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Thanks for your insights on the Focus. That is not particularly encouraging, since the Focus has emerged as the clear front runner. Repair costs are not as large an issue for me since I do most of my own work, but that being said I don't want to have to put the car up on jackstands every weekend. My Escort loves to eat tie rod ends too, they seem to last about 2 years.
When it comes to car choices the big sticking points for me are good handling and price. Most of the options you mentioned would be more than I want to spend. The only other compact car I've driven that I liked was the Mazda3, which is mechanically very similar to a Focus. But my hangup with the 3 is that I would be taking a hit in fuel economy from my Escort. I would like to at least maintain the same FE or see an improvement. The Focus with a 5 speed has identical EPA ratings to my auto Escort.
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