Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
Options
Ford Focus - Part III
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
You should have followed it to see where they were taking it. All I can thing is parts, parts, and more parts.
Think I have the only ZX3 on the road in a 3 county area, and boy does it attract attention. One guy getting on expressway did a double take last friday. Thought he was going for the medium before he got control. Just glad he wasn't coming at me.
Pat
mandoz & rubicon, look at it in a positive way. When we're 35 we'll still look 25. I'm 21 (look 17) from the convservative and ethnically homogenous state of Kansas. I drove to the dealership, knew my stuff, and the salesperson treated me with total respect. Got a great deal too! Feel kinda bad for her, trying to get things cleared up with service and my lame front suspension. Anyway.
pcleve-you've made a good point. Ford did a great job making as much as they could with what they had. The problem is if they cut too many corners to come in under budget.
All you with the first zx3's-I never thought this car would turn so many heads. I get stopped in the parking lot all the time with questions about the car. I ordered the car in Oct. and got it a two days before Christmas. The other day, I was driving my injured focus to campus and saw another black zx3. Both of us pretty much got whiplash trying to see who the other lucky owner was. Then I saw a white one in the faculty parking lot too. Looks like my special status is over. My new girlfriend isn't too keen on the looks of the car, but I'm sure it'll grow on her like it did on me. BTW-this is my first car with a manual. I've been paying more attention to my friends' cars with manuals. The tranny is really refined, other than sticking in cold weather. The ZX3's shifter is so much smoother and vibrates less than my girlfriend's Civic Si.
Sorry for the short novel. Been really busy lately to stay caught up.
I went looking to get the 2000 Cougar..was all set..that was until I sat in the back...if you are over 4 feet tall forget it!! So when I went into the showroom I saw this shrunk mini-van..had to have it...! I got a twilight blue 5 speed on Jan 28..traded in a Chevy Astro van..glad to be done with that thing!! Any way I have always owned cars with manual tranny...the best one I had was a Nissan 200sx the shift is stiff on the Focus but I am in Wisconsin so I figure as the temp gets warmer the shift will get smoother!!
When I test drove the automatic I knew I must have the manual 5. The little Foci reminds me of my 74 Super Beetle. Both corner great!!
There are at this time only Sedans being seen in the area. I have been looking in all the lots and there are no ZX3s around, so I do not know why there arn't more on the road! Well until there is I will just enjoy the attention that I get as the sole ZX3 in Wisconsin!! HAHA!!
I am going to tell Ford that the car must be unfixable since they have had 4 weeks to repair it, and they still can't fix it.
I am going to ask them (tell them) that they should compensate me for my troubles. I am also going to tell them to take parts from an existing focus and put it on mine and have my car ready to go on Friday afternoon.
I am certain all of these requests will be met with a stone wall and no tasks will be done on my behalf. To me, it is unacceptable to have an indefinite wait due to lack of spare parts. That is my logic,....wish me luck.
NorwayDoug
Igor Parsadanov
I'm still waiting impatiently for my ZX3. Due date is supposed to be in a week, but I'm almost positive it will be a month longer than that. I can hardly stand it! Auggh. Enjoy yours!!
My daughters budget is tight, and she likes 5-speed autos, so I was delighted to find two bare-bones ZX3s with 5-speed, one twilight blue, the other santori red. Dealer's asking price is $10,995. I called her up that night telling her maybe she should go there and check them out before buying the used Golf.
She bought the red one the next day.
Since then I've puzzled how the dealer is selling this car at that price, which is less than invoice. For those interested, it's Wiscasset Ford in Maine. See
http://www.wizford.com/1w.htm
for the front page of their flyer.
--Mike
Hoping everything went well.
If not I can tell you about a guy who took a bag full of rattlesnakes into the showroom of a chevy dealership and the quick results it got him. They found his new truck the very next day.
Pat
carlady/host
Ford Focus Program Headquarters
1501 Halo Drive
Troy, Michigan 48084
Inside the famous focus watch and a picture frame. Neither the watch or frame say Focus or Ford on it.
I purchased my Focus on 11-29-99 so it took a while to get here. But since it had to come through Ford HQ it took a while. So for all you wondering it does not appear to be a Regional Promotion as suggested by some but a National one that Ford is doing but not tell their own people about.
Along with the stuff came some marketing information for a "Have Spot, will travel" dog travel kit for $189, a "Mobile Pro" office workstation kit for $259, a "Road Trip" heatable/cooable cooler and blanket kit for 169.00, "U Customizer it" Sticker kit for $45, a "Makin Tracks" Picnic Basket for $229 and a "Off the Beaten Path" emergency kit for $99. If you want more info on these kits go to www.focus247.com and check out the T4U kit news
I don't like snakes so I diffently would not try this. As to the legality of it, I wouldn't want to find out. All I know is it happened because I know one of the salesmen and also know the man with the rattlesnakes. Nice guy but you don't miss with him.
Pat
I had absolutely no luck trying to resolve the issue regarding my car. It requires some suspension parts that I have been waiting for for 4 weeks after my car was struck while being parked in a parking lot. They or the dealer will do nothing except mindlessly wait for the parts. They do not care about a customer waiting for their car.
Ford 'customer service' is merely a information gatherer and not equipped to provide service. I suggested they change their name to 'customer service' to 'customer documentation'
They are absolutely hopeless and it is like talking into a mirror because they record the information and pass it on to other departments. I requested phone numbers of people who can have the means to do something, but of course, the agent cannot provide any information.
Customer service at Ford is a joke and the worst experience I have ever had contacting a company to resolve a problem I am having with their product.
Ford should be ashamed of themselves. Half my office is sympathetic to me and very wary of Ford. Bad mouthing Ford is now my only option to fight back. I am going to phone 'customer service' every other day and complain until they ask me never to phone again.
NorwayDoug
Isn't there a district manager for Ford that you can contact? Maybe try getting the number from your dealer? (Just thinking out loud...might be worth a shot, no?)
I think you should get a free rental from your Ford dealer. I think you have waited long enough. Are you under 25? Is that why you can't get a rental (besides the expense). I am sorry you are going through so many problems.
The accident involving my car was not my fault and I am able to rent a car without expense to myself.
Note:
Dealer service and ford customer service have been polite, just ineffective.
I just like to remind everyone to drive their Foci carefully because you do not want to feel the frustration and disappointment drebe73 and I feel. It is a major drag and totally boring to be without your car. A car that we probably both carefully researched and studied to insure we got the best car for the money. I still like the Focus, but not the situation I am in now.
I will let the group know when I get my Focus back (I hope in March).
NorwayDoug
Wrecks aren't covered. I explained to the person I talked to at Ford that I understand that the accident wasn't their fault but the fact that the car is taking so long to fix is their fault so they should supply me with a loaner. She said she understood the point that I was making and that she would document it. I hope that ford will take my complaint seriously so other people wont have to go through what we have been going through
Your dealer says he can't get the parts. When purchasing my new Focus, I inquired about this problem, and my dealer says he can get the parts.
Claims they will shut down the line just to get the part off the line to get it to my car, that they will make one less car. Do you think one minute that I really believe him. In my opinion, it's wishful thinking on his part. And I hope I don't have to find out about this.
And "customer service", is it really customer service or is it handle the irrate customer and keep him off the CEO's back. I only know of one major company that has a real customer service department that will not only listen to the problem, but resolve the problem as quickly as possible.
You really want the problem solved, you get a personal, respectful letter, explaining your problem, off to the CEO of Ford Motor Co., or to one of the larger stockholders and you will have customer service jumping all over to help you. You got to work from you at the bottom, bypass the middle, and get to the top, just to make the middle jump; and jump they will.
Pat
PS: I write this with personal experience.
I wish all you folks with layed up Focus' the very fastest parts express service in the world, and the best body men. If you guys don't write the CEO, let's hope he's reading this and decides to visit the customer service department head to find out what's going on out here in the real world.
I did call Customer Service today and let them know that I am going to call them 'everyday', rather than every other day.
Calling Ford is now my daily after work routine.
I explained to them that I find it surprising that a customer that calls a minimum of 10 times with a legitimate complaint is not contacted by Ford. Again, customer service is very polite and understanding, but they have no authority or power of any sort. They merely document. I am trying to have someone contact me that actually 'receives' the documentation from the 'customer service.'
This set up by Ford is brilliant because it wears the customer down and Ford keeps the upper hand at all times by this stonewalling tactic. I am impressed.
For the people who are considering a Focus: The Focus is a great car and I have no wish to scare someone away from buying one. The parts issue will go away in about 6 months (just a guess).
I agree that VW is a much smaller organization than Ford in North America. Shortages of beetle parts is 'almost' understandable by a recently struggling organization. Shortages of the 2nd biggest car manufacturer in the world (100 years manufacturing experience) is unacceptable. They are too big of a player.
Thanks again for the support.
NorwayDoug
I did call Customer Service today and let them know that I am going to call them 'everyday', rather than every other day.
Calling Ford is now my daily after work routine.
I explained to them that I find it surprising that a customer that calls a minimum of 10 times with a legitimate complaint is not contacted by Ford. Again, customer service is very polite and understanding, but they have no authority or power of any sort. They merely document. I am trying to have someone contact me that actually 'receives' the documentation from the 'customer service.'
This set up by Ford is brilliant because it wears the customer down and Ford keeps the upper hand at all times by this stonewalling tactic. I am impressed.
For the people who are considering a Focus: The Focus is a great car and I have no wish to scare someone away from buying one. The parts issue will go away in about 6 months (just a guess).
I agree that VW is a much smaller organization than Ford in North America. Shortages of beetle parts is 'almost' understandable by a recently struggling organization. Shortages of the 2nd biggest car manufacturer in the world (100 years manufacturing experience) is unacceptable. They are too big of a player.
Thanks again for the support.
NorwayDoug
carlady/host
Ford Motor Company
P.O. Box 6248
Dearborn, MI 48126
Here is the web page as I'm sure you already know: http://www.ford.com/
Good luck.
A minor quibble to a great site.
Also 'spellcheck' :>)
Mr. Jac Nasser
Ford Motor Company
P.O. Box 6248
Dearborn, MI 48126
Dear Mr. Nasser:
I am an owner of a 2000 Ford Focus ZX3. Unfortunately, my car was struck by another car while it was sitting in a parking lot on February 4 which damaged the rear suspension and rear quarter panel. The car was towed to the Dealer (specified dealer name in real letter)on February 5 to be repaired. I have been in close contact with the Ford Dealer to have the car repaired as soon as possible. As of March 1, the work cannot be completed because the dealer is not able to obtain the necessary parts. The parts are on emergency order, but there is still no firm date when the car will be repaired. I am without my car and must continue to rent a car for approximately $180 each week.I have contacted Customer Service at Ford approximately 10 times to try to expedite this repair. I have found this department to be very polite and understanding, but they are not equipped to help me because they can only document my problem and pass it on to another department within Ford. I have been extremely disappointed that no one at the Ford organization has contacted me to try to help me. Lately, I call the Customer Service department every day.The Dealer has also been very understanding and I believe they have tried their best to obtain the parts for me. However, they have been unsuccessful. I feel that I have waited long enough and I insist that someone at Ford management to do the necessary tasks to have my car repaired immediately. I also wish for someone at Ford contact me with an explanation of this unacceptable situation.I very much like the Focus and it is the first Ford I have ever purchased. I have always been an import buyer and this speaks volumes of my opinion of this amazing little car. Yours Truly, NorwayDoug (of course I signed my name and number)
Oops....I only used 1 paragraph!
ND
Everyone tells me to call an attorney. I'm not sure if I want to go through the trouble.
Either no one has mentioned this, or its just not happening in other areas but in the SF bay area, we have got tons of Foci on the road. The most common one being a 4 door. I see some type of Focus (wagon,sedan, zx3) at least twice a day!! So far I have seen about 10 or 11 ZX3's. A couple have even added aftermarkets wheels already. Are there any other areas that are experiencing a surge of Foci on the road??
Excellent letter. Let's all hope that someone who is concerned and has authority gets hold of it.
Oh, got a question. Are the Foci suspension parts from the sedan and zx3 interchangeable? Anybody out there know. I read somewhere that the zx3 is suppose to be 75% US made parts. Seems that they should be able to drop ship overnite right from where parts are made.
Pat
Friends, I need to draw the line someplace and this is it. Let's continue our conversation in our new topic: Ford Focus ZX3 Hatchback - Part IV.
carlady/host