The wife needs a new car.....opinions?????

[williet]

We're looking at the '08 Ford Escape XLT ... anyone have an opinion on this SUV.....other than the common FORD junk....fix or repair daily...found on road dead.....and so on.

[Daddymem]

I barely pay attention to my Ranger 01 (?) except oil changes and an occasional tire rotation and I have almost 150k on it...same tires even.  I've done brakes twice, belts once, some minor electrical work (uner warranty, sth in the harness was a bit screwy since bought), couple tranny line patches, and control arm bushings (cheap bastards don't put grease fittings on 'em anymore!), and not much more.  I'd go Ford again, and Ranger and Escape share some stuff.  I would buy used though, hard to swallow the instant depreciation the second you sign on the dotted line.

[MountainDon]

We've owned a few Fords, most recent an '86 Bronco II, '95 Escort, '98 Escort. All bought used in the year following the model year.

Batteries, tires, brakes, wiper blades, etc were replaced at normal mileage and use.

IIRC the BII had 170,000 when sold and had received a new radiator, shocks, clutch @ 150,000 as a pre-emptive repair.

The '95 Escort had nothing go wrong until it was sideswiped and totaled. One set of brakes and tires.

The '98 Escort had something like 90,000 on it and had received a new fuel pump and fuel pressure regulator on 2 separate occasions.

[Willy]

I like our 4x4 Ranger 02 little pick up great on gas no problems so far. My built 1973 1 ton Dulley 4X4 Chevy 454 is my work truck and it is fun to drive if 9 1/2 MPG does not bother you!! I can haul anything with it and that is what it is used for. I would never buy a brand new vehical and like the old Chevy cause I can still work on it.  It all depends on what you need it for on what you should buy. I need 2 trucks one for great MPG and another to haul 5 tons of hay with. Mark

[williet]

Thanks. I've had a 69 Mustang a F100 and an F 150...But we've been Honda and Toyota folks for awhile. I don't know anyone with the Escape so I was hoping for first hand info here.....

I still love the Toyo...but the SUV is waaay too expensive for our needs right now.

I made the sales guy an offer today....we'll see if it takes

[Redoverfarm]

Not real sure what I would buy the next time around.  I think I have owned every manufacturer out there.  I had a Subaru and the parents have owned two. Very dependable with AWD as standard.  Personally I have a F250 Powerstroke which I really like. I put it through the hurdles and it still gets 17-20MPG. Believe it or not it is a 1999 and I just got my first recall. A camshaft sensor which I had to replace two years ago. Ford is paying for the one I had installed and then upgraded to newer verson at their cost.  Wouldn't or couldn't buy a new one ($45K). Bought mine used.  Wifes is a Volvo which has given us good service 26MPG.

Ford just came out the last year or so with a "freestyle" or free something I think which is a AWD SUV type that the wife likes. Not too bad on the price I don't think.

[StinkerBell]

We have a Ford 08 Diesel Truck. So far so good.

[sparks]

First On Race Day    ok i promise to get better at this . dammit.  btw, check out the blazer model. The leather seats are a bit softer...so my wife tells me.

[glenn kangiser]

I will likely never buy new again either -- also because I don't like the instant depreciation.

I buy Dodge because I was a Dodge mechanic in 69 and 70.  I find them to be pretty dependable in general.  Worst truck I ever bought was a new 79 Ford F250 4x4.  400 cu. in. engine  was junk and had problems with rods and crank multiple times.  I think that was more of a particular model and year thing.  I have had other Ford products that were good.

I guess there is good and bad in all.

Sparks -- I know you'll want to see a Ford Mustang racing an old Dodge diesel pickup.   Just funnin' ya.  It really is an old Dodge diesel.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=1103305

[John_C]

How tall is your wife?  I'll give you a good deal on my '95 Saturn that got pinned under a large pine tree about two weeks ago.   Say 5¢ / pound.   It needs to be a really short owner.

[lonelytree]

I ended up buying a 2006 Dodge 2500 4 door Cummins new a couple years ago. It was cheaper than a 2 year old truck. Go figure. Great truck. I drove a 2005 3500 Cummins all over the Kenai for the last 2 days. Bad weather, slow going, it averaged 29 MPG. If I could only drive 55 all the time, I would save a bit of fuel.

New car. Look at Toyota. My wife is wanting a new one. Since she works at the dealer, we get pretty good deals.

[glenn kangiser]

Do you have a stick shift, lonelytree?

They are great trucks with pretty good work room on the straight six. 

[Daddymem]

My first car was a truck, and a dog at that too

1980 D100, 225 slant six (the sewing machine), 4 on the floor non syncro-mesh, stepside, wood bed, power nothing.  Yes, those are P250 60 series on Cragar Supersports, I had to do something about the farm truck look it had    Not exactly a monster off the line but when she got going, she got going pretty good and with those tires, she held the road great.  They used to say you could drain the oil outta that slant six and run it 100,000 miles.  People would put a Holley on the old Darts with the 225 and race them.

Sat in a used 2006 Chrysler T&C the other day....not impressed one bit.  Everything was plastic.  This was the high end model too.  Cheap, flimsy seats.  Family vehicle my backside!  Kids would destroy that thing in a week.  Don't know what we'll do for Mommymem's vehicle to be replaced soon.  My truck will probably be next.  I haven't seen many Edge model trucks, hope I can find one.  It feels like a truck, unlike most of the newer trucks do nowadays.

Fords were all my dad's cranberry company used (huge grower).  They did have problems with them in the very late 70's and the very early 80's.  Besides that those guys drove them every day around the bogs in around town for years and years before getting a new one distributed to them.

[John_C]

They used to say you could drain the oil outta that slant six and run it 100,000 miles.

It seems there were a lot of durable straight sixes in that era.  I had a '69 Chevy Nova with a straight 6 and a 2 speed automatic.  Bought it for $100 with  120,000 miles on it, drove it for 100,000 and sold it for $100.  When I last saw it it was approaching 300,000.

I also had a 1980 Ford F-150 with a 4.9L  straight 6.  Three on the tree, anothe excellent vehicle.

A good friend had a military surplus Dodge 1 ton flatbed work truck.  He built concrete houses in the keys.  He loaded the truck with screw jacks & such until the bed was barely clearing the tires, and dragged a largish trailer similarly loaded. The truck had way over 200,000 miles and still ran strong.

And the average idiot (me) could do a lot of the maintenance on them.

[glenn kangiser]

Great truck, Daddymem.

The old slant six was probably one of the best engines ever.  They slanted it to counteract the rotational forces and keep the wear and friction down as I recall.

Early eighties I was building several steel farm buildings per month.  We had an old Dodge with a 318, ugly as heck, but it was the only truck we could always count on to be running. 

Most of the new American stuff is not impressive to me.  I like most Toyotas and would consider one for a smaller truck.

[Daddymem]

I miss my 'yota (two trucks ago now).  The cost though, even used they carry a premium and as I found out with this Ford, it doesn't mean they last longer or cost less to operate either.  Last 'yota I sat in didn't have that cheap plastic feel...yet.  They killed the legendary 2XR series engine a few years back.  Big mistake imho, those engines were tanks.  I have no idea about the reliability of them anymore.  I don't know if the Nissans still use the KZ series engines, those were forever engines too and many were built right here in the US.  When I worked for the Nissan dealership we frequently serviced very high mileage Nissan cars and trucks, they usually were put out to pasture due to body rotting out from under them rather than mechanical reasons. 

I wouldn't be surprised if my old truck were still running, that's how good the 225s were.  The 318 and 225 engines were what kept the military rolling, most of the pickups and suvs were dodges with either engine.

Back to the Escape.  They seem to be an affordable, small SUV.  The reliability of Ford is pretty good. The Escapes have been around for a while now so most kinks of new models would be gone and used and aftermarket parts should be available once the warranty runs out.  I haven't sat in one, so I couldn't say beyond that.  My friend has an older one and it was just ruined.  He was driving during a gulley washer and this large F350 came barreling through the puddle my buddy was slowly going through and drowned him out.  It cracked his starter which allowed water into his engine and destroyed it.  Whether that is a sign of a common thing or not I don't know, just throwing it out there.

[williet]

We drove the '08 Escape. NICE vehicle. There was a noticeable difference between the XLS (cheap model and the Limited ) We're looking at the XLT, middle grade because I can't get a Limited without the push button keyless entry system....The plastic and leather were OK, the finish and fit were good, for so-called American made..(I perfer Toyota's, but they're getting too pricey). The sticker said 65% was assembled in US and Canada....I guess Canada IS American made, but the jobs aren't in the US. North American Union, I guess?

The V6 had good power as did the 4 cylinder ... According to all the reviews from owners on blogs, the V6 gets around 23 mpg and the 4 gets around 28 mpg....For the difference, the V6 would be better. I don't see why either can't get in the 30's on mileage. Waiting for government to mandate it, I guess....The seats were comfortable and they worked well. Rear seats fold down easily enough and make plenty of room...There was more than enough room for me on both sides and in the rear, I'm 6' and about 230#...

All in all, I think it'd be a pretty good fit for us. I made an offer and their thinking about it. We'll see....

[Sassy]

I would like a Toyota PU just because of their reputation for being well-built... but I don't like the way they look!  The smaller model looks like the little old Falcon PU's looked  (I had a 1960 Falcon car) I love the way the Dodge PU's look - the stepped down fenders - they look more like the old, good style I like...  These boxy, non-discript trucks with no style...  don't know what the Escape looks like.  My brother just bought a RAV SUV 4WD - they like up close to 5000 ft elevation in Sonora, CA, get quite a bit of snow, very hilly, they say it drives real well - 30 mpg on the freeway... my brother has a BMW but won't drive it if there is rain, snow, etc - doesn't want to "sully" it  so they'll be selling that... 

Now I have a 2000 Mercedes ML320 4WD SUV - bought it used - drives good, is pretty comfortable but everything that could go wrong has gone wrong in the stupid thing so I would not recommend buying one of those.  When I bought my used, it was cheaper than buying a new full sized 4WD PU - it's pretty nice inside - all leather interior, burled wood.  But it has the CD changer in the back - so, if the CD's mess up, you have to stop the car, get out open the back, if you are loaded up with stuff, you've gotta move it to get to the CD - big hassle - don't like that at all!    Would rather have a single CD changer in front & not have to hassel... it's a BOSE, but they didn't even put speakers in the back, only in front!  Aw well, one of these years I might be able to get something else - what would be really nice, is to get an older, restored truck without all all the computer chips...  is that possible?  For it to run really good & be easy to drive?  4WD?   

[MountainDon]

Some thoughts re points raised...

Canadian built vehicles: It's a 2-way road. Since the 60's there have been many vehicles manufactured in Canadian plants and shipped to US markets. There have also been many vehicles shipped to Canada from US factories. Current list of Canadian manufactured vehicles...  http://www.buymadeincanada.com/index.php?fuseaction=site.store&cat_id=1

I would not trade any of my vehicles with computer controlled systems, fuel injection and electronic ignitions for any older non-computer, with carburetor and breaker point ignition if it was to be my daily driver. Just my opinion...

Inline sixes are smooth running engines and easier to access for work when used for traditional rear wheel drive. But they are not as well suited for front wheel drive as a V shape.

I thought the Chrysler slant six was slanted the 30° degrees to give a lower height overall engine package, which enabled vehicle stylists to lower hoodlines. It also allowed the water pump to be mounted with a significant lateral offset, shortening the engine's overall length. The slant provided space under the hood for intake and exhaust manifolds with runners of longer and more nearly equal length compared to the log manifolds found on other inline engines for better volumetric efficiency. That's one of the reason's there's a whole cult of slant six racing enthusiasts to this day.

[williet]

Thanks Don,
Like you, I like all the new stuff on the new cars for a daily driver, but I really miss my old 283's, 327's and of course the 289 in my 69 Mustang. For power, I still remember my '68 Vette and the 427... and the 12 miles to the gallon it got. We just got rid of a 2001 Xterra that only got 15 mpg....some difference in it and the Vette. I wonder where all the gas in the Xterra went? I know where it went in the Vette 

As to the comment I made about Canada...I get flack around here for driving my Toyota Tacoma, (rice burner) instead of a good ole US made Chevy or Ford. As it turns out...duh!!! neither are US made. I first learned this in the early '80's when I worked at a Saginaw plant. Their slogan was "Buy American" and the bulk of their business was foreign made car parts.  I drove a VW bug and was forced to park in the back lot with other traitors.... When the foregin car part makers went to their own plants, the Buy American folks went out and looked for new jobs.........

Anyway....I really like the Escape and today, I have four dealers fighting over the price on-line....Buying a car isn't as bad as it was before the computer either....

[Daddymem]

Yeah, nothing like the tug at the tires from a 289.  My old '66

[glenn kangiser]

Classic car there.

I must say that I do miss the smell of a poorly tuned engine and sometimes just go out to my old carbuerated Cherokee and sniff the fumes-- not for too long though.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1947051054879900125&q=laquerhead&total=20&start=0&num=50&so=0&type=search&plindex=1

[Sassy]

I like all the computerized stuff but I'd like at least one vehicle that would run if there was some major catastrophe with the computer systems...  don't think we'll be getting the 1919 & 1926 Dodges running good enough in the near future but guess they could be a backup!   

[williet]

I'm looking for a '52-54 Chevy truck...maybe after the new car and the land and the house and ........

[williet]

What I had forgotten about American car dealers is that they REALLY don't want to sell their cars! What I'm hearing is "It's all we have on the lot or it's all they have in the system....so you'll HAVE to take it"....

I may be going back to Japan....we'll see.