DEFEND YOUR RIDE: Justin At Wayne State University

Q: Welcome to Defend Your Ride Detroit. I love the Ford Focus. Have you had it long?

A: I bought it in 2010 from Bill Brown Ford in Livonia. My last new car was totaled, so they know me there.

Q: Ouch, assuming this one stays together, how many miles do you expect to get out of your Focus?

A: Hopefully 200,000.

Q: When you hit that point and look for another car, do you think you'll buy another Ford?

A: Yeah, I would. I used to have a Subaru and like those too. If Ford came out with a Legacy, I would buy it. I like what Ford has come out with, bringing over the European line here. The design, both interior and exterior, as well as the great fuel economy. I'd like to see more diesel cars as well, but there's not much I can do about that.

Q: I take it you do a fair amount of driving then?

A: There's work, but that's not too far of a drive. Twenty miles back and fourth between home and school a few days a week. I like to do a lot of bike riding too, so I'll drive this out to wherever I want to go riding.

Q: How many hours per day are you in your car?

A: Too many. On a regular day, probably 45 minutes to an hour and on school days, around two. Lately it's been close to three. The worst part is just the driving itself. I wish we had better public transportation, so I wouldn't have to deal with it so much. But the best part is also that I can just get in and instantly go anywhere and everywhere. Going to school and work isn't bad, the work commute is actually a pleasant drive.

Q: What's the farthest road trip you've ever taken in this car?

A: Probably Pittsburgh. Three hundred miles each way. Maybe closer to 500. It was me and my fiancée. At the time, my girlfriend. We stayed at a place at the North Shore called the Priory on the edge of town. While we were there, we went to the South Side bar and restaurant district. Pittsburgh is pretty much in a valley at the foothill of the Appellations. We took my car up in the hills and the neighborhoods. There are really steep hills. It's like San Francisco. I have no idea how those people get around in the snow.

Q: Sounds like fun. Are there any rules for your car?

A: No smoking in the backseat. Too much of a history of people accidentally getting burn holes in the back of my seats. No drug or alcohol consumption either.

Q: If your car had an emotion, what would it be?

A: My car's emotion would be middle aged, but not to the point where it's handicapped yet. It's not lazy or grumpy. It just kind of is. Not boring, but not overly exciting.

Q: Does your car have a theme song?

A: Well, keeping in line with the middle aged thing, I'd have to say it would have to be "At Least I'm Not Like All Those Other Old Guys" by Five Iron Frenzy.

Q: And do you have a nickname for your awesome Ford Focus?

A: Yeah, but it's not appropriate. Everyone started saying the name of the car backwards, so you do the math. In the past, I've named all my cars, but I haven't with this one.

Photos and interview by John Cruz

View previous Defend Your Ride features as well as other great stories for people who love cars at CBSDetroit.com/Autos.