I have a 2008 Ford Focus SES (2.0L 4 cylinder, auto) that I bought new and now has 183k miles. Oil changes every 3,000 miles with regular maintenance. Front struts have been replaced once, new flex pipe, a few other things.
It's generally been solid with a few annoyances over the years.
Recently I had to have the car towed for the first time. The car started but kept stalling and was throwing code P2135. The shop I took it to diagnosed the problem as a bad pedal position sensor, which requires replacing the pedal assembly. At the same time, there was a small leak in the radiator requiring a new one (they're replacing the upper and lower hoses as well). I was aware of the radiator issue and was just waiting to get the car into the shop. The pedal position sensor came up suddenly and should be fixed in a few days. Altogether, these repairs will set me back about $760.
On average, I spend about $800 a year on the car for things like oil changes plus new front struts or valve cover gasket replacements--things like that. With these recent repairs and having the flex pipe replaced earlier in the year, this will be the first year I've put so much money into it.
It's been suggested that I might want to consider replacing the car because a Ford with that kind of mileage could start having more issues with age, and used car values are not going to be higher than they are now any time in our lifetime. However, I only drive it about 3 days a week averaging maybe 100-150 miles each week with 1-2 long distance trips per year. Like I said, the oil changes have been on schedule and I've maintained the car well overall. I'm just wondering if it's worth holding onto to see how it does or if I should look at something newer or perhaps a used car from Honda or Toyota.
Thanks for any thoughts.
It's cheaper to keep her. I'd keep it and fix it and do whatever I could to avoid the newer, everything electronically controlled nightmares they are selling these days.
That $760 repair bill is a few car payments with car prices today. You know the history of the vehicle, how well you maintained it and drove it. I Owned one of these years ago (it was a 2010), the only repair I ever had to do was for a bad engine mount. Usual maintenance items (brakes/tires/etc) were inexpensive. Car felt solidly built, handed well, rode smooth and we never had any issues with it. If you like the car and enjoy having no car payments, put approximately what the payments on a new one will be in a savings account.
.
What generation? First or second? 2007 is a transition year, so it’s hard to tell if it is the first Gen or second gen.
I believe it's a second gen. It looks like this one: https://bit.ly/3ofh9Hn.
Since you are the only owner, and you know the cars history and maintenance, it may be worth keeping and maintaining in this market. Maybe if the market wasn’t so bad, it would make economic sense to let it go for a Toyota or Honda.
Just make sure your intake manifold is good. I heard they had some problems with early versions of something in the manifold.