Thinking of picking up this 03 ZX5 SVT Focus for a daily

[SVECobraR]

Hey Guys i already own a 99 Cobra and 04 Lightning and i'm thinking of picking up this 03 SVT Focus for a daily.

My Lightning and Cobra are black and this fits exactly what I want, minus the red interior and the black wheels, but there really isn't much better in the area. I've been looking for 2 weeks now and I can't find anything better.

I've done some research and I know that timing belts are a issue for these things and the guy told me that he bought it from a auction and doesn't know if it's been done but he has owned one personally and said that it will need motor mounts for sure. The guy seems to be honest, reputable and forthcoming. I've negotiated the price down a bit and we are going to meet at a buddy's shop on Thursday morning so i can check it out more in depth.

What I wanted to ask is if there are any specific things I should look at? I was planning on looking at the cylinders with a scope to make sure there isn't any damage and do a compression test but if you guys have any other recommendations, or know of anyone selling one, please let me know.

Thanks

Berj

 

[Steve@Tasca]

Looks okay, hard to tell a lot from pictures though. Left front fender liner is missing and judging by the pic of the left rear tire it's got camber issues in the back which are common to these cars. As you know the timing belt and pulleys are of utmost importance, everything else is just maintenance.

A well kept SVT can be a great car, one that needs work can be a money pit to put right. I can help with just about anything you have a question on with these cars so feel free to ask.

-Steve

 

[SVECobraR]

Thanks for the response Steve.

I know i'll be needing the complete timing belt kit and possibly motor mounts asap. I was going to order it from you anyways. How much am I looking at for those?

Also what kind of camber issues did these cars have?

Berj

 

[acbauza]

Hi,

I have an 03 SVT 3Dr and can tell you from my experience after a years ownership that you'll want to go over it with a finetooth comb. Camber isn't an issue at all. I instruct with the BMW Club on track and have spent an absurd amount of money on mine, but it was due to chasing down problems which were finally whittled down to a leaky injector. Any way, you'll find a lot of parts just aren't available or a SVTF specific.

Overall, it's a good daily car and with the hatch it will hold a lot. They didn't have LSD's, so consider that in the future. Fuel economy isn't too bad either if you baby it.

I did track mine twice last year and was pretty happy with it.

Anyway, what you found is a little high in price, but still might be more "solid" than most. Do put $$$ aside, because certain things will just need to be replaced. Hard plastic vacuum lines with rubber ones. Valve cover gaskets, plugs, timing belt, water pump, idlers and tensioner(accessory belt tensioner too). HTK makes the O2's for it and are available from Advance Auto too.


Good Luck!

Anthony

Red Dragon

 

[Steve@Tasca]

Thanks for the response Steve.

I know i'll be needing the complete timing belt kit and possibly motor mounts asap. I was going to order it from you anyways. How much am I looking at for those?

Also what kind of camber issues did these cars have?

Berj

All the Mk1 Focus had issues with rear camber which caused excessive inner edge wear on the rear tires, Ford even produced a redesigned set of camber arms to correct the issue and multiple companies produce adjustable versions these days.

If you do the belt setup and all three mounts you'd be in the $450 range.

-Steve

 

[Steve@Tasca]

Camber isn't an issue at all.
[/URL]

See my last response, not all of them have camber issues but it's actually quite common in the Mk1.

-Steve