Used Car of the Day: 2016 Ford Focus RS

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

The 2016 Ford Focus RS has been beloved around these parts for being fun to drive. Today we feature a low-mileage example out of the Pacific Northwest.


There are 21,700 miles on the car, which has the standard wheels and a moonroof. There are winter tires on it right now -- and the winter wheels are a bit scuffed. The seller has summer tires on another set of the same wheels, and those wheels aren't scuffed. However, the tires need to be replaced.

The car is still under warranty until this fall.

Our seller has kept it mostly stock, with upgrades including window tints, a European center console, and a USB upgrade that allows for Apple CarPlay capability.

The head gasket recall has been done. Cosmetically speaking, the car does have some rock chips and the like, and the lower front fascia was scuffed by the seller.

Otherwise the car appears to be in good condition. The ask is $38,000 and the car is in Portland, Oregon.

[Images: Seller]

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Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

More by Tim Healey

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6 of 22 comments
  • MaintenanceCosts MaintenanceCosts on Mar 20, 2024

    The first Focus RS, the one with the 5-cylinder that we never got in the U.S., might be worth the expense and hassle.


    This one is just a Focus ST with a bored-out engine, a worse reliability record, and a lot of forum hype.

    • See 3 previous
    • Analoggrotto Analoggrotto on Mar 20, 2024

      According to the internet dadbod gallery, the planet earth doesn't turn as well as the friggin beloved Civic Type-R.



  • FreedMike FreedMike on Mar 20, 2024

    Positives: Great condition, not modded, low miles.

    Negatives: nose-candy price


    These may be collectible, and if so this one's definitely a great example. Still, that price...



  • MRF 95 T-Bird Whenever I travel and I’m in my rental car I first peruse the FM radio to look for interesting programming. It used to be before the past few decades of media consolidation that if you traveled to an area the local radio stations had a distinct sound and flavor. Now it’s the homogenized stuff from the corporate behemoths. Classic rock, modern “bro dude” country, pop hits of today, oldies etc. Much of it tolerable but pedestrian. The college radio stations and NPR affiliates are comfortable standbys. But what struck me recently is how much more religious programming there was on the FM stations, stuff that used to be relegated to the AM band. You have the fire and brimstone preachers, obviously with a far right political bend. Others geared towards the Latin community. Then there is the happy talk “family radio” “Jesus loves you” as well as the ones featuring the insipid contemporary Christian music. Artists such as Michael W. Smith who is one of the most influential artists in the genre. I find myself yelling at the dashboard “Where’s the freakin Staple singers? The Edwin Hawkins singers? Gospel Aretha? Gospel Elvis? Early Sam Cooke? Jesus era Dylan?” When I’m in my own vehicle I stick with the local college radio station that plays a diverse mix of music from Americana to rock and folk. I’ll also listen to Sirius/XM: Deep tracks, Little Steven’s underground as well as Willie’s Roadhouse and Outlaw country.
  • The Comedian I owned an assembled-in-Brazil ‘03 Golf GTI from new until ‘09 (traded in on a C30 R-Design).First few years were relatively trouble free, but the last few years are what drove me to buy a scan tool (back when they were expensive) and carry tools and spare parts at all times.Constant electrical problems (sensors & coil packs), ugly shedding “soft” plastic trim, glovebox door fell off, fuel filters oddly lasted only about a year at a time, one-then-the-other window detached from the lift mechanism and crashed inside the door, and the final reason I traded it was the transmission went south.20 years on? This thing should only be owned by someone with good shoes, lots of tools, a lift and a masochistic streak.
  • Terry I like the bigger size and hefty weight of the CX90 and I almost never use even the backseat. The average family is less than 4 people.The vehicle crash safety couldn't be better. The only complaints are the clumsy clutch transmission and the turbocharger.
  • MaintenanceCosts Plug in iPhone with 200 GB of music, choose the desired genre playlist, and hit shuffle.
  • MaintenanceCosts Golf with a good body and a dying engine. Somewhere out there there is a dubber who desperately wants to swap a junkyard VR6 into this and STANCE BRO it.
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