I’m thinking about buying my first manual car and I found a 2013 Ford Focus Titanium for $4,000. It has 180,000 miles, a 5-speed manual transmission, and aftermarket intake and exhaust. Is this a good deal? What should I check before buying it?
5 Likes
Check the VIN and see if there’s any service history available? Cn be high mileage, bt being a manual, there’s less that can go wrong. It could be in bad shape if it’s been heavily used, but if it’s been well-maintained, it might be fine. Also, check if the cambelt has been replaced; there might be a sticker on the engine with that info.
4 Likes
If it’s been owned by someone for a long time and the mods were done properly (not just a cheap cone filter slapped on), that could be a good sign that the car was well cared for. You’ll get a feel for how it’s been maintained when you check it out. If it looks like it’s been poorly modified, that’s a red flag.
A well-maintained manual MK3 Focus can be one of the most reliable modern Fords.
3 Likes
Do Not Buy Any Car With Mods.
1 Like
Aftermarket exhaust and intake isn’t a bad thing necessarily, though gotta be sure they didn’t get a custom tune .
1 Like
exactly my point, aftermarket exhausts and intakes often just noisemakers without a significant performance boost. I have both with a tune myself it’s faster than stock, but the difference isn’t huge.