Yes, now if only the car would turn them on itself and commit seppuku.Originally posted by: middlehead
Your car has Point Defense Lasers? SWEET!Originally posted by: Eli
PDL
Yes, now if only the car would turn them on itself and commit seppuku.Originally posted by: middlehead
Your car has Point Defense Lasers? SWEET!Originally posted by: Eli
PDL
Noted.Originally posted by: Arkaign
You have a focus!! OH nooooooooo!!!
At least it's not a Neon! Neons infinitely suck more than Focuses.
Drive the Focus easy! It will eat tires/brakes/cv axles like a maniac if you drive like one. The head gaskets aren't that great either, so keep a close eye on your temps, and keep the oil changed religiously.
Take care of it, and with average luck, you should easily be able to pay it off and trade it in for something new that you really want.
BTW: Final note, consider paying the car off in full at the earliest possible opportunity, for example if you get a fat tax return or an inheritance, or whatever odd reason. Why? Well, the longer you keep that car, the more likely something seriously wrong will develop in it, and the more the car will depreciate in value. The sooner you pay it off, sell it/trade it, and get something new that you really want, the better your life will be.
Originally posted by: Eli
Originally posted by: middlehead
Your car has Point Defense Lasers? SWEET!Originally posted by: Eli
PDL
Yes, now if only the car would turn them on itself and commit seppuku.
Focuses don't have head gasket or tranny problems, for the most part. They're pretty solid mechanically.Originally posted by: Eli
Noted.Originally posted by: Arkaign
You have a focus!! OH nooooooooo!!!
At least it's not a Neon! Neons infinitely suck more than Focuses.
Drive the Focus easy! It will eat tires/brakes/cv axles like a maniac if you drive like one. The head gaskets aren't that great either, so keep a close eye on your temps, and keep the oil changed religiously.
Take care of it, and with average luck, you should easily be able to pay it off and trade it in for something new that you really want.
BTW: Final note, consider paying the car off in full at the earliest possible opportunity, for example if you get a fat tax return or an inheritance, or whatever odd reason. Why? Well, the longer you keep that car, the more likely something seriously wrong will develop in it, and the more the car will depreciate in value. The sooner you pay it off, sell it/trade it, and get something new that you really want, the better your life will be.
I admit that I have a lead foot, but I'm trying to be gentle with it.. Mostly because I don't trust the automatic transmission. I don't see why it would eat tires any faster than any other car.
But yeah.
I'm well aware of the oil things, but I do appreciate the advice.Originally posted by: Arkaign
Ah crap, forgot a few tips![]()
(1)- If the interior is in good/excellent condition, go ahead and get some cheap car seat covers and some aftermarket floormats to use during your time with the vehicle. Then when it's time to sell/trade-in, your carpets/seats will be in the same shape they are in now, and no worse![]()
(2)- Get a K&N air filter. They increase your mpg a fraction, but enough that it will likely pay for itself easily with your driving needs.
(3)- Get better spark plugs at your next tune-up. Bosch platinum +2 or +4 are both excellent for those 4cyl 16v engines. The benefits are minor, but real.
(4)- Synthetic or Syn-Blend oil should also be looked into. Seems to have better results the earlier in the car's life that you use it. Anecdotal note : my dad's '81 or '82 (can't remember exactly) F250 got over 500k without a rebuild on the original V8, and he put Mobil-1 from the time he took it off the lot until my brother killed it. It will take several oil changes for the benefits to really start showing, but they are real. Mpg will improve a bit, temps will drop a hair (less friction), and you may notice a few other things as well. One caveat to synthetic oils : if your car burns oil, it will burn a little more when you use synthetic, because the molecules are smaller and less susceptible to carbonizing and building up around tiny cracks and fissures in the engine itself. So if you go syn, check the oil often until you figure the rate at which it burns/leaks. Remember, even the best engines out there will burn *some* oil, so don't worry much unless it's more than say 1/2 a qt between changes (3,500-5,000 miles or so).
(5)- I'll try to think of more! Good luck again!
Originally posted by: Pacfanweb
Focuses don't have head gasket or tranny problems, for the most part. They're pretty solid mechanically.Originally posted by: Eli
Noted.Originally posted by: Arkaign
You have a focus!! OH nooooooooo!!!
At least it's not a Neon! Neons infinitely suck more than Focuses.
Drive the Focus easy! It will eat tires/brakes/cv axles like a maniac if you drive like one. The head gaskets aren't that great either, so keep a close eye on your temps, and keep the oil changed religiously.
Take care of it, and with average luck, you should easily be able to pay it off and trade it in for something new that you really want.
BTW: Final note, consider paying the car off in full at the earliest possible opportunity, for example if you get a fat tax return or an inheritance, or whatever odd reason. Why? Well, the longer you keep that car, the more likely something seriously wrong will develop in it, and the more the car will depreciate in value. The sooner you pay it off, sell it/trade it, and get something new that you really want, the better your life will be.
I admit that I have a lead foot, but I'm trying to be gentle with it.. Mostly because I don't trust the automatic transmission. I don't see why it would eat tires any faster than any other car.
But yeah.
Brakes....yeah, pretty much when the pads wear out, the rotors are done, too...they wear about as fast as the pads...most times, they are right at minimum thickness when the brake pads are almost gone. No room to turn them.
CV's...no, not a big problem on the Focus. Neither are tires....anyone who is having all these problems IS the problem...not their car.
:laugh:Originally posted by: Cattlegod
Congrats on the Ford! With all of the posts about Toyota engines blowing up lately, I'm sure you made the right choice. That Focus will last you a long time![]()
Originally posted by: FoBoT
so, how is the focus running for you?
lol..Originally posted by: FoBoT
so, how is the focus running for you?
Originally posted by: Eli
It ran well, had no problems in the 32,375 miles I put on it during the 4.5 months that I had it.
Originally posted by: Evadman
Originally posted by: Eli
It ran well, had no problems in the 32,375 miles I put on it during the 4.5 months that I had it.
32,300 miles in 135 days = 3240 hrs = 9.96 mph average with no sleep, no eating. Assuming you slept 8 hours and had breakfast, lunch and dinner at 1 hour each per day, that gives you 1755 hours, during which you averaged 18.40 mph.
At an average of 45 mph, that is 717 hours, or 5.3 hours per day. With sleep and food, that leaves 7.7 hours for work per day.
That means:
1. You live within 120 seconds of an expressway onramp, and your job is within 120 seconds of an expressway off ramp.
2. The expressway is never backed up
3. You have never gotten a speeding ticket (you would be late then)
4. You live 119 miles from were you work
5. You only post on AT from work or on a portable device since all other time is eating and sleeping
6. You are personal friends with the gas station attendants. you spend $875.9 per month on fuel at EPA rating of 23 MPG highway. I show it having an 80L tank ( which is 21.1 Gal). that means you have to fill from empty every 2.03 days. At least that always puts you at the same end of the commute cycle, so you can always stop at the same gas station.
7. You have a rewards card on gas purchases. You are on a fast rate to getting an around the world cruise from those rewards.
7. You need a new job.
:laugh:Originally posted by: Evadman
Originally posted by: Eli
It ran well, had no problems in the 32,375 miles I put on it during the 4.5 months that I had it.
32,300 miles in 135 days = 3240 hrs = 9.96 mph average with no sleep, no eating. Assuming you slept 8 hours and had breakfast, lunch and dinner at 1 hour each per day, that gives you 1755 hours, during which you averaged 18.40 mph.
At an average of 45 mph, that is 717 hours, or 5.3 hours per day. With sleep and food, that leaves 7.7 hours for work per day.
That means:
1. You live within 120 seconds of an expressway onramp, and your job is within 120 seconds of an expressway off ramp.
2. The expressway is never backed up
3. You have never gotten a speeding ticket (you would be late then)
4. You live 119 miles from were you work
5. You only post on AT from work or on a portable device since all other time is eating and sleeping
6. You are personal friends with the gas station attendants. you spend $875.9 per month on fuel at EPA rating of 23 MPG highway. I show it having an 80L tank ( which is 21.1 Gal). that means you have to fill from empty every 2.03 days. At least that always puts you at the same end of the commute cycle, so you can always stop at the same gas station.
7. You have a rewards card on gas purchases. You are on a fast rate to getting an around the world cruise from those rewards.
7. You need a new job.
Originally posted by: Mo0o
Was it ever explained why OP cant move?
For which cartel? They can't buy you a better car than an Insight?Originally posted by: Eli
It's not my commute, guys. It's what I'm doing for work.I'm a courier.
Yea, I think we figured that outOriginally posted by: Eli
Oh, and for the record, I drove the ever living piss out of the Focus.
