Troy@SVT said: SVTCole the latest info I've seen from SCCA is that we have been moved from d stock to g stock for the SVT Focus. The Sentra SE-R was moved as well but the Spec V stayed in D.
That may be so, and is probably fair, but it still does not bode well for the SVTFocus considering it got smoked by the ACR by 1.5 seconds (an eternity) on a 42 second course.
Now, I will say that adding aftermarket struts might help the Focus, but they did not even get into camber adjustments in the test. The Neon can legally add up to 2.4 degrees negative camber!!
To be fair, I smell a rat on the Neon because the wheels I see pictured look nothing like the stock 15" ACR wheels I see in the brochure. The tires they tested also look considerably wider than the 185/60-15 that come stock.
Still the ACR is only $14,870 list plus $1,695 for A/C and a bunch of other stuff....then subract $2 grand cash back....its no contest, especially as a third car. Add a 7 year/100K warranty. Deal closed if they can find me one.
Let me add that I asked a long time pro-mechanic about the reliability of Neons as his shop is well-respected and works on a variety of cars. He said no major problems except the automatic tranny. His boss, the owner, also bought his wife a PT Cruiser knowing full well it had Neon mechanicals. Then shift story to Focus. He told me one of the mechanics at the local Ford dealer was calling the Focus the F_ckus due to its mechanical problems.
I think I'll take my chances on the cheaper ACR with its better warranty...and no tendency to rollover!!!
