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Originally Posted by LivingAlmostLarge
I have a 1999 Corolla and I love it. Boring, not zippy, but practical and no problems since we've had it. Unfortunately because we've had the two cars side by side, we've treated them the same and have been able to immediately compare the difference in maintenance.
I don't know why people feel it's downgrading, but the suggestions were that I not dump the Ford Focus for an older car. I should keep holding onto it and wait for a newer car to become cheaper and then buy it.
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No disrespect, but apparently the people who made those suggestions have no idea what they're talking about. For an average car, I would say hand on to it. But for the Focus, good riddance.
With all due respect, how many of those people actually fixed a Focus with their own hands? If they did, I don't imagine they would sing the same tune.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LivingAlmostLarge
My reasoning for dumping it is that I have a bad feeling in my bones as we hit 100k miles that it will start to break down. That more and more things will need to be repaired. I am not sure it's worth investing close to $3k to fix everything.
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I agree. You have the right feelings and empirical evidence is consistent with your assessment.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LivingAlmostLarge
As it is, right now we have to refil the engine coolant all the time because there is a hole/leak in it.
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Do you know if there's a leak? Is there coolant on the ground when you park overnight? If you're not sure, please take the car in ASAP for a coolant pressure test. What they'll do is simulate operating condition by pumping 15-20 PSI into the radiator and see if it springs a leak.
The worst case scenario is that they see no visible leak. This means that your head gasket is blown. Coolant is getting burned. Figure about $1,000-1,500 for a head gasket replacement.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LivingAlmostLarge
So that's probably a repair. We've had the car redone twice from accidents and even with the accidents we've had to repair a lot of stuff. Also the latch on the truck doesn't close all the time, we probably need to replace it.
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The trunk latch probably needs adjustment. If you want to fix it, have a body shop, not a regular garage, look at it. Body shops are better at aligning body panels like that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LivingAlmostLarge
The timing belt, the clutch, and water pump is coming due apparently.
Right now when we drive over 50 mph, the car starts to shake terribly. I think it's because the rims on two of the tires are bent. Is that the problem?
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It may be any number of things: wheel/tyre out of balance, something in the drivetrain that's loose, bad engine, bad clutch, bad gearbox, anything. There's no way to know without seeing.
Can you describe the shaking?
Quote:
Originally Posted by LivingAlmostLarge
1. brakes/rotors at 30k, told it was a common ford problem
2. key column
3. fuel pump and gauge
4. cleaned engine because spark plugs misfired and clogged it
5. door locks electric broke
6. struts
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1. This is normal. Brakes and discs/rotors usually need replacement every 30k, sooner depending on driving habit.
2. A lot of Fords have problems with the ignition switch, as reported by the person with the F150 above.
3. Fuel pump failure rate is also high in the Ford. To prevent premature failure, never drive with less than 1/2 tank. The fuel cools the pump and low fuel = hot pump.
4. What does "clean engine" mean? Misfiring spark plug = something wrong with the ignition system. You need to check spark and timing to make sure it's working probably.
5. Unfortunately this is common on American cars. The electronic accessories start to go after 5 years.
6. I would say this is normal depending on use. If you load/unload a lot, suspension is going to go sooner than later.
Overall the shaking problem worries me most. I don't know what it is, but I can't imagine it being good. You can start with balancing all 4 wheels, rotating them, and get an alignment. Then go on from there.