Jumping ship

N

nuskool

Registered
A few months ago I posted that I was looking for a mark viii and asked for suggestions and got plenty and it was greatly appreciated.

However I have decided to opt for something that gets a good deal better mpg.

It's still a Ford though and it's still a performer. I'm going to pick up a 2002 Focus SVT on Fri. 6 Speed and great handling and the guy says he's averaging 32 mpg. Carbon fiber hood, new 18" wheels and tires, intake, cat back etc., etc..

I'm pretty excited about it. It's not the Mark, but I think I'll have plenty of fun with it.

Thanks for letting me participate in a great forum.

Take care all!
Tom
 
My buddy gets around 24mpg (mostly freeway) on his SVT I say this guy if full of crap. None-the less it is pretty frugal with gas and sporty. SVT focus is a pretty neat handling car. Hope you're not paying more than 10k for that car.

Take care :)
 
10,200 with only 36,500 miles.

You sure your buddy is getting the mpg he should? factory ratings are 30 plus.

The guy I'm buying from apparantly pays attention to the mpg. He had answers for me right away, no hesitation in answering. Said with his foot in it he'll get around 28 for a tank. Foot out of it he has gotten 35. That matches up with factory ratings pretty good.
 
maxmk8 said:
My buddy gets around 24mpg (mostly freeway) on his SVT I say this guy if full of crap. None-the less it is pretty frugal with gas and sporty. SVT focus is a pretty neat handling car. Hope you're not paying more than 10k for that car.

Take care :)
Click to expand...

Ditto on the "full of crap".

Do your homework...the Focus does get ~3 mpg better than the Mark in the city, but actually gets ~1 mpg worse on the highway - everything else being equal (data from edmunds.com). Probably has to do with the Mark's lower aerodynamic drag.

You'd definitely get more car for your dollar with a Mark as well.
 
Hmmm,
I just went to a focus forum web site and did a search for mpg and the numbers are all over the board. No consistancy at all. Some people are getting 30+ others are only seeing 24 or so. I'll call the guy back tomorrow and drill him some more.

Seemed that most of the people that posted were really paying attention to the numbers too.
 
nuskool said:
Hmmm,
I just went to a focus forum web site and did a search for mpg and the numbers are all over the board. No consistancy at all. Some people are getting 30+ others are only seeing 24 or so. I'll call the guy back tomorrow and drill him some more.

Seemed that most of the people that posted were really paying attention to the numbers too.
Click to expand...

No consistancy with Marks either. I get 30mpg at 70mph and 240rwhp and 250 rwtq on a stock motor, but that's WAY above average on all counts.

If you can trust the guy, maybe he's got a better than average motor as well.
 
The Focus is rated at 21 city 25 highway! So if this guy claims he is getting 35... maybe only maybe at like 55mph with a "tune" and slightly downhill.


I would expect mid 20s at best. Which wouldn't be spectacular or that much better than the mark. I can tell you this much right now... if I had this car I would get 20mpg... my Mark VIII averaged 15mpg my Corvette gets 19mpg. The jeep I used to drive only got 12-3.

People have a tendancy to inflate gas mileage #s...

check this out.
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=115706

Also if you want to save money On gas... I would highly recommend a 5sp civic. You will get 35mpg they have some good pick-up and are super reliable and handle well.
 
You'd rather drive a 4 cylinder focus that gets worse MPG than a V8 mark 8? Barf! :D
 
nuskool said:
No, I'd rather have 30+ mpg.
Click to expand...

FWIW - on a recent trip, I averaged an actual 24.5 mpg in my modded '93 with 4.30 gears.

I'll take the paid off, well maintained air-ride hot-rod Lincoln for that difference - nothing against the SVT Focus..

When we bought the '02 Town Car V8 to replace the '00 Sable LS 6 cylinder, we only experienced around 2 mpg difference in average fuel mileage. IMHO, unless you are looking for a 10 mpg or more increase in mileage, you will never find the tradeoffs worth the while since there is usually a large variance in actual mpg from advertised mpg. And investing large sums of capital for an increase in mileage does not usually pay back dividends for years if at all(i.e. hybrid).

In this particular case, I could believe it possible to actually lose mpg moving from the Mark VIII to a Focus. The difference is not that great and if both are on the wrong side of 'average', your mileage in the Focus will be disappointing in comparison. My only point here is to emphasize the importance of doing the math and make sure of your decision before you "jump ship". ;)
 
Another thing to consider when purchasing a focus.

If you hit anything larger than a focus, we'll be sending condolences after reading your Obituary.

The Marks have been well known for "giving their lives" to "protect their owners".

I've seen foci' that have ran into the back of pick up trucks that looked like they were RAN OVER by an 18 wheeler.
 
A few years ago I drove 4,600 miles out west visiting 5 national parks in my 98 MarkVIII .I drove a little over the 75mph speed limits and averaged 25.5 MPG which included the slow driving in the parks and towns.
The decision between a Focus or a MarkVIII is very easy after driving both cars; errr and a SUV. I have driven about 220K miles with my two Mark VIIIs since 1993 and still feel the Marks are the best cars I have ever owned or the best touring coupes ever made.
A person buys what they like, and the Marks are for a certain type of person , not everybody.
Calculate what a few mph amounts to $$$ in a years worth of driving after driving both cars and then make a decision.
I sold my 93 Mark to buy a convertible (Solara SLE) which is a nice fun car for the Florida Keys , but it does not drive anywheres as well as my Mark VIII.

Good luck in what you choose,

Ron
 
I posed the question on focus fanatics and there are a few people getting over 30. Largely depends on how they drive. But keeping the maf clean and making sure the o2 doesn't get fouled apparantly also play a big role.

I'm making the move from a V8 Mountaineer to this so the math works pretty well if I'm getting 30+.

For the record, I think I would enjoy both cars a great deal. This one is newer with very low miles so there is value in that too.

The Focus is a little easier to haul things in being a hatchback. That's a bonus for me.
 
I say buy what you like. Knowing what I know about having a Mark makes it the best car I have ever owned. I still get compliments on it all the time, and it is unique enough to be noticed in a crowd. You're not seeing yourself on every corner; I'm lucky to see two Marks of any year in one week. It is powerful, yet gets me 26-27 on the highway. I just plain love it!
 
nuskool said:
But keeping the maf clean and making sure the o2 doesn't get fouled apparantly also play a big role.
Click to expand...

You do realize only punk kids from highschool that work at AutoZone drive these little wannabe hot rods, so right there, you can assume 80% of them have NO clue what they're talking about. Why would you want to buy a car that you have to routinely clean the MAF and replace the O2 sensors just to get good gas mileage?

nuskool said:
I'm making the move from a V8 Mountaineer to this so the math works pretty well if I'm getting 30+.
Click to expand...

You can compare the Mountaineer to anything, because EVERYTHING is going to get better gas mileage. :D

I'm going to say that unless they de-tuned their cars, or they are taking their MPG ratings at 45mph on the freeway, that they forgot how to divide while working at AutoZone. It doesn't seem feasable that so many people are getting 30+ mpg which is 5mpg higher than the EPA ratings, which are inflated all on their own.

Regardless of the MPG you're going to get...it will still be a FOCUS, and you will still have to repair more things on it than a Mark, and it will be more expensive. And like someone commented above, if you hit something larger than a Focus, you can kiss your but goodbye, haha.
 
I just read an article on the focus recently and as far as quality it's excellent. Hardly anything ever goes wrong with these cars according to the article.

Then there's handling. Had a guy tell me last night it's the best thing from factory for autocross set-up which I would like to try.

Sorry if I sound nuts to some of you, but I'm getting the focus.

Just because some people are young doesn't mean they don't know math.

Plus it's a 6 spd. I'll really enjoy that.

Bottom line, both cars have a lot of pros and a few cons. The Focus will be a better fit for me in my household.
 
There is a focus out there with an 03 cobra motor in it...but..it's still a foci.

Good luck with your purchase, sounds like your mind is already made up, so our opinions should matter not.

Enjoy!

P.S. there is a monthy autocross here in houston, bring the foci down and we'll let Tiffany show you how well a mark 8 can "dodge the cones", you may be suprised. {I know the corvette dood was)
 
My buddy had a lot of problems with his 02...

He needed a new Flywheel-clutch setup... I think they made some ugprades in 04 that made them much better
His entire AC system failed, so he got a new compressor and Condenser
And a few electrical problems I can't remember....

This was all when his car was 2 years old and had <40k miles on it.

But the Focus actually has a very nice sound system, with that subwoofer. Decent seats and an upgraded interior. Not a bad car for the money... just not one that I would buy.
 
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