[joedeals]

Newbie post/performance questions

Hi All,

I’d like the forums advice on what to do. I own a 2000 Ford Focus ZX3 automatic that I bought new and use as my daily driver. It has 99,000kms on it, and I bought an extended warranty until Nov 2006/120,000kms. I’ve taken good care of it, following the maintenance schedule, and getting the recall work done ASAP. I’ve been using regular gas and regular oil. Everything is stock, I’ve only changed the break pads and got new tires.

I’ve been contemplating buying a new car, or else to invest a couple thousand and keep my Focus for another 2-3 years (or maybe longer). My only real complaint is the acceleration, I love the handling and overall the car is very comfortable.

I’m wondering with an older car, is it still worth it to build a sleeper? Is the car too old? I’ve been in contact with Mitch/Zx3tuning.com, and the PowerWorks ATX kit definitely seems like my best bet, especially given the sale price. I also want to get either the FocusSport or Boral cat-back exhausts. I’ve done research, and I understand I will have to change to 91octane gas, and start using Synthetic Oil. Anything else?

Can anyone recommend me someone in the Ottawa, Ontario region that does good work? I know nothing about working on cars.

Any comments will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Joseph

[ZTWsquared]

joedeals,Jun 5 2006, 09:08 AM Wrote:Any comments will be greatly appreciated.
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Hey Joseph - welcome to FC. I don't want to deter you from turning your Focus into the vehicle you want it to be ... but based on what I've read from others here, a supercharger is a major job and usually requires additional mods to make it an effective one.

You may want to ask yourself a couple of questions before making the investment.

Your car is now 7 model years old with less than a year factory warranty - how long to you plan to own it? Once installed on your car the modifications basically become worthless from a resale point of view, so how long would you need to continue driving the car to make the investment worthwhile.

Have you considered the impact of the mods on an otherwise ageing powertrain and suspension; and are you prepared for the possibility that repairs may not be covered by your warranty?

You may also want to ask yourself what kind of performance you're looking for. Using the money you'd otherwise spend on a sc for your 2000 Focus as a down payment on a new car, you might find you can get the same performance out of the box with a brand new car wrapped around it - and no warranty concerns - a 220 hp V6 Fusion for example if you need an automatic.

I hope I haven't dampened your enthusiasm because that wasn't my intent - and others on here may have a different take on your question - hopefully you'll get the suggestions you're looking for here.

Cheers

[jen_deans]

Hey Joe,

I also have a 2000 ZX3, I love it, but like ZTWsquared said, any mods you do do might cause unplanned troubles. Personally I really dislike the look of the new gen focus and because of this I wont buy a new one. But again, it all depends on what you are going for...

Maybe even look around, there are probably some dealerships around that are trying to clear out last model years for cheap.. Never know! ;)

[hardk0re]

Theres a little price difference between a new car and a supercharger, for the cost of power works now, its going to give you some serious kick. 100k on a car isn't much at all in the grand scheme of things. Do count however on other stuff breaking.

A supercharger does not REQUIRE additional mods, they only enhance the power output. DP is making good power with a pea shooter exhaust, doesn't have to be loud and obnoxious like for instance me.....

For me if the car is in good shape, do it..

Edit: lets face it, trading in an 00 on a new focus isn't going to give you squat. Your going to be giving your car away, I say its cheaper to keap her. Start a fund now and drop $400-500/montly into it and use that for misc car repairs, etc. After a few years you will see how much you would have dumped on a new car..

[darkpuppet]

well, I guess it all depends.. how much you want to pay monthly for a car?

You could drop a couple grand on your focus, have a lot of fun, but the monthly costs may start adding up because it is an older car. I don't know of too many Mods that make a car more reliable, so assume that any mod you put on will in fact cause more wear and tear.

Of course that doesn't mean your car is going to fall apart the day you put the supercharger on, but you should be prepared for the cost and inconvenience.

On the other hand, you could put the money down on a car with a lot more horsepower out of the box, and have a worry free car for a few years..

I think the thing that would bother me the most is that you do own a 6/7 year old car, and it's one with an automatic that doesn't traditionally do well with lots of horsepower... The powerworks kit is great tho (and if you keep the car, it's the first thing I'd put on).

I dunno man, it's a bit of a toss-up. You could save money in the long run by keeping it, but you may have a lot less worries, and a lot better performance for the next few years with a new car.

But if you do keep the car, don't worry about exhausts and whatnot right now. WIth the price the powerworks is going for, it should be the 1st thing everyone buys. every other mod will only help even more after the fact.

[NOS2Go4Me]

It's all a matter of how much more acceleration do you want and how much more are you willing to spend.

I've done intake, exhaust and UDP and I'm fairly happy. I'd like more power, but I'm not ready to spend the big bucks.

If you go serious N/A buildup or a full F.I. kit... big bucks, lots of work, potential of significant downtime and the possibility of gremlins. There's a huge payoff though in terms of power and fun, but at the expense of gas, insurance, hassle from the cops (perhaps), etc.

[Drivesthebeast]

Get the PW kit, don't tell the insurance man, don't advertise to the world what you got, and have sleeper...plain and simple.

Granted you could buy something new and have a "worry-free" car for a few years, but then what? You're back to square one, and will lose your shirt on a trade-in anyways...

Do what your gut tells ya brah...

[ZX3TUNING]

a couple of questions too ask yourself before you decide...

1. How much do you think you could actually get for a 00 Auto ZX3 with 100k on the clock? Trade-in or private sale.

2. what are your other options for new(er) cars with more power?

3. What would your payments be on said new cars?

4. do you have the money to buy the PW kit outright now or would you be Privately financing it?

5. how solid do you feel the Automatic tranny in your car is? Regular transmission flushes and new filters?

6. what do you want out of the car?

7. what do you have into the car? Money, time, mods?

8. does the car owe you anything? still making payments, any costs that are still being paid off?


if the cars you like are somewhat out of your budget, if you have no real need for a "new(er)" car, if you think the car you have now is reliable enough to get you buy for more than a few years.... go for the PW kit.

Like anything after 6/7years, problems are going to creap up; brakes, suspension work, exhaust, oil leaks, blah blah blah... will the PW kit cause these to come up faster, the answer is a definately NO! if you drive the car like a sane person and use the extra power when needed or for fun once in a while there is no reason why this car could not last you another 100k without anything more than regular maintenence... maintenence you could use as an excuse to make the car even more fun... brakes go, get a nice set of brakes. Suspension needs work, upgrade to a nice sport kit and polly bushings.... exhaust rots out, get a nice aftermarket system...

it like anything, what makes more sence to you?

Having owned my Focus since 00, having a large dollar value hit on it even though damage was minimal, i could never get anything for my car as is or put back to stock.... so i'm turning it into a track car to play with.

I'd say have fun with the car and/or hold on to it if it has treated you well and feel it will continue to do so. put a little money aside each month over the next few years and use that as a down payment for a second car or something more economical...

[naz]

i think if you will modify to that extent you should be pretty sure you will keep the car for a very long time, and not be put off if you get a few expensive routine maintenance bills or some possible downtime due to the mods, or you will end up selling at the first sign of trouble and losing a ton of money

i'd really be curious how much faster than a stock 5spd focus a sc auto focus would be. it wouldn't make much sense if heavy modification only brings the car to a level that is marginally faster than a stock car with a different trans

[ZX3TUNING]

Having driven the PW Auto Car at the SEMA test track, i can attest to the power of these setups.
i'd be more than willing to put money on a Auto PW zx3 with just exhaust work against a manual BBK JRSC Zetec with lots of additional toys on the highway or even the strip. drivers would be more of a factor in AutoX or tack days but the Auto PW Zetec could holds it's own if the suspension work was similar to a Manual BBK JRSC car.

[joedeals]

Thanks to everyone for feedback. Many great points, lots to consider...

Resale value.
- Realistically in Ontario, based on Autotrader, I might be able to get $6500 if I go the private sale route. If I wanted to trade it in, the Canadian Blackbook price is $3,700 to $5,360. So I really don’t feel it’s worth trading in. There is definitely some emotional attachment, since this is my first car.
- Another point to consider about buying a new car. Driving a $30,000 car off the lot will end up costing me $5,000-$7,000 in depreciation easily in the first year alone, which covers the cost of adding an SC + cat-back.

How long to keep it
- If all goes well, I could see myself keeping the car for 3 years. If I put away $300/month * 36 months, that’s $10,800 for repairs + the SC. Even with my trade in, you wouldn’t get much car for that kind of money. I paid off my Focus two years ago, and I certainly don’t miss the monthly car payments.

Current condition of the car
- I haven’t had too many problems with the completely stock car, it still drives well, and I took good care of it. I bought it in November 2000, and have followed the Ford maintenance schedule. I already had the breaks replaced at Speedy. One of the reasons I want to replace my exhaust with a Borla cat-back is that the 2000 ZX3’s had tail-pipes and the muffler that rust like crazy. I think they fixed it in their later models.

Performance (PowerWorks ATX kit + Borla cat-back)
- According to many reviews, the PowerWorks gives 200HP with no other modifications required. I think that is kick ass performance for the price.
- I’m not 100% sure about the exhaust, but FocalJet review gave it a 10/10 in it’s review, along with the FocusSport one.

The two pieces of information I still need is someone in Ottawa / Gatineau to install it (I don’t have the know how OR the tools to do it), and insurance companies in Ontario that will insure a daily-driver that is supercharged. I’m going to start two new threads.

Thanks again to everyone for their great responses.
Joseph

[Drivesthebeast]

Again. like I said before, you don't HAVE to tell your insurance company...just tell them the year, make and model...I did the same with my car, and it's far from stock now. I just don't announce what it's got to the insurance people, and I pay like $80/mth for EVERYTHING, including a seperate rider on my sound system...

[naz]

i think you should think very very hard about the possible implications of tossing on a SC and not telling insurance.. esp in ontario.. you might find yourself in a collision and have your coverages voided and your claims denied on the basis of that modification.. the argument would most likely be that the SC and extra 70hp change the risk profile from a 'economy' car to a 'sport' car or something like that.. blah blah blah..

just really think hard about it. i personal would not take the chance of that heavy of a modification and not telling the insurance co. tell em you are thinking of that mod, ask em if they'll cover you if you get it, GET IT IN WRITING if they say yes.. and suck up whatever premium increase you might have.

some wheels or stereo or bodykit is one thing, but very obvious 'performance' stuff like an aftermarket SC or turbo, roll cage etc.. i'd be very careful about..

[Phantom]

naz,Jun 6 2006, 08:35 PM Wrote:i think you should think very very hard about the possible implications of tossing on a SC and not telling insurance.. esp in ontario.. you might find yourself in a collision and have your coverages voided and your claims denied on the basis of that modification.. the argument would most likely be that the SC and extra 70hp change the risk profile from a 'economy' car to a 'sport' car or something like that.. blah blah blah..

just really think hard about it.  i personal would not take the chance of that heavy of a modification and not telling the insurance co.  tell em you are thinking of that mod, ask em if they'll cover you if you get it, GET IT IN WRITING if they say yes.. and suck up whatever premium increase you might have.

some wheels or stereo or bodykit is one thing, but very obvious 'performance' stuff like an aftermarket SC or turbo, roll cage etc.. i'd be very careful about..
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Rollcage should make your insurance cheaper cuz the car is by far safer now :D