I need to get a new car soon. My Taurus failed inspection and will cost too much to fix. I am thinking about getting a Ford Focus.

How do I get pricing info so that I can go to the dealer and not get screwed. What web sites should I use to do my homework?

I hate buying a car and haggling with the salesman.

Thanks!

try to find a car broker in your area. We have used one for about 7 years with no problems, no haggling with the salesman.

Here's some info for you - I bought a 2000 Ford Focus a few years back (upgraded to a 2002 Taurus 8 months ago).  The one I bought was the 2000 Ford Focus SE Sony Xplod Limited Edition - as you can easily guess, it came with a rather nice sound system.

The car had every option minus the sunroof and the foglamps, and the dealer had tinted the windows.  Sticker price was $17,700, invoice price was $16,700, I got it for $16,500.

My buying experience at the time was no muss, no fuss.  I didn't even have to haggle.  They came to the table with the invoice book and $16,500 written on a sheet of paper.  I signed the paper work and was out of the door only a few minutes later.

My only complaints with the Focus were the seats and the brakes.  If you are a tall person, the interior of the Focus is very accomodating - even has more headroom than a Taurus (narrower hip room and shorter leg room, of course).  But if you weigh upwards of 250lbs (like me - I'm 6'6", 250lbs), the seats can be uncomfortable for extended travel.

My front brakes gave me the most trouble with the car.  Around 15,000 miles, they began squeaking pretty bad.  Front pads were shot, and one rotor was warped.  At 17,000 miles, it started to happen again.  I took it back to the shop for that, as well as some of the recall work, and a 2002 Taurus caught my eye, so I'm not sure what the fix for the brakes was the second time.  I'm pretty sure they just turned the rotors.

All in all, it was a fun car to drive; the ZETEC engine was very peppy for a four beater, and the ride was nice - sporty and stiff.

Hope that any bit of this information helps.

the_reject

I'd look at the service history of these cars.  I seem to remember hearing that the Focus has had umpteen recalls.

Isn't the reliability record of the Focus a little shaky? I don't get [i]Consumer Reports[/i] so I haven't seen the latest owner survey, but I was under the impression that it's a superbly-designed car with build quality problems.

There is a transporatation department investigation going on right now regarding the Focus.  It involves a total collapse of the front suspension system.  They are expecting a major recall in the coming months.  This was on the major news a couple weeks ago.  Buy a Honda Civic, its foreign but will last you forever.
Bill3508

DIE RICE LOVER!

By a american car. forget the rice.

NOVA5,
      I am not a rice lover, and I have never bought a foreign car.  I've always owned Chevrolets and will continue to do so.  However, the American small car market sucks and they are unreliable.  I would not hesitate to buy a Civic as my only small car.  
1989 Blazer K5
1998 Tahoe LT
1996 Impala SS(LT1)
2000 Tahoe LT

Bill3508

Why don't you get a real car?

[img]http://www.mgracing.an/images/images/Volkswagen_golf/vlksglf.jpg[/img]

Get a Dodge Stratus.  Best bang for your buck car out there (besides a Camaro).

The ES is a nicely loaded package, and a good V6.  The R/T is a little pricier, but great if you want a borderline sports car.

[img]http://www.dodge.com/inside/news_awards/img/main_rt.jpg[/img]

My son shopped around very carefully for a new car before settling on the Mazda Protege.  I called a Ford salesman friend of mine and sent my kid over to check out the Focus.  He checked out the Focus and several others of the same class before deciding on the Mazda.

Before buying, I would recommend some careful research on Edmunds and Carpoint using their comparison features.  Pay careful attention to the record of repair on each.  Very enlightening.  My kid really likes his Protege.

Good Luck!

[beer]

If you MUST get a Ford, get an F150 or one of their other model trucks. Ford cars SUCK!
[:D]

Dude, my sister owns a Focus.  She's owned lots of crappy cars in her lifetime like Suzuki Samurai, 10 year old escorts and there was a Sunfire too but she says that the Focus is the absolute worst piece of doggie doo she ever had the misfortune to drive.  It was supposed to replace the Escort and Ford cut every corner possible to get the most profit out of it.  I'd recommend a Hyundai or KIA before the Focus.  Heck, I've seen the new Hyundais and with the 10 year warranty they are a darn good deal.
Go to edmunds.com or KBB.com to research your car.  Find the invoice price of the car and options you want then email your local dealers' fleet salesman.  You will get invoice plus U$300 or so.  No haggle, 30 minutes in and out.

Fritz

Contratry to popular belief, The Ford Focus is not a car...it's a rollerskate with windows.
Buy something real for Crists sake.

Sgtar15

I would take a good look at the Nissan Altima. Lots of power for a small car, nice interior, and pretty good pricing. I have heard nothing but positive things about these cars.

[URL] WWW. EPINIONS.COM [/URL]- comsumer reviews

[url] carbuyinytips.com [/url]

[url] motleyfool.com [/url]-great personal finance sight.
Consumer reoprts has the annual auto edition out right now- great $3 investment.

Stokes,
  Way to catch that.  I'm used to explaining things to stupid people and I forgot that I was on the site of ultimate wisdom and knowledge! [:)]

Bill3508

focus has 9 or 10 recalls and 6 federal investigations....new record...reported on the news last week. Buy a used nissan...you can get a maxima for around 10 and it will last until you get tired of it....

I am partial to Ford myself, and the Focus is a fine car.  The focus may have some recalls but that is Ford taking all responsibility for their product.  Some manufacturers would not recall some problems but Ford is doing it to cover their ass, and it is good for the consumer. The Focus is a good reliable car.  However; I agree with Kar98.  If I were in the market for a small car I would get a VW GTI VR6.

What hound said – couldn't agree more. But a word of warning: Before checking-out any Nissan Maxima, make sure it fits in your garage, 'cos you'll wind up buying it!

Yet another vote for a used Maxima — Excellent cars, in both performance and reliabiltiy. My sister bought a '95 several years ago for 10K (would probably cost under 8K now), with 75,000 miles on it. Other than replacing a starter, it has required absolutely no repairs. I have no doubts that it's good for at least another 100K without any major problems. They're also surprisingly easy to work on.

[url=http://www.edmunds.com]Edmunds.com[/url]

We found this website invaluable when we were checking out new cars and bought our Chevrolet Impala last year.

Yes, in the exact same way that an AK-47 is a foreign rifle regardless of where it is assembled.

If I were going to buy a new car there are two I would look at:

The Nissan Altima, the same engine as the Maxima with a couple less hp and less weight and the Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V - 175 hp from a 4 banger without a turbo, 6 speed trannie, limited slip differential.
When in the fuck is Detroit going to wake up??
Oh yea, they stopped making real cars in the early 70's.

About pricing, go to the Kelly Blue Book web site [url]http://www.kbb.com/[/url] or the NADA Guide web site [url]http://www.nadaguides.com/[/url].

If you hate to haggle then just pay the manufacturers suggested retail price on the car.

Of course why pay 75 cents for a can of Coke from 7-11 when you can get it for 35 cents from Safeway....

Just don't pay anything above the MSRP or what I call the Dealer adjusted pig-sticking ripp-off price.

You can also go to Motor Trend's web site and get a pricing guide from them.

So far my focus is doing ok.  approaching the one year mark.  No major problems reported, and the only recall it's been subject to is the rear seat latch.  
I'm 250+ and the seats are fine for me on long rides, so i think it depends on the shape of your butt.

one of a (lets say ex girlfriend who i need to get a restraining order on), anyway, her focus is small (a little peppy) but it has a tendancy to break alot of small very important parts.  example being the ignition (where you put the key in), spark plugs, door locks, she lost control once (she blamed it on the car just pulled right suddenly. i think she just cant drive.)


she also got stoped by the police, and when we broke up i told her to keep in mind that whenever she gets stoped, dont say "yes officer" or "yes sheriff" but i tell her to say "yes boss,"   most LEO know that all inmates say "yes boss"  thus it will cause the LEO to investigate her more.  boy did it work.  she was on the side of the road for more that 45minutes!!! talk about revenge!!![:D]