I have a 2001 ZX3 with 72,000 miles.  All I have had to do with this car is
replace the tires, an alternator and an egr sensor.
I commute 36 miles to work and Michigan roads are among the worst in the
country and this car has hung tough, so far.
There is some rust forming underneath the tailgate lid and the ignition key
worries me a bit.  Other than that, I really like this car.

I've got a 2004 ZX5 and love it. I wanted the wagon, but since the wife
is the primary driver, and she liked the sporty look of the ZX5 compared
to the wagon, that's what we got. It's roomy, handles great, and I love
the hatch since we can load large objects in it where we wouldn't have
been able to if we had the sedan.
No problems with it so far. Haven't had a chance to drive it in ice or
snow yet, so I can't say how it's going to work in that.
I prefer the 4dr ZX5 over the three door ZX3, since it's easier for
extra passengers to get in and out, plus the front doors are usually not
as long on 4 door cars, so it's easier to open them to get in and out of
the drivers seat in a tight parking lot.

JPH

As you say, Cars made in 2002 and later are pretty reliable, although Ford
did a good job of sorting out the problems of the earlier ones too. There
really aren't any special "gotchas" in used Focuses, except that many
drivers with 50-series 16-inch tires on alloy rims (common on ZX5s) find
they break too easily in potholes and are replacing them with 15 inch tires
on steel rims.

I don't know why you're having a hard time finding used ZX5s. There
certainly are lots of them around. Keep looking and I'm sure you'll find
what you want.

I own a 2003 ZX3 with a manual transmissions, no power windows,
no power door locks, no cruse control. I drive it over 350
miles a day, as of now it has over 163,000 miles on it.

Most of the driving I do is on the highway so I get between 30
and 35 MPGs.

This car has been the most reliable car I have ever owned. The
only thing that came that close was my 1997 Escort wagon that had
over 122,000 before I totaled it in the spring of 2003.

The only thing I have had to replace was the alternator because
one of the bearings was going bad around 130,000 miles.

I have done scheduled replacement of the timing belt at 60,000
and 120,000 miles. Ford specs I believe 80,000 mile timing belt
replacement interval, however in the line of work I am in better
to be safe then stuck on the side of the road with busted timing
belt. The timing belt tensioner was replaced at 120,000 miles
because bearings was going bad. Replaced the front brake pads
and rotors at 125,000 miles along with the rear linings. Had
to replace the rotors because the inside left pad fell off the
caliper, so have the front brakes checked to make sure that all
of the hardware is tight.

I wanted a wagon, again because of the line of work I do. I
settled for the ZX3 because the dealer had no wagons with
manual transmissions and crank windows.

Had my first chance driving the thing on snow packed roads last
week. As expected it handed the same as any other front wheel
drive car with all season radial tires.

In alt.autos.ford.focus marc cooper <mvcooper@verizon.net>:

Mine is a 1999 2.0l wagon (Ghia), there were/are a few minor
glitches, as mostly if you get a car that was new in production.
But nothing really annoying, on the other hand it's as reliable
as any other Ford owned, which were quite a few. Got it used,
needed some month to find one that would fit my needs at a
reasonable price. Unlike most other Ford, the Focus isn't that
cheap used (over here). The fun thing about it, bought it from an
official DC dealer, he was quite happy to get the Ford from his
court and made an offer one couldn't resist.;)

I'd look for a well equipped model, there are a few nice things,
like the heated wind screen, heated/electric mirrors, 4xelectric
windows with remote control, sunroof and dozens others, you
might like to keep an eye on.

Never care about the radio, if you are serious about car hi-fi,
you'll rip of the strange ideas Ford has about hi-fi completely
anyway.;) There are good replacement speaker JBL/Infinity/etc
available, which fit perfectly into the original mount (4xdoors),
IIRC 5"x7" for a good start.

Wouldn't care about things you can easily change, like wheels,
but about things you want/must have which aren't retrofit for a
reasonable price.

One of the "miss" features about the Focus is the nearly zero
"overtaking prestige", but that might not be an issue for you.

Good luck

Me too

Get a 2003 or 2004 with the 2.3L duratech engine. Makes a huge
difference. Look foor a car with the 8th digit of the VIN is "Z".

The 2003 came with a 5 year, 100K mile power train warantee.

Yes, very difficult. Especially if you are like me and are specific
about the equipment you want. You will have better luck buying from a
dealer. I just paid 11,900 for an 04 ZX5, premium with auto, ABS and
sunroof. It was certiified pre owwned. By comparison manhattan had
(has?) an 04 ZTS with 1,200 ( yes twelve hundred, miles for 10,600 (but
no ABS and no sunroof)

i just went to the ford website and got the list of dealers and started
calling them till I found one, went out the next day a bouoght it at
Island Ford. i think they have one more.

I'm in  Newe York too.
Where did they move? Any public transportation options/

yea, I just bouoght my ZX5. Hard to find, even new, and you will pay a
premium. I started by just calling  all the dealers in the area and
found a certified pre owned 04 for 11,900. As a comparison Manhattan
Ford had an 04 ZTS with only 1,200 miles for 10,600.

Look at a 03 or 04 with th 2.3L engine. night and day difference
between thhat and the 2.0L 130 HP when either is equiped witht the
automatic. 8th digit in the VIN shouold be a Z.