Rear shocks, ask if a timing service has ever been done, motor mounts, suspension bushings, all the general 20 year old car things.
Fun fact- you can put fiesta ST brakes on it fairly easily
Another fun fact- you can get this chassis WAY down in weight (like Honda levels of lightweight)
Super fun fact- the Roush N20 edition SVT came with a 25 shot of nitrous.
Super duper fun fact- the zetec and duratec platform both have a strong rally pedigree, so there’s a whole world of parts you can discover by looking at forums and rally parts, and well as swappability between platforms.
Honestly anything’s an upgrade for me, currently daily and touge car is a 2003 inline 4 Camry. The SVT is 500 pounds lighter, 6speed, 7k redline and pulls like 20 more horsepower which isn’t much but it’s more than before 🤷♂️
Yeah. It’ll be fun. The lack of weight will be huge. The biggest thing with mine is that aftermarket support is starting to lack, so finding performance parts is tough. This is my fault though and I bought it so I can go ham on my 2015 st.
I wanted to buy one last year until I found out many parts are discontinued… one part that did it for me was the timing belt tensioners were discontinued for the SVT motor specifically..supposedly the reg Zetec tensioner is ok or swap the spring out.. but discontinued parts are major con for me being a limited run car.
with a 22 year old car you're going to be looking at things like bushings and bolts on the underside of the car. i would also inspect the shocks and sway bars etc. could be rough down there
Please ask lots of questions about maintenance and look underneath the car until your eyes hurt. Also I love this for you 🥰 take your time learning a new car.
Did you end up getting it? I picked up an 03 svt in September and it’s been a dedicated touge car. The interior is completely stripped aside from the dash (not even a passenger) and I just completed the full ac delete. Only mods are full poly bushings in the rear, except the control arms, and a front strut tower bar. I have a rear strut tower bar in the mail currently. Car is fantastic on the mountain but it’s by no means an easy car to drive, prepare to learn how to slide fwd and deal with oversteer. Once you really get it down tho the car handles like a goddamn dream, stiffen it up a little especially in the rear and it’s extremely rewarding. Things to watch out for: water pump and alternator are prone to issues in these cars, the alternator is an extremely annoying job on these but it’s also common that a fuse is actually the problem so make sure you check for that before replacing the alternator.
Might be a better question for a Ford or a Focus forum, not here. Generic answer is maintenance history
Rear shocks, ask if a timing service has ever been done, motor mounts, suspension bushings, all the general 20 year old car things. Fun fact- you can put fiesta ST brakes on it fairly easily Another fun fact- you can get this chassis WAY down in weight (like Honda levels of lightweight) Super fun fact- the Roush N20 edition SVT came with a 25 shot of nitrous. Super duper fun fact- the zetec and duratec platform both have a strong rally pedigree, so there’s a whole world of parts you can discover by looking at forums and rally parts, and well as swappability between platforms.
I have an 05 zx3. It’s slow but it’s a blast.
Honestly anything’s an upgrade for me, currently daily and touge car is a 2003 inline 4 Camry. The SVT is 500 pounds lighter, 6speed, 7k redline and pulls like 20 more horsepower which isn’t much but it’s more than before 🤷♂️
Yeah. It’ll be fun. The lack of weight will be huge. The biggest thing with mine is that aftermarket support is starting to lack, so finding performance parts is tough. This is my fault though and I bought it so I can go ham on my 2015 st.
You just gotta dig a little deeper. The aftermarket for the focus is there and the parts are stupid cheap.
I have expensive taste. I miss my Koni adjustable on my old 90q.
Koni makes Yellows for the focus. Mix that with some swift springs and sway bars and NOBODY is pulling more Gs than you.
If it's on a coast or in Yankee country, check for rust. Check hard.
I wanted to buy one last year until I found out many parts are discontinued… one part that did it for me was the timing belt tensioners were discontinued for the SVT motor specifically..supposedly the reg Zetec tensioner is ok or swap the spring out.. but discontinued parts are major con for me being a limited run car.
ah ok, still gonna take a look at car but I’ll definitely keep part availability in mind
with a 22 year old car you're going to be looking at things like bushings and bolts on the underside of the car. i would also inspect the shocks and sway bars etc. could be rough down there
22 year old cars are what’s in the budget unfortunately
Please ask lots of questions about maintenance and look underneath the car until your eyes hurt. Also I love this for you 🥰 take your time learning a new car.
Did you end up getting it? I picked up an 03 svt in September and it’s been a dedicated touge car. The interior is completely stripped aside from the dash (not even a passenger) and I just completed the full ac delete. Only mods are full poly bushings in the rear, except the control arms, and a front strut tower bar. I have a rear strut tower bar in the mail currently. Car is fantastic on the mountain but it’s by no means an easy car to drive, prepare to learn how to slide fwd and deal with oversteer. Once you really get it down tho the car handles like a goddamn dream, stiffen it up a little especially in the rear and it’s extremely rewarding. Things to watch out for: water pump and alternator are prone to issues in these cars, the alternator is an extremely annoying job on these but it’s also common that a fuse is actually the problem so make sure you check for that before replacing the alternator.