Hello:

I have a Focus ZX3 which I love, so I was slightly perturbed
and discouraged to learn that, according to the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration, in the event of a collision with an object
approaching from the side, the rear passenger in a Focus ZX3 faces a 26%
chance or greater of receiving a life-threatening injury (one which
requires immediate hospitalization and may be life threatening.  The
NHTSA gave the ZX3 a 1 star rating (from 1 to 5, with 5 being the
safest) for rear passengers in the Side Impact crash test.

A quote from their website on how the side impact test was conducted:

"The test configuration represents an intersection type collision with a
3015 pound deformable barrier moving at 38.5 mph into the stationary
struck vehicle. In the stationary vehicle, instrumented dummies in the
driver and rear seat passenger seats register forces during the crash.
These measures form the basis for the "Star Ratings" chart."

On a good note, they gave the ZX3 a 4 for side impact for front driver
and passenger, and 5 stars in the event of a collision for front driver
and passenger.

This review may be found here:

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/testing/ncap/cars/1465.html

Any comments?

-Nate

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

Hey ya’ll,

You know, as I as scour the web to check out Foci infof and the
experiences of fellow Foci owners, I realize that an awful lot have
ZX3′s. Perhaps it’s the internet that’s skewing my perspective (I’ve
seen more sedans and wagons on the road here in NYC) but still, I’m
kinda amazed at how visible ZX3 owners are (at least on the web).

So a question for those of you who do have ZX3′s (or who prefer them to
the sedan/wagon): why do you like the ZX3?

This isn’t meant to disparage the ZX3 in any way now and there’s no
malice intended. While I don’t particulary care for the styling, it’s
*such* a great value it’s almost obscene. I suppose I’m just trying to
understand everyone’s situation when it comes to cost, driving needs,
people hauling, etc a bit more.

Personally, I’ve been lucky with work so money wasn’t such a huge issue
with me. If it was, I’d definitely consider the ZX3. But my main thing
during decision time was the fact that I need 4 doors. I live in New
York City, and most of my friends (including my girlfriend) live in
Manhattan. For those who aren’t familiar, having a car in Manhattan is
a huge hassle. So amongst my friends, I’m the only one with a car, and
I usually have at least two other passengers with me when I’m out ‘n
about. So I felt I had to have 4 doors. I finally went with a SE Sport.

Any comments are appreciated…

peace,
Neil

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

My ZX3 has spent the last week in the shop. It had the water leak problem in
the front passenger side.

I am going to pick it up later today. The first day it was in and they
called to say the fixed the other minor things I requested but they couldn’t
find a leak. I asked if they had checked the service bullitens since I knew
of one posted to a newsgroup. They hadn’t done that. So then they check the
bulliten and decide to take the air conditioning all apart on day two. Day
two/three looking into the air conditioning..and finding nothing. Asking me
if I am sure I didn’t spill water in the car..argh! Day 4 they decide to
check all the seals..but they need a day to put the car/air conditioning
back together. Day 5 they say they have found the leak in a seam. The have
resealed the seam. I can pick up my car in a couple of hours after they have
cleaned it up and got the paper work up to snuff.

They have given me a "loaner"..a HUGE windstar van! with all the bells and
whistles..and the scary expensive gas mileage…it really isn’t me. I may
look like a middle aged mom who wants to be part of the Van Convoy to and
from school..etc..but I am definately not..*G* I really do love driving my
zippy fun ZX3.

I have asked them to specifically document this issue on my invoice which is
all under warranty just in case I happen to have a rust issue in the future
in that area. I am wondering if there is anything else I should be
suggesting to my dealer to protect myself?

I must say I was a bit surprized that they weren’t quick on the uptake with
the computer stuff. I told them several times exactly where I had read about
the issue..and gave them the numbers etc for the service bulliten. I would
hope if they weren’t computer savvy they would atleast have one person in
the dealership who may be able to help them. Especially in the Auto
industry..computers aren’t going away!

Well…let’s hope this is the end of my car’s mischief and we are on to
"happy trails" again!

toodles

Heather

In response to much requesting (not only on this group, either, but they did
hear it) Ford will be building the 5-door hatchback for the US market. YES!

I want to order a 2001 ZX3 but local dealers can
not show me or tell me what the 16" aluminum
wheels will look like.  They are included in the
Convenience Group for ’01.  Does anyone know for
sure what they will look like?  I have been
scouring the ‘net, car mags, Focus newsgroups,
etc. and can not find definite answers.
Speculation is that they will be the Kona wheels,
but I want to know for sure before ordering.
Thanks.

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

Is there any where I can order color matched side moldings for the ZX3?  I was
looking at the SE and I noticed that the moldings are a different material than
that of the ZX3 and ZTS.  The piece on the back is the same material across all
model lines, but paint doesn’t stick to it to well.

-Mike

but i wanted to know if and where could i buy Licence Plates from Portugal?
I would really like them and see if i could get away of putting them on my
car, on the front. I live in Ontario so i know thats illegal,but hey, we all
got to live on the wild side. my cousin from Boston has a portugese plate on
the front of his car and it looks phat!! i wanted to get one with my
birthday on it. I would really like to know where to purchase
plates…thanks for hearing me out…

Has anyone had any problems wih the door creaking at low speeds when the
window is either open slightly open or shut becase my dealer has just found
the fault on my vehicle and has fixed it.

Please reply…

The September issue of Consumer Reports includes a test report on small
sedans, and the Ford Focus came out with the highest rating:

"The Ford Focus breaks new ground in this class; it’s a small car that
doesn’t feel like a typical entry-level model. Helping it get to the top of
our class ratings are a roomy interior and excellent road manners. It
handles nimbly; rides comfortably; and offers easy access, excellent
controls, brisk acceleration, and decent fuel economy. It’s that rare
animal — a practical car that’s fun to drive. Pronounced road noise is the
Focus’s most obvious demerit. The Focus is too new for us to predict its
reliability."

The rankings were:

Ford Focus ZTS
Mazda Protege ES *
Volkswagen Jetta GLS 2.0 *
Toyota Corolla S *
Nissan Sentra GXE
Chevy Prism *
Dodge Neon ES
Daewoo Nubira CDX *
Saturn SL2
Kia Sephia LS *

* reviewed in previous issues of CR

Mark Volstad
(Malibu Blue ZX3)

locked at 105mph?? i’ve been over 115+mph several times with no shutdown or any
problems

steve
2000 ZTS
5 speed