# Should I dump my 2001 ford focus? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** focus, ford\ **Created:** [July 13, 2010, 2:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-dump-my-2001-ford-focus/51766 "2010-07-13T14:09:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![npage148](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/npage148/32/3134_2.png) [@npage148](https://community.cartalk.com/u/npage148)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 2:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-dump-my-2001-ford-focus/51766/1 "2010-07-13T14:09:24Z")
My Focus 4door SE is getting up there in age and mileage (~97K) and looking a little beat. It’s dinged up and rusted pretty bad around the bottom of the door panels due to lovely upstate NY winters and campus parking lots and the AC doesn’t work. The KBB is about 2k but I doubt I’d be able to get for close to that much. Every year it gets its normal inspections which results in about 300-500 in repair and maintenance and maybe another 300ish repair during the year for some random thing that breaks. Mechanically the engine/tranny are sound so I’d like to keep it and I’m only driving about 4k miles a year now. I think 800-1000 a year in repair is much better than a car payment or even saving a couple grand for another beater. I’d be happy if it lasted 5 more years. Opinions? ---
**Author:** ![jayhawkroy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/jayhawkroy/32/33_2.png) [@jayhawkroy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jayhawkroy)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 2:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-dump-my-2001-ford-focus/51766/2 "2010-07-13T14:23:24Z")
Based on the info provided, no reason to dump it. For me, no AC would be an issue, but if you are OK with the status quo, keep it. Your overall costs are much less than getting a new car. ---
**Author:** ![eraser1998](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6de8d8/32.png) [@eraser1998](https://community.cartalk.com/u/eraser1998)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 2:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-dump-my-2001-ford-focus/51766/3 "2010-07-13T14:30:07Z")
I see no need to dump it… if your repair **_and maintenance_** adds up to $300-500, that really isn’t bad. Proper fluid changes alone can easily add up to $200 a year… and tires will run another $100. Given that, your quoted repair and maintenance bills aren’t much over what maintenance alone should cost. The other random repair is annoying as heck, but still MUCH cheaper than any new car. That said, shop around for your inspections. Some places are more picky than others. Some simply make things up. I’m not suggesting you find a shady place, but just one that goes by the letter of the law and doesn’t try to find things like headlights 1 mm out of alignment. ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 3:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-dump-my-2001-ford-focus/51766/4 "2010-07-13T15:30:36Z")
If this were my car I’d fix the AC and continue driving it. The money you’re spending on annual maintenance and repair is not excessive, and buying another car, any car, will cost more than you’re alredy spending. ---
**Author:** ![Jeffmw05](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@Jeffmw05](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Jeffmw05)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2010, 8:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-dump-my-2001-ford-focus/51766/5 "2010-07-13T20:29:35Z")
It’s a keeper. ---
**Author:** ![bscar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bscar/32/34_2.png) [@bscar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bscar)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 12:48am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-dump-my-2001-ford-focus/51766/6 "2010-07-15T00:48:38Z")
If you can, get it up on a lift and see just how much rust is under there. More rust = new car time. ---
**Author:** ![geotrouvetout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7feea3/32.png) [@geotrouvetout](https://community.cartalk.com/u/geotrouvetout)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 2:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-dump-my-2001-ford-focus/51766/7 "2010-09-09T14:51:43Z")
no rust on mine, Chicago winters… 108K miles 2000 year model. You should wash it more often in the winter. 120k miles you need to change the belts/water pump, that will be 500 to $800. ---
**Author:** ![Docnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Docnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Docnick)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-dump-my-2001-ford-focus/51766/8 "2010-09-09T14:56:36Z")
You’ve gotten a 2001 Focus to survive so far, so there are no doubt a few more years of good driving left. Your expenses are not out of line for an economy car, and if it’s reliable and passes state inspections, just keep driving it. With the appearance you describe you could not get much for it, so “use it up”, as they say! ---
**Author:** ![missileman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/missileman/32/1366_2.png) [@missileman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/missileman)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 4:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/should-i-dump-my-2001-ford-focus/51766/9 "2010-09-09T16:16:04Z")
It will be cheaper to keep her.