Hi everyone. I'm a new member and simply had to jump in on this tread. Last fall, in preparation to start medical school, I got rid of my Lincoln LS and 528i for a Ford Focus. It was a 2001 with 15k miles and in the nine months I've had it, it's been to the dealer 5 times (3 on a wrecker) for about 10 different problems. 1.5 wks ago, it stranded me for the last time. I now have a P5. I was reluctant to get it because of Ford's controling interest in Mazda; however, from reading I had done, Ford had not taken the opportunity to **** up the Protege yet. Along with Civic and Corola, the Protege has an outstanding quality record. For me, the Civic is to much $$ for what you get (even though it resells well) and I have no love for the Corola's styling/handling.
Ford will have a major influence on the new 3 and I would not touch it with a 10' pole. Every time the Focus got towed I would ask the driver "what do you see most and what do you see least". Here is what I've gotten each time:
-Ford cars are the towed the most, by far.
-Honda's towed the least, followed closely be Toyota's and Subi's.
-Hardly ever see Mazda Protege's, but 626/929/Tributes and a few others show up frequently.
-Chevy trucks are the least towed trucks, but Ford's small trucks aren't bad.
Again, the above info. has been collected from from wrecker drivers over the past 9 months, while I've had the Focus. It is completely anecdotal, but still interesting. My advice, get an MP5 while you still can.
Ford will have a major influence on the new 3 and I would not touch it with a 10' pole. Every time the Focus got towed I would ask the driver "what do you see most and what do you see least". Here is what I've gotten each time:
-Ford cars are the towed the most, by far.
-Honda's towed the least, followed closely be Toyota's and Subi's.
-Hardly ever see Mazda Protege's, but 626/929/Tributes and a few others show up frequently.
-Chevy trucks are the least towed trucks, but Ford's small trucks aren't bad.
Again, the above info. has been collected from from wrecker drivers over the past 9 months, while I've had the Focus. It is completely anecdotal, but still interesting. My advice, get an MP5 while you still can.