Only response I'm making on this thread:
Ford killed the Focus for me personally in 2004.
That's it. Finito. End of story.
The reason I saved an extra $4,000 and bought a Focus over a Cavalier or Neon was because it was something you couldn't get from another company. It was the idea that I was different from everybody else (yet not). Think about it, how many cars looked like the North American Focus in 2000? The Mercury Cougar?
The new version, it's just another car now. If you look back on my posting history, you can see a direct relation with the number of posts to year. My Focus is almost 7 years old now and I will be replacing it in under two years. The only remotely appealing vehicle that Ford has is the Fusion.
I know, maybe I'll go buy a $23,000 Jetta that is 75% German. Seems to be the cheapest I can get for a truely european vehicle. Maybe not everyone is thinking like me, but if 5% of Focus owners think the same, that's a lot of people and a lot of money you just screwed yourself out of.
Strong Sales Of Focus, Fiesta And Commercial Vehicles Lift Ford Of Europe ( AutoChannel.com )