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Considering buying a Ford Focus zx3 to commute with. I am looking at one with the least amount of miles I could find, a 2000 zx3 with 156k miles. Can someone who has owned or had experience with these vehicles tell me if it is capable of making it many more miles? Also, they are asking 1800 for it on Craigslist. If I can haggle and get it for 1500 and get a new timing belt placed on it, would it be a smart investment? I really enjoy the style of these little hatchbacks and it may be the best one I can find currently.
Is it an automatic? The timing belt should have been changed at the recommended interval, not sure if that is around 100K or not with the ZX3, but many cars are at that interval, though some are at lower mileage for a recommended replacement. The timing belt can be changed, and that would not be my first concern with a Ford of that age. Climate control systems and transmissions are the areas that would cause me concern with a Ford.
How many owners has the car had? Does the owner have maintenance records for the vehicle? I would not rule it out completely based upon mileage, but general condition. If it's a manual and the clutch is in good shape, that's preferable to the automatic that could have problems if fluid and filter changes were not performed to factory recommendations.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
On your test drive put it in 3rd gear at a low speed and floor it to see if the clutch slips.
Assuming it's a manual.
I've worked at an auto auction where we got a new-ish Focus (this was in 2003 and they had only been out four years, tops, by then) with 271K miles on the clock. Still ran OK, so it's not unheard of, but I'd be leery of any high-mileage car as a commuter. If it was subject to regular maintenance, though, you might be OK, but if the timing belt has yet to be replaced by 150K+, I'd have doubts about the rest as well.
16 year old car with an average of less than 10,000 miles a year on the car, you should have no problem...
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