| I'm writing this article today to tell you about one of my | | | | some research I figured out the problem was due to a |
| life lessons. Back in about mid 2004 I was out with my | | | | faulty DPFE sensor. So I replaced the sensor and my |
| father shopping for car, I was going to be starting | | | | car ran normal again. Then about two weeks later at |
| school soon so I needed a car that was reliable and | | | | 2:00 AM parked in front of the gas pumps my ignition |
| got good gas mileage. I didn't really have my heart set | | | | switch locked up. So I went in and told the cashier |
| on any particular car I just had a few specifics. | | | | about the problem she said the car would be fine |
| After several hours of searching car dealerships I saw | | | | there until I can get the dealership to come and pick it |
| a lot of good cars but had passed them up. I was | | | | up when they open. |
| determined to find a car. We checked every | | | | I walked home which was about three miles away. At |
| dealership in two different cities. Finally while talking to | | | | about 7:00 AM I called the Ford dealership and they |
| a salesman at one of the dealerships about what I | | | | said they would send a tow truck to pick it up. A little |
| was looking for he said "Let me call one of my friends | | | | later they called me back and said the manager of the |
| at another dealership." He came back and told us his | | | | store had it towed and I would have to deal with the |
| friend had just what we were looking for. So it went | | | | towing company before they can pick it up. By the |
| to the other dealership and met up with his friend, he | | | | time I had my car back in working order it cost me |
| showed me what he had it was a 2001 Ford focus | | | | $550.00, $150.00 for the towing company another |
| ZX3 with about 50,000 miles on it. It was a fresh trade | | | | $400.00 to fix my ignition switch. |
| in and not even on the lot yet. | | | | Now four years later I'm still stuck with the same car. It |
| I was pretty anxious by this point, so we took the car | | | | has had almost every common problem you will hear |
| out and test drove it, everything seemed to work | | | | about on a Ford focus. In the last four years I've spent |
| great. So I bought it. About three months went by and | | | | close to $3,500.00 in repairs not including normal |
| the car seemed to work perfectly. Then one day out | | | | maintenance costs. |
| of the blue it started to spit and sputter, it was bad it | | | | Needless to say I know that I made a mistake by |
| sounded like an old VW Beetle so I killed the engine. | | | | buying that car. The main thing I learned from all this is, |
| When I restarted the car it seemed to run fine. | | | | don't make decisions out of haste, do your research |
| About two weeks later I started school, 700 miles | | | | so you know which are getting into. Otherwise you |
| away from home and the problem came back but this | | | | may find yourself the same situation. Do yourself a |
| time it didn't go away. After a few weeks of doing | | | | favor buy a Carfax report. |