How long does a Focus last?

[theblue]

I'm looking at buying a 2000 Focus zx3 with 178k mi.

How many miles before a Focus dies?

[Sponsor]

[AdamMAXIS]

What price are you looking at?

[blkZX32005]

about 4K for new motor and trans once that dies, just go new.

[theblue]

$3,500.

He says it's because it has so many mods: suspension, exhaust, cold air intake, and other stuff I don't understand.

Probably I could talk him down.

[dannybohhy]

depends how you treat it...

[blkZX32005]

if he upgraded the internals and how hard you drive it should last you a while but you might need a clutch, timing belt, all fluids changed, and all filters replaced.

[whynotthinkwhynot]

It depends on how hard the car was driven. I personally prefer to buy cars that haven't been modded. Lowered suspensions and subwoofers tend to rattle things loose, and power mods tend to make the driver want to push the car harder.

The Focus is a good car, but that doesn't mean that this one is a good car or will last much longer. In the range you're looking into, I'd say you could find one that was newer with fewer miles on it for the same price. When I buy a used car, I used to look at it in terms of whether I thought I could get a year for every $1000 I spent. Most of the time, this didn't work out, but a few times it did. Now that I bought a new car, I think there's no freaking way I'll get 16 years out of this thing- but I'm sure going to try

[xp0s3d]

a focus with 178k miles is worth no more than 2,000

(REGARLESS Of Performance Mods. Most of the time performance parts are cheaper than teh OEM Parts, which makes the car worth much less.)

[tdkaye1]

Yeah, and damn, almost 180k in 6 years. That's alot of driving. But what was said about the mod and tendency to drive it harder are true. I'd have it THOROUGHLY inspected by your mechanic first.

[penguin]

"He says it's because it has so many mods: suspension, exhaust, cold air intake, and other stuff I don't understand."

Unless they are mods you want (and if you don't understand them, you probably don't want them), you are ahead getting a lower mileage Focus that is closer to stock for the same money. And I would think you could probably get a 2000 ZX3 with half the mileage for a similar price if he hasn't been modded.

A rough check at the edmunds.com site for used car values shows a nicely equipped 2000 Ford Focus ZX3 with A/C and 90,000 miles is valued at $3,300 for a private party transaction and $4,200 purchased from a dealer.

I myself would never buy any car with 178K on it, as the odds of it needing some major repair expenses is too high -- better to soend some extra money now on a lower mileage car than a few months down the road on repairs.

That said, I'm still driving an Explorer with 197,000 miles on it... but then I've had it since new, know the maintenance it has received, and realize its market value is mighty low (so I might as well drive it till it drops.)