Almost got my moneys worth

Fred Werring · Jan 22, 2020

Just turned 400K miles on my 2001 Ford Focus. Probably the best car I'll ever own. Zetec 4cyl with a 5 speed manual. Bought it new.

Still hauls me every day back and forth to work.

I've kept a spreadsheet for what I've spent on the car in maintenance and repairs(parts only, do my own repairs) since it turned 300K miles. Spent a little under $1000 on it, including a set of tires and oil changes. Still uses less than a quart of oil (got a small leak around the windage tray) between the 12k mile oil changes with Mobil 1. And still gets me 28-29 mpg.

Showing it's age, metal termites are getting bad. And a lot of dings and dents. It's a deer ace (5 of them), the front end's held together with cable ties and teak screws.

Going to have to get another car soon, would like to find a 2007 2 door hatchback (last year they made them) like this one. The hatchback is so handy, it's like having a second little truck for the farm.

But this has been a good one.

Fred

Janicholson · Jan 22, 2020

I think you did get a return on that little beastie. My sister drove one for 340K till Indiana winter salt ate it to oxide. Jim

Fred Werring · Jan 22, 2020

Janicholson, I'm in Ohio, same thing with the salt.

fastfarmall · Jan 22, 2020

It's done good,it looks good enough to make 500,000 miles, i am serious!

JK-NY · Jan 22, 2020

A set of tires? I would imagine you wore out at least 3 or 4 sets of tires in 400000 miles. Sounds like a great little car.

centash · Jan 22, 2020

They say they don't make them like they used to.....absolutely correct....they are made better! Imagine trying to coax half that mileage out of a car built in the 50s or 60s and looking and running anything close to what yours does. Will Ford give you a free car if you hit the million mile mark?

Ben

paul · Jan 22, 2020

Nice.

Paul

Gary Mitchell · Jan 22, 2020

How about rubber? My experience and hearsay is they are notorious for eating up tires. (there is a fix) gm

bigbob1939 · Jan 22, 2020

I turned my 99 Yukon to 222,222.2. The other day, runs great, no oil usage, changed at 6,000. Hoping it will last until I dont need it anymore.

jon f mn · Jan 22, 2020

That is a lot of seat time in a car like that. Wish I had one that good, rust usually gets them before that here.

Pete in Holland MI · Jan 22, 2020

Hummmmm........

400,000 miles, divided by an average speed of 50 mph = 8000 hours of road time.

8000 hours divided by 24 hours in a day = 333 days

333 days divided by average 30 days per month.....

You've spent a little better than 11 months sitting in that car.

Wow.......

dhermesc · Jan 22, 2020

Imagine if those miles were on a pickup getting 14 MPG and tires that cost 4X as much.

BarnyardEngineering · Jan 22, 2020

(quoted from post at 09:26:46 01/22/20) They say they don't make them like they used to.....absolutely correct....they are made better! Imagine trying to coax half that mileage out of a car built in the 50s or 60s and looking and running anything close to what yours does. Will Ford give you a free car if you hit the million mile mark?

Ben

Yup, I love the people that pine for the "good old days" and complain about all the computer stuff in cars these days, when their old 1950/60/70/80s garbage would barely make it 50,000 miles before they were completely rusted out, falling apart, and had left them dead on the side of the road at least three times. Back then you HAD to trade every 3 years because if you waited much longer you wouldn't have anything to trade in.

Now they're driving cars for 10 years and easily putting 200,000 miles on them, not once having been stranded, and they still think the old stuff is better.

Geo-TH,In · Jan 22, 2020

Fred,
I remember cars built in the 60's were lucky to go 100K before they needed overhauled.
Then EPA got involved, hanging on pollution devices on asperated cars. Not sure exactly when, it could have been late 60's or 70's.

Auto industry realized it was time to get rid of carburetors and go with throttle body. Now we have fuel injection.

Something good came from EPA requiring cleaner burning cars.
IMHO, Cleaner burning cars is why cars are lasting much longer.
A rich carb would wash oil off cylinder walls.
I remember 100k engines would burn a lot of oil.
I would have to bore engines out to 0.030 to clean up the cylinders.

I may keep my cars and trucks for 15 years or 150K. After that every things starts fall apart. Master cylinders, radiator hoses, brake lines, gas lines, water pumps and the list goes on.

In 2018 I decided to buy a new car. My old car was 13 years old and 100k. I decided to keep that car for local travel and use the new car for trips. It's possible the 2005 car may go past 15 years. When it starts falling apart, that car will go bye bye. The resale value of a 2005 is less than a transmission rebuild. I do all the service work on car and truck that's out of warranty.
I'll pay for service on Kubota until it out of warranty.

400K is impressive. Looks good. Do you have salt on your roads in winter?
geo.

Texasmark1 · Jan 22, 2020

Yepper, 45k needing a valve job and roll 100 and full blown redo....then there were the Ford flathead V8s with their cracked blocks between the exhaust valve seat and cylinder.....ran hot as exhaust had to go out through the block.....big problem...OHV fixed that problem in '53. Had a local machine ship that specialized in repairing that problem, turn key car in the shop, fixit, car out of the shop. Had a long waiting list.....including my mother's '51 Ford Custom 2 door sedan with the brand new Ford-O-Matic tranny.

gab · Jan 22, 2020

You did good, best I did was 286,000 on a 90 GMC. Truck still had ice cold air, didn't burn oil, ran like a watch but needed tires , a pitman arm, had a slow radiator leak and had a lot of rust. After I bought my new truck a neighbor asked me what I was going to do with the old one, told him I was going to drive it to the junk yard. He gave me $600. for it.

RLA · Jan 22, 2020

Being a Ford Parts manager, with certain amount of care this Type of Focus with the same gear train have been a trouble free car. We have many that can go that far, but here in Pa. rust is the culprit most of the time, drive train run's great. I know a a few nearing 450K but none are in Pa. or the rust belt.

Fred Werring · Jan 22, 2020

Geo

Yeah, we have salt here in southern Ohio.

And hard to see in the pic, but the front of the rear wheel wells are bubbling with rust and the rear of the rocker panels are pretty much gone. Have to carry a piece of 2x6 with me in case i get a flat, have to put it between the jack and the car.

Fred

Fred Werring · Jan 22, 2020

Gary Mitchell

The Focus was notorious for eating rear tires. Seemed a bigger problem with the 16" tires, this one has 15"...but would still wear the rear tires faster than the front.

Rebuilt the rear suspension at about 200K miles by replacing the rubber bushings with polyurethane. (That was a job) Never had a wear problem again, got 65K miles on the Mastercraft tires on it now, they look good for another 4-5k.

Fred

Fred Werring · Jan 22, 2020

BarnyardEngineering

I like playing with old stuff, but for every day back and forth to work reliability give me a newer one every time.

Fred

docmirror · Jan 22, 2020

I had a 2000 year model in the same config except dark gray. Sold it with 286k miles and it was going fine. It did require some repairs along the way, but nothing too costly.

The Zetec engine was a good one. Manual trans good too. Susp bushings were not too great but easy to change.

Last car I've owned(besides collectors) with crank windows. I replaced it with a Hyundia Veloster. That's been a great car with 118k so far.

1130Leo · Jan 23, 2020

Congratulations on making 400k miles. I have a 2007 Saturn vue with 253K miles on it, still runs good, but it is getting tired, and the metal termites have eaten the frame to the point I no longer have the driveshaft to the rear wheels.... has been a great car, just not worth putting any more money into it. Hate the idea of a new payment book....

Almost got my moneys worth

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