It's just a good car: 2000 Ford Focus SE sedan.

With all the hype about the 2000 Ford Focus, you'd think that Ford was giving away rocketships. Is the 2000 Ford Focus a well-equipped, comfortable economy car? Absolutely. Is it the dawning of a new era of Euro-styled, ergonomically-attuned, New Edge globally conceived econovehicles (or whatever the marketing gobbledegook says)? Uh, I dunno. That part is a little over my head, but it sounds overstated. It's just a car... but it's a good car.

Mission Affordable:

I wanted to purchase a new car for my sister for her birthday. I'm no millionaire, and her needs are simple. She doesn't drag race. Nor does she haul a horse trailer, transport Scout troops, or need to make a socioeconomic statement with her vehicle. She just needs to commute to work and get to wherever else she needs to go. It would be nice if her butt didn't go numb and if she didn't explode into flames in the process.

In the past, my family has had a host of American-label economy cars, and I admit that that's what I'm partial to. I looked at a number of comparable cars: Chevrolet Cavalier, Dodge/Plymouth Neon, Saturn S-series, Ford Escort, etc. I had never even heard of a Ford Focus until I began researching new cars, and I certainly hadn't seen one. But in the end, that's what I ended up with. My sister is happy. I'm happy. I'd do it again. I'd recommend this car to others.

Bang for the Buck:

So, what does $16,000 get you these days?

The standard 2000 Ford Focus SE sedan costs $13,660 MSRP ($12,716 invoice). One can visit Ford's official website (www.fordvehicles.com) for all the specifics, but this includes such standard features as: dual air bags, air conditioning, am/fm radio with cassette, power locks and mirrors, remote keyless entry, "securilock" passive anti-theft system, panic alarm, 24-hour roadside assistance, 15" wheels, 60/40 split fold rear seat, manual seat height adjuster, vanity mirrors on both visors, interior trunk release latches, 3 year/36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty.

The options I selected are as follows:
upgraded "Zetec" engine - $200 MSRP ($178 invoice)
automatic transmission - $815 MSRP ($725 invoice)
comfort group: arm rest with storage, tilt/telescoping steering wheel, cruise control, map lights - $395 MSRP ($352 invoice)
front and rear floor mats - $55 MSRP ($50 invoice)
power windows - $295 MSRP ($263 invoice)
anti-lock brakes - $400 MSRP ($356 invoice)

The destination fee is $465, and the manufacturer-determined advertising fee is $130. These two fees are supposed to be non-negotiable. Adding all this up gives a figure ranging from $16,415 (MSRP figures) to $15,235 (invoice figures). This makes the 2000 Ford Focus SE sedan an affordable car, but not the least expensive car that one could possibly purchase. I will echo what everyone else has said: For the money, this car offers a lot of features and feels like a more expensive vehicle.

Also very relevant to me, since I wanted to finance this car, is Ford Credit's attractive financing rate. In my area, the best credit union offered a 7% APR on 4-year auto loans. Currently, Ford offers 5.9% for the same loan (4.9% for 3-year loans, and 6.9% for 5-year loans). This is another area where one can save a few dollars with this vehicle.

Form Embodies Function:

Either you think that the 2000 Ford Focus is attractive, or you don't. There's not much middle ground. The SE sedan looks very similar to a Volkswagon Jetta with ugly and unmistakable triangular headlights. It took me a while to learn to accept the headlights, I admit. The car is tall and blunt not unlike a Toyota Echo with a hood that arcs sharply downward and a rump that seems a bit elevated. It's not to everyone's taste, to be sure. Several professional writers have called the sedan "boring," but I think that it is an appealing car. I think that the Focus hatchback is an eyesore, however. To each his own. Frankly, I don't select a car based strictly on aesthetics.

The shape of the car is functional, to be sure. Because it is tall for its size, it gives the illusion of being a larger car. Seats are set high enough that one doesn't feel like their "knees are bumping the handlebars" when seated. It has accurately been described as chairlike or mini-van/SUV-like inside. Legs hang comfortably, and one views the road from a taller vantage. You don't feel vulnerable in this car like you might in some other small car. It is easy to get in and out of, because the seats are rump-level. I found that the back seat is especially comfortable in this regard. Similarly, the elevated height makes it easy to access the trunk without a lot of bending and stretching.

What I like about this car:

Roominess. As discussed above, the car feels a lot bigger than it is. In addition to head and leg room, the trunk is cavernous. Both back seats can be folded to offer even more cargo area. I expect a small car to feel small, so the roomy feel to this small car is a really nice surprise.

Comfort. No question about it, this is a very comfortable car for its class. The fabric seats are well-cushioned and supportive. The suspension absorbs irregularities in the road very effectively. My neighborhood is rotten with potholes and road construction at the moment, and yet I barely feel any lumps and bumps in this car. Even though it's a small car, I could travel a distance in it with ease. The back is sufficiently spacious for two passengers, especially kids.

Adjustable driver's seat. Related to the above is the driver's seat itself. It is adjustable in three different ways. The back of the seat can recline as much as you need it to. The seat can be pulled closer to or further away from the steering wheel. And the seat can be raised and lowered. I love the latter feature. Some writers have complained about the simple crank mechanism that raises or lowers the seat, but I consider it refreshing to have a non-electronic means to adjust the seat. The fact that I can do it at all is wonderful, but the fact that it didn't cost me a small fortune as an option is even better. This is particularly important because my sister and I differ in height by six or seven inches.

Adjustable steering wheel. If adjusting the seat isn't enough, the steering wheel can be adjusted up/down or in/out with the tilt/telescoping properties. Whether someone is short or tall, small or large, I believe that they'd be able to make the necessary adjustments to be totally comfortable in this car.

Handling. This car is really a pleasure to drive. The small-diameter steering wheel has comfortable swollen grips on it, and the steering is accurate and easy. Braking is similarly responsive. In spite of some of the literature that suggests that the car is underpowered, my experience is that it is very zippy. Put simply, it starts, stops, and turns very comfortably and easily. It feels very secure on the road, never light or tippy or weak (not bad for a car that only weighs 2,600 pounds). I can only imagine that anyone displeased with the handling is comparing it to something out of its class, perhaps a larger luxury car or racy sportscar.

Peace and quiet. The Focus is smooth-handling and surprisingly quiet in certain respects. Turn signals quietly tock-tock-tock. The hydraulically-opening trunk is shockingly quiet, as are the doors. (By contrast, I jump a foot in the air when the doors automatically lock as I drive away... That's loud)! Again, in spite of reports to the contrary, I have not found that the engine is excessively noisy. You hear it rev when you accelerate, but it's never loud enough to interfere with conversation. My friend's Saturn has a much louder engine.

Silly little things:

The storage slots on the inside of the front doors for holding maps and such are really wide. You can easily fit a novel instead of just a magazine in these slots. One of the things I like best about that is that it makes them easy to vacuum clean.

The radio faceplate can be removed easily so that the radio is rendered functionless if it's stolen. I don't know who would steal the factory radio out of an economy car, nor do I know who would worry about it getting stolen... but hey, it's one of those fun things to show your friends. Worth noting, the radio allows you to preset 6 am and 12 fm stations. If you have a lot of favorite radio stations, that's a nice feature.

There's a pen holder next to the driver's seat.

The glove box is huge. You could fit a Taco Bell dog in there, along with your owner's manual. The ASPCA advises against this, however.

The owner's manual comes in a nice little zippered storage case that looks sophisticated.

There are special hooks in the back seat to attach car seats for little ones. I don't have kids, but if I did, that would be a big plus.

There are two great big cupholders in front with removable liners that can be easily cleaned.

Gripes:

Visibility. This is the biggest drawback to the Focus. With a hood that arcs sharply downward, it is virtually impossible to see the front of the car. You get a feel for where it is, but I'd hate to have to parallel park this thing. It's not a car for tailgaters or big-city parking for that reason. Similarly, the car's rump is elevated, so it's difficult to see where you're going when you back up. The big, obtrusive, front headrests and car frame itself further impede visibility rearward. The side mirrors compensate for this, however.

Illogical controls. Most of the controls are clearly labelled, and for the most part I have no complaint. But some of it seems senseless to me. The hazard light switch is the single most prominent feature on the dashboard. It's a huge orange triangle that begs to be pushed. I'm in my thirties, and I've never had the need to turn on the hazard lights in any car I've driven. Even when the switch is less obvious, I've always known where it was, but I've never needed to use it. Why on Earth is it so prominent in this vehicle? What is Ford trying to tell me? By contrast, the am/fm switch on the radio is microscopic and situated way to the right side of the radio. I've learned where it is, but I still have to take my eyes off of the road to find it. Am I the only person who finds this irritating?

Windshield wiper controls. The turn signal control is on the left side of the steering wheel. In most cars I've driven, the windshield wipers are located on the same stalk. Not in this car. The windshield wiper control is a separate stalk on the right side of the steering wheel. Why? This particular departure from convention annoys me.

Fuel gauge. It annoys me that I can't read the fuel level without turning the car on. Similarly, the odometer is an led panel that doesn't appear unless the car is on. I'm not sure what the point of this is, other than to look fancy. But I suspect that with age, if either of these things got quirky, it would be expensive to fix them.

Rear floor mats. Um, these things look like furry business envelopes. They're tiny. I believe that floor mats have become standard on the 2001 Focus. I certainly wouldn't pay extra for the rear ones!

Marketing. I have simple tastes, so I find a lot of the marketing for this car to be incredibly annoying. The brochure for this car is ugly and contains almost no information. Although the target market is young (20ish/30ish) women, the sales pitch is gimmicky and yuppified in tone with lots of irritating buzzwords bandied about. Anybody who uses the term ergonomic should be run over with a Hummer. Ironically, all the hype stresses how "European" this car is. I've always owned American cars. I like American cars. Don't tell me that my Michigan-built Ford is European, dammit! It's a turn-off.

The unknown:

Reliability. Nobody knows, plain and simple. I purchase a car with the intention of putting 150,000+ miles on it and keeping it for ten years or more. I hope this car carries me there. In any case, I'll update this as needed to reflect my gripes and concerns.

Warnings:

If you order your Ford Focus, be aware that they take forever to arrive! I was promised mine in 6-10 weeks, and it showed up 14 weeks later. Judging by what other people say, the average wait is about 12 weeks. Also, keep in mind that some people have had problems with these cars. Take a look at the "town hall" at Edmunds (www.edmunds.com) and/or the message board at Club Focus (www.discussion-board.com/clubfocus) to see what others have had to say.

Bottom line:

Be clear about what you want in a car. If you want an economy car that is comfortable and well-equipped, at least consider a 2000 Ford Focus. Do your homework at Edmunds (www.edmunds.com) and other online sites. Take a look. Go for a test drive. My sister used to be a firm Ford hater, but she loves this car. If I had it to do over, I'd buy it again. Hopefully it will stand the test of time.