trinacriabob

hate

The month of August means higher rental car prices in California, but I somehow managed $22.00 a day for a compact 2 weekends ago. I went up over the Sierra and to Reno for the weekend, so I figured I'd pick up a rental. (I don't gamble, so it was buffet time...damn, my beloved $8.99 breakfast buffet at the Reno Hilton's "The Lodge" has deteriorated since it changed over to the Grand Sierra Resort). I really like the styling changes on the Focus sedan. They've improved its appearance over the last-gen model. I can't say the same for the changes they've made to the coupe. The previous-gen hatchback coupe with the lights up in the rear pillars was unique. I once rented one and thought it was almost fun to drive. So, now, after many attempts to get a Focus and always being given a Cobalt or Corolla, I finally got to try a Focus when renting within the compact category. It was a silver 4-door base model. It's an attractive vehicle and there is nothing quirky about it. The side character lines/indentations work well and the greenhouse is proportionate to the overall look of the car. Inside, it is fairly roomy. Visibility is great and the C-pillar picks up those "opera windows." Thank God, the headrests don't create a "problem" as they do in the Cobalt or Malibu. While I like those cars, the rear visibility is compromised by the headrests and I immediately (unsuccesfully) tried to remove them from my rentals. In the Focus, the headrest profiles mesh nicely with the rear seat design, so they seem to make sense. The seats are fairly comfortable. At this price point, one can't expect nice upholstery...nor a high level of ergonomic comfort. As I said, it was a base model -- it had the power windows, the power locks, the power mirror adjustments but NO cruise control. I couldn't have made much use of it, but had it been I-40 in Oklahoma, that might have been different. The overall layout of the dash and controls makes a lot of sense. The best thing is the cowl/eyelid at the top of the center stack. It has the clock and some other basis information whereas the Cobalt and Malibu have a storage bin. Here, the storage compartments are placed lower, in the console. All of the instrumentation and controls are predictably placed and the shift lever/console have a good feel. There were 3 things about the car I didn't like though - (1) the secondary gauges in the instrument cluster are real small, (2) the climate control center has small buttons and is busier than it needs to be, and (3) the graphics on the speedometer and tach are the friggin' ugliest I've seen...at night, they are both blue and red. I still can't get over these ugly graphics. The trunk is very reasonably sized for a car this size. Driving the car was fairly predictable. It's comparable to the Cobalt and maybe a little firmer than a Corolla, which has gotten increasingly more vague over the years. The shifts of the 4-speed automatic are smooth and can be felt -- not as clean as those of a Fusion/Milan or a LaCrosse, but not bad either. It rides nicely over even freeway pavement, but rougher pavement can send the drone-type sound into the cabin. It can take an acceptable amount of lean, but pushed hard into a cloverleaf or a curve, it becomes questionable. On 2-lane roads in the Sierra, it wasn't looking to do acrobatics, just provide nuts-and-bolts transportation. The 2.0 litre Duratec DOHC 4 cylinder has supposedly been worked into being a good engine and now reportedly has a long service life. Damn, are they "ugly" when you pop the hood. For some reason, Ford engine compartments don't look as "organized" as those of GM. However, for everyday driving, there is enough spunk and the only range in which it seems to be lacking is the high-speed pass (i.e. trying to overtake a semi going up the Donner Grade). Consumer Reports seems to give this car a good share of "red dots." I didn't like the fact that the base model was as austere as it was...not having cruise control is kind of weird. I think that the "one level up" model, in 4-door form, could be a very cost-effective form of transportation for many people. It doesn't cost much to buy, it's easy to maintain, they seem to last a fairly long time and, based on the mix of driving I did, it seemed to use fuel sparingly. I probably will never own a car smaller than a Malibu or a Fusion/Milan, but the new Ford Focus is very competent for its price point.

0 ok, we're even...

expensive (Bill, it's fairly sad that you are one of the chronologically most senior people here, irrespective of your date rollbacks, and you have to keep insulting people like this)

cream of asparagus (can you TRY to keep it clean...)

I was trying to look for SOMETHING redeemable in the OP picture. While not a Cutlass, the 81-87 MC body shell wasn't half bad. MCs with a 4.3 Vortec TBI V6 and buckets/console were sensible cars, with a long-lived engine and decent fuel economy. But, true, what we see here is a monstrosity.

wheat

Kansas

hmmm, I'm wondering where I am on this continuum...I'll definitely agree that I am reactive and mercurial every once in a while... Back to Dave, who smooths over life's bumps better than most of us...

"home" (well, close to it)

Congrats...see comment in Word Ass.

Palermo! Dave, you've reached 10,000 posts! Kaching...kaching...kaching

Start discussing with people on the phone; check for reputable shops (AAA if you are a member, though not always a guarantee); don't settle for the first story you hear. Why do you think I OVERmaintain my cars? I will say this - I don't miss L.A. for the ass-hole way of doing business...it comes with a big league city...around here, I've been to some shops where they plan on seeing you return, so they're more honest about how they do business with you. There are good repair shops in L.A., they're harder to find. We patronized Albertson Olds (now Albertson Chevy) for sales and service, on the West Side, and they were very likable. But it's a different L.A. now....no more Brady Bunch...

There was this guy that did a cereal commercial for Post for one its healthier cereal concoctions several decades ago. I think his name was Ewell Gibbons. He was supposed to be the picture of health. He died at 64. That's not even standard Social Security retirement age. I'll have to look up the cause on google/wiki. I see some others have included pomegranate juice. It's not that tasty. I drink it for its antioxidants. And others drink it because...?

allegation

assumption (an incorrect one...ahem...)

handsome

tall

morbid

Bubonic (sp?)

plagiarism (look at the last 2 to 4 pgs. of Word Ass.)

Thanks for these opinions, gents. @dave: it's about 75:25 highway:city...I was just thinking about that as I drove over the weekend...I would say 150,000 to 200,000 of these miles had to have been highway, mostly up and down I-5 (Calif. all the way to Van.) or I-80 (over the Sierra).

Catholicism ( well, that's what comes to mind)

Hey, you guys know how fanatical I am about prevent(at)ive maintenance. The Regal is a few days away from 260,000 miles (422,396 km), all of which are MINE! I got there by changing to oil anywhere from every 2,000 to 2,500 miles. At any rate, here's my question: Would you defer, or not do, a minor tune-up (spark plugs and having it scoped) and trans fluid change at this point? Last tune-up was 211,000. Last trans fluid was 222,000. If I did both near 260,000, I should theoretically go to 300,000 within the next scheduled interval. However, I am still getting excellent gas mileage (high 20s on the freeway) and shifts are smooth and detectable (sort of unchanged) and fluid is still pink. Would you postpone these service items or just go ahead and do them in the next couple of months? If I make it to 300,000, I will definitely be getting rid of it at that point. Your advice?

Echoing what everyone else is saying, that's the first place I'd start...that a cooler line (trans to radiator to keep the tranny fluid cool) went and then I would be looking at the pan itself (for a gasket or other point of seepage). However, since I look at the area under my car virtually every day when I pull out, any time I see gold/pink/green/whatever, I immediately start looking for the area it's coming from. But if it went that fast, start by tracing tranny-to-radiator, not knowing what kind of car you have.