I’ve been considering this used car and wanted to get some feedback. Any thoughts or things I should be aware of before making a decision?
It’s an automatic? Run. Find a manual version, or avoid these cars completely.
Why isn’t Ford fixing the 2017 and 2018 TCMs for free? What other problems does it have?
Would you say the same thing about the A8 transmission in the 2019 models?
We didn’t get the 2019+ models in the US. Ford stopped production of the Focus, Fiesta, and Taurus in 2019, and the Fusion stopped in 2020.
Automatic Mk3 Focus? No way. Run and don’t look back.
If you can find a manual, go for it. That would be a reliable choice.
Hard pass if it’s the automatic transmission. These cars are notorious for transmission failures, leaving you with a lemon. Search around the forum, there are plenty of posts about it.
For that mileage, even on a Titanium, 9k is way too much. I got my 5-speed for $8k with 76k miles on it.
Yeah, the 5-speed base models are great options for a reliable beater or daily driver.
Do not buy it. I’ve had good luck with used cars in the past, but when I bought my 2013 Focus, everything went downhill. It’s in the shop now needing a second TCM and transmission, maybe even a new ECU. My advice? Buy a Toyota and don’t look back.
That 6-speed auto will cost you more in clutch replacements than the car is worth. I had to replace mine 3 times by 118k miles, and thankfully it was under warranty, but this one is likely out of the extended warranty.
Honestly, no. Even if you’re a mechanic with the skills and tools to rebuild the internals, that price is still way too high for this car. Pass on it.
If it’s automatic, no. If it’s manual, yes. But since this is automatic, it’s a hard no.
If you buy this, you’ll likely regret it for the rest of the decade.
It depends. This forum will mostly tell you to avoid these cars, but I’ve had good experiences with mine. I’m at 221k miles now. I had to replace the clutches and actuators at 189k miles for $3k, but the car has been running great since then. If you do mostly highway driving like I do, it might work for you. Stop-and-go city driving will kill these cars quickly though.
If you already own one and do a lot of highway driving, sure, you can get some good miles out of it. But buying one? No way.
I’m also a highway driver with 175k miles, and I had my transmission repaired at an independent shop. I’ve warned people who asked me about the car—especially my neighbor who wanted it for his kid. I couldn’t let him do that. You don’t know fear until your transmission fails while you’re making a left turn in front of oncoming traffic.
There are plenty of other cars out there that will give you similar mileage without needing thousands in transmission repairs.
I got a 2017 Focus in 2022 with only 12k miles for $8k. This one isn’t worth it.