddy went window shopping the other day, man-style. WE were in the Houston TX area and visited some of the very large Ford dealerships there. They had literally rows of Focuses. HOWEVER we saw not a single 5-speed. EVERYTHING was automatic, even ALL of the Fiestas too. I know I have the only 5-speed Focus that I have seen at any of my local dealers, but I thought that was justbecause they were small and only had 5-6 Focuses on the lot. I though surely the large dealers with 20 or so on the lot would have one or two.

Out of curiosity, WHO here has 5-speeds? I love my manual, and as the wife drives it more and more she is falling in love with it to.
 
#3 ·
I have a 5 speed with the sport package, wouldn't have it any other way. I do believe the auto to 5spd ratio is about 10 to 1 or 10% 5spd. I read an article about a week ago somewhere and the focus has one of the higher manual transmission percentages in the current market.

Tho it is a bit odd they don't have any, maybe because the 2012 are almost all gone and a good number of 2013 haven't been made yet...
 
#4 ·
I finally found one at a dealer, got a pretty good deal because they said no one wanted it and they hadnt had much interest. It had 7,900 miles on it, it had been a rental car (not really a good thing LOL) But hey, I got a deal!
 
#5 ·
I would imagine that the majority of '12 owners on this site have either the SE sport package with 5 speed or a Ti with dct. Not that there aren't others, that just seems to be what I see the majority of among 'enthusiasts'.

I got to drive another members' Ti with 5 speed, and there is usually a few times a week that I wish I had one. Then I could get a sts...[thumb]
 
#6 ·
5-spd here on my '12. Absolutely fell in love with it when I test drove one that was at my dealer's. Promptly ordered a 5-spd SE without the sport package to avoid the rear disc brakes. The best manual-transmission and clutch combos I've ever driven. The clutch takeup is absolutely perfect.
 
#9 ·
Found 3 hatchs and one s trim sedan online in houston with a stick when I went shopping. By the time I made it to Houston 2 hatchs had been sold, got the third one. People don't want to row anymore, they are lazy. I LOVE sticks, I will not own another auto car as long as I live. I do miss my 06 mustang gt with the 5speed auto though, ratchet shifter for the win on that one.
 
#10 ·
Same problem as everyone else - there was no 5spds anywhere to be found, so I special ordered the 5spd SE w/ sport.

Longest 6 week wait that has ever happened.
 
#31 ·
Try 11 weeks

I finally found one at a dealer, got a pretty good deal because they said no one wanted it and they hadnt had much interest. It had 7,900 miles on it, it had been a rental car (not really a good thing LOL) But hey, I got a deal!
Who the hell rented a manual? Must have been a local company. No national chain I'm aware of has manual trans cars in their fleet, especially in the econ class. Too many sheeple can't drive stick and they would lose rental revenue as the cheap car would sit.
 
#11 ·
I was lucky enough that the local dealer had a 5-speed available for me to test drive. Of course, I had to order one to get the options I wanted since they were few and far between.
 
#15 ·
Here in the salt belt of the rust belt, rear disk brakes are a maintenance nightmare. Especially when used with ceramic friction and on cars that are not driven daily. Steel wheels help as they shield the disks better than alloy wheels do, but in the end...the rust wins. Rear drums last much longer and comparatively are maintenance free over their life.


If I lived somewhere else, I'd go for the disks.
 
#16 ·
I just got my 5-speed SE two weeks ago. I searched through about 30 dealers' inventories to find a stick in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Totally worth the effort, though!!! [headbang]
 
#18 ·
Dealers around here just don't order MTXs and didn't seem interested in helping me find one until they found out that we were going to buy a 2013 Explorer too. I live in Southern Indiana and they had to trade with a super dealer in Ann Arbor to get me a manual. I'm sure there were other manuals closer but I wanted tuxedo black with the sport package. I didn't even get to test drive before I bought. I test drove an ingot silver w/ DCT and knew that I had to get the MTX right away. The DCT was no fun at all. I'm definitely glad I waited the 4 extra days for them to bring my car down from MI.
 
#21 ·
Thats why I have an S and not a nicer package. It was simply the ONLY manual that I could find, and on top of that I got it for a great price because it was used. Just kinda fell in my lap. I traded a 1998 Mustang 3.8/5-speed for it. I must say the 2.0 feels every bit as strong as the 3.8, and has better throttle response.
 
#24 ·
MAnual is the only option for a small car, IMO. I wouldnt ever consider buying an auto. I love the ST, except that its a hatch. relaly considered waiting for it, then fell in love with my little sedan.
 
#25 ·
When I was hanging around my dealer today waiting for a ride I perused their inventory... I counted about 3 dozen Foci... Only two SEL's, no Ti's and only half a dozen manuals in the bunch. They had two (minus the moonroof) that were SE Sports, like my car, with sticks.
 
#26 ·
We haven't had any 5-speeds come in for a while, and in the past week 3 SELs with 3 pedals were delivered. Go figure.
 
#30 ·
Wow I'm really surprised. The dealership I got mine from (Maguire in Ithaca) had not one but four or five 5 speeds to choose from, all SE's with 203A and no sport.

There was an Ingot Silver & a Race Red Sedan, a Sonic Blue and a Sterling Gray (I bought this one) and a Ingot Silver hatch. All manuals.
 
#32 ·
I got the base model s, just so I could get a 5spd. I had my dealer look up other models and trims with the 5spd but they would have had to have been transferred from far our and at the end of it all it didn't seem worth the extra money. I am very happy with my Focus, even if it doesn't have Sync and the sport package :/

They tried to sell me on the SEL with the sport shift but, the dual clutch just didn't feel right, and it wasn't a manual. (also a prior rental)
 
#36 ·
When I was test driving I was told the 5sp that I test drove was the only 5sp in the state of AZ. It was a sales person though. Got the wife's Focus off the lot configured just as I had planned (DCT). Ordered mine (5sp). 6 weeks.
 
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