I’ve got the same car with 100k on it, and it’s been great. Only needed normal wear-and-tear fixes like brakes and fluids.
At this mileage, you might need to replace suspension parts soon. Things like ball joints, struts, and tie rod ends usually wear out around 10 years, especially if the grease in the boots is gone. Just something to plan for.
@Chen
I’ve got an 08 with 135k. Bought it a year ago, and it’s been great. Only issue is my driver’s side door handle broke, and I’ve been too lazy to fix it. The 5-speed is solid. I learned to drive manual on it, and even my 16-year-old brother learned on this car. Clutch will need replacing soon, but that’s expected. I had an 05 before this, and it lasted almost 250k miles. Love these cars.
@Adley
Haha, my driver’s side door handle is broken too! I think someone tried to break in. Fixing it is a pain because you have to remove the window glass to get to the reinforcement.
Chen said: @Adley
Haha, my driver’s side door handle is broken too! I think someone tried to break in. Fixing it is a pain because you have to remove the window glass to get to the reinforcement.
Same! I pulled off the trim, saw how much work it’d take, and thought, ‘I’ll deal with this later.’
At 93,000 miles, it probably hasn’t had the 100k service yet. That can be expensive since it covers a lot of maintenance. Make sure you can budget for that along with the potential clutch replacement you mentioned.
The clutch could be an expensive fix if it hasn’t been done yet. These cars use a dual-mass flywheel, which can’t always be resurfaced. A new one costs $1,200–$2,000. Some mechanics will resurface it with success, but it’s not guaranteed.
You can also swap to a single-mass flywheel using an Exedy kit, which costs about $600. Including labor, you’re looking at anywhere from $900 to over $2,000 for a clutch replacement. Just keep that in mind.
The 2008 Focus is super reliable. I’ve got one and it’s a fantastic daily driver. Great gas mileage, too.
The manual transmission is solid. My clutch is original at over 100k miles and still going strong. My old 2004 Focus had the same transmission, and its clutch lasted past 160k. As long as the fluids are in good shape, this should be an awesome first car.