Overall, the Ford Focus was a reliable car. It still drove fine after 180,000 miles on it. However, it was not the best in adverse weather conditions. The car was poor in handling snow and rain. The dashboard would constantly rattle as if screws were out of place unless I hit the top of the dashboard to make it stop. The undercarriage heat shield was an issue and constantly dragged or came loose until I ripped it off. The car was efficient though. It never broke down and the gas mileage was good. It had decent acceleration and turning radius. The brakes were not as decent, I just had to make sure to brake earlier than normal. The car was great for road trips. The back seat was comfortable for three people and the trunk was large enough for many suitcases and travel gear.

The '03 Ford Focus is a decent car. The engine has been very reliable for me. It does not leak oil at all. I have 136,000 miles on it so other things are starting to fall apart. I am lucky that I have the know how to fix the problems myself, so the cost of repairs is low. So far, over the 4 years that I have had it, I have replaced the engine mounts, blower motor, radiator fan resistor, master clutch cylinder, alternator, thermostat housing, and the distributor cap. This would have been expensive if I took the car to a mechanic to get this issues fixed though. Nothing inside the engine has gone bad though, and I hope to keep the car running for a few more years.