Well after suffering with 2 mini's since i was 17, when i got my new job decicded to get a "real" car that would get me to and from work quicky, comfortably and reliably, and reliability was important as i was growing tired of spending weekends under the mini. I also wanted a car that was as much of a drivers car as possible (after all the mini is such a drivers car) and as the focus was top of the list regarding driving and handling, i went for that. THe result was a Focus 2.0 ghia and aside from new tyres, an exhaust and brake pads, nothing has gone wrong with it, its a 99T - 5 years old.
People who say ford are unreliable, havent had a focus!
Butuz