Need advice: 2016 Ford Focus SE 4DR Automatic – Worth it?

Hey everyone,

I’m looking to buy my first car on a budget and found a 2016 Ford Focus SE Automatic 4-door with 80k miles for $10,000 CAD. It comes with a clean Carfax and a 12-month dealer warranty.

Given the current market, it seems like a decent deal, but I don’t know much about cars. Should I go for it or stay away?

Would love to hear your thoughts—why should I buy it, or why shouldn’t I?

Thanks in advance!

The 2012-2018 models are known for transmission issues, specifically with the TCM (Transmission Control Module). Not everyone has problems, but a lot of people do. I got lucky—my clutches lasted until 179k miles before they started slipping. Lost reverse at one point, but got it to a shop, replaced some parts, and I’m now at 205k miles.

How long it lasts depends on how you drive. City driving tends to wear the transmission out faster. If you get the car, take care of it and replace anything that feels off ASAP. The first sign of trouble is usually slipping clutches. If you stay ahead of it and replace things like actuators, thrust bearings, bushings, and actuator motors when needed, you’ll get a lot more life out of it. Most people see clutch wear between 70k-120k miles.

@Emil
Exactly this! Stay on top of maintenance and replace the clutches as soon as they start slipping. Mine’s at 262k now and still running great.

Do you know which engine it has?

Marlow said:
Do you know which engine it has?

I think it’s either a 2.5L or 1.5L, but more likely the 2.5.

Pax said:

Marlow said:
Do you know which engine it has?

I think it’s either a 2.5L or 1.5L, but more likely the 2.5.

There’s no 2.5L option for the North American Mk3.5 Focus—just a 1.0L (3-cylinder) and a 2.0L.

If it has the 2.0L, that engine is solid, but the automatic transmission (DPS6 DCT) is the one with major issues. The 1.0L, on the other hand, has a regular automatic (6F15), but it has its own issues—there’s a recall for internal belt/oil pump problems.

So basically, the 2.0L has a great engine but a bad transmission, and the 1.0L has a less reliable engine but a more reliable transmission. Not ideal either way lol.

@Marlow
Hey! I’m looking at a 2016 Focus with 200k km on it for $5k CAD. It has the 1.0L engine and a new engine was installed last year. Do you think I’d still have transmission issues?