In light of an argument going on between my best friend and myself regarding the reliability of domestically engineered vehicles, I have decided to start posting about the best and worst cars. I am going to try to be impartial but this may be easier in theory than reality (I drive a Toyota, he drives a Chevy).
Today’s focus is on a car that is found at the top of my “worst” list, and I am sure I’m not alone
Ford Focus
The Focus continues to get worse. Ford’s partnership with Microsoft for SYNC only further exemplifies my opinion. The newly designed focus boasts of modern design and lots of features at a low price. If by features they mean the faux engine exhaust on high end models, then Ford speaks the truth, and as the old adage goes- you get what you pay for.
Furthermore, the Focus comes in awful colors, and is trimmed with not-so-contemporary black door handles. I think body-colored and chrome are an option, but it seems like the majority of Focus buyers choose black. It’s 2008, people. 2009 in the automotive world. How much money do automakers really save by putting black door handles and mirrors on their cars? The only car higher up than the focus on the “bad use of trim” list is the Kia Rio, which sports a black door guard panel spanning the length of the car, no matter what color the rest of the car, as well as a black trimmed bumper.
Reliability: A friend of mine that has a Focus has had more reliability issues than most car owners. The quality of materials Ford uses is not the best. I always feel like I need to throw dice to see if her car will start. After all, Ford is just an acronym for fix or repair daily!
Suggestions: save up for another month and invest in a Mazda3 or Chevy Aveo. The Aveo has been tastefully redesign and while sparse on features, is cute and modern for the price. The Mazda3 is another popular alternative, and is a sibling of the Focus, but Mazda does a fabulous job trimming their cars to look more expensive than they are (except for the media console which I will address in another blog).
