I recently purchased the Ford Focus 2000 ZX3 Kona edition. In short, this is a great car that I would highly recommend.

I bought this car and particular model for a number of reasons:

- Ride: The car ride is extremely refined and smooth for a car in its price range. Although I might not go as far as holding a very full cup of coffee over railroad tracks as the Focus commercial may show, the ride is nonetheless very pleasant.

- Noise: Other than heavy acceleration while climbing steep hills, the Focus does an excellent job of reducing the various noises of a daily commute. If you do plan to do lots of travel in hilly territory, expect a rather loud experience from time to time. On the same road for example, my Chevy Prism is quieter than the Focus (for engine noise specifically).

- Size: These days, many cars have cavernous trunks. However, many still cannot fit a large TV or such in the back. The Kona edition is the hatchback model, and offers a very large trunk space with the fold down seats and removable trunk cover (large enough with a bit of maneuvering for a 7ft ladder!).

- Value: The Focus is a great car. Although it does have somewhat a higher of a price tag than some of its counterparts, I believe that the extra money I paid was worth it.

- Appearance: The Kona edition is a “handsome” car. I’ve noticed a lot of people looking at the back to figure out what kind of car it is. (I’ve owned many interesting / fancy cars in the past and never had that happen before!)

- Safety: The Kona edition is very loaded, as it includes such niceties as power windows/door locks, side air bags, air, CD player, cruise control, and remote keyless entry.

Overall, I’m extremely happy with the car. I’d easily recommend it to anyone looking for an relatively inexpensive well designed car.