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Comments
In fact, after reading your post, I went out to take a look at the block heater receptacle on the Dodge Quad Cab... Looks like I can tie-wrap the cord to a position in which it should be accessable through the grill opening without opening the hood!
Not sure what I'll see when the wife's ZX3 arrives (late June), but will attempt to take the same approach as you're suggesting.
Guess the point here is that there are those of us who see reducing engine wear at start-up as essential to ENJOYING strong, prolonged performance from the mill!
As my wife and I contemplate buying a vacation home in the Florida Keys, I'm thinking, "What about a block cooler!?"
Keep us posted on your ZX3 and your approach to block heating!
This isn't a warm-up, but after the car has sat for a few hours, the oil drains down. It's a good idea to let the oil redistribute itself before starting off. And don't rev the engine, that get's the parts moving fast before the oil is back.
Reason I ask is, Towcrazy2 says his wife's "Z", won't arrive till June.
If June is CLOSE to "01 Models time", maybe I should wait for '01's to appear, before buying. Why?
If I buy an '00 now, my State sales tax is for a NEW car. (a BIG tax).
But if I wait till the new '01 models hit, and then pick up a "left-over 00" ... then I'll pay tax on a ONE YEAR OLD car (that happens to be brand new). A MUCH smaller Tax.
PLUS, the "fire/theft/collision" insurance will be (I hope) based on ONE year old car.
PLUS, with new '01 models coming in, the Ford dealer will be more anxious to get the '00 models off his lot (and willing to talk a "sweeter" deal).
PLUS, Ford might want to reduce its '00 stocks faster ... and start offering cash "Incentives n' Rebates".
Bottom Line:
If Ford is only a couple months away, from starting '01 model year --- maybe I should sit on my hands till then, and save a bundle.
Is my logic flawed? If so, please enlighten me.
Any and all Comments from fellow Members here (whether "Pro" or "Con") plus any "Info" / "Facts" / "Rumors" you've picked up on this --- will be much appreciated. Thank you.
zx3
zx3
I believe a new car is still new if you purchase from a dealer even if it sat on the lot for a year. A 'used' car is a car that has been owned before.
Egad, I sure hope yer wrong about that.
That, would "put a pin in my Balloon"!!
zx3
up the hatchling was something i spun-off drebe 73
post about something else.drebe73 being an insight-ful person,picked it up.thanks drebe for getting it.i did figure those who have been around a while
would know it was in jest.then catmom picked-up
something only us "old folks" would recall.if you
dont get it ,we were kidding + poking fun at each
other.when the topic turned to mods it conjured up
memories of when i was a youngster and the things we did to our cars that we thought were cool.i have
done a lot of cheapo mods in the past.thats why i
put up that post.for example : big wide rally stripes,front hood+rear deck lid,side pin stripes,+
my favorite, drilling 2 holes in the hood and installing hood locks .why? ....we thought it was cool.at one time it was in to have gabriel or monroe air shocks -with the rear way up,60 wide
tires w/5 spoke cragar mags+hurst t-shifter.some things endure and become classics,some things die off and are re-born as something new.as togneter
has posted previously, who is to say what is on or
off topic,one discussion begets another and other thoughts flow.wether one agrees or disagrees should
not stop one to speak freely.team zx3 is a diverse
group as silver bullet stated earlier.i believe in
principle everyone gets along just fine.there are real decent folks here,witness by all the quick but
unnecessary apologies.so in closing please accept my apologies if you took those post to heart.
I was in a slight episode of bumper cars myself the other day. Not even a dent or a scratch (knock "metallic" plastic in lieu of wood!).
a daily basis. just one of those inconviences you
we have to learn to live with.such is life.
Also, does anyone know of any company that makes headlight covers for our ZX3s yet? I didn't know how they would look, so I opened up a pic of a Focus in Paint and basically painted on headlight covers. Needless to say, I liked the results and am interested in buying some when they are available. They made the car look more like the Focus R concept (smoke color lenses).
Current production of the Zetec engine is split between Valencia and Bridgend, South Wales.
I don't know from which site the Italian Foci are sourced.
I had the engine block heater installed at the factory for my ZX3. The cord runs across the inside edge of the battery cover and continues forward toward the grill. The extra 4 inches and plug are stored in a vertical slot just inside of the left headlight. (Not inside the headlight... I meant that, while standing in front of the car, look at the left headlight(this would now be on your right) just to the left of the headlight directly behind the grill is where the end of the cord is (on mine at least).
During the coldest part of next winter, I'll probably just leave the plug hanging out the hood. (there is a protective rubber cap to cover the plug from snow/rain).
Gabe
On the subject of waiting for a 2001 Focus, keep in mind that new model introductions often come with "bargain" level pricing. If the car proves to be popular, I'll bet you'll see 2001 cars coming through with higher levels of standard equipment (I've heard A/C will be standard next year) and noticeably higher base prices. Those of us who bought our "basic" ZX3s in 2000 may feel pretty good at this time next year. Why wait for the year-end closeout? My fiancee and I each purchased a ZX3 in the last 3 months. We were able to find cars on local lots (neither of us wanted all the bells and whistles) in the color we wanted, and were both able to buy our cars at less than $50.00 over dealer invoice (according to Edmunds' numbers).
I seem to remember a rumor that the new models were to start production sometime in July...
Can anyone validate this?
(I too am thinking of getting a new ZX3 even though I've only got 1100 miles on mine)
Gabe
I also heard/read that A/C was to be standard for the new models. I also remember that a moonroof was to be another option. Don't know whether or not these hold true. Hope so.
Gabe
> occurred earlier is not exactly on topic,
> but it is useful information to people in
> this forum who might not think to go look
> at a DLR forum. That is until it strangely
> degraded into some sort of political
> thing. I'm not sure how that happened.
How it happens: discussions of DRLs always stray into the issue of whether they should be legislated as mandatory, hence the political connection.
My Passat came with DRLs. I know how to disable them, but I don't. My reasons are:
1) Cost of operation (counted as extra gas & replacement bulbs) I feel is offset if they prevent just one major accident in my lifetime. In fact it looks like pretty cheap insurance to me.
2) My state has a new "turn headlights on if it's raining" law, and I figure the DRLs protect me from getting a ticket for this since I frequently forget about turning the headlights on when I turn on the wipers.
--Mike
Reading this list was part of how I made my car decision, so thanks.
I bought a red ZX3 with AC as the only option off a dealer's lot at invoice. Although I didn't think Id like the color, I get a lot of compliments.
I'm just happy to join the club!
- GoochZX3
Oh, we all know the pros and cons of the DRL thing already. This post is to let anyone still interested know about the availably thru Ford. Check your State Laws before installing. That means ask at the local Police station, not the dealer.
Pat
"On the subject of waiting for a 2001 Focus, keep
in mind that new model introductions often come
with "bargain" level pricing....."
"If the car proves to be popular, I'll bet you'll see 2001 cars coming through with higher levels of standard equipment (I've heard A/C will be standard next year) and noticeably higher base prices...."
"Those of us who bought our "basic" ZX3s in 2000 may feel pretty good at this time next year..."
"So, why wait for the Year-End Closeout?"
Good points. I'll consider them.
Any other Comments, from members?
zx3
Why are you thinking of trading in your Z (with only 1000mi. on it) for a new '01 ?
zx3
Ford claim that they are not doing so well in Europe at the moment and today announced the closure of their assembly plant in Dagenham, England where they produce Fiestas.
As for the 2001 MY Focus, there was lots of info on www.blueovalnews.com as regards pricing and packaging but the site has been shut down till tomorrow. Apparently, some of the options currently available will be loaded as standard in an effort to reduce the number of variations produced. The price of the base version is going up however.
While Ford may discount unsold stock of the 2000 year model, it is going to depend on the quantity of unsold stock on hand. From the posts on this newsgroup, I get the impression that the car is selling pretty well and there may not be unsold stock to shift. If it is true that the base model is going up in price due to extra standard equipment being fitted then the current base model is already at a premium and should sell out quite easily before introduction of next year's model. Just a thought.
Also, sales tax is not dependent on whether the car is new or used but, rather what the selling price is. (I remember selling a car privately, and being asked to leave the price paid blank so that the buyer could be a little "creative" with the price he reported to the registration bureau!) To the person hoping to save on a left-over '00, don't bother!
Enjoying my two day old 5sp ZTS with a big smile on my face, bopping to Steely Dan on the CD player!
I know a guy who does this, but he walks in with the cash in hand, and doesn't care what the cost is. He tells the dealer what he is going to pay and that is it. He doesn't care what he gets on the trade. His secret is he has LOTS of money, and he is buying high value ($30,000+) vehicles out right. His vehicles hold there value better than a $13,000 ZX3.
Pat
Pat
The thing is, it's much harder to take critizisms from strangers. Or for strangers to know whether someone is kidding or not. Most of us have been through 7 parts together but only few of us (if any) really know each other. I've been here since probably the second part but didn't post frequently. For the amount of time we've spent talking to one another, maybe we should finally introduce ourselves so we wouldn't be strangers anymore. Would this be off topic?
Also... Compliments on your foresight in ordering such a cheap and simple device that can do SO MUCH for engine longevity in colder climes! Curious to know what your climate is... We're in Mid-Michigan, and may use the block heater during perhaps 10-15 severely cold nights during a typical winter.
Check this out:
http://www.autonews.com/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+autonews.nab.ShowArchiveArtical?id=187156&type=archive&query=*ford_focus*
I got over 1000 miles on that trip and the car never missed a beat. The car performed so well. My only complaint thus far is that you do feel too much of the road/engine in the pedals. My '88 Olds Cutlass Supreme never had that problem, but that's ok because on the highway I had the cruise on the majority of the time.
I only saw one other ZX3 while I was in Alexandria it was rainforrest green. I did see a ton of sedans. On the way home just before I got to Richmond I saw my twin, a silver ZX3. We drove together for a while and then it turned of into a rest stop.
I must say I'm so glad I decided to go with the ZX3. For the money I got a pretty good deal. Now my girlfriend is thinking about getting one because she likes mine so much. Look like we will be twins soon too.
Sk8ingnut
I don't buy it.
'cause we're strangers, it is just the nature of
email, and writing stuff down in general. It is
very hard to convey one's "tone" in an email, so some
people will read something intended to be sarcastic
or funny, and think that it is mean or serious or
critical. This is just the nature of writing, too
bad there aren't more little happy or mad symbols
we can use to get our meanings across!
I also noticed the road feel, that I didn't have
on my Isuzu truck, which believe me is not a high
quality ride! No biggie though
I'll check it out more consciously and see what I think.
As regular readers will know, I am still awaiting my baby [she is overdue, I think it's time to force the delivery :-)], so I can't say where exactly this could be applied. If any of you do mess around with the pedal set, be careful! You don't want to mess with the actuation or you might find yourselves with the pedal stuck to the floor.
There is a pointer above to an article on Internet in the car. Why would anyone want it? Can you imagine it? A beep and a message,
"Windows 98 has detected that you have changed gear. For this action to take effect you must reboot the computer. Reboot now?"
I took my first drive in a Focus yesterday. Unfortunately the only model the dealer had with the 5 speed and Zetech engine was a 4 door. Still, I assume the principles are about the same from the front door pillers north.
One thing I noticed is that the A/C compressor seemed to cut out under hard accelleration. The air temperature would warm up noticibly until I let up on the pedel.
Could it be that this is a design feature? I remember seeing an add on sold in old JC Whitney catalogs that sensed engine intake vacumn and cut out the compressor during high loads. I guess if this is intentional this would be a good thing.
On the other hand, it could be due to a vacumn operated A/C system pooping out under load. My old Dodge Daytona had this problem. Anytime I passed a car or drove up a steep hill the thing would switch from cooling to heat! That was not a good feature on a hot day.
Any thoughts on this?
I found the handling not to be exactly what I expected. I currently drive an elderly 93 Escort with 134000 miles on it. I definetly can feel the road a lot better on the Escort. Still, the Focus was a dream. I drove it over several miles of twisty hilly back roads. I found it hard to keep under 65 MPH. Being the dealer's car I had no fear of deer.
So I spent the day today shopping for deals. I can order what I want for invoice. I'll give one lucky dealer a down payment tomorrow,
But I still can't decide between Infra Red or Zinc Yellow. Never having seen the yellow, I find the decision to be very difficult.
For anyone trying to make the same decision, the yellow is the same color used on the Mustang. Those seem to be rather common, and at least on of my local dealers had a book with large color samples that included Zinc Yelllow.
Finally, I took a picture of a silver ZX3 at one of my local dealers, loaded it into Photoshop, and "repainted" it yellow. The color match isn't perfect, and my Photoshop skills leave a bit to be desired, but it might help visualize the real thing. If anyone is interested I stuck it on a geocities webpage. You can see it at;
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Meadows/6732/graphics/yellows.jpg
Gabe
Back on topic, I haven't felt any vibration in the pedal. But I like a car where you can feel the road and not bound all over.
Pat
Pat
I waited a long time to get my ZX3 (17 weeks. I ordered the car Dec. 2nd 1999, because I ordered power windows/power mirrors and the tilt/telescoping steering wheel, neither of which was available until mid-Feb., I did not receive the car until the last week of March.) Not to fear, I did expect it to take that long.
In just a month or so from now, I'll have a year old car, even though I've only been in possession less than a couple months. It will have very low mileage. No, I will not use the car as a trade-in, I will sell it myself. I'm fairly certain I can get $1000 less than what I paid for it. I only paid invoice +$100.
I'd certainly like to get the moonroof if it's offered as an option.
(Then again, I may just wait until this fall, or even early spring 2001, don't know) Sort of depends on whether or not I put an aftermarket stereo system in. (I'll be inclined to keep it a little longer...)
Gabe
It's above 90 degrees here today. I just peeled them all off with my fingernail and rubbed of what little adhesive was left over.
Back end looks much better now!!
Gabe
Gabe
Oh, my previous post was titled incorrectly, supposed to say: A "what's that for" question.