I hate this car.

[judecorp]

So once again the Ford F*ck-Us is in the shop and we're having the same ridiculous problems. I am so tired of the runaround. At first I thought maybe it was just the dealership we've been going to, but after some depressing reading on Comsumer Reports, I can see that the 2000-2001 Foci already have 10+ recalls and the list of complaints keeps going and going. They say these are not problems in the newer models, but our 2003 has already had problems with: ignition switch (at least 3 times), transmission skipping second gear (one time), and stalling and sputtering (right now). All of these are chronic complaints on 2000-2001 cars.

I brought the car back today because immediately after its return to us, it started stalling out and the engine light came on. When I got to the dealer this morning, the engine light was off, but it was still stalling every time the car shifted from Drive to Park. Of course the dealership said they couldn't recreate the problem (are you nuts? EVERY time), but they agreed to wait an hour and try again. This gave me an extra hour of Fox News. Fox News and a Ford Focus are my own personal hell.

Well, dude came back and said they HAD found a problem - a long crank when you try to start the car (this is what we brought the car in for on WEDNESDAY) and stalling. Because I was such a PITA to the guy, I got the rental car supposedly free. (I always make it a point to be extra stubborn there because they are ridiculous. Once I got a repair done by only paying for parts because it was yet ANOTHER eff up job.) So yeah, now they say the soonest they will have our car is Monday. Which is thoroughly ridiculous - especially for a car that had "no problems" at 9am!

I effing hate this car with the spite of a thousand excessively spiteful gnomes. The Ford Focus is the worst car ever made and I can't believe we spent so much money buying it. I want to buy a new car so freaking bad but there is NO WAY we will get anything for it in trade and we /just/ sunk a bunch of life insurance money into paying off the car so we could have no car payments for a while. I also hate Ricart who sold us this crap car... and I wouldn't be surprised if they lied and said it was a 2003 when it is actually a 2001 or something. Stupid car.

Hate hate hate hate hate.

Comments

re: 2003 (or really 2001)

[etherial.livejournal.com]

Too bad it'd be too expensive to sue him if he really defrauded you in that way.

Re: 2003 (or really 2001)

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Well, we have a title that says 2003, so I suppose it really IS as 2003... but it is just such a piece of crap that I can never believe that it is only a 3 year old car with 45K miles on it.

[scirocco.livejournal.com]

Sadly, this is one of the reasons we got rid of our ZX3. If you got a year after the first one-two production years, you got a much better car. It's amazing how many bugs they introduced just bringing the car across the ocean to manufacture here, these cars are pretty solid in Europe.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Well, we have a 2003 so we shouldn't be having so many of these problems! It is insane - I don't think they really fixed any of the bugs from the previous years at all. It is such a piece of crap car for 3 years and 45K miles.

What also sucks is that Jen bought an extended warranty for big bucks when she bought the car, and was told by the seller that it was the top of the line warranty that was pretty much bumper to bumper except consumables. Now the people at Quirk are saying it's just a powertrain warranty. WTF???!?

[estrange.livejournal.com]

That sucks, I'm sorry. I have a 95 Ford Escort & it's been pretty good. I hope that they can get it fixed for you.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

My mom had an Escort when I was younger and she gave it to my brother when he got his license in high school. It ran just fine until he drove too fast and flipped it over. This Focus is a 2003 and it is always making some weird sound or doing something weird. I am so sick of it and miss my old Nissan SO much. It always ran just fine!

[lemur68.livejournal.com]

Fix Or Repair Daily
Found On Road Dead

Also RICART--WE'RE STEALIN'!

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Dude, no joke about Ricart.

[biophile6.livejournal.com]

at this point I can offer nothing but commisery. my ford escort, the forerunner, was my worst car ever. i bought it for 5k and spent 5k in repiars, the debt oif which I still carry. the focus lasted me two years. 9k. it was already old.

contrast this with the two civics, 7.5K and 1.5k, the same. but they have lasted me an unbeleivable twelve years, and nearly 300k miles with only two breakdowns.

1/10th the price.

people who give me crap about the car can take that.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I totally hear you on the Camry. I had a 98 Nissan Sentra that was 100% reliable and never let me go to bed angry. I rarely had to get it fixed and it always wanted to kiss me on the lips. What a good car.

You have definitely done well with your Civics. I hate this car.

[vorpalbla.livejournal.com]

They call it Fix Or Repair Daily for a reason.
I take it your next car will be Japanese?

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I miss my Sentra. That car was so cute and was always in really good shape. Heck, I got $4K for it in a week's time before we moved - and I probably could have gotten a little more.

*sniff*

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Dude, I hear you. One of the selling points of coming back to expensive Boston was the potential for not needing to use a car regularly. We had two cars; I sold my lovely Nissan Sentra to help fund our move (it was older and paid for). Damn I wish we'd kept THAT car, you know? But yeah, I never expected to get a job that required driving all day. Yuck.

[00solstice.livejournal.com]

Fox News and a Ford Focus are my own personal hell.

You should get a red, white, and blue window sticker that says "This cars don't run."

Or you could just get this (http://www.nissanusa.com/content/0,,action-NVersa_topicId-1_pageId-123147,00.html), starting at around $12,000.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's so cute, I want that!!!

I [heart] Nissan compacts!