DO. NOT. BUY. These Three Used Cars!

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#Cadillac #GMC #Ford

[@2URLex]

Got a 2nd gen focus for a daily. Driving it 13 years and it won’t die and I have literally tried to end it. Even drove it through 3 different floods to where my feet got wet and no hydro lock. It’s a Nokia on wheels.

[@nathanlewis3462]

Motor mounts in the focus' are super easy and fixes the vibration.

[@mxr255]

These videos from the auto auction are the best, please keep them coming. Brendan is a natural on camera and love his content.

[@floridaman7]

It costs them nothing to make. Of course it will continue

[@TrevorVaubel]

I will not stand for Focus hate! 00 had over 200K and still was running. Currently over 110K on my 2013. 5 speed is key! It is a cheap car, but those dont' exist anymore. Wish they did.

[@TechTimeWithEric]

My niece’s mom had an 05 Focus. That was a depressing car to drive. But she was in an accident that was so bad you could barely recognize the car, and it landed on the lid; and she walked away with a small scratch and seatbelt bruising.

[@inboxnews]

Glad she's ok.

[@brycmtthw]

So your *sister or sister-in-law* then…

[@TechTimeWithEric]

@@brycmtthwno, she never married my brother

[@tonyc7435]

LIke many other users have commented that first gen Focus is UNSTOPPABLE!! My neighbor bought one new back in 2001 and she is STILL driving it to this day! I can always tell when she is off to the store that thing fires up and sounds like a cummins diesel LOL

[@Beansorcerer6969]

You can disable the cylinder deactivation on the those older Yukons/tahoes. Same goes for the Suburban and Yukon XL. These can be super reliable I still see these ones everyday. I’m in the market for one like this. Keep putting them down so the value gets lower. More for me!

[@skunkworks9-3]

It doesn't matter if you disable the DOD/AFM on the earlier ones. The lifters they used will eventually collapse. A lot of 07-08 ones with over 200k have had work done. After that seems good though from what I've seen.

[@kevinbarry71]

No, even if you disable it in the software, the mechanical problem will still bite you. You would have to physically remove the problematic hardware and replace it.

[@jeremysgarage498]

Ya, but when you can work on vehicles they are a great reliable vehicle when you delete it 😁

[@kevinbarry71]

@@jeremysgarage498 I agree. But there's this ridiculous belief out there that if you turn it off in the software you solved the problem. The engine is still fundamentally reliable; once you remove that nonsense.

[@rich6246]

That’s what I was thinking as well! More for me! Mine are at 196k & 156k & our lifters are fine so far. When they go my hubby will just replace them & we’ll get 200k more miles out of it. No biggie.

[@regsparkes6507]

I have owned 3 Ford Focuii ( LOL ) and they all ran wonderfully, for me. I put a lot of kilometres / miles on each one a lot of those kilometres on highway, maybe 75% highway, and never a serious complaint. I bought these from the first time they came to out shores and only stopped buying because Ford had other ideas. Three cars in my fleet all Ford Focus, all serviced regularly, all performed as expected, I think this should give me more than "anecdotal' comment credential experience. That one you have there, ( and other rough running cars, I would suggest, has been run hard and not maintained. I do enjoy these videos Brendan, keep 'em coming.

[@frankdeboer1347]

Amen!

[@oraclemiata845]

Plural, foci.

[@personator907]

As someone who has had a first gen Focus for the last 12 years with 255,000 on it, I can say they do get rough like that, but it's typically the engine mounts, especially the transmission mount. The problem these days is the Motorcraft mounts are the only good ones, but those are basically extinct at this point. They are reliable, but yes, they can get very vibratey and aren't fast at all.

[@codycole3202]

I’ve found that some front wheel drive cars seem to eat motor mounts.

[@devintiebout]

I've seen no first Gen Ford Focus. That hasn't gone +250k miles. They are great transportation! It's a cheap car. That comes with the territory.

[@Stressless2023]

@@devintiebout I remember the base SOHC 4cyl engines in the 1st gen Focus being unreliable but I can't remember why after all these years, I know you never see them anymore though - The Zetec engines they could be optioned with were great though. The automatic transmissions weren't the most durable unless you maintained the fluid regularly and they went through motor mounts like candy, along with them being rust buckets in northern states which probably killed alot of them, but ultimately the Focus was a much nicer car than something like a Dodge Neon and more refined than a Cavalier/Sunfire - The Focus styling even still looks fairly modern in some ways inside and out, I don't think it deserved to be on this list.

[@christopherboada7921]

I have a 2004 Focus 2.3 L ZX3.. I bought it new when I transferred office, which meant a long commute. I lowered the suspension slightly, installed 17" SVT wheels with performance all season tires, then added a front strut tower brace.. No other mods. I love that car! Still driving it. The ride is stiff, but it's fun to thrash around. Over 166K miles. I haven't noticed excessive vibration with this motor. I think they must be talking about the standard 2.0L

[@jasonwheeler8996]

My SVT is still smooth with all original mounts, it’s got 89k.

[@pomoshnikchamber272]

Guys, please consider making a dedicated episode on all GMT 800 based models and what they go for on the market these days

[@rich6246]

Yes, one of the best vehicles of all time. He already did one on his 2500 Burb.

[@ej1025]

Would love to see a quadrasteer version featured. That 02-04 Sierra Denali was pretty cool.

[@chrissimes9445]

You are totally wrong on the 02-11 Focus! The engine is not smooth, but all the vibration you feel is the motor mounts. This is the only weak point on these cars. Only costs $150 and an hour. Common knowledge... Of course it ain't a Honda, but they cost half as much! No timing belt, strong engine and trans. Best high schooler car available, 08 and up have side airbags. Y'all are usually pretty good, but you did folks a disservice here.

[@apacheman59]

I have a 2004 Focus with over 200,000 miles on it. I paid $1200 for it and have had it almost a year, so far I had to replace the front suspension and the rack and pinion and a front end alinement and so for it runs like a charm. I have driven it to Chattanooga and Atlanta with no problems

[@NEO_RedPill_2024]

Surprised to see the Focus. I bought one used in 2006. It was a 2004 with 26,000 miles. ZTS and manual. Ran like a top and never let me down. Maybe I got a good one?…. I should have added mine had the 2.3 liter 4 cylinder.

[@oraclemiata845]

That was a pretty coveted Focus that you had there. 2.3 Manual ZTS was a bit of a unicorn. Now if only it would have been the wagon.

[@NEO_RedPill_2024]

@@oraclemiata845 Asking too much lol!

[@NEO_RedPill_2024]

@@oraclemiata845 Lol! If it had been a wagon I would have held onto it for sure. That little car good really go.

[@JCVACCARO]

The later Northstars are better but still suffer from the head bolt and oil leak problems. Northstar Performance has a head stud, oil and mid pan kit that makes these engines bulletproof. It's an expensive job but if you can fix it yourself you can have a reliable cheap low mileage Caddy.

[@jameswhite1319]

Agreed I fix mine and sold it like a fool

[@davidg4026]

Brenden, your experience with the Ford Focus also anecdotal !! I've had just as much experience as you with the Focus, as I buy cars for my dealership. The difference is, I was buying them in the mid 2000's, as trade-ins, when they were relatively new, and you are buying them from a sketchy public auction when all of them are 20+ years old and at the end of their useful lives. The Focus, with the dual overhead cam Zetec, is a fantastic, reliable alternative to a Corolla or Civic -- and in 5-speed manual form, much more fun to drive! The car in your video has the gutless single overhead cam engine -- avoid those at all costs. I've personally owned two Focus SVT's, and I loved them both. The 6-speed Getrag manual trans and the Cosworth tuned Zetec engine make them an absolute blast to drive! The regular 5-speed Zetec ZX3 and ZX5 are also worthy budget alternatives to the SVT. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to find a good, unmolested SVT nowadays... same goes for the ZX3/ZX5.

[@kiwignob]

Couldn't agree more. These are great cars and they actually saved Ford motor company when they came out because they sold so well and we're the only American competitor to the Japanese economy cars

[@brycmtthw]

First Gen Focus were junk when new. And they’ve all been junked now as they rusted away or blew up.

[@bigcuce21]

I’ve owned a couple of these focus, and can tell you that car needs an engine mount, then it will run fine. That is a super common issue.

[@yeahman1975]

Exactly.... any focus automatic transmission run away, if its manual. It will carry you for many miles.

[@atx-cvpi_99]

@@yeahman1975the newer ones from 2012-18 were really just awful. 2001-2011 were better but still not perfect by any means.

[@Stressless2023]

@@atx-cvpi_99 The 2008-2011 versions of the Focus were near Japanese levels of reliability - Motor mounts were their most common flaw - Reliable and durable powertrains, inexpensive parts, easy to work on if needed, and they came with factory bluetooth for music which was a perk for any car from that time period - They are underrated and a great alternative to a Corolla if someone wants a near equally low maintenance A to B car for typically much less money.

[@davidg4026]

@@atx-cvpi_99 If you buy a manual 2012-18 Focus, they are quite good cars. The dual-clutch automatic transmission was fragile.

[@Suction_]

Those focus' are fantastic parts bombers. You can back into things, hit potholes the side of a kei car, just generally beat the piss out of it and they last. Unrefined? Absolutely. But durable, also absolutely.

[@ARealPain]

DOD can be deactivated in those GM SUVs/trucks. Being a car review channel, I’m surprised you guys didn’t mention that. That’s a good way to steer people away from them. Have a 2007 Silverado 5.3 with 600K on the original motor, replaced trans once.

[@jacquesc3166]

🤟 I've been driving port injected V6's since 2003, but I pray for that ol' 5.3 in dad's '07 Yukon XL every time I hear the manifold tick on cold start... this comment makes me smile. He's always been real easy on the trans too, drives it like a bus. It still runs today DESPITE the damn DOD he refuses to mess with.

[@ARealPain]

@@jacquesc3166 for the DOD if he wants to do it now, Range Technology. Disables AFM/DOD and it’s only 200 bucks. Have it in every Chevy I have. Personal or work

[@TheMW2informer]

@@jacquesc3166I like the AFM on my 07 Silverado, it gets me 17mpg in the city which is damn good out of an older truck with a V8, and at 65 it will stay in V4 most of the time getting near 20mpg on the highway. 100k miles and no lifter issues, plus at some point it pays for itself even if the lifters need to be replaced.

[@Thumper68]

I’d recommend that Yukon any day. My folks have a 2012 Silverado with 175k miles and it runs just like it did day one. Proper maintenance oil changes every 3k miles and you’ll have no issues. I bought sierra Denali new in 2010 with the 6.2L it was a beast all wheel drive with Eaton locking differentials. Light to light it was a sleeper.

[@RicardoPCGamer]

I have a 2003 Focus. Mine runs mostly smooth. I've replaced the engine mounts and transmission mount. And it was smooth as butter afterwards. After a few months 10-20% of the vibration came back. The motor mount design is very bad, they use a hydraulic fluid filled upper mount which is known to fail.

[@PatientXero607]

The very first Focus' were known to drop valves seats in the Zetec 2.0L. It was resolved when Ford started using the Duratec 2.0L across all their trims. The biggest issue with them is engine and transmission mounts. They are absolutely junk.

[@frankdeboer1347]

Never had an issue with the engine mounts on my 03. I sold it at 275000 km and regretted selling it. It was 12 years old and I still loved it.

[@RicardoPCGamer]

You are wrong bud. The Zetec never had a valve seat issue. The SPI engine dropped valve seats. Those engines were in the base model sedans.

[@Joe-wyo]

Haha!!! Shout out to the wyoming license plate on the Yukon!!! Had an 08 tahoe LS that had the 5.3L in it with the fuel system. Bought it with 185,000 miles on it, got rid of it at 367,800 miles. Never had any engine problems at all.

[@BentonHart]

I'd take one of those GMT900 Yukon Denalis any day, big comfortable cruiser, cooled seats in the later ones, and still mod-friendly.

[@atx-cvpi_99]

The regular Yukons are also mod friendly as well.

[@bikdav]

My 1986 Ford Escort ran “roughly” like that Focus. That said, it never required major engine work. And, I got 163,000+ miles off of it before rust took it off the road.

[@TevinWeatherspoon]

Those Ford focus are great cars. I owned one and my sister had one, they just keep on going and going and going

[@s.gossett5966]

I am surprised they didn't go for the later Focus with the dual clutch transmission. Guaranteed to have issues and will set you back thousands to repair.

[@mrgurulittle7000]

Focus is actually one of my favorite Fords.

[@mikefoehr235]

Ford F🍌ckus

[@1984Cutlass2nv]

Yeah there focuses turned out to be better than expected reliability, but I do remember picking up coffee for the ford dealer I worked at, in those brand new focuses from our loaner car fleet and they did in fact vibrate like he's saying. One day it was minus 20 out and my rusty old 86 Caprice started fine. One of the focuses stalled after startup and fouled all the spark plugs.

[@Blue-moon12]

The Ford Focus in England was a massive seller. I had a 2001(brand new at the time) 1.6 Zetec engine as a company car and it was a pleasure to drive, no issues in 3 years of ownership. Most in England were 5 speed manuals of course.

[@bldontmatter5319]

3 years? That's it?

[@Section_8_Supercars]

The later northstars 05+ aren’t bad much better than the early 3.6 high feature v6s in a rwd sts/srx, the head bolt issues were mostly fixed and engine bay accessibility is less cramped to fix the guaranteed oil leaks

[@paddle_shift]

Huh?

[@jackcrisci2957]

He's saying (and he's right) that Northstar engines after 2005 had redesigned head bolts to fix the head gasket issues and those are actually pretty darn good engines. Still have loads of gaskets that love to leak oil as they age though. And there's not *that* much room to work without removing things.

[@Section_8_Supercars]

In the 05+ rwd/awd Cadillacs the northstar is far preferred over the 3.6 reliability wise

[@jackcrisci2957]

Exactly. The worst you'll get in the newer Northstars is oil leaks. Those 3.6l engines will stretch timing chains if you don't keep up with oil changes.

[@davidmurray1630]

I have a 07 Buick Lucerne with the Northstar and it has been extremely reliable and fun to drive. 137,000 miles and now have a valve cover gasket starting to leak oil. The worst problem with the later versions isn't reliability... it is accessibility to do the repairs. They shoe-horned that motor in the engine compartment because of the front wheel drive configuration making it almost impossible to replace the rear valve cover gaskets without dropping the entire engine cradle in order to gain access to the rear valve cover bolts. I wish they would have made these rear wheel drive as that would have resolved a lot of maintenance issues. I love the performance of the Northstar and it get extremely good fuel mileage for a V8.

[@wesleygarrison6248]

Disagree about the GMT900 GMC… you can always delete the system and the engines will be just as reliable as the older models… Even without deleting the afm, you get decent mileage out of those engines, as long as you do proper maintenance… I’ve seen several with high mileage, all original engines, but if you don’t want to worry about it, just delete the system entirely… Edit: It’s not like GM had much of a choice when implementing afm either, the epa is to blame… pretty typical, even dodge uses a similar system for cylinder deactivation…

[@LeatherandLuxuryCarsd]

I've had 6 Devilles never gave me any issues, take care of it it takes care of you.

[@jameswhite1319]

Agree

[@remaxhudson]

You guys are way off base on the Ford Focus First Generation. They've had various engines and last a long time. There are quite a few still on the road. Some 20 years old. If taken care of they are excellent. The wagons are very usable too. I owned a 2010 5 speed and it was a nice car. If you want cheap and reliable they are a great buy.

[@vulpixgrant]

Man the GMC Yukon had me thinking about my GMT-400 1995 C-10 work truck. Got it for $1,500 in like 2010 and it was a beater, vinyl floor crank windows single cab short bed that had been beaten like a mule and used as a company work truck. I figured toy around with it a little then scrap it, well after about 3 months I knew I wanted to save it so I restored it like new over a couple years and ADORED that truck. Probably my top 3 favorite vehicles ever. Then I had blowouts and the engine started to run funny, I had just sold a demon possessed 86 Trans Am that cost me thousands in repairs and I said I couldn't do this again, so I sold my Baby to a Co-Worker on the cheap..... He had it a couple days, then figured out to twist the distributor cap a smidgen and it solved the problem the Mechanic I took it to couldn't... That was 6 Years ago and he's still daily driving that with over 250,000 miles on it now and adores it like I did. The one vehicle I am so upset I let go.

[@travisb9130]

That gen focus absolutely does not deserve to be on this list. One of the most underrated, reliable, and cheap vehicles.

[@davidmilhouscarter8198]

10:30 I bought a Focus in Dec 2013 because I wanted a manual transmission and something cheap. Ten years later I still have it.

[@madmike2624]

my 2015 focus is basically a gocart and i like it, after the transmission was repaired under factory (150k) warranty because the cvt was screwed from the factory but they fixed it.

[@Blue-moon12]

Mk 1 Focus 5 speeds are perfectly fine. No vibration at all.

[@flatheadV8]

I would like to see a review of 3 Toyota Camrys, one good one, one ok one and a dog and what they go through the auction for.

[@petelattimer6808]

never come across the vibration on ANY first gen focus that wasnt misfiring, and ive seen thousands here in the UK. very few were automatic so i suspect that may be part of the issue

[@Blue-moon12]

I just said the same thing. I'm from England but live in Canada, the US ones are built poorly compared to the UK ones. Automatics out here too.

[@jameskennedy673]

Our son & daughter-in-law had one of Cadillacs with the Northstar “ Lemon” engines, which died, they sold it to a guy who needed body parts. My mother-in-law had one, low mileage she didn’t have any problems with it, but she didn’t drive it very far daily. I have a ‘93 Chevy pickup with 5.7L v-8, I was gonna buy a new ‘06 GMC 1500 with the 5.3L v-8, when I took it for a test drive I was disappointed because my ‘93 could run circles around it. Needles to say I didn’t buy it. I have a 2002 GMC Yukon XL 5.3L v-8 with over 200k trouble free miles, I prefer the look of the front of the Yukon verse Suburban. Used to own a Focus. Guys I’m enjoying these videos 👍👍👍👍Keep’m coming

[@seanfattireguythomas2994]

The motor mounts on the ford focus is the only problem on that model I totally hate fords but you guys picked the best ford that someone could buy for cheap transportation 😂 so funny I have a customer that has almost 400k miles on it

[@patrickmcgoldrick8234]

You haven't experienced rough running till you have driven a Neon, thankfully theres not many left on the road.The cars have an idle that is rough enough to shake the column and dash,and Chrysler seem to have realized they had an rough idling engine because thier fix was to install a counter weight behind the air bag module on the steering wheel.I remember another odd feature was thier power window option on four doors only involved the two front doors.

[@oraclemiata845]

C1 Focus bash is a miss. The mark1 is a great car and chassis with subpar motor offerings. The 2.0 spi and the 2.0 zetec were outdated crude designs before the car even came out in the U.S. Europe had much more interesting options at the time. The SVT (st170) was probably the highlight of mark1 offerings over here. Just a fantastic b road car. Anyway, most Foci have been poorly maintained and treated as throw away cars. If you find one that’s been loved, you’re probably golden.

[@frankdeboer1347]

I personally loved the Zetec. Mind you, mine was a manual.

[@davidg4026]

I owned two Mk1 Focus SVT's and can't say enough good things about them!

[@JLR203]

I own an 07 avalanche with 170K it has cylinder deactivation and no issues with the engine runs great

[@rich6246]

LOVE my BD Avalanche.

[@Ephet]

With the Focus I agree to a point. But I can't say it's a do not buy. They are super reliable especially with the 5 speed. I'm not sure what you expect from a 125hp econobox but it's a good cheap buy.

[@tbr2109]

I drove a first gen Focus for a decade and maybe it was because it didn't have the top-tier engine, but mine never vibrated like that. It was reasonably smooth by the standard of early 2000s econoboxes.

[@gbtriumph3216]

Wrong about Focus. Smooth and reliable. Dependable as a rock. No transmission issues. Maybe you got a California car.

[@felacsvt]

Hey there 2 engine options for the 1st generation focus SPI and Zetec..the zetec was the better motor to get ran smooth and was reliable the SPI probably not as refined-the model in this vid is that SPI and it’s coming from an auction lot so it’s probably not in the best of shape…The Focus was another option when the Corolla and Civic were not available

[@RicardoPCGamer]

Probably has a valve seat ready to fail. That's probably why it chugged when he floored it.

[@jimsutter2748]

There is a 2011 Focus sitting in my driveway. My mother owns it. She lives in Europe for 2/3 of each year. I like it because it was cheap to buy and has been extremely inexpensive to maintain. Thankfully, it was the last year before they switched to the junk dual clutch transmission. She likes it because it is small like European cars and is red.

[@solracpeanut78]

Hey guys those Focus are notorious for bad engine mounts that is usually the cause for the vibrations

[@smithjones1906]

A little different, but my brother's old SVT Focus wasn't like that at all. It was actually pretty nice.

[@zacharyariail134]

A lot of the svt parts were hand built or out of the cobra. They were badass but impossible to replace parts now

[@oraclemiata845]

There was absolutely nothing out of the Cobra on the SVT Focus.

[@osvaldoadayjr3395]

Not agreeing on the yukon/tahoe, i have a 220k+ miles 07 not a single issue. Take care of the maintenance and it should run pass 300k. Btw currently own the 07 220k+ miles and an 01 151k+ miles. Been across the US with both of them, soon going over 4k miles trip with the 07 in about 2-3 weeks

[@48Boxer]

The Northstar is such a shame. Brand new those things were amazing. 300hp when most luxury cars were struggling to get 200. Torque steer was rough, though

[@MercOne]

Not true at all, by the time the Northstar came along Cadillac was coming from behind. Cadillac was the one selling most of the underpowered, wheezy junk, FWD V8s with less than 200hp for years.

[@1mlb704]

Agreed, plus the sound of those when you get on them is glorious

[@mercedesbenzisbest]

Struggling to get 200hp? Um most German v8's we making 300hp

[@colinschmitz8297]

Not only did German cars already have 300hp V8, some had optional V12s as well. GM aimed too low and underbuilt the head bolts.

[@arnegerhardsen3755]

Hello Guys. I'm impressed of your really high knowledge.Thanks. I'm a 100 % Toyota/Lexus guy, they are so great and reliable cars, I have never had any issues. But one of the most trusted people in my life, my very best neighbour is one of the highest ranked Ford dealers in Norway. I have told him that having the best neighbour in the world and not driving a Ford make me have very bad conscience. And I have to admit, I bought a few Ford cars, some to our company, and a couple to private use. This is European Ford, the dealer is well known for good service, and I have to admit they were good cars. We had the first gen European hatchback model Fokus as a no 2 car, and that engine run really smooth, my family loved it. I had Ford Ranger which is great trucks, and the Galaxy in Norway was a comfortable awd commercial small car-like driving van. But I have to admit, I love my neighbour who is i really nice guy, and have bad conscience because I don't like many of the European Fords.I loved the comfort, cost and reliability you got with Volvo befor the Chinese came and made them costly and unreliable cars. After that no one can beat Toyota and Lexus in my mind, the work horses LC 150 Prado and Hilux and reliable and comfortable Lexus models is hard to beat. Thanks guys😊

[@rmwright11221979]

They have head stud kits for the Northstar engines. You drill them out and replace them with much beefier head studs. No more blown head gaskets.

[@1mlb704]

I'll take that generation Focus all day long over a PT Cruiser

[@alafrosty]

You're wrong about the focus. Well, one engine in paricular. The zetec engine has a smooth performance if the throttle position adjustment is set correctly and the idle air control valve is working properly. Yes, even these will vibrate a tiny bit only when the ac kicks in and the idle drops to 500 rpm for a sec, but for the money, they are very cheap to buy and own and otherwise smooth. But you have to get the dohc zetec 2.0L engine! Also, at this point, replace all the coolant lines.

[@Board.Dad.Woodworking]

I can't count how many times I've been at the grocery store and seen a Cadillac with a Northstar with the hood open and a couple of guys just staring at it. They always have that "I don't know what it could be" expression. My grandma bought a 05 Ford Focus, and I was so confused when the mechanic said everything was fine. I said, "Dude, this car sounds like a lawnmower," and he said, "That's normal."

[@braxtontaylor9307]

Those older focuses usually eat through motor mounts quickly, i have had 2 and replaced the mounts every 30k miles

[@morganbaldwinmiller]

I had an '01 Seville with that northstar engine... Shockingly, didn't have a problem with it for the three or four years I had it, but I DID have literally every other mechanical issue break down from spark plugs and coils to the alternator, plus the air conditioning. The experience turned me away from any and all cadillacs in the future. I am glad I'll never know if the engine would have crapped its pants if I'd been stuck with that car longer than I was.

[@malonlabe8806]

I had a 2012 focus and it lasted a long time. Mine was Manuel. The automatics tend to have a transmission that wont last. Now, it was loud and vibrated. I couldn't even do hand free calls. I had to replace the motor mount (easy driveway job), because the engine vibration killed it. These cars are easy to work on. I actually replaced the entire suspension in my driveway. HOA was pissed. Replace hubs when they went bad, again easy driveway job. I even did the throwout bearing in my driveway, but it for sure was a loud vibrator.

[@VincentsCache]

I generally agree with what was said here but I did laugh with the "If you have this car and it was good it was ANECDOTAL, I had these cars and they were bad and that's EXPERIENCE."

[@gsczr1]

The Northstar (Deathstar) could have gone down as one of the best engines ever to come out of Cadillac. New, they were smooth and powerful but there achilleas heel was the head bolts which would literally stretch causing engine coolant to get into the engine. This could destroy the engine. GM introduced the Northstar in the 1993 Allante. GM didn't address the head bolt issue until 2003/2004. Shame on GM by the way. Second the other issue was oil leaks. Especially the case halves. Last year I purchased a 2007 Buick Lucerne CXS which had the Northstar. I knew the issues going in but the car only had 50k on the odometer. It also had all it's maintenance records and was a one owner car. So, I thought, what the hell, I have always liked the look of the Lucerne. it wasn't my only driver so I decided to take the plunge. Anyway, shortly after I got the Buick it started to have some issues. I finally fished or cut bait when it developed a nasty oil leak. I sold the car to a wholesaler and of course provided full disclosure. There is a repair kit available that will fix the head bolt issue permanently. What you have in return is a bullet proof engine. The problem is, you have to pull the engine out of the car to do the repair which cost around five grand. In any case more then what you paid for the car or what the car is worth . However, if you found a nice Cadillac DTS for example on the cheap and did the repair you would have a nice vehicle that will last. Cheers!!!

[@morganmusser724]

Speaking of the Northstar, if you find yourself looking at a Buick Lucerne walk away. It came with a Northstar on the top trim models, or a 3800 Series III in the lower ones, however the 3800 models had a garbage transmission. Classic lose/lose if you buy one. Otherwise, great car! Thanks for the videos guys!

[@flotowncomputerguy6243]

I've always said the engineers were drunk. They paired one of the best FWD transmissions they made (4T80) with one of the worst engines. Then they paired one of the best engines (3800) with a bad transmission (4T60). Transmission fluid changes were critical, particularly if the car did a lot of city driving. GM should have had at least the 4T60-HD as standard even with the non-supercharged cars

[@trevorjurges3430]

Not sure I fully agree about the AFM system, if kept up by changing the oil frequently (more than the computer says too) they work well. Its the old sluggy oil that makes them fail. I say this from experience, I own a 2012 5.3 with 170k miles and works great, AFM still enabled.

[@steveshattah]

I drove an old Ford focus like that from Houston to Austin once and it made the 2-hour trip feel like a 4 hour trip.

[@floridaman7]

The focus has a piece of rubber between the engine mount and the car that needs to be replaced. The newer focus models have the same issue.

[@aber1711]

I bought a 2003 cadillac seville from an auction for my steps son for $2500 and 63k miles. Its in great shape but had to replace radiator and transmission pan gasket, so far everything else is fine. I have read a lot that the issues come at 100k miles. I told him to get rid of it before 90k miles ro be safe.

[@jameswhite1319]

Don’t sale it

[@durangoppp]

the focus needs a motor mount its an easy job. I have replaced several of these, not an expensive part ,its the one on the front of the engine on the right strut tower.

[@Conman-xc8px]

I understand the inclusion of the cylinder deactivation but there are still hundreds of thousands of them that are well over 200 thousand miles. Also very cheap and easy to delete the DOD and then they are just as reliable as the earlier counterparts

[@SoloTraveler1961]

Great video! Brendan and Kase - great chemistry on this and other Auto Auction videos. Thank you!

[@michaelmartin2276]

As someone who's been a mechanic since 1977 and bought/sold hundreds of cars for once I agree with you. But it's got to be realistic,these cars are at the auction for a reason. Dealerships needed to dump these, if any of these were in perfect condition they wouldn't be at the auction. Dealerships like to make money and in perfect condition the could. I prefer not to buy from auctions because most of the cars are worn out and never maintained properly.

[@Stackali]

you said the focus ran like garbage. but its running. thats the important part.

[@frankdeboer1347]

Once you picked on my Ford Focus you lost all credibility. I had one with the Zetec engine and it was amazing. Ran beautifully and was the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned.

[@michaelscott7706]

Don't forget Buick Lucerne V8 and Pontiac Bonneville GXP. They had Northstars as well

[@Stressless2023]

Those were the years right when GM finally addressed the head gasket issues (mid-2004 rolling change on the assembly lines) - The Northstar-equipped Buicks came in 2006 so they were solidly in the safe zone. Still expensive to maintain but no catastrophic failures anymore.

[@muckraker610]

Love this channel, but I wish you guys would be better about mentioning what year the vehicle is that you are discussing; Re: Yukon & Focus. You guys mentioned everything except the year(s).

[@mikefoehr235]

My guess...after gm went belly up in 2009...from then on, total junk.

[@rich6246]

07-2014. I own two.

[@TreatsOnTheStreets]

I'm not a Ford person and heard how bad the focus was but then drove an svt hatchback and really liked it. Svt may be the exception.

[@davidg4026]

I owned two SVT's years ago, and they were fantastic cars! The 5-speed manual trans ZX3/ZX5 are also fun to drive.

[@TreatsOnTheStreets]

@@davidg4026 drove one of those too in a manual and it was also fun. 👍 Granted they were less than 8 years old back then.

[@FlameM16]

I have a 09 Suburban with over 194k miles. The lifters went out at one point, and the transmission has been replaced 2 or 3 times. The shift column went limp and had to be fixed. Now, the starter fails to ignite the engine in one go. Also, it takes several minutes to pump gas. The nozzle keeps thinking the tank is full and shuts off constantly. That SUV has been through some stuff, ha!

[@robertrichardsonjr.6705]

My 2012 GMC Yukon XL Denali with the 6.2 does have that cylinder deactivation.

[@lance_r72]

Avoid the focus with the dual clutch transmission. My friend had one that went through 3 sets of clutches before it had 50k on it.

[@HoolaaBaaloo]

It’s the powershift dct transmission, made by getrag… Had one focus with these and don’t have any problem with the trans, but ford change the whole transmission nevertheless and gave another 5 year warranty on the whole powertrain

[@user-ce6xm6yn4i]

The focus needs a engine mount to make that vibration go away.

[@Julian-do7bv]

My first car was a 03 Focus ZTW was a great little car but it ate engine mounts like crazy but for what it was it was a great little car

[@mrflynn510]

Kill the cylinder deactivation on those Denalis, replace the factory wheels with smaller ones and thick sidewall tires, and you've got a very comfortable family tank.

[@davva360]

Focus is an ok car if maintained but the comments were spot on in the video. People dont look after them.

[@frankdeboer1347]

I was told the same thing about the Tercel I owned. It was the cheapest model sold by Toyota and thus bought by some people who could not afford to maintain them. My Tercel was expensive to maintain but my Focus basically just required oil changes. Both were super reliable.

[@Thecarexchangepodcast]

Great video, we just talked about the GMT 900 Platform on episode 3 of the podcast. And how it’s not the same as the 400-800

[@cameronlovesevolve]

i almost totally forgot about the ford focus vibration! i would regularlly drive a friend's focus wagon and you just brought back memories of shaky hands and weird running engines hahah. that steering wheel would vibrate so much at idle!! hahah good memories

[@davidg4026]

Likely had bad motor mounts.

[@cameronlovesevolve]

it had bad lots of things haha. it was the 3rd family car - he shared it with his older brother and it was given to him when he went away for university.. when i drove it the odometer was close to 300,000km - it was a tough ole thing even in a state@@davidg4026

[@krashanb5767]

I like that GMC. Engine is an easy fix for me, I've practiced on a Hemi :P

[@hunternield2408]

A DOD delete and the gmt900 aint so bad, 6l80 and the cushy interior are benefits forsure

[@adamogden5212]

i love my Northstar. i will agree as far as repairs and cost to operate the panther platform is wallet friendly and the town car is bullet proof but I wouldnt drive anything but a clean well maintained Cadillac. love the Bose sound system, the ride is much better then a town car too. just my opinion.

[@BCFB007]

Other than the Escalades/Escalade ESVs and Yukon/Yukon XL Denalis, other alternatives that don't use AFM would be the Yukon XL/Suburban 2500 and Silverado/Sierra 2500HD Vortec.

[@GeekGinger]

No mention of Audi? Especially the Allroad? With all of their issues, and the high cost to fix those issues, that's a pretty large omission.

[@WildNwhEELING]

I also liked the GMC and CHEVROLETS of the earlier years but if your looking at the dashboard of that Yukon , it reminds me of being in my old 2011 Chevy Impala

[@GMCJay_lly]

GMT900 The bail-out years. Fooey!

[@X-O2000]

My friends mom had a Focus ZX3 which is the 2 door hatchback and it shuddered so bad you had to turn the radio all the way up to not hear it. It was ridiculous.

[@frankdeboer1347]

She obviously had an unaddressed issue. Mine was amazing.

[@RicardoPCGamer]

I have a ZX3 and love it. Just the stupid motor mounts caused it to vibrate like hell. Replaced them and like 90% of the vibration is gone. It's actually enjoyable to drive when engine rpm doesn't rattle everything. My subwoofers do the rattling tho 😂

[@austin99etc]

I own and daily drive a 2003 Cadillac Deville, the same body style as in this video, and it has 190k and runs great. They aren't all garbage.

[@TheJeffShadowShow]

I bought a 2002 Cadillac Eldorado for $225 at a Copart in Oregon, so to me, the expense of upgrading to the Northstar Performance system is worthwhile. The car has under 66,000 miles and was not well-maintained by the previous owner.

[@zayas6999]

mom had an olds aurora with the northstar v8 and it would leak oil like crazy. dad had virtualy the same focus. trans failed at approx 25k. replaced under warranty of course. then that little focus went for about 300k before it was used as a trade-in. as for the vibrations... i replaced the engine mounts 3 times. when the mounts were fresh, the engine and whole car for that matter, felt ok to me.

[@donwon7484]

I really enjoy what you guys do with this series please keep it going I just have a question how does this make sense “stay away from these certain American cars because they’re aren’t reliable” oh and I just bought a wonderful Land Rover🤦🏽‍♂️ that seems odd

[@doug6191]

0:22 - Aside from that engine, the car is frumpy, wrong wheel drive, and trimmed with the cheapest of plastics. It was crossed off my list when it debuted, regardless of the engine.

[@GustavLindstroem]

Now I love my panther even more...

[@dmegahan]

The sweet spot for the focus is 2005-2007. Super reliable and doesn’t vibrate like that.

[@atx-cvpi_99]

More like 2005-2011. 2012-18 is awful due to the dual clutch transmission. Even though the body style changed in 2008, they were still the same underneath. Same applies to the Ford Escape as well.

[@TheRetarp]

@@atx-cvpi_99 A non-turbo 2012-2018 Focus with a manual transmission is as close to a Corolla or Civic reliability you are going to get for cheap. Some minor issues with blend door motors but that's every used car these days.

[@Stressless2023]

@@TheRetarp Yeah the 2012-2018 Focus with the manual transmission is top tier reliability, the engines in that generation were bulletproof but not many people experienced that because the automatic transmissions typically killed them well before the engines would have lol.

[@RicardoPCGamer]

I've seen plenty of Focus's newer than 2005 that vibrate when the mounts go bad. Doesn't matter what year it is. My 2003 vibrated. The 2011 i drove and the 2016 i drove. They all vibrated.

[@dmegahan]

@@RicardoPCGamerany car is going to vibrate if the motor mounts go bad. But the motor mounts on the focus were unique in the early generations and they were actually fluid filled.

[@Rosso488]

The engine was replaced already with that Yukon. Honestly these can be reliable if you get the engines fixed. Same with the Focus those can be extremely reliable.