 The Focus seems to take a beating in the reviews, but mine has been pretty much what I expected. I bought it used (lease return) and it was cheap transpo.  Maintenance? I've replaced brake pads once (I'm at 42K miles), tires once, and done oil changes. That's it. Not bad. Resale value? Holding its own with current gas prices. I downsized from a Ranger 4x4 the Focus is like driving a sports car to me. Mountain roads are more fun and the road trip to Trona where my Focus left a Toyota PreRunner 2 miles in the dust on desert dirt roads, now that was a blast!  Ford, why'd you kill the hatchback? Hatchbacks rule for small car utility and capacity. Bring it back!  Yeah, I like mine!