[Raine]

I can't understand why after this discussion has been hammer out so many times, it's still a point people take to heart. The Focus is not a performance vehicle! Yes, there are those that have pushed the envelope and gotten it moving at a relatively respectable speed, but 99/100 Focus Owners are in one because a) they've had a Ford before and liked it or B) it was cheap and a little bigger than an Echo. Performance is, and will always be for the elite. Elitists don't make up enough of the market for the manufacturers to care. Not many people would be willing to spend $25k on a faster Focus pushing out 170 hp when instead they could spend about the same and get themselves a Subbie Impreza producing 167 with AWD. Let's face it, if you're in it for the handling, or the way the car can take a corner, then the ZX3's and low level sedans are good for what they are...cheap. Higher than that? Get a car that has some resale. Would I have ever bought an SVT? Not on your life. If I had the money to spend at the time, I woulda seated myself in a Protege5 or an Impreza.. The Focus will be my winter beater when I get my next car cause I won't get anything for it were I to sell it. Would I ever buy another Ford? Not unless it's a Mustang or an F150...