[pcovers]

I am not as young as many of you on this forum I am a mid career professional. I have recently owned an S2000 and other sport sedans over the last 20 years. I was recently feeling a bit like my SVT Focus was not satisfying my sport car fever and so I decided the only available option was to begin my search for a more satisfying replacement. I was trying to keep my selection to $30k or under if possible.

I will spare you the details, but how my search has ended up is a surprise to me. I test drove the following 2003 models:

Saab 9-3 210HP turbo
Honda Coupe V6 240HP 6sp
Mazda 6S 220HP manual
Volkswagen Passat W8 (250+ HP)
Mazda RX8 (230+HP)

Every one of these was faster than our SVT Focus. Some of these were very satisfying to drive. I was particularly pleased with the overall package of the Saab 9-3. The W8 in the VW was big time torque and the Honda was fast and a pleasure just to sit in.

With a straight face I tell you that each time I got back in my SVT Focus, it was undeniably clear to me how very near perfection are the handling characteristics of our car. It is not as fast, but is so much better at handling and stability than so many other "sport coupes" that cost many thousands more.

Now, there are many reasons to choose to buy any of the cards I drove. I would probably be pleased with just about any of them for varying reasons. A good car has more to offer than a single good attribute. However, as much as I am in the buying mood and convincing myself that I want/need a more upscale sports sedan for myself, I cannot deny how I "feel" when I get back in to my SVT Focus and take that first hairpin turn on my way home

As much as I might wish I felt otherwise, I simply LOVE driving my SVT Focus. It beats the snot out of so many other cars out there that are presumed superior but simply aren't.

We get trounced in the straight line speed contest by a lot of cars. There are very few that could keep up with us in the handling department. And I guess I am coming to the conclusion that fun to drive handling means more to me than raw power. Ford absolutely got it more than right when they put this SVT package together.

So, I am like a kid that thought he needed a bigger piece of candy, but now find myself not all that thrilled with the bigger candy I went out and found.

Really love my SVT Focus.

 

[Virtual_Insanity]

I agree

 

[dalola]

Well stated....and I also totally agree

~Dave

 

[?]

I couldn't have said it better. After hearing my friend talk down to my SVTF comparing it to his strait line, super mod, 94 Mustang GT, it only took one long flat curve at more than 2x the posted speed limit to get his attention

 

[silvasvtfocus]

That's good to hear from someone whom seems to know his cars. Nothing beats the high speed composure and handling (for the price). I am wanting for more power, however, and am considering F/I as an add-on.

 

[Ranger]

I could not agree more. I, too, am an older guy in an executive position who can afford more car. I love Mustangs and have had 2 GT's....good raw power but not close in overall package for the $$. I looked at and drove higher-priced cars but at $16K with the rebate, there was nothing close for the $$ I paid. When some of my colleagues park next to me in their BMW's, Saabs, Benz's, I just smile knowing that I got lot's of fun for a lot less $$.

 

[DanamaxSVT]

Well Said!!

All the fun I've had in this car...it's already paid for it's self.

 

[South.O.C.]

This is my 5th Auto and have been driving for 20 years. I'm very happy with the my SVT and with a couple cheep mods Springs, struts and swaybars to my it's even better. Power......... yes if SVT would have put the S/C on to start with that would have been great. There has been a bunch of times coming out of a on ramp and my foot was to the floor that little more would be great... well 50-60 WHP and a LIMITED slip.

 

[slidemaster]

I could not agree more. I, too, am an older guy in an executive position who can afford more car. I love Mustangs and have had 2 GT's....good raw power but not close in overall package for the $$. I looked at and drove higher-priced cars but at $16K with the rebate, there was nothing close for the $$ I paid. When some of my colleagues park next to me in their BMW's, Saabs, Benz's, I just smile knowing that I got lot's of fun for a lot less $$.

The saving pays for all the track fees and tires for several years

 

[JaySD]

Well when you hit the track and the next thing you know is you have a 5-6+ car length lead on an SVT Cobra, and 2 SVT Lightnings you really come to grips (get it grips?

) with how well the car handles

 

[thinkfast]

I agree with ya man. This car rocks

I am waiting to hear from the SVT chapter here in Atlanta to see how bad the lil ol focus beat up on these other fellas at Talledega over the weekend!!

PS- ORP and Borla DO rock

 

[NY BLACK ZX3]

If you think you love it now, get a blower

 

[South.O.C.]

If you think you love it now, get a blower

How dose that old saying go...............
"Injection is nice, getting Blown is better"

I went for a ride in "Danamax" car Wowwwwwwww

 

[SVTBuckeye]

Not to mention the A#$ kicking I'm doing on the Solo II course in G Stock!

 

[Dhananjaya]

Damn straight! This thing's fun even at legal speeds, which is a good thing after the 6 points I just got on my license - don't ask, it's embarrassing

.

DJ
Rethinking his fun driving strategy

 

[bariman1226]

throw a turbo on it and then come back and tell us what you think of those other cars in comparison

 

[BCSVT99]

Re: Absolutely!!

pcovers.........I am probably one of the "elderly" around this site. I think most SVT owners here at "The Jet" are young enthusiasts. I too recently sampled the competition out there and couldn't agree more about the smile factor in the SVTF. I have owned a 2001 CL Type S Acura, 99 Cobra SVT, 99 Civic Si, two SHO's, 3 BMW's, 3 Porsche's, a Supra, and more I can't recall just now--senile you know........the SVTF

just has that "comon' let's go for a ride right now" thing.

 

[the_Scholar]

Re: Absolutely!!

At some of the last autoX's I have been at, I had faster lap times then corvettes, vipers, EVO VIII's, porsches, and audi's. This car does very well in the corners.

I had an owner of a Ford dealership who is one of three in the state of Michigan that sell Saleen Mustangs and he had recently purchased an SVT Focus as his daily driver, who also owned 2 Saleen Mustangs himself come up to me and asked a few questions about my SVT Focus. He told me that he hadn't driven his Mustangs since he took the new SVT Focus home and he had had the car for almost a month. His son was at the autoX running his FSP Focus and I beat him by almost 7 secs, me=47.71 secs and him=54.??secs. He came up to me surprised and asked what I had done to the suspension, commenting that the car seemed perfectly neutral and handled so well and having one of the faster lap times of the day. I told him, its basically stock and my only mods being light weight wheels with my stock Continetal tires, an FS strut bar, and a Z-Engineering motor mount.

This car is great to throw into the corners.