Okay, thanks for the advice. Would you actually have any suggestions for cars that have a relatively good mpg, but won’t hurt on the wallet? (Max 3.5k at the moment).
And thank you everyone who has replied and given their opinion, I appreciate it.
I would look for something not popular with younger drivers as they are likely to have been abused. A domestic midsize might be a way to go. Relatively cheap to buy, maintain, and fuel.
I’ll be honest, I don’t have a lot of knowledge on cars, would you mind saying a few companies/years? I liked the Ford due to its mpg and I fit in it pretty comfortably (I’m about 6’4"). I did try a VW Passat, but wasn’t too impressed with it.
Take a look at Hyundai elantra or Kia Forte. A Toyota or Honda would be priced higher. The Focus could be a decent car but this one might not be the one and it seems priced high.
Japanese… Toyota and Honda mentioned above as good bets.
IMHO Nissan and Subaru can be added to this list, but stay away from Mitsubishi/Suzuki/Isuzu.
Chevy might be a good bet on domestics I think, although I was always sticking to Japanese.
Koreans… I’ve seen a almost engine-dead Sonata at a friend of mine, at 65K miles and 8 years, who was maintaining it at dealer at 3K interval… kinda made me skeptical about them making good used cars.
I would stay away from VW/Audi as they tend to bring a lot of problems requiring $$ and special tools as they age.
Does ur 3.5k budget include a reserve for repairs? Collage is expensive. Maybe u live at home and commute? Or need a car to drive to school and car sits m-f? Or u have job u need to get too. My kids had nicer cars than me when they were in college. But I had bills to pay.
Wow! I read (probably on this forum) how to replace a Focus engine air filter which involved removing most if not all of the intake air ducting to access the filter box. Does Ford hire “train driver” engineers?
Cheap cars are a gamble no matter the brand and all that counts is current condition. That said I always say avoid all wheel drive or four wheel drive vehicles if you are limited on funds. You don’t need to pay for damage caused by someone not rotating tires on an all wheel drive vehicle.
Check the April issue of Consumer Reports. They have recommendations on reliable used cars in various price ranges. It’s a good supplement to the recommendations posted here. Avoid VWs.
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Sorry, wouldn’t let me reply for a day due to too many replies or something, but thanks for the advice. I did check out the April issue and that was helpful. Now I just got to keep looking haha.
Some Focus of that era use the Split Port engine. It tends to have lots of issues with the head around 130k if not redone. Just lookup Ford Split Port engine problems and you will see.
A little late reply, but I do not think you have a problem at all. This is an older car and it is not uncommon for older cars to experience “engine blow by”. That’s when gas blows between the piston rings and cylinder walls into the crankcase. If you leave the cap on and remove the PCV valve you will experience the same symptoms.
Not sure if it’s late for me to keep posting in this, but how about a 2005 Ford Focus, is that one any better?
Going to try this again. You are looking at older vehicles so all that matters is current condition. Have a mechanic look at what ever you find and take your chances. A 10 year old vehicle can have a big price range and past reviews mean nothing. Don’t be locked in on certain brands.
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aren’t these filters supposed to last a life time?
Sure!
That’s why they sell replacements!
Tester
I’ve seen some toyotas and hondas but was seeing if the problems spoken of in the 2003 were still present in the 2005 model.
Any problems present in 2003 or 2005 could have been corrected by now or may not have been in the vehicle that you are looking at.