On Sunday, January 13, 2013 3:13:35 PM UTC, dwight wrote:
> A note, to anyone who remembers, that I am now out of the Mustang world. For
>
> one of the rare moments in my adult life, I am without a Mustang.
>
>
>
> Both of my '93 5.0s have been in maintenance mode for the last 10 years or
>
> so. I really didn't want to sink a lot of money into either one, but tried
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> to keep them in decent enough running condition to meet my requirements.
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> Lately, the frequency of calls for tow trucks has accelerated (I have two
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> different tow truck operators on speed dial), as old parts continued to
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> fail. In fact, I was having replacement parts replaced.
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>
>
> CFrog, the GT convertible, went into the shop for another fuel pump
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> replacement. Meanwhile, the right side tailpipe fell off of TFrog, the LX
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> hatch. When I was crawling underneath to try and wedge the tailpipe into a
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> drivable position, I saw cancer - a good bit of rust in spots I never
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> normally look at. For the first time, both Mustangs were in the shop at the
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> same time.
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>
>
> There had been days when I asked myself why I was hanging onto these cars..
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> Normally, as soon as I got one back from the shop, I knew full well why I
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> kept them. Especially TFrog, with its 5-speed manual, the car that never
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> failed to make me grin. But the long, slow decline made me go in a
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> completely different direction.
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>
>
> On November 10, 2012, I dumped BOTH Mustangs at the local Ford dealership
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> and picked up a 2013 Focus S sedan. Some would say that I took a beating on
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> the trade-ins, I would say that I instantly saved a boatload of money.
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>
>
> There were three overriding factors in killing off the Mustangs:
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> 1. Winter was coming, and any snow usually meant that the Mustangs stayed
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> home.
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> 2. Gas was $3.75/gallon. When it was $2.00 or maybe even $3.00, my 17mpg
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> wasn't a problem.
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> 3. Money was needed for both Mustangs, probably more than the book value of
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> either. I could no longer justify the expense.
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>
>
> After two months, this new Focus has given me a lifetime average of 30mpg..
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> And, even though I have a clean driving record, I had been paying a V8
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> penalty in auto insurance for the Mustangs. With the savings at the pump and
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> the savings on insurance, the Focus amounts to a "free car." Also, it's a
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> three-year lease*, which means no repair bills, no tow trucks, and I
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> probably don't have to worry about tires or brakes (until possibly the third
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> year).
>
>
>
> For Patrick - I wanted a black Focus, base model, no options. The dealership
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> actually had two, but both had one option - Ford SYNC. I took one, anyway..
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> Immediately, I had to modify - the car came with 15" wheels and plastic
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> wheel covers; I ordered a set of actual wheels to replace them (even though
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> it's a lease, I couldn't live with plastic wheel covers). The car has no
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> cruise control (an option), and although it has power windows up front, it
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> has window cranks in the back.
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>
>
> I'm in a whole new world. The torque steer of the FWD at launch threw me, at
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> first, but I'm getting used to it. Instead of the raw power and push of the
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> RWD V8, this Focus drives very "European," very tight and assured. The
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> 5-speed manual is... uh... "cute," a short-throw and precise shifter, and a
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> clutch pedal that takes almost no effort (my left leg may atrophy). The car
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> red-lines at 7K. First gear doesn't have much punch, but second gear makes
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> up for it when the revs top 4K. Unlike the 5.0 (1700RPM at 70mph in 5th
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> gear), the Focus really doesn't like to go much over 65mph, although I've
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> had it at 90mph many times (and watched the mpg drop). It could use a 6th
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> gear. My only complaint, really, is that the dashboard has two display
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> screens - one showing MPG and trip meters, the other for the SYNC system,
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> and I find no way to turn either one off.
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>
>
> I can see why the Focus is now the best-selling car in the U.S., and a
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> leader globally. It is a well-built, fun to drive automobile. And, while
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> I've driven many cars since, this is the first new car built since 1993 that
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> is mine, all mine. Two months in, and I'm still getting used to that. It's
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> still weird when I open the garage door and see a Focus sitting there.
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>
>
> I have to point out that my wife, having had three successive leased
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> Escapes, traded in her 2010 Escape for a 2013 Focus SE (with all the
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> trimmings) at the end of October. Playing with her SE helped make my
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> decision easier. The only change I would make today is in the wheels - where
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> she has the 17" wheel/tire combo, my base model sedan has 15" (my John Deere
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> has bigger tires) wheels with general "touring" tires. I don't want to
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> spring for a new wheel/tire combo on a leased car, but I'm trying to burn up
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> those tires, so I can order a somewhat better performance set.
>
>
>
> Absolutely, there are many times that I really miss my 5.0s. In this case, I
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> think I made the right decision. I'm taking three years off with some
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> carefree driving. When I leave work and walk to my car, I no longer have to
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> wonder whether it will start. I haven't yet deleted those tow truck numbers
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> from my cellphone, but I sincerely doubt that I'll ever need them.
>
>
>
> * Three year lease? Yep. I was really considering a V6 Mustang, not a Focus.
>
> Problem is, I would want to BUY that V6, then I'd bond with it, then I'd
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> want to keep it for the next 20 years. That's my history. But I'm looking
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> ahead to 2014 1/2 with great anticipation! I'm hoping that Ford really does
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> put out an all-new Mustang, dropping the whole retro thing, a Mustang that
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> looks forward, not back. I have a hunch that I'm really really really going
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> to want to get back into a Mustang at that point.
>
>
>
> dwight
>
> www.tfrog.com/tfrog - the next generation

Sorry to hear about the Mustangs... completely understandable though! As for the Focus... did you look at the ST? I picked one up in October... OMG! This thing is a blast! While not as fast as our Flex is on the straight aways, the ST is great in the corners!

Glad you are digging your new Focus though... they are a lot cooler than when they were first introduced so many years ago... LOL