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Comments
I have often wondered why the manufactureres don't give you a little bit better guide about our fuel tanks. As in how much fuel is actually left at say half full, three quarters full, and when we are on the reserves. I seem to remember hearing about Benz having that ability once. However I could be mistaken in that.
On a related note...
I mentioned my oddly high mileage to a chevy tech who is a customer of mine; and he suggested there maybe a problem. IT was his opinion that a slight blockage in the fuel line might cause higher than normal mileage. But he was also quick to point out that if there was such blockage, I would mostly likely have some other rather serious and obvious problems with my engine. He strongly advised me to have it looked at when I take it in. Beacause in his words "there aint no way you could get over 35mpg on a Z-Tech engine in an escort".
Another fuel tip: Don't make a habit of driving around with a 1/4 tank or less of fuel. It makes your fuel pump work too hard. If you persist in driving it down to vapors on every tank, you can expect premature fuel pump failure. I always fill up when I get down below 1/2 and before 1/4. Gas stations aren't that far apart.
Just to be fair to the Chevy tech, he did mention that if there was a blockage, I would probably have other issues as well. In any event when I take the car into the shop a week from this Tuesday I will ask them about the mileage issues. Whether the true reading is 35 or 40mpgs, the very fact that I can obtain plus 400 miles on a single tank of gas; places me at the extreme high end of the miles per gallon chart.
I have heard about the notorious reputation of idiot lights. On my 1982 Acura Integra the damned thing used to turn on at 1/3 tank low. I do know that they have improved them since 1982, however to risk driving around in a cold winter or a hot summer with the light on, is to risk an emergency call to Ford's RoadSide Assistance. It is my understanding that they charge something like $6.00 a gallon.
Minor point of interest to those of us who prefer the ZX2 to the Cavalier. A co-worker in another store, purchased a Cavalier at about the same time as I got my first ZX2 last April. Since then he has had the car in the shop 6 times for one warranty problem or another. He says they are always very polite with him and have a free loaner waiting for him. However the very fact that he has had it in the shop 6 times for 6 different issues, would have me screaming up and down. Unfortunatly, the way the lemon law works in Virginia and Maryland I think is that the car has to be in three times for the same thing. Before you can start screaming lemon in the legal sense. In any event I advised him to do a little research on the subject.
At any rate on the assumption that there is a gallon or two in the tank when I fill it up. It would put me in the high 30s. This is even allowing for errors we disagree upon in computations for obtaining gas mileage.
There is a certain logic and great deal of truth to the statement "if it's not broken don't fix it".
More likely and at the risk of sounding arrogant the possible explanation offered by rickgonz may have some merit. Since the death of my first ZX2 I have been positively paranoid about driving overly aggressively. This is not to say I am afraid to use the ZX2 as she was meant to be used. Far from it, however I have purposely made an attempt to be a little more sedate with my driving styles.
The exceptions being when some pretty but idiotic cow is applying her make up, while chatting on the cell phone, while merging into high speed traffic, in her Lincoln Navagator. When I see this (such as I saw Monday Morning) it's time to put the peddle down, punch the gears and get the hell away from her as fast as my little ZX2 can go. One good thing about the zx2 it has got it when it counts the most.
At any rate, regardless of disagreements over mileage I do rather enjoy have to fill up only once every 10 days or so. IF there was something seriously wrong with the engine as Ralex and that Chevy tech pointed out, it would probably have manifested it's self in some other way. Such as loss of power or an excessive drain on the electical system.
I must admit that 400 miles to a tank is tremendous for a Zetec. My girlfriend has a Focus SE sedan (automatic), and she has not gotten more than 30mpg. Most miles on a tank were in the range of 300 - 320 miles. I get the impression from your posts that you drive very conservatively. Taking off in second gear is not usually a good idea - lends to plenty of clutch slippage to get rolling, which of course wears out the clutch in short order. Myself, I drive fairly quickly, and never do very good in the fuel mileage department.
In any event the issue still stands I routinely average 400 miles or better on one tank. That is a documentable fact. On the off chance that the trip odometer was off I have checked the mileage against the main odometer.
As for driving conservatively, your right I have been. Given the death of my first ZX2 in less than one year. I have every intention of keeping the replacement in as close to new conditon as for as long as possible. As near as I can figure I probably have the most expensive ZX2 in the state of Virginia. What between the massive insurance hit I have taken, lost time from work, insurance deductibles, the first car loan and the second loan to make up the balance. I figure this Lovely tropic green ZX2 will have cost me close $25,000. I could have gotten another Acura Integra or some any of a dozen other cars for the same price.
2nd gear versus 1st. Maybe I am strange doing this, but if the power is there, and the clutch doesn't slip or require feathering, and the rpms stay within reason, why not? First is great for rocket starts, and pulling me up a hill. However
2nd gear in this car seems extremily low with what is probably the widest acceleration range of any manual car I have driven in the past 20 years.
Thw point remains though I average 400 miles or better per tank of gas.
If you have a good foot, a second gear start on level terrain will not cause any undo wear on a ZX2 clutch. If you have to slip it excessively, just don't do it. Just a hunch, but I think if you were into maximum acceleration from standing start, you would be better off with a second gear start. 1st is just too darn low - all tire spin and noise.
http://sites.netscape.net/photogweba/ZX2Page.htm
http://sites.netscape.net/photogsweba/ZX2Page.htm
I forgot the "s".
Sorry..
Photog- I asked my son today if he knew his gas mileage. He said 32, I asked if he filled up, drove, filled up and figured mileage divided by gas gallons and he said yes. He also said when he drives to Chicago about 150 miles set on cruise 73 he gets almost 40. He had the motor replaced remember and you have had your trouble and have a later motor so maybe they are better or someone is just trying to makeup for your troubles. Who knows, but don't you think you deserve some reward out of all of it?
The zx2 no longer comes in "hot" & cool" versions. There is only one trim level as a base car and you add options as you wish such as "power group" & "comfort group" and A/C. These are all now "stand alone options". The S/R option is not available for 2001 (shame on Ford too)
If you are looking for a ZX back say to 98/99 they did come in Hot & Cool versions. The Cool being a rather base car and the Hot fairly well equipped and trimmed. The best part was that they all came with the same V-Tech engine.7.4 to 60 mph seems a Little fast but a good driver could probably come close to that i guess. There is tons of aftermarket "go fast" stuff available. Everything from superchargers, nitrous, intake & exhaust stuff as well.
have fun
Floridian
The 2000 ZX2 s/r had a bunch of aftermarket parts installed at the factory. Unfortunately only 2000 of them were made. The s/r option had an MSRP of USD1,495 on top of the base price.
There are several web sites with the specs, I think including photog's web site. Others:
zx2.com , zx2racing.com
On whether ZX2 is a good car or not.
I have had nothing but fun/pleasure driving my car. It's at 10,500 miles now, with no problems. Some folks have complained about transmission problems, and some smaller things.
I suspect the transmission problems are being experienced by those guys who drive their cars hard at street drag races. Another reason to buy an s/r because the factory installed a 'performance clutch'.
As to price, if buying price is your main consideration then it's a great buy. As someone else has said previously if resale value is to be considered, then don't even consider buying a ZX2!
I bought mine for under $12k inclusive of tax, tags and destination charge. This was in April before the 2000 s/r came on the market.
Good luck on your car shopping!
The 2001 ZX2s are out there, but many dealers seems to have cut back their inventories. My own Ford Dealership appears to have cut all the way back to only two or three cars, from high of 5 or 6. In away you can't blame the dealers too much, as the ZX2 is a fairly slow selling car. When compared to the Focus ZX3 which Ford is still marketing the hell out of.
The ZX2 is a terrific value, even if it's being phased out. The car looks sporty and it is based upon everything I have read; fairly reliable and inexpensive to maintain (or at least when compared to cars to other cars with similar performance). The parts should also be available for many years to come.
A couple of people have remarked about obtaining a stripped down ZX2 and upgrading. I made this mistake with my first ZX2 and almost did with my second. If you want a feature or an option added, buy it with the car! True you can add sunroofs and power windows afterwards. However the price is many times more. On my current ZX2 about the only two options I find myself wishing I had are the Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel and the Anti Lock Brakes. The Cruise control would be nice I suppose, but it really doesn't impress me very much. Besides it costs almost $600 to have it added AFTER the purchase.
Just to give you some other examples of the price differences: That leather wrapped steering wheel that's included in the comfort group that costs $395 in a package from Ford. In the real world though the leather wrapped steering wheel alone costs over $700 to have it added after the fact. Simliarly the leather seats in theory sound nice, but when I have sat in ZX2s with them; they really didn't do much for me. List price is about $395 when you buy the car. If you have them added afterwards, they will run you $2000. However if you want some top grade realy nice plush leather seats the price will probably run you about $3500 in the aftermarket.
Do you like "Moonroofs" as Ford Calls Sunroofs? Well in fairness this is the exception as an Aftermarket one will cost you about $400 new including the lights; while Fords will run you about $600. If you want the Ford lighting kit for the interior add another $70, and have the sun roof installer put them in. Better still buy an aftermarket lighting kit as the ones offered by Ford are not very good.
Minor note of interest if you are tall. The ZX2s Moonroof maybe a bit low for you. I am only 5'8 but much of what little height I have is in my upper body. As a result I have the seat slightly inclined otherwise when I sit upright my head touchs the sunroof. There are some companies now offering Sunroofs with slimmer profiles that don't eat up as much headroom, and with the controls located in the doors. Granted these are VERY expensive (over $1000 if memory serves); however I looked at them last May and seem to perform as advertised.
If you want to see some fun with options, check out the bottom of my modifications page on My ZX2 pages. There I have added a growing list of almost every marginaly possible option I could think of for the ZX2. IT's just a fun Fantasy list. To date I have in fact had several E-mails from people laughing about the list. Which was part of the objective with it. Nothing featured on the list is impossible to do, however you may want to consider a rather large bank loan if you tried to do the entire list.
http://sites.netscape.net/photogsweba/ZX2Page.htm
Point of interest: My webpages are almost completly back up. I think I may leave out the "Gallery of other cars" this time around as it was starting to get ridiculous. I do have several new ZX2 images to upload, and they will be uploaded in the coming days once all the repairs the rest of the pages are complete.
Someone was asking about the different ZX2s. Basic Information on almost all the ZX2s can be found on my web pages. The only exceptions being the first preproduction ZX2 which was a "Super ZX2" and a concept car. The other version I am still attempting to learn about is the quasi-Ford Official confirmed "2001 ZX2 s/r Limited". And yes there is such a car. AS I understand it though there is supposed to be less than 300 produced, and ALL of those are reserved for "Special Clientel". The car is supposedly a mix of left over 2000 ZX2 S/R, and Contour SVT parts. I would love to find one though just to see for myself what exactly the Limited S/R has. Ford's customer service though doesn't know anything about the S/R Limited it. The only people I have been able to get anything out of are a three Ford Execs I have encountered over the last year in chance meetings. One thing is for sure, it is about the only production ZX2 guaranteed to be worth something in the coming years.
I would be interested in getting together with other ZX2 owners sometime in the spring at a car show or race in the MD/VA area.
My car is stock, but I would love to see and hear about your modifications. I'm way past college years (my son's in college), so will quietly leave when the wild partying starts ;>}
Any volunteers for TeamZX2 leader/organizer?
Suggestions?
Do you think this post is inappropriate here?
Inspite of this I could perhaps set up a web page asking for people interested in joining such a club. Even if my server runs out of space I can always go to another free server.
Point of interest here: Someone sent me an E-mail refering to that ZX2 S/R Limited 2001 model I mentioned. The fellow says he may know someone who just maybe getting one. Needless to say I sent back an E-mail begging him for any details, and photos he could share. If and when I get any more info I will of course post it here.
auto cut off at the pump always cuts off at least 3 gallons shy of filling it all the way. I have to gradually pull out the nozzle and put in a little at a time until the tank is ready to overflow. I fill it up until the I can see gas inside the area where you put the cap and it doesn't all drain back in. Then I figure the mileag. I consistently take my z between 3500-4000rpm's in all stop and go traffic from light to light and I consistently get 26 mpg.
MjC
stops 3 gallons or more shy of fill-up. I don't
think everybody realizes if they spend a couple of extra minutes putting in a little more in and and a little more in until is is ready to overflow then I think they will see significant increases in there mileage as they are probably missing out on a couple of gallons they think are in the car. Also my Z is driven in Phoenix Az where right now it is in the mid 70's in December. I still don't get a whole lot better then I did when I drove in Washington state in fact I got better there.
Could the ZX2 develope a "cult following" much as the Miata has? I know there are tons of guys that go loopy over the Civics and Acuras and there is a lot of aftermarket stuff for them but it looks like the interest in the ZX is gaining ground. Maby Ford will reconsider and bring back the SR series and extend the model on into 2002. Hope so. I had so much fun with that little scooter I may just buy one for myself. All us old F---S need a toy ,right??
Floridian
I do envision a little cult of ZX2 owners keeping these cars alive for a long time. With all their flaws, the litle Zs are still top notch performers in their class and hands down the value leader.
I watched a good race on Speedvision this week and enjoyed seeing the Vipers and Vettes go at each other. I enjoyed seeing most of the Mustangs out in the grass trying to get back to the asphalt, But the main thing I noticed was that Tiburon finished 1st and third in C2K class. What a shame nobody chose to race prep a ZX2 in that class. I have to believe that it would have left the Tibs in it's dust. Ford supported the Mustang folks but wouldn't give you so much as a decal to enter a ZX2.
By the way Floridian, I am an old F--- and the Z is the perfect toy for me at this point.
Heck, if the Saturn nuts can have a get-to-gether why can't we ? Come Monday I'm gonna go looking at some. They are still giving $1000 rebate and i have almost $2000 left in Citibank Ford rebates. It's now or never. If my wife catches on before I sign the order it curtains. But i can always justify it for "business" LOL
Floridian
He responded by telling me he had only just got the car back after having his new leather seats installed. Then he proceeded to point out some of the more interesting mods he had done to his car. Including a rear Windshield Wiper (borrowed from an old Volkswagon), better oval shaped fog lights, the sunroof controls in the doors, improved tires and wheels, the white on black instruments, and several other mods. He told me that he got the ideas from reading this forum at Edmunds and some guy who runs an amatuer ZX2 page on Netscape. I asked him what was his name and he said Andrew. Where upon I responded by giving him business and we both had a good laugh. So I guess I should flattered and pleased to see that someone took my fantasy list of mods to heart. I only wish we where not in the middle of Christmas rush otherwise I would have grabbed a camera and shot a pictures of it. On the positive side though he promised to come and see me again so perhaps next I can.
Also my prior posting should read I CAN'T do Much... Perils of maning the Pc when I am asleep.
Here are some thoughts,what do you think?
1. there is an existing TeamZX2 Midatlantic which some college kids organized. I will email them to see if anything came out of it. They seem to be centered around the southern/western part of Virginia: Richmond, Roanoke, Blacksburg and a few at Va beach. Most of these guys are into street racing modifications, which I would like to see.
2. I think the holiday season is much too stressful and schedule-tight. Best to plan something big for after the New Year. Gives us all time to look for other ZX2 enthusiasts in the area. But I am amenable to just a few of us getting together for a cup of coffee to organize things. Got to be on a slow Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon.
3. In the summer there was a group of hot rodders that got together on Saturday nights in Manassas. Does anyone know if they still do it in the winter? It would be a fun place to start meeting other ZX2 owners. The diner in Leesburg that also used to host these things went out of business. Any ideas for gathering place?
4. We need some way to do announcements and a method to collect names and emails.
I will look for a free listserv so we can at least broadcast email messages to each other.
Soon as that's setup up, Andrew could advertise on his web page.
http://www.egroups.com/group/MidAtlanticZX2
Unfortunately it's one of those services where you have to sign up as a member of egroups.com first (so that they can send you email advertisements), but hey what do you expect for free?
Other possibly useful info:
Membership is open to anyone, discussions are unmoderated.
You can post messages by sending mail to:
MidAtlanticZX2@egroups.com
You can subscribe by sending an email to:
MidAtlanticZX2-subscribe@egroups.com
You may unsubscribe:
Unsubscribe: MidAtlanticZX2-unsubscribe@egroups.com
List owner: MidAtlanticZX2-owner@egroups.com
Let me know how the subscribe process goes!
My email address is in my profile.
Regards,
Rick
I agree about not trying to plan anything seriously during the holiday rush. In truth I would suggest a "ZX2 gathering" in the spring. For the moment In my opinion it would be best just see how many interested "ZX2ers" there are within the Pennsylvania/Virginia/Dc/West Virginia/Maryland area. After than we could determine the who would want to show up, and then where it would be the most fairly convienant to the majority.
Now then if we do decide to form a club shall we discuss such trivial details as a rights of passage (passage into what?), you know the fun stuff such as drinking used motor oil from oil pan? (Don't worry I am just kidding).
Un-related Point of interest:
I filled up my car this morning and manage to squeeze 11.5 gallons in it. I then off course tripped the odometer. In the interests of averaging the mileage the way everyone else keeps pestering me to do. I will advise everyone of the mileage when I am at the half way point.
Goodnews Possible major winter storm for this Area on Thursday!!! WE shall see...