I bought a 2005 Ford Focus ZX4 SES a month ago for 7,000 CAD, and it only has 50,000 km on it. The paint looks clean, though the underbody has a bit of rust. Some people have told me the mileage might be rolled back, but I ran a Carfax and didn’t see any issues. What do you all think?
50,000 km might be legit, but paying 7 grand for a 20-year-old Focus, even with low mileage, is wild.
I get it’s in CAD and kilometers, but still.
Sky said:
50,000 km might be legit, but paying 7 grand for a 20-year-old Focus, even with low mileage, is wild.
I get it’s in CAD and kilometers, but still.
That’s about $5k USD and 30k miles. It could have been a granny car driven just 125 miles a month. But usually, extreme low mileage on an old car means it sat for a long time.
Check for signs of a repaint, and look at the interior—should be perfect if it’s legit low miles. Also, check the brakes. If they’re really worn, it could be a red flag.
I once bought a 23-year-old Taurus that had belonged to an elderly man. It had only 23k miles. Some cars just aren’t used much, especially if owned by older folks.
What does the interior look like? It’s usually easy to spot if someone is lying about miles from the interior wear. The paint looks untouched and factory.
Edit: I thought it was missing yellow stripes down the body, but I just checked, and the 2005 model doesn’t have those. Still, look for signs of a bad paint job if you’re suspicious about the mileage.
@Jamie
What yellow stripe?
Channing said:
@Jamie
What yellow stripe?
Never mind! Looked it up, and the 2005 doesn’t have any yellow stripes. That’s on me.
Channing said:
@Jamie
What yellow stripe?
Never mind! Looked it up, and the 2005 doesn’t have any yellow stripes. That’s on me.
I think some of the hatchbacks might have had them.
Does it need anything for safety? 7k seems a bit high, even if the mileage is low.
Zephyr said:
Does it need anything for safety? 7k seems a bit high, even if the mileage is low.
Nope, doesn’t need anything.