Good morning, and welcome to another week of crappy old cars! This week, I’m sticking to a $2,500 price cap and featuring one make per day, starting with Ford. We’ve got a pickup truck and a compact wagon to check out.
On Friday, we looked at two cars for the same price from the same year, and I honestly didn’t know which way this one was going to go. I mean, I know my preference, and after three years of this, it’s probably not hard for most of you to guess what that is. What surprised me a little, though, is that a slim majority of you agreed with me, and gave the Neon the win.
So about the lack of power steering on that Camry: I couldn’t find a 1995 brochure online, but I did find one from 1996, and it does list power steering as standard, even on the base model, which means there’s a good chance that you’re all correct and someone removed the power steering system from this one. However, in my defense, when I bought my 2002 Mazda Protege brand new, it had exactly one option on it: the “Preferred Equipment Group,” which included air conditioning, a CD player – and power steering. So it was an option on some cars later than you think.
Now let’s turn our attention to a pair of rusty Fords from the Midwest. We’ve got an F-150 pickup in the love-it-or-hate-it “jellybean” style, and a post-facelift Focus wagon. They’re not pretty, but they’re both good runners. Here they are.
1999 Ford F-150 XLT – $2,099
Engine/drivetrain: 4.6-liter (probably) overhead cam V8, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Odometer reading: 200,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
Used F-150s aren’t at all hard to find. They’ve been the number-one selling vehicle in the US since just after the Mesozoic Era, which, combined with the fact that they’re essentially indestructible by conventional means, makes for an abundant supply of used examples. But this one’s spec seemed a bit uncommon to me, and caught my eye. It’s a Super Cab, with a V8, and a five-speed stick.
When a manufacturer changes the body style of a vehicle, the chassis and drivetrain are commonly carried over; it’s rare for a new model to be all-new. But when Ford redesigned the F-series in 1997, everything was new: body, chassis, even the engines. About the only things that carried over from the previous generation were the rear axle and the transmission choices. The V8s offered were Ford’s “modular” design, already in use in full-size sedans and Mustangs. Both 4.6 liter and 5.4 liter sizes were used; I’m guessing this is a 4.6, since they were more common. The seller doesn’t specify, and there’s no VIN listed in the ad, so we can’t know for sure.
In 1999, the F-150 Super Cab gained an extra pair of rear-opening doors, making the extra space in the cab a lot more useful. There’s a bench seat back there with a reasonable amount of legroom, and a split bench in the front, meaning that I suppose you could conceivably fit six people in here. The interior doesn’t look terrible for 200,000 miles, but the plastic dash is pretty beat-up, and the steering wheel rim has had it.
It’s the outside of this truck that’s the problem. It’s ugly, and I don’t just mean because of the styling. The bottom few inches of sheetmetal all the way around are pretty crispy, and there are a few really bad spots. Midwestern road salt is no joke. If the frame is unaffected, it’s probably still fine for a beater, but you’d be wise to poke around with a screwdriver under there to check.
2006 Ford Focus ZXW SE – $1,850
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Batavia, IL
Odometer reading: 119,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
Ford’s Focus compact brought its European and North American offerings into line for the first time. Our first-generation Escort looked like the third-generation European model, but wasn’t the same car at all. But the Focus, with some drivetrain differences, was largely the same on both sides of the Atlantic. This looks very much like the Focus wagon I rented in Germany back in 2000.
Earlier Focuses used the old CVH four-cylinder from the Escort, or a Zetec twin-cam four from Europe, but by 2006, the American model had settled on a 2.0-liter Duratec engine, Ford’s version of a Mazda MZR four. This one drives the front wheels through a four-speed automatic, which sucks some of the fun out of it, but it gets the job done. It’s pretty low mileage, and the seller says it runs and drives well.
It’s a little dirty inside, but not beat-up, and since it’s an SE model, it has power windows and locks and whatnot. The ad is a little light on details, but the seller does say the air conditioning works, so that’s something.
From the looks of the outside, it hasn’t led the easiest life. There’s a dent in the tailgate, and another in the back bumper, and the driver’s door and front fender have a big wrinkle in them. The driver’s side mirror looks like it’s being held on with gaffer’s tape, as well. And then there’s the rust, just starting to peek through on the driver’s side doors and rocker panel. But for the price, I’ve certainly seen a lot worse.
Two grand doesn’t get you much these days, but if you shop around and aren’t too picky, you can still find something that will do. That’s what we’re trying to find this week, one make at a time. So pick your favorite Ford, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow with another brand.
The Focus easily wins. If the truck’s body is that crusty, the frame is holier than Swiss cheese. Send it…..to the junkyard.
The Focus is a cromulent budget car. Not exciting, but adequate. The F150 is on its way out.
As a former Focus SE owner, I both love and hate the Focus. The automatic sucks any and all spirit out of driving the thing, but it also was a great commuter car and the wagon would only make that better. However, they do rust like mad.
As a former F150 owner, the 4.6L (which is what this one has based on the photos) and the 5-speed is a pretty good setup, but the rest of the truck is rough. I doubt body mounts have been done on it since it rolled off the assembly line, so I bet those doors are obnoxious to close and probably leak pretty good when driving in the rain.
I think I’m going to go with the Focus this time. It looks better maintained, even if it looks like the previous owners drove and parked by feel.
I nearly went for the Focus just based on those interior photos, but I can’t resist a V8 manual. I have a shampooer, and a new steering wheel isn’t hard to find for the thing.
This was tough, mainly because they both look like they smell bad and I don’t want to spend any time inside either one.
That said, the F150 was probably driven to within an inch of it’s life everyday whereas the Focus was just increasingly neglected once the cosmetic damage started becoming more prominent. I chose the Focus.
I’ll take the Focus as a dirty stuff hauler and winter beater. It’ll be dirt cheap to operate for a few years. Then once it becomes clear that it will soon need a repair that greatly exceeds the wagon’s value, I’ll give it a proper Gambler 500 sendoff to the great beyond.
Worst f150 evar. Frame made of flex.
Yes, but the frame on this one is made of flex and rust!
I’m not really a Ford guy but all trucks should be 2-door extended cabs so that gets my vote.
I can’t Focus on anything but the Manual V8 truck.
The 4.6 is a reliable powerplant that’ll serve up adequate power until the end of time.
I’ll take the F150. It’s not just good, it’s good enough!
Hard to resist a V8 manual anything.
And I’ve never been a fan of that years’ Focus styling – Ford tends to alternate between edgy and bland, and the 2005 – 2007 Focus definitely softened the strikingly original new edge design of its debut.
Well, I have stared at this same truck for the last 15 years in neighbors driveway. Seems unkillable. Not sure about the other offering, not experienced with it.
So rather than get trucked over, will focus on the tiny silver thing?
I’ll take the f-150, may be able to haul more than groceries before it dies.
Out of the two, I’d go Focus, and then join our local rallycross events until it dies. The F150 is too far gone to be a long term beater truck IMO, it might survive one winter here.
The truck is just too far gone. The Focus was owned by a senior citizen who didn’t drive much but made sure to hit something every time they did.
The interior condition seals the deal. That truck probably smells like 5 landscape guys at the end of a 90-degree day.
I love Ford pickups, but I’m going with the Focus. This is by far the worst generation F series (horrible safety and styling), and this particular jellybean is dirty, crusty, and has a ton of miles. It has the correct number of pedals, but that hardly outweighs the litany of negatives.
I don’t have much enthusiasm for the Focus, but it is newer, cheaper, and in far better condition. I don’t want it, but no one is choosing either of these vehicles because they want them.
Although I can certainly hear that impending exhaust leak from the F150 that’ll give the Coyote guys a run for their money, the 4 speed auto in the Focus really kills the fun and fuel economy. Overpriced beater truck gets my vote, at least I’ll be able to row my own as it continues to disintegrate 🙂
I think there’s at least a 50% chance that the F-150 has terminal frame rot, but I’m going glass half full today, since an IDGAF pickup has a lot of merit on its own.
Not a fan of the 10th gen F150 with their terrible crash test results and problematic engines. The 4.6 would be better than the 5.4 but not by much.
The Focus on the other hand was a great car after the 2005 refresh that introduced the Mazda derived engines to the platform. This one being a wagon makes it that much better.
Being a former Escort wagon owner, I always wanted to pick up a Focus wagon with a stick, but I think that rusty ship has sailed. I don’t see them anymore around here.
Something like that F-150 is probably what I’ll be buying when my 92 F-250 finally craps out.
I’m keeping my fake $2500 internet monies in my pocket and seeing what tomorrow brings. I almost went with the V8 stick shift but just couldn’t get myself to vote for that much rust.
What native said.✅
Not a fan of F 150s. Not a fan of V8s. Not a fan of rust. Still picked the F 150.
Welp. Today is a neither day.
I liked the Focus, but the thing they do best is rust.
And those F-150s are, charitably, not great. (Oh, you’re going to argue? Allow me to remind you of the GMT 400, 800, and 900).
And the Ford Modular V8 makes me recite incantations that conjure evil and make everything smell like sufur.
That Focus has had a very hard life. While the interior looks surprisingly good, that exterior is too far gone for me to want to touch it. And yeah, extended cab long bed, stick shift truck… Can’t go wrong there. Despite the higher miles and equal amount of rust, I trust it more than the Focus. I do have to give kudos to the Focus owner though, managing to replicate not one, but two Camry dents onto it is pretty unusual.
The beater truck is at least a beater truck. It has a manual! and parts are everywhere.
Stick shift V8 F-150? Hell yeah!!