2012-2014 Ford Focus Hatchback - am I crazy to consider this?

SavsMom · Feb 21, 2014

So I have been driving and love my Mazda5. It works well for us and it's what I wanted several months ago.

However...

I have the opportunity to sell the 5 for a profit and get into a 2014 Ford Focus Hatchback with 5k miles for very little $.

I love the 5 for its space and sliding doors, I like the option of the 3rd row even though I have never used it. The only concerns I have with it is that it's older, out of warranty and it is eating up tires (yes, it is balanced, aligned, etc).

The Focus is smaller but has decent cargo room, bluetooth, a super nice interior, will still be under warranty plus the mpg is much better.

We do have a larger vehicle that bf drives, I need to fit a rf seat and a ff seat. I primarily drive about 10 miles to and from work and daycare plus running around on weekends.

So wwyd? Am I crazy to consider this?

SafeDad · Feb 21, 2014

Not sure about the financial aspects, but I like the Focus a lot. Great safety ratings and a good value when buying one that is 1-2 years old. A 2012-2013 model will be a top contender if we need another car once our two oldest are driving.

SavsMom · Feb 21, 2014

CPSDarren said:
Not sure about the financial aspects, but I like the Focus a lot. Great safety ratings and a good value when buying one that is 1-2 years old. A 2012-2013 model will be a top contender if we need another car once our two oldest are driving.

Darren - have you seen the interior of the 2012 and newer hatchback?

Financially it's almost a no brainer. I can sell my 5 for a fair profit, I have several offers on the table because it has low miles and is really clean. Just trying to balance going to something a bit smaller but with more equipment and warranty.

An Aurora · Feb 21, 2014

I'd totally go for it. I like the Focus a lot. It was on my short list recently.

SavsMom · Feb 21, 2014

An Aurora said:
I'd totally go for it. I like the Focus a lot. It was on my short list recently.

I'm completely swooning at the interior - lol!

SafeDad · Feb 21, 2014

Oh I totally forgot you got that great auction deal.

I have not yet driven one, but I've seen the interior at the auto show. It's very nice for a compact budget car. A lot better than previous compact car offerings from Ford/GM/Chrysler. The Cruze Eco I drove was nice, too, but the other small car I like for safety and overall is the Hyundai Elantra.

The nice thing about all these is not only the great safety ratings, but that they are a much better value on the used market compared to the Civic, Corolla and Prius that demand stupid high resale values. Of the Japanese makes, I like the Impreza hatchback if the price or slightly lower fuel economy isn't an issue.

loki · Feb 21, 2014

The new Focus hatchback is about as good as it gets for a compact, although if I were absolutely safety focused in the compact segment, I'd give a slight edge to the 4wd Impreza hatchback.

kathysr98 · Feb 21, 2014

I loved my Focus hatchback. It was an 04 model, but I've driven newer ones and like them as well. I traded for a significantly larger car because my dh is huge (6'8") and it was our only family road trip worthy vehicle. Until recently dh had an extended cab truck with no bed cover and approximately 34257 projectiles in the back seat. I think the Focus would be a great car with two kids and a larger option available for trips.

TechnoGranola · Feb 21, 2014

Not sure if this helps, but we just bought a 2014 Mazda3 hatchback for our second vehicle. I've got a RF Peg convertible driver's side and an Oobr passenger side. I love it. It drives amazing and I truly enjoying driving it to work each day. And it's my vehicle of choice to whip around on the weekend doing errands. Also enjoying the gas mileage over our luxury SUV that takes premium fuel.

I'm glad we didn't go for anything larger. I think you'll be fine, especially since you have another vehicle that's larger.

SavsMom · Feb 23, 2014

So I drove the Focus and I really like it.
And
I drove a 2013 Mazda5 and really like it.

Focus:
Love the interior
Bluetooth
Great mpg
So so on cargo and rear passenger room

5:
More room
Sliding doors
Interior is better than my 5 but not quite as fun as the Focus

I'm torn - lol!

TechnoGranola · Feb 23, 2014

So they are the same price? How many miles on the Mazda5? And what trim level is the Mazda5?

I can't imagine having a vehicle without Bluetooth. I've had my phone connected via Bluetooth for over 6 years and while I don't make calls often, it's been awesome several times when the school has called with an emergency or when DH or my parents have called with a change in my route. Without Bluetooth I would have had to answer those calls after I reached my destination (or found a place to pullover) and would have been significantly further away from where the phone call needed me to be. Bluetooth music is a bonus and something I use daily in our Mazda3 on the way to work.

Not saying I'd pick a vehicle based only on Bluetooth, but from what I found when looking for a second vehicle recently, is that if a vehicle didn't have Bluetooth, the trim would have been missing a lot of other things we needed. So it would have been excluded for more reasons than just Bluetooth.

SavsMom · Feb 23, 2014

The Focus is a 14 with 5k the 5 is a 13 with 15k. Both are the same price. The 5 is the Sport.

The Bluetooth/Sync system is really appealing in the Focus but not a deal breaker on the 5 either as I have the portable Bluetooth now and it works fine.

My biggest thing is deciding what's more important - space or some more upscale/tech features. I'm leaning towards the 5 at this point but just really love the dash/layout on the Focus.

Maybe I should just flip a coin, lol!

TechnoGranola · Feb 23, 2014

What trim level is the Focus?

SavsMom · Feb 23, 2014

TechnoGranola said:
What trim level is the Focus?

SE - with the Sport pkg.

TechnoGranola · Feb 23, 2014

Is is just going to be a boot around the city vehicle? And will you have access to the larger vehicle for family road trip or for large Costco runs? I find I don't really need the large size anymore since all 5 of us aren't together at one time. If we didn't need to tow, we could easily survive with two smaller vehicles. The lower miles and newer model year of the Focus appeals to me as does the styling over a van like vehicle.

SavsMom · Feb 23, 2014

TechnoGranola said:
Is is just going to be a boot around the city vehicle? And will you have access to the larger vehicle for family road trip or for large Costco runs? I find I don't really need the large size anymore since all 5 of us aren't together at one time. If we didn't need to tow, we could easily survive with two smaller vehicles. The lower miles and newer model year of the Focus appeals to me as does the styling over a van like vehicle.

It is primarily just my run around vehicle. I drive about 10 miles round trip to work, school and daycare on the weekdays and running around on the weekends. I do have access to the other vehicle however if I needed it at random it's a big hassle as bf works a bit of a distance and quite frankly neither of us like trading cars, lol!
I had a Prius previous to the 5 I have now and it was fine but I did miss the size of the SUVs I had prior to it.

I'm leaning towards the 5 primarily from the convenience standpoint - no need to swap cars if I need extra space plus the interior is a lot nicer than the one I have now. But...that Focus dash and layout is soooo of nice.

TechnoGranola · Feb 23, 2014

I've actually never needed to swap for the bigger vehicle. I take my Mazda3 to Costco too and have hauled boxed car seats in it no problem without folding the seats down. The only time I use the big one is when all five of us need to go together or we'll use it when we go camping.

How often do you realistically need the extra cargo capacity? If it's only when you travel out of town, BF is likely to be with you or you'd likely know in advance to swap vehicles.

SavsMom · Feb 23, 2014

Think I will rent one for a few days to be sure I will like it.

TechnoGranola · Feb 23, 2014

SavsMom said:
Think I will rent one for a few days to be sure I will like it.

The dealer might let you take it home for a weekend. Won't cost the rental then.

SavsMom · Feb 23, 2014

TechnoGranola said:
The dealer might let you take it home for a weekend. Won't cost the rental then.

I'm not getting it from a dealer so no go there.

2012-2014 Ford Focus Hatchback - am I crazy to consider this?

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