Just sold my EP3

[sancho61]

My 2002 SI had 4400 miles and it was grinding the tranny when I upshifted to third above 5K rpm. Took it to the dealer and they wouldn't even look at it because the problem was at 5K and above and the services manager stated that he would not allow his mechanics to rev it that high. I became very discusssed and sold it for $14350 to a used car dealer. I originally paid $15400 plus taxes and license. so I lost about $2000+. I really liked it but the grinding was really bad. I am actually glad i didn't loose even more money. I am on the market again which is not that bad. This time I will do some serious research before any buy.This experience left me a bad taste in my pocket.

[Makross]

you sold it just becuz it was grinding gears?? anyways good luck on another car

[kingxchat]

eh i purchase an extended warrenty anyway to get my money back?

[SiR Medic]

Did you not take the car to another dealer for a second opinion?

Why did you not MAKE them fix the problem?

You shelled out good money for a new car, if the dealer refused to deal with it, you should have went directly to Honda with the problem.

A dealer refusing to rev the car past 4000rpm when the damn thing cruises at 3700rpm seems a little stupid to me...

[Glix]

My original dealer tried to pull this crap on me. There are like 5 Honda delearships in phoenix and I found one that doesn't even ask questions they just pull it in and fix it.

[IceD out N CALI]

ouch 2 grand is a big loss. i woulda taken it to another dealer not jump the gun, but good luck on a future purchase

[Spidey]

geez, $2,000 is alot of change. there is a thing called "warranty"
not to mention that the tach does rev up to 7,000

[natesi]

$2000 loss isn't bad at all.

I had a 2002 ZX3 I bought brand new with almost every feature (even the anti-skid control, "advance trac") and it was such a lemon I had to get rid of it--it was driving me crazy. In the shop 18 days in less than 3 months and there were still many problems with it.

Long story short, I BOUGHT the car $3,000 below MSRP **less than 4 months earlier**, and still took a $4,000 loss when I traded it in on the Si. Since it was in the shop ALL THE FUCKING time, it only had 2500 miles on it.

It's obvious your tranny wouldn't have lasted until the warranty was out, in which case they would have had to replace it EVENTUALLY. I'm not sure why you got rid of it, but good luck. If that's the only problem you had (one problem), that's not so bad in my opinion. Granted it's a major thing, but I wouldn't classify the car as a lemon if that's all that was wrong with it.

The biggest complaints on my Si are (1) the ABS sucks major ass (2) the seats are nice, but not real adjustable--I CANNOT GET COMFORTABLE in this car... (3) rattles are LAME.

Other than that, minor stuff. I'm tired of shifting and the ride is harsh compared to other cars, but for the price nothing can really touch it (short of the SVT ZX3, but there's no way in hell I would ever buy one of those after the POS ZX3 I had). Granted, I would never pay full price for the Si--I think $19K is a rip off--but at the prices they usually sell for, they are solid values.

What ever you get for your next car, take my advice and stay FAR away from the Focus. They might look kinda cool from the outside, but Ford still builds cars with the same level of quality control they had in the early 1980s--a level which can only be described as "pathetic". And no Ford employee even gives the shit. They are like, "Well, you bought a Focus, what do you expect"? uh, I expect it to be better built and more reliable than my old 89 Celebrity--fo shizzle!

But anyway..... sorry, I had to vent. I know there are a couple Ford lovers on here, but man... I will see to it they never get one red penny of my money. And I'll stop as many other people as I can from buying anything they make/own, including Mazda, Volvo, etc. Ford is the absolute lowest of the low--they have no values or conscious of the pure shit they sell consumers. I can't think of anything I'd rather see more than to have them go bankrupt, but that is not likely to happen in my lifetime. I would drive a Dawoo or anything else over a Ford any day.

Okay, I'm done ranting (for now)...

= )

But that's not so say this Honda has been everything their "reputation" is said to be. Still, light years ahead of Ford though.

[02SilverSiHB]

wow, I can't believe what I just read...rediculous, really rediculous. Anyway, good luck buying another car...you must have cash to burn. IF your into hatches and want a step up from the si (stock vs. stock) get a 337 GTI

[civic hatch boi]

YES! one less SI off the road. gets better everyday :)

[TrippZ]

Originally posted by sancho61
My 2002 SI had 4400 miles and it was grinding the tranny when I upshifted to third above 5K rpm. Took it to the dealer and they wouldn't even look at it because the problem was at 5K and above and the services manager stated that he would not allow his mechanics to rev it that high. I became very discusssed and sold it for $14350 to a used car dealer. I originally paid $15400 plus taxes and license. so I lost about $2000+. I really liked it but the grinding was really bad. I am actually glad i didn't loose even more money. I am on the market again which is not that bad. This time I will do some serious research before any buy.This experience left me a bad taste in my pocket.

disgusting.

[SiR Medic]

Nice rant natesi!



Ford still builds cars with the same level of quality control they had in the early 1980s--a level which can only be described as "pathetic". And no Ford employee even gives the shit. They are like, "Well, you bought a Focus, what do you expect"?



You are right on the money about this. I used to live in Windsor, Ontario and I worked as a bartender... Some of my most regular customers worked at the Ford engine plant... The trouble was, THEY WOULD COME IN ON THEIR LUNCH BREAK!

Quite a few smelled like freshly smoked reefer too!:confused:


I owned a Ford Taurus long ago... PIECE OF CRAP.

I also owned an RX-7... REALLY FUN PIECE OF CRAP.
Engine seized at 140,000kms (85,000 miles)... Insanely expensive to rebuild (more than cost of the car)... Was told by the dealer: "That's about as long as they last!"

Now I drive Ford Ambulances... PIECES OF CRAP!
The seat and the steering wheel do not even line up!

[natesi]

My Mom has a 2000 Taurus. The 3.0L engine and chassis are not bad, but the rest is garbage. Garbage brakes, garbage tranny (I'm sure this will be the first thing to go), and HORRIBLE fit and finish both inside and out. She had to have the hood repainted becuase it was rusting immediately after she got the car. The Ford body shop did a horrible job--it's not even lined up right. Now it has a wierd vibration when the car is cold, the driver door doesn't line up right (body shop had ro replace the hinges once while it was under warranty), brakes fixed many times (now I'm sure she'll need new rotors), electric windows act very strange.... the car is just garbage. And were talking about a 52 year old lady who does 90% freeway driving. Imagine if someone like me had the car....

Ford also had to replace the hood on myZX3, among many other things, while i had it. By the way, if you look under the ZX3 at the suspension components, etc... then you look under the Si, you'll notice that the Si is built MUCH beefier. Everything on the ZX3 was real flmizy too, where as the Si is much more "solid".

But yea, like i said... the worst part is no one at Ford gives the rip. They don't even have THE DESIRE to build a better car. Everytime you find something wrong, or your car is towed, etc, the actual employees and even people on the Focus web boards point out that "this is just a Focus". Well, I'm sorry, but Civic's are in the same class and the build quality is night and day, just as I had suspected. Ford can do a better job--they just don't want to. Yet people still buy their shit. I think what keeps them around is loyal domestic buyers--of which I use to belong to, but no more. I like some of the domestic cars, but you get on the web boards and compare the problems Hondas have to domestics, and all the Honda problems seem relatively small-fry. And problems like this guy had seem few and far between.

I really wish domestics would get their act together. I'm rooting for them (except Ford), but I certainly won't put my money into one, unless it's an old hoopty or something. Anyone who's owned a lemon knows what I'm talking about. You get to the point where your like....

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, JUST GIVE ME A CAR THAT FUCKING WORKS!!!"

It's really frustrating.

[SlickShoes]

Dude, why did you just not lemon law it and get your money back? :rolleyes: Instead you took a $4k loss? Where's the logic in that?

As a side note, I have 17k miles on my Focus, including 6 full autoX events, an 8 hour day of road racing at Buttonwillow, and hundreds of miles worth of canyon runs and the thing is solid as a rock. Not a single problem, rattle or anything. But my friends RSX just burned out its power steering pump and has a squeaky dash after 8k miles. Are all RSX's crap? No, obviously not. But he's not having the greatest of experiences with them.


I think what keeps them around is loyal domestic buyers
I previously owned a Mazda MX-3 GS and an Acura CL. Currently own a Dodge Durango and this the first Ford I've ever considered.

Regarding the Si's "superior suspension", dude that has to be the biggest crock I've ever heard. Exactly what part of the suspension is weaker?

I understand your frustration with your local Ford dealerships. I just had to add my own.

[chet]

natesi. . . I was wondering about the "I can't get comfortable"
statement. I am 6'2" and weigh about 265. The Si seats are great for me! I don't see how you can't be comfortable. Just wondering though. I drive an hour to and from work. I have a bad back and neck problems and when I get out of the car I feel better than when I got in. (Ithink--maybe it just Si-euphoria!!).

IF you are into getting different seats you may want to check out
www.groupbuycenter.com. and do a search after clicking the HONDA emblem.

[Feng]

i get the feeling this dude just wanted to get rid of his EP...whatever.

[IceD out N CALI]

Originally posted by Feng
i get the feeling this dude just wanted to get rid of his EP...whatever.

yeah he jus wanted to get rid of it. minivan jokes got to him:D

[JaycivicSi]

youre pretty lucky to only lose 2 grand. my dads about to lose around 10 grand on his.

[natesi]

Dude, why did you just not lemon law it and get your money back? Instead you took a $4k loss? Where's the logic in that?


I bought the car in Oregon (right across the river in Portland), even though I live in Washington. I still had to pay all the taxes, etc

[oberkfell]

You see what NAFTA did for the U.S. Shit cars and loss of jobs. Beware of any car made in Mexico or Brazil. My Brazilian cost cutting VW Golf GLS 1.8t was the biggest POS to ever be produced.

[natesi]

Originally posted by oberkfell
You see what NAFTA did for the U.S. Shit cars and loss of jobs. Beware of any car made in Mexico or Brazil. My Brazilian cost cutting VW Golf GLS 1.8t was the biggest POS to ever be produced.

What exactly is North American Free Trade Agreement? Does that have anything to do with GM moving to Canada and Mexico and the 1980s, despite record PROFITS? Regardless of NAFTA, corporations chose to make those moves, on their own free will, so blame them.

A corporation's incentive is money, and unless you grab them the only place they are listening (profits) they won't give two craps about you or your opinions. Seriously.

In my opinion, continuing to buy domestic, just to "support" them is actually doing more harm then good because then they won't change (there is no incentive). The best message you can send them, and the best way to help them out is to not buy their products (if they are crap). Then they will be forced to listen, or go bankrupt.

[tsa1]

slick shoes i think he was talking about the zx3's suspension not the svt or are the same?

[SlickShoes]

The core of the suspension pretty much is the same. Certainly the A-arms are. I have to admit, I've never checked out the EP's a-arm's so they very well could be "beefier".

What I do know is that the Focus a-arms's are "beefy" enough to withstand a crap load of people out there rallycrossing them, and I haven't heard of anyone having a problem with them yet. There are aftermarket a-arms available but these just allow more suspension travel and are lighter weight. No added "beef".
:D

Sorry to hear about your Focus nightmare there, Nate. It really does only take one experience like that to really leave a bad taste in your mouth for life.

[SiR Medic]

Sounds like natesi had the nightmare scenario of a lemon car combined with an unsympathetic dealer.

Having to deal with a crappy dealer makes it seem like your car is worse than it is.

What really impressed me with the Honda was the dealer service. Both the sales and service depts. have been very friendly and accomadating.

I believe the ONLY reason Saturn is still alive and kicking is because of the dealers. Say what you will about the cars themselves, the dealers are top-notch. Having dealt with them before (I almost leased a SC1 once, long story, ex-fiancee involved) I actually FEEL BAD that they don't have a better product to sell.

So is it the manufacturer's fault about the poor dealer service?

YES.

Dealers are the one's representing the product, and if the person you actually talk to doesn't give two shits about you or your car... Why would the guy assembling it, designing it, or engineering it care any more?


My $0.02 (Canadian)