Minnesota Focus Owners Club

so i was cruising down in owatanna last nigth with my girl, and these guys she knows come up in there civic come up, and the driver asks me a simple question. "why a focus" i drew a blank, i couldn't remember why i bought my car in the first place, i mean, now i appreciate the looks and performance, but i couldn't remember what really caught my eye. so i just said "because its not a civic "
why did you guys choose a focus?

I've always liked the looks of the car and they came out around the time I was looking to get a new car so when my parents asked what I wanted I just said focus.

I really don't know. I drove one awhile back and really liked it. So when I started looking for a new car, I said I would maybe look for a Focus. About a week later, I found a Focus. They had a hatch, and a sedan. I drove both. The hatch was a stick. It was twilight blue. I said I wanted one, but not the color. So I left it. Thru the week, I said, if its still there Saturday, Ill buy it. So, on Friday I went in and bought it. My current Foci. And Im glad I did.

On a side note, a kid I work with found out I bought the Focus. He was like cool!! What kind is it? So I told him it was a hatchback ZX3. And he thinks it looks like a Mini-Van. Anyone ever tell you guys that before?? It kinda pisses me off.. But I don't let it get to me since I love my Foci....

you got off easy. i have the ZX5, mine gets confused with looking like a wagon AND a minivan, lol

i am really into WRC and looked on the internet for aftermarket parts for the focus and found lots of stuff and went from there

yeah, your right, the ZX5 is more minivanish. LOL
PitchBlack, thats kinda where I was too, I looked at aftermarket stuff. It was either a Focus, Cavy(my sis already had 2), or a S-10(and my dad has had like 4 of them.
So the obvious choice was Focus. Plus, at the time, I was looking at a HCI mag, and inside was TribalFocus's car. I fell in love and thought I had to have one.....

becuase its a FORD, nuff said there.

and becuase I was looking for a more economical card (used to drive an 89 F-150 with a stright six got 9 miles to the gallon with that thing)

and finally becuase I started haning out with justin and he let me drive his car one night and it was all down hill from there.

-Josh

umdivx....lol...fords not that great, i'd prefer the reliability of a foreign car, but i decided to purchase an "american made" aka parts made overseas and assembled here car. The focus svt caught my eye but i like many can't push my parents to get one for me or afford one so i roll zx3. Usually people who call foci minivans:
a. don't have a car so there opinion matters as much as their gas money
b. haven't looked at the honda civic si with ride height that doesn't clear some parking ramps....lol (i still would rather have an si than a zx3 but their damn expensive.)

FOCI ARE CHEAP AND FUN, so back off us honda, we'd like to be you but we have limited wallets, you don't pick on homeless dudes do you?

The Focus isn't made here either. Twas designed and developed in Europe, then built in Mexico and then sold here.

as far as reliability, right now I'd trust the reliability of a Focus over a VW with all the issues the new jettas are having, I wont even talk about neons and cavaliers.

For the Money, Ford name, and reliability, something fun and agile to drive the Focus is a no brainer.

Plus its something different.

-Josh

I drove by a new Civic, is it just me, or is it a rip off of the Focus? To me, its big time wannabe Foci. From the front, it looks like something my car shat out...

The first thing that made me look at the Focus was Gran Turismo 2. I built one up and had fun with it. Ended up driving one and fell in love. Previously I drove cars that didn't handle well at all (Corsica and Cutluss Cierra) so the Focus had them beat there. I checked online checked out the Focus community and aftermarket options. The community was small enough where I figured I could become a somewhat prominent figure and aftermarket support was pretty large. The rest is history.

I hate explaining this story at car shows, so I display sheet with this quote by Mitch McCulloch (freelance writer for numerous car mags) on my car for shows.

Ford's Focus ZX3 is a driver's car, something that can't usually be said of cars in this price range. It's quick and competent, yet inexpensive and practical. It feels light on its feet, with lively response from highly assisted steering. Its suspension and brakes goad the enthusiast to push it hard into the corners, while Ford's Zetec engine delivers surprisingly strong torque for good acceleration performance.

when i saw the prototypes then europe got them soon after, then i heard that tuners and aftermarket guys got to get some cracks at it before it was released here i realized the potential. I waited until my Ford Ranger 4X4 lease was up (I have owned new Fords for 12 years now) i got into the Focus and knew that handling was what i wanted. And at 10K less than my Ranger i was hooked. As far as having issues, what issues, of the 3 new Rangers i had bought they spent a total of 4 hours (Emissions issue on my 98 I trust the reliability of my Fords, the Focus blew up because of me, not shoddy Ford workmanship