Trading the 2SS for a Focus?

[Dmpsix]

Originally Posted by crosbycool

I think the statement, "you are what you drive" is very true. Many years ago I owned a rusty Pinto and it meant one thing. I didn't have enough money for a better car...

lol I know a few very wealthy people that drive nothing but beat up cars but live in mansions.

Some people around here may be familiar with the company, but there's an extremely successful Tow Truck company in Orange County, CA (Mission Viejo) that is owned by a guy who drives around an 04 Ford Expedition and has a house with well over 7 figures and owns this restaurant
http://javiers-cantina.com/#!/page_HOME

So it's not true in my humble opinion.

[lbls1]

Some wealthy people are not into cars and could care less how current their car is. Warren Buffett is reported to drive an 80's vintage Ford, and I believe the report says that its his only car. How true this is, especially for one of the worlds' richest men, is anyone's guess.

[lafountain]

Originally Posted by GVA 45TH 2SS

Thats because they use CVTs in the tranny

The Focus actually uses a Dual Clutch Transmission and not a CVT. The problem is that Ford went with a Dry Dual Clutch system in the Focus. Many of the manufacturers who went with Dry Dual Clutch have had issues, the ones that went with a wet dual clutch have not had all that many issues.

[Spurshot]

Originally Posted by lbls1

Some wealthy people are not into cars and could care less how current their car is. Warren Buffett is reported to drive an 80's vintage Ford, and I believe the report says that its his only car. How true this is, especially for one of the worlds' richest men, is anyone's guess.

I think the saying is anecdotal, but it still reflects a personality. So, I agree with the saying. Warren Buffett is exactly the kind of guy that would drive an old, conservative car. It's him, he is it. He is an enigma.

[crosbycool]

Originally Posted by Dmpsix

lol I know a few very wealthy people that drive nothing but beat up cars but live in mansions.

Some people around here may be familiar with the company, but there's an extremely successful Tow Truck company in Orange County, CA (Mission Viejo) that is owned by a guy who drives around an 04 Ford Expedition and has a house with well over 7 figures and owns this restaurant
http://javiers-cantina.com/#!/page_HOME

So it's not true in my humble opinion.

I wonder what the guy has in his 8 car garage? By the way, that quote, "you are what you drive" is only true for car guys. If you're not a car guy, then it's really true.

[bayarea408]

Originally Posted by Emig5m

No, it's not. I was researching the Focus and it looks like they have weak/problematic trannies?

rented a focus 2 weeks ago to drive from socal to the bay area. The focus was brand new under 10k miles gave me ALLLLL types of problems on the ride up. Most notably the tranny over heating warning messages. not a hazard you want to see on the 5!!! Forced me to pull over for a half hour in hopes it would survive the trip. REALLY poorly made car, all this hype with the ST and RS definitely does NOT trickle down to base models.

[Turbo_J89]

I've been there done that owning 3 Civic SI's. One was turbocharged. It just doesn't have the same effect as the Camaro. Moving down from my 10 Camaro SS to a 06 SI was miserable. I ended up with my 1LE a couple years later and it felt great being back behind the wheel of an ever better SS. To each his own but that move wasn't for me.

[Emig5m]

Originally Posted by Turbo_J89

I've been there done that owning 3 Civic SI's. One was turbocharged. It just doesn't have the same effect as the Camaro. Moving down from my 10 Camaro SS to a 06 SI was miserable. I ended up with my 1LE a couple years later and it felt great being back behind the wheel of an ever better SS. To each his own but that move wasn't for me.

I don't know about the older years since I was never a fan of Japanese brands and compact cars but this new Civic is very nice. I actually find it more pleasant to drive on my daily commute and it was the actual test drive that sold me.

Other than straight line performance and leather seats it feels like a solid upgrade in most other ways from a 2010 2SS. Great visibility, better interior design, better sound system, great integration with smart phones, insane gas mileage (I went from 20mpg to 40mpg), you can even tighten the suspension with a push of a button.

But admittedly, at my pay wage the gas difference between 20mpg and 40mpg honestly doesn't really effect me that much - I can afford gas in a Hellcat if I wanted (actually my Lightning is just as bad on gas as a Hellcat and I daily drove it for many years). But I still like the new 2017 Civic SI more as a daily driver for other reasons other than just the gas mileage. I probably wouldn't have liked the older ones either where you had to redline them to get power where as the new turbo I find I can lug tall gears even going up hills in which I'm quite impressed with its ability to lug tall gears for a measily 1.5L. Also very surpised with the leg room. I don't feel like I'm driving a compact car and the rear seats are actually useable with comfort.

So overall I'm very happy with the move for a daily commuter. The downside is the deflated ego knowing that I no longer drive a car that garners actual respect from people and I'm looked down upon rather than up upon, lol. But thankfully I still have a secondary supercharged V8 for the ego problem...hehe.

Who knows, maybe I'll be back in a muscle car in a couple years. But for now, I wanted to go a different route and change it up and experience something different and refreshing and I'm enjoying the new Civic so far...

[bannonm]

Originally Posted by lafountain

The Focus actually uses a Dual Clutch Transmission and not a CVT. The problem is that Ford went with a Dry Dual Clutch system in the Focus. Many of the manufacturers who went with Dry Dual Clutch have had issues, the ones that went with a wet dual clutch have not had all that many issues.

I had a '13 Focus Titanium loaded. Nice car except for the transmission. It is a POS and was in four times before Ford admitted there was an issue. The last time they replaced the clutch pack with a "newer" design but the problem with shuddering/engine stall came back as before. Soon after that I received a letter from Ford extending the warranty to 100K/10 years on the trans. It is a poor design that is still in use on the Focus. Apparently the Escape has the same transmission as my son has a '12 Escape and he has issues as well.

So my youngest managed to total the Focus six months ago, so I thought well it's 2017 the trans has to be better by now. Talked to several dealers and found out the only change was the newer clutch packs which in my experience didn't permanently fix the problem. Wound up buying a 2017 Civic. At about 8K miles it has been a great car. No issues at all so far.

I remember having to rent the Fiesta (small piece of crap) back in 2010-2011 several times when traveling for work. I recall those cars having shuddering problems too. When will Ford learn.

[Emig5m]

Originally Posted by bannonm

Wound up buying a 2017 Civic. At about 8K miles it has been a great car. No issues at all so far.

That's nice to hear. I'm still under 800 miles on mine so far, heh. What model did you get? I got a green SI coupe.

[rontammy0]

Originally Posted by Emig5m

That's nice to hear. I'm still under 800 miles on mine so far, heh. What model did you get? I got a green SI coupe.

You cant go wrong witb a Civic.

[kingz]

Nicer interior lol..... Please..... That interior already looks old. . Well , not a nicer design than the Camaro .

[2000C5]

"Smiles per gallon" which someone mentioned on the first page of this thread is really what driving is all about for me....and I would venture to say the same applies to many, if not most, of the members of this forum.