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Used Focus RS Market?

65K views 640 replies 79 participants last post by  Hoonigan 
#1 ·
Has anyone else noticed how so many of these used 2016-2017s have bounced around 2-3 owners within a 1-3 year window? That’s never a good thing, however dealers have no problem advertising them for 35k+ with 15-20k miles. First owner drives the heck out of it for 7-8k miles, then trades it in, 2nd-owner does the same & now you’re stuck as the 3rd owner on a 2yo car, wondering if the engine was beat up?

Also, only a few of them will actually say ‘cylinder head gasket(s)’ replaced on their carfax reports, so there’s always the unknown.

Is the best thing to do is look for a CPO car?




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#2 ·
I think you will pay heavily for CPO, each car has its own story... mine was owned by a guy for two years had 5k miles on it.
Now I drive daily...

I could potentially sell mine, have been having really bad sciatica and it makes it painful to drive. The Euro Recaros have zero adjustability. I don’t want to sell but could happen...
Each car will have it’s own story, yes some people beat the heck out of them, some put a ton of $ into them.

Just depends...


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#12 ·
I think you will pay heavily for CPO, each car has its own story... mine was owned by a guy for two years had 5k miles on it.
Now I drive daily...

I could potentially sell mine, have been having really bad sciatica and it makes it painful to drive. The Euro Recaros have zero adjustability. I don’t want to sell but could happen...
Each car will have it’s own story, yes some people beat the heck out of them, some put a ton of $ into them.

Just depends...


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You could always sell/trade me the Euro recaros for my US spec recaros and help you out :rolleyes::ROFLMAO:
 
#3 ·
My friend bought a CPO car, Subaru WRX. The car was tuned by the previous owner and my friend had power cuts on the car at random times. Car was only like 2 years old and he ended up selling it for a brand new WRX rather than deal with fixing it. Maybe some dealerships actually look at the trade in for wear or computer tuning.
 
#4 ·
Here’s why the used RS market drives me crazy. I just saw a 2017 come up for sale at a Ford Dealer with only 5k miles for 36k. I immediately check the carfax & it shows a branded title. I look into it more & the vehicle showed a head replacement & cylinder head gaskets replaced.

Here’s the kicker: The car arrived at the dealer in early ‘17 & sat there until mid-2018 before it sold. For over a year, in sat on that Ford lot with the wrong head gaskets & they knowingly sold it anyways? And now the car has only 5k miles & a ruined title. It’s just so bizarre to me.



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#5 ·
Confused...?

recall didn’t happen till start of ‘18.
Did mine pretty early March ‘18.
Then there was the huge part shortage and none where getting done.

A lot of dealers didn’t do the gasket until pushed, not all even knew about it.
Mid ‘18 no one had parts.

Not sure what a branded title is or why a recall carried out has ruined the title.

Sounds like you found a low mileage recall done ‘17 RS with a hefty resale,
What’s so bizarre?
 
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#7 ·
What’s so bizarre? You’re joking, right? The head gasket nightmare existed in 2016. Everyone was aware in 2017. This car wasn’t sold until spring of 2018. You trying to tell me that Ford sold this brand new car in 2018 & didn’t think the head gaskets were an issue? That’s a 40k+ car that a customer just drove off their lot & only to have it fail within 5k miles. Branded title means Lemon. Some insurance agencies, such as AAA, won’t insure a Lemon & good luck on selling a branded title private party.

That vehicle should’ve never left that Ford lot in 2018 until those head gaskets were replaced. I’ve been searching these cars for over a year now & I’m sick of dealers acting as though they’re oblivious to the issue.



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#9 ·
Just the opposite in SoCal. Two things I’ve seen. Either it’s a ‘16-‘17 with 2+ owners or it’s a one-owner car with high mileage & the owner traded it with 2-3 months left on the 3/36. That said, I avoid all of those, so then I’m left with very few, if any, within 500 miles.



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#11 ·
I happened to find a one owner car when I was looking, but it honestly wasnt my main criteria. If the car was regularly serviced, well cared for, and in nice condition, I would not be deterred if there were a second owner, even in only 2-3 years. Not everyone keeps cars for a very long time. Condition and history are more important.
 
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#14 ·
My local Ford dealer sent me an email today saying they just got a ‘17 with 20k miles for 33k. I’m like really? I’m not paying 33k+ tax & fees for a performance car with 20k miles on it.
I remember when I was shopping for the RS one of the SoCal dealers responded to my email asking for pricing with a call from the "SVT Manager". He totally danced around the pricing issue and said I should really let him take me out for a drive in the RS so I can get a feel for it.

Not drive it, mind you; don't be daft. But he would let me sit in it while he drove around the block. I should be so lucky he would let me sit up front.

Fork dealerships. I'm never buying another car through that process again. Tesla or whoever is going to sell direct to consumers, they can get my money.
 
#17 ·
Just be patient, the deals are out there. I bought a 2017 NB RS2 CPO with 2,700 miles in September for $34,500. It was also not affected by head gasket recall. It took me a couple of months to find the right car. I was also willing to drive 12 hrs to go pick up the car. I found a lot of good deals online using Cargurus and Autotrader only to find out that they were buybacks. Dealing with dealers can be a headache. Just remember it you with the money and they want it badly. Private person is probably you best bet. There are alot of people who get tired of toys and want new ones. Some people I think bought them because they thought they would be collectors. Just make sure you get a inspection. Another thing I found out is the build date on the door pillar is not always correct. The build date on mine says 05/17 and the carfax said 11/17 but on the oasis report said the car was built 09/02/2017.
 
#18 ·
It sounds like you got a great car bro, congrats & enjoy it!

As far as dealers go, don’t even get me started. It’s amazing how some of them will advertise Lemon (branded) titles cars as seemingly clean title cars, very shady & asking for market price for them. AAA won’t even insure a Lemon buyback. I’ll also typically avoid any RS that isn’t at a major dealer. Those smaller corner-lot dealers you have to be careful with. There’s typically always a reason an RS ended up there & not at Ford etc., & usually it’s a ‘damage’ reported carfax, however it also says ‘no accidents reported’, just odd. CarGuru’s, IMO, is the easiest site to weed out the Lemon & Salvage cars. If I go nationwide from my zip, that will usually eliminate around 20 cars or so.

As I browse the ads & look at carfax reports, many of them are within 3-6 months of the factory 3/36 expiring, so it’s like guys were smart on getting out of it right before that warranty expired. I’m really hoping to come across one of those left-over 2017s that didn’t sell until late 2018 or early 2019 & still has a lot of the 3/36 left, but it’s a waiting game, for sure


Honestly, at this point, I’m so frustrated with searching that I might just settle for a FoST, as long as it’s the ST3 Trim & under 10k miles & save myself 12-15k.



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#20 ·
The colors are always an issue also. I’d prefer a white one & when 2-3 of them pop up within 500 miles, they’re typically always black or blue etc. Don’t get me wrong, black looks amazing but it’s such a hassle to clean & blue sticks out like a sore thumb for cops. Or it’s white, but it doesn’t have the black wheels & I just don’t care for those gun-metal alloys. It’s always something.



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#21 ·
Don't forget that changing wheels are easy and black is considered the best color to wrap. Keep looking, decent ones pop up on the market every once in a while. I got the base wheels because I figured that I would change the wheels or powdercoat them if I got bored and wouldn't feel bad about tinkering with the forged ones.

Are you a member of Costco or credit union? Often they have a car buying service and may be able to alert you to something that pops up.
 
#23 ·
"Orange rotor?" Pretty much any vehicle in my driveway which hasn't been driven in a few days since it rained.

Can't speak for why most FoRS end up at smaller dealers or independent ones, but mine (treated well, though enjoyed too) is listed with an indy because he had the one vehicle I was looking to acquire. If someone wants a good '17 w/35k in the NYC area, check out Hunting Ridge Motors (and PM me if my knowledge is of interest).
 
#25 ·
About the cylinder head gasket(s), I’ve seen many where it does show they were replaced, however it wasn’t until like 5-8k miles were put onto the car. Would there be cause for concern if the engine was driving around all of that time, 1-2yrs with the wrong cylinder head gasket(s)?




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#26 ·
Everyone drove around for a long time. The TSB came out and everyone brought their cars in and dropped them off. The gasket was checked, as well as the head. Whatever the car needed was replaced under warranty. The time to worry was when your car was being diagnosed and worked on. Now that they have all been done the worrying is over. The only cars that had the head gasket replaced before being sold were all the cars sitting on the dealer lots when the TSB came out. (They got done last).

I'm sure there are plenty of nice RS's available. But you need to be realistic. As @ Molez93 said an orange rotor? It's pretty normal after a rainy day. All it really means is the car hasn't moved since the rotors got wet.
 
#27 ·
I would also say, that the owners are obviously going to try and get what the market warrants out of their cars. If others are selling for 30k that are similar, then that’s what they are going to sell it for. I would just be on the look out for the color you want and a seller that isn’t shady. Cars are going to be driven and the longer you wait on a car that is no longer made, the more miles they will have. And of course there will be some that think they have a unicorn with low miles and then they will ask way too much....


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#29 ·
How do you find out if the cylinder head gaskets were replaced, if the RS is for sale at CARMAX or a non-Ford dealership? Carmax won’t show carfax reports, they have those stupid ‘auto-check’ reports & those are useless. Also, most Carfax reports are a good timeline but aren’t showing ‘cylinder head gasket(s) replaced. Some do, but most don’t. So how do you know? Do you run the VIN & then call the Ford Dealer that sold it new? Will the Ford Dealer actually take the time to help you, on a vehicle they don’t even have?




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#30 ·
They move a lot of cars, similar to Carmax, however this is solely done online & sight unseen. They do make the buying process easy though & no hidden fees. + they will bring the car to you. I actually like the concept & they drop their prices to move a vehicle. Clean carfax vehicles only w/ no accidents & they’ll take your trade-in, if you want to do that. They make things easy, especially if you’re by yourself & doing things alone.



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#31 ·
Yeah, I'm in the process of buying a '16 NB RS from Carvana with 23k on it, because they dropped the price $1300 while I had it saved and then I got it down another $500 with a referral from someone on Reddit. There's been a few hiccups with paperwork, but that's mostly due to Massachusetts' registration process. I think it was a pretty fair price as long as it checks out after I get it inspected.
 
#32 ·
Best of luck with the process. Carvana has a lot of positive reviews on YouTube. Buyers are sick & tired of dealership nonsense, $500 doc fees & all the BS. Carvana is very straight forward & makes it simple. The Carfax reports are what concern me on the RS though. Many will have multiple owners & don’t show that the head gaskets were replaced. The out-of-State vehicles are kind of a hassle also, since we (buyers) are responsible for having to go down to the DMV for new plates etc., it’s a pain.



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#34 ·
Reading through this quickly, why not just go with an 18? Little it of a premium, but relatively newer?

I was casually looking at the RS as I had an STI Type RA on order. I had always wanted an STI, but when I started looking more into the competitors, the RS kept coming up. Popped into a ford dealer in February 2018, they had 2 RR and 1 NB (all 3 18s) along with a SG 17 that was the manager's demo car with 2,200mi. They were pushing me hard to the SG and were being very wishy washy re the HG, or they wanted over sticker for an 18. Walked away (wasn't driving any car with Cup 2s on it out of the lot anyway that day as it was snowing!). Ended up stumbling into another 18 NB RS, without the sunroof! But at that time, there were a lot of new 16s and 17s on lots for sale. I did notice a lot of these cars were on dealer lots, but not on the dealers website.
 
#35 ·
If you're not in a rush, just keep looking. I imagine once the Supras and new Vettes start selling people will be getting out of their RS and into one of these. The warranties are up on the 2016s and many 2017s, so you will start seeing those appear more because of the warranty and new toys showing up.
 
#38 ·
Here’s what I don’t understand about the head gaskets repair. If that repair was made, at a Ford dealer, on a used vehicle, under warranty, then why the hell doesn’t it show up on a Carfax report? I’m going to assume because it was never done? Because some carfax reports do show ‘cooling system checked’ followed by ‘cylinder head gasket(s) replaced. I was always under the assumption that anytime a used vehicle, had warranty repair work done, at the dealership, that it was always reported on a carfax report?




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#41 ·
Here’s another issue I see a lot when reviewing an RS Carfax report: I’ll often times see ‘performance/drivability/checked’ or ‘fluid leak checked’. The two items might be listed 2-3 times during an ownership & no repairs shown. A month or two later & the cars listed for sale. Yea, I don’t know, that would worry the hell out of me, if the previous owner was noting drivability issues, possible fluid leaks & then turns around shortly after & trades it in. Cause for concern? For me it would be, since these cars are getting older everyday.


So you’ve got those cars with sketchy carfax reports or you’ve got the cars that have bounced around 2-3 owners in 3yrs. Weed all of those out & you’ve got some very nice one-owner cars left with under 15k miles, but those guys are asking a premium for their cars & you’ll be paying 35-38k.



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#42 ·
Just wait it out. I have been waiting for these to creep down in price and i knew i wanted a white one and a really clean one. HG didn't worry me as long as it was already done.
Just ended up picking up mine recently. 2016 FW RS2 Forged. 11k miles, one owner, garaged. Flawless condition for $28,000. Anything else around me that is in that criteria is in the $32-34k window. The only things i see under $30k right now are 16's with 40k+ miles.
 
#43 ·
Congrats man! I’d love a Frozen White RS, however I’m fine with a SB black, if the price is right & it has the black wheels. I’m seeing exactly what you are, with regards to mileage & prices. 11k miles is great & I typically select 15k or less on miles.

If you don’t mind me asking, how are you liking the car so far? Btw, I looked into the out-of-state- cars but never realized what a pain it is to have to bring it to the DMV, inspection, new plates etc. It’s just such a hassle.



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#45 ·
Ford dealers will not help with an Oasis report on an RS, if it’s not listed for sale at a Ford Dealer. I’ve ran carfax reports & called the dealer where the car was sold new & have explained to the service Dept. why I’m calling & it’s to find out if the cylinder head gasket(s) were ever replaced & they’re unwilling to give out that information.


Ok great? So if a build date is 03-17, carfax doesn’t show a head gasket(s) replacement & we all know that anything before 07–17 has the wrong gaskets, I’m just supposed to spend 35k & hope the engine doesn’t grenade itself? This is ridiculous & I don’t understand why that information is not viewable to the public? It’s a vehicle we are talking about, not a person.




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#47 ·
Ford dealers will not help with an Oasis report on an RS, if it’s not listed for sale at a Ford Dealer. I’ve ran carfax reports & called the dealer where the car was sold new & have explained to the service Dept. why I’m calling & it’s to find out if the cylinder head gasket(s) were ever replaced & they’re unwilling to give out that information.


Ok great? So if a build date is 03-17, carfax doesn’t show a head gasket(s) replacement & we all know that anything before 07–17 has the wrong gaskets, I’m just supposed to spend 35k & hope the engine doesn’t grenade itself? This is ridiculous & I don’t understand why that information is not viewable to the public? It’s a vehicle we are talking about, not a person.




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Hey this is right on the recall letter. Call this number and ask how you can tell if this has been done on a car you are looking to buy. You never know....

Can we assist you further? If you have difficulties getting your vehicle repaired promptly and without charge, please contact your dealership's Service Manager for assistance. RETAIL OWNERS: If you have questions or concerns, please contact our Ford Customer Relationship Center at 1-866-436-7332 and one of our representatives will be happy to assist you. If you wish to contact us through the Internet, our address is: www.Fordowner.com. For the hearing impaired call 1-800-232-5952 (TDD). Representatives are available Monday through Friday: 8:00AM – 8:00PM (Eastern Time).
 
#50 ·
See, that’s the thing, buying sight unseen just makes me nervous as hell. I look at Carvana’s add’s every week, but I just can’t get myself to do it. Many of their carfax reports show 2-owners & there’s often a mention of ‘fluid leak’ or ‘engine leak checked’ etc. It drives me nuts.

Don’t even get me started on CarMax. They will not deal for anything & I’ve tried to talk with them, but it’s like talking to a brick wall.


About the head gaskets: There is no way in hell I’m buying an RS unless the Carfax says it (some of them do show it) or unless I call Ford Customer Care, give them the VIN & they can confirm its be done.


Anyone see the ‘17 SB w/ only 3.2k miles on Vroom? Check out the CarFax on that car. It shows the head gaskets were replaced with like 996 miles on it. Great, right? Then shows the head gaskets were just replaced again because of a ‘fluid leak’ checked & now it’s for sale for 35k+. I don’t know man, I just don’t trust these cars. It seems like it’s always something.




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#51 ·
See, that’s the thing, buying sight unseen just makes me nervous as hell. I look at Carvana’s add’s every week, but I just can’t get myself to do it. Many of their carfax reports show 2-owners & there’s often a mention of ‘fluid leak’ or ‘engine leak checked’ etc. It drives me nuts.



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Yeah it's definitely a risk, but I was willing to take it for this one. It was one owner, had the head gasket repair on the Carfax, and nothing else for ~10k miles after that. I bought an extended warranty for it too just to cover my ass. At least with Carvana you can return it if something isn't right.

I agree though, I wouldn't have went for a lot of the other ones I saw. Just have to wait until the right one comes along.

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#53 ·
Btw, how does Carvana handle out-of-state registration & DMV emissions, smog etc.? Is the buyer responsible to do all of that? I looked into buying an RS out-of-state, from a Ford Dealer & having it shipped until I realize what a hassle it would be with emissions inspection, smog, registration for plates etc., it’s a lot of work, unless you’re saving a few grand. But it seems so difficult to get a decent price on any clean, low mileage RS.




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