Never-Sold 2002 Ford Focus With Just 117 Miles Is One Way to Spend $20,000
Did we mention it’s a manual too?
The Ford Focus has been gone from the United States for years now, and soon it'll leave this world entirely. But you still have a chance to get a brand-new Focus here in the States; you just have to be cool with it being a never-registered 2002 model with just 117 miles on it. Also, it might have one of the worst engines Ford has ever sold.
This Focus is currently listed for sale at Centsible Auto Sales in Kalispell, Montana. According to a Facebook post by the seller, the car was once the stock of local dealer Rygg Ford, which appears to have gone under in the early-mid 2000s in circumstances that aren't documented online. A 2012 photoshoot of the dealer's shuttered facilities on Flickr suggest the inventory was only partially (if at all) liquidated, as there were still plenty of cars on the lot at the time—many of them vandalized.
Evidently though, this Focus wasn't among them, as it's still in showroom shape. From the paint to the hubcaps, seats, and Monroney, it's a brand-new, early 2000s Ford Focus sedan. You can just imagine how it'd feel to run your hand over those pristine cloth seats. They haven't had many butts in them at all, as the seller indicates the car has never been registered to a private party. It's a five-speed manual model too, so it's very much a car of the sort you can't get any more.
Not entirely in a good way though, because this Ford is equipped with the 2.0-liter Split Port Induction motor. These are disreputable engines known for severe vibration, sludge buildup, and over longer periods, dropping their valve seats. That's not supposed to happen for tens of thousands of miles, but it does put a damper on the excitement of getting such a well-preserved car from 2002.
So while it may have received a major service, it's hard to say if it's worth the $20,000 asking price, which is exactly $6,000 more than its MSRP 20-plus years ago. If you know your way around these engines, or just really want this particular Focus body style, by all means, be the one. For the rest of us though, there's not a lot this car does that a 2024 Nissan Versa doesn't. And that includes offering a five-speed manual.
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