How does the Ford Focus compare to other compact cars for reliability and fuel economy?

I am looking for a fuel efficient car to commute with and share with a young driver.|||unless you are in europe or asia, its not worth it. its an older model, 6 years old and has been surpassed by many of the cars. some of the best are the new hyundais and kias. they are incredible for the money including effiency, saftey adn reliablility. literally almost as good as a japanese car.|||It has average reliability and average fuel economy. I heard that it is fun to drive as well.|||ford has never built a quality car, why would this car be different? american sedans have always been poor quality. every couple years they come out with another one and say how good it is. I'm sure they will be in the low end of the resale value BTW just like the taurus and the 500 and the f-series trucks and the rangers.





A used Honda or Toyota will likely be more reliable and a better investment.


good luck.|||A used Honda or Toyota will likely be more reliable and a better investment.


good luck.|||Try reading some professonal reviews. It's a consistently well-reviewed car, but never really fantastic. Very few economy cars get fantastic ratings. In the small sedan class, your two best bets are probably the Focus and the Civic. I've had a 2002 Focus ZX5 since August of 2002 and it has 80,000 miles on it with no problems. If I do replace it, it'll be with a Mazda 3; but I doubt I'll be replacing it anytime soon.|||I think fuel milage is middle of the pack resale is pretty poor but the upside is you can purchase quite a bit cheaper than a toyota or honda in the secondary market. i think performance is a little better than foreign cars and more fun to drive but the foreign cars have a better reliability if you purchase a 2002-05 you should be okay as far as reliability goes. I have a 2001 focus zx3 it has been a better than average car for reliability but it is pretty fuctional for putting large objects I moved a32" TV and also recliner in it. If you are buying used I think it is a better deal than jap cars. If buying new I would buy a toyota corolla or mazda 3 or 6.