Quick Tour of My New Beater Wagon | 2006 Ford Focus ZXW SE
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ค. 2020
- Friendship over with Intrepid, Focus Wagon is my new best friend. Things escalated quickly, so now we're behind the wheel of yet another super cheap car.
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After Monday's official announcement of the death of my 1997 Chrysler Intrepid 3.5L I wanted to give a quick tour of the replacement beater, this 2006 Ford Focus SE ZXW. The Focus enjoyed it's time in the North American spotlight before Ford axed it after the 2019 model year, but it sold incredibly well here in Canada, especially Québec where the local KennyUPull has over 40 to choose from. My green Focus wagon is the second trim in the Focus lineup, after the S, but before the SES and ST/ZX4.
Unlike the Intrepid, this Focus was mechanically inspected for safety related problems, and was looked over for any major issues. As I discuss the heating motor wasn't working and was replaced, however the fan direction selector seem to be stuck, jammed, or outright broken and will need to be addressed. I go over the exterior and interior of this Focus to see what needs to be done, along with some quick clips of the after results of cleaning.
I also discuss my plans for this cheap car, including what OEM modifications I would like to do on top of cleaning and fixing up the issues with it. Stay tuned for more Focus content as we kill off #ProjectIntrepid and replace it with #ProjectFocusWagon.
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I finally took this for a long drive over the weekend and everything went well, I mean for a 14 year old neglected Ford Focus. AC is ice cold, suspension and steering are solid without any wobbles or roughness, and the brakes grip very well. Engine was solid throughout and transmission shifted great. I took a quick look under the car with my camera and the rocker panels are rough due to the salt and winter but the subframe and frame are in good shape. While this is far to be a sexy car, nor is it even remotely close or ever will be showroom mint, it will serve its purpose as a cheap leave behind car.
7:30 "You can see that someone pissed there pants back here" lmao!! I watch this channel for the outstanding car reviews, but I swear the laughs keep my coming back!!
I try 🤣 I still need to figure out how to clean these stains for good, I keep trying the same product but it still looks like piss back there.
I really wish small wagons were more readily available. Not everyone wants or needs an SUV!
Agreed! That's part of the reason why I've come around to this car, gives me a lot of functionality without taking up a lot of space.
@@PRNTestDrive If I could find a mint 2007-2009 Subaru Legacy GT Wagon, I would sell my first born.
I think Ford shot themselves in the foot when they stopped making these. Especially the wagon configuration. This has been a very reliable vehicle for me. It outlasted my marriage! I liked it so much that I bought a second focus- the sedan configuration, though. The engine is bullit-proof. The only underbelly for this second generation, as you have mentioned, is that they are prone to rust. To extend their lives, you need to undercoat them with anti rust oil before winter, if you get snow in your neck of the woods.
I agree. The current Euro-spec Focus looks very nice, could have done very well here in North America.
I really like this generation of Focus. The steering feel is quite fun, and the ride is nice for a economical compact car.
I'm liking it more and more as I spend time with this. I think now that I've cleaned up the way it looks and made sure the car stops and goes properly I'll be spending more time with it.
@@PRNTestDrive I used to have an 06 ZXW SES with the slosh box automatic and I loved the car it was the first car I own but sold it when I got my current car a 07 ZX4 focus with the 5SPD what a difference the 5spd wakes these cars up and makes them so fun to drive and I really want to buy another wagon but with the 5spd
8:30 For a car like this, a fresh pair of $30 front seat covers works nicely. The neoprene-like ones they sell at Costco are very useful.
I want to try and avoid seat covers if at all possible. I just did a quick video with a wet vac and it helped quite a bit, I'm going to try doing it again this week with better lighting.
to this day, I miss my '95 Accord wagon. Long live the long roof!
I dream of getting a 92-93 Accord wagon. Hard to find them these days, and any for sale are either rough or modified.
I've got a UK spec Ghia Saloon with the 2.0 Zetec. It's the most reliable car I've ever owned and a joy to drive. Despite having 3 newer cars I have never sold it, it's just too good. You'll enjoy this!
Glad to hear it! So far the engine seems to be solid, took it on a longer drive this past weekend to work it's legs a bit and found the engine performance to be pretty good for the age/size. Sounds healthy and performs well! My only other Ford had a solid engine also, would have gone on forever if the transmission hadn't failed.
Definitely wanna see fog lights on this ! Great idea. Also some alloy rims would be nicer than those steel ones with plastic covers.
Haha you just mentioned alloy rims after I typed that
The tires need to go too, they're garbage-tier Chinese winter tires. I took this on a few longer-distance drives over the past week and everything worked out really well, car performs well without any major red flags during my drives. I'll be getting a tune up and having it looked over later this month to make sure everything is good to go, then I'll look to replace the rims and investigate fogs 😃
If you're still doing reviews of classics, hit me up for a test drive of a 1995 Jaguar XJ6
Oh I would love to! Let me know what you're schedule is like and we'll make something happen!
@@PRNTestDrive The last week of July looks best, I will be home on stay-cation
Would like to see that
I’ll keep that week free on my schedule!
Test drove one of these yesterday with 133k. It seemed well maintained with lots of paperwork, but there was a strong burning crayon smell when running climate control/under hood. Engine was half a quart+ low on oil and had a pool on top. What do you think?
I'd likely skip that one, there should be plenty of others to choose from out there, I wouldn't settle for one with obvious issues. The frame on mine was rotten, but the engine ran great, no burning issues.
In the 2006 here we already had the newer model.
This model was discontinued in Europe in early 2005, maybe in Canada later or was a leftover :D
We got a lot of sloppy seconds when it came to sedans. 2007 was the final model year for this generation for us. Ford seems to make the best cars outside of North America, the new Chinese-market Taurus looks really sleek.
I guess the fleet cars are usually dropped off in Montreal, so you need something to drive there and leave it there while you have the press car for a week for testing?
Pretty much! I haven't had the need to drop this off yet since I've been at the same fleet management company since getting back into press cars, which has given me some time to work on this one! Got some videos shot on it today that should be coming out later this week.
5:40 oof that spray job looks so rough. Wonder why they couldn't even just tape across the side for a clean line.
Had I known the guy was going to spray this gunk on 'as a courtesy' I'd have told him to skip it, it's causing more headaches than its solving. I managed to get most of it off last week, though the paint has come off in the process. It's just covering up the rust rather than fixing it. Luckily the worst of it is just surface rust, should be easy enough to grind it out and repaint with a spray can or two. It's what I did with my 1990 Accord and how I fixed the front bumper on the 7 Series.
Climate control is a problem with most first-generation Ford focus from 2000 to 2007
there’s 2 relatively easy ways to get around the stiff climate control knob issue
the first one is to heat up the car nice and hot
this will release the door gasket from sticking allowing you to turn the vent deflector knob
the second way is to get underneath the dash where the gas pedal is and look straight up and a little behind you and you’ll see a black plastic disk which has a thin looking handle at one end ,you can manually move the vents from whichever position you want by pulling on the vent or pushing up on it
I did manage to get the knob un-stuck by getting under the steering area to work it loose, I don't know if it was something that got stuck when the shop I bought it from replaced the heater as no air was coming out of it originally, but it seems to work properly now. I've taken this on the road a few times since filming this and changing the airflow direction seems to be a lot smoother.
I always thought the focus was the same in all countries,but I see there are small differences.
Ford's 'Worldwide' car wasn't so worldwide. I feel like the Focus was better in Europe and we just got the sloppy seconds.
I have a 2005 that I bought in 2014. I bought it at 43000 miles, and it is just now at 78000. It looks funny, but it has been a great car. I am trying to figure out how long this will last!
Not bad at all! I notice that most of these have low mileage like yours, but I'm glad to hear it's been working out well for you over the past 6 years. I hope to get that kind of lifespan out of this one!
I had an '07 zx4 with 211,000 mi. The car was still solid like a brick shit house, but the ECU crapped out.
A focus wagon is to be loved, not beaten.
When it had as much structural damage due to rust as mine, it's all it could ever hope to be. I ended up selling it over a year ago before moving, one of the potential buyers took it to a shop and the lift broke through the frame.
@@PRNTestDrive it's 2023. Two years ago, I found a fleet car from down south with only 45k on the odometer. It's an 05 focus wagon, completely dirt and rust free underneath.
I now have 76k on the clock and it still is rust free, solid, and runs and drives like new.
I hope to put another 75k on it.
I only wish I could find a pinto wagon in as good of shape.
Rust free is key! I really enjoyed mine despite it being very rough, it drove well and did pretty well for fuel economy. I see them from time to time out here, I don't think they rusted quite as bad as they did in Québec. Hold onto yours for as long as you can!
Hey, if you havent found the isse relating to your blend switch not working for you AC, here is a video that explain the probable cause: th-cam.com/video/j3nOX7oTGTg/w-d-xo.html
I have a 2006 focus. This was the core issue. The wires that turn when the knob is turned was frayed, but it freyed in the first place because it was fighting the sticky turning door.
Hope this helps
This video shows exactly what i did as a fix: th-cam.com/video/uwiExNKRNqE/w-d-xo.html
I tapped the opening with high temp ducting tape.
Very useful videos, thanks for sharing! I did get the vents to work up top, it had to do with the actual selector knob being stuck, now that I've worked it a bit I'm able to change the fan directions with ease. If only the A/C worked, would be nice if it just needed a fill but I suspect there's a leak somewhere.
@@PRNTestDrive Glad you could figure out that issue! Good luck in getting the AC working, hope it's a quick fix
I hope so too, the air is cool-ish but not cold, so having actual AC would be a big plus.
I just bought this car
How do you like it so far?
@@PRNTestDrive mines a 05 zxw it’s good so far, I only use to to get to work and daycares. My trunk button and license plate lights the strip that they’re on is broken and Ford doesn’t make them anymore so trying to figure that one out
@@irisg7860 one of my plate bulbs is filled with corrosion, I might see if it’s easy to replace it with an entire unit off a junkyard car.
@@PRNTestDrive I’ve been looking for the strip and found one on eBay for 158 🤦🏽♀️