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Looking at purchasing an Escape
aburnette81
Member Posts: 2
Hello, I am looking for my next vehicle. I have really taken a liken to the newer Escapes, but have been looking online and seeing a multitude of problems. CD Player issues, Paint Peeling, etc. I was just wondering if you all would recommend an Escape. I've never owned a Ford but this seems like the type of vehicle that would fit my needs personally and for my business. This would be my first SUV type, moving up from a 01 Dodge Stratus R/T. Just curious as to what you all thought. Are these vehicles worth the problems that I'm seeing, or are the newer models better? Seems like the majority of the issues I'm reading about are between 03 and 05 models.
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we just passed on our 04 to one of the kids, and replaced it with an '09.
the new one has everything we like about the '04, but improved quietness, gas mileage, and has leading tech features(sync, nav, sat radio).
What price would be appropriatre for a 2009 XLS with the sync option added?
2009 Escape XLS 2WD Auto...invoice $21,083 (without any options)
2009 Escape XLS 4WD Auto...invoice $22,694 (without any options)
Start low and tell them you want to pay $100 over invoice ($21,183 for 2WD or $22,794 for 4WD) minus whatever incentive there is available in your area (in CA $1500 cash back...$19,683 for 2WD or $21,294 for 4WD plus tax, lic, fees of course) try not to go over $300 over invoice and if they dont budge walk away or be persistent.
I love the new features and the drive is amazing. I would try to grab one of the 09's before the '10's come to dealerships in August.
The seats were uncomfortable, shaped wrong and hard. The XLT fabric was rough and hard. The leather seats had the same uncomfortable, hard seats underneath the leather.
Heading north in the early mid-summer afternoon, there is a blinding glare on both sides of the glass in front of the instruments on the instrument panel. This is because the shade over the instruments is round when it should be rectangular and wider (like earlier models). The slant of the glass in front of the instruments may also have something to do with the glare. The silver trim ring that goes around the radio and up on the dash glares in the windshield. After all these years, Ford should know not to put bright trim on top of the dashboard. We didn’t like the modular dashboard either. It looked too patchwork.
The glove box is barely bigger than the owner’s manual and there isn’t much storage space elsewhere. The headrests on the backseat are removable, but block visibility if not removed. The bottom of the rear window needs to be lower to improve visibility. It’s hard to see out of the rear at night because of the dark, tinted windows.
If you push on the Ford emblem in the middle of the grill, the entire front end—grill, bumper and everything else flops around like a big piece of loose cardboard. The skirt under the rear bumper does the same thing. Although this doesn’t affect the performance, it doesn’t give the impression of being a quality vehicle.
We didn’t like the flip & fold rear seats. We would prefer that they fold completely flat like the rest of the competition. A selling point for us would have been for the front passenger seat to fold down flat to haul long objects.
We would prefer disc brakes instead of drum brakes on the rear like most of the competition.
We told the car salesman what we didn’t like about this vehicle, but I’m sure this information didn’t go any further. The salesmen we talked to knew their products and were polite & nice, but they wanted to sell cars and they can only sell the cars Ford makes. So, there’s not anything they can do about the problems. Unfortunately, car dealers try to sell the cars they want to sell, not the cars the public wants.
My first impression was that Ford had not test driven this line of SUVs before selling it to the public, but the Escape has been around for about 10 years. Solving the problems with this vehicle would not take a model change and the problems are fairly simple and incredibly obvious.
We really wanted to buy a Ford Escape. The salesman really wanted to sell us a Ford Escape. The government is trying to help Ford sell cars with their “cash for clunkers” program. The Ford employees at the assembly plant installed everything the way it was designed to be installed. The people at Ford that got 40 more horsepower out of their V6 with the same gas mileage and a smooth highway ride were trying to sell us a car. The person at Ford in charge of approving the interior design of the Escape let Ford down. Ford let us down and Ford has also let the United States down when they let poor design go out the factory door. And I am very mad at Ford for spoiling an otherwise good SUV with its poor interior design.
Our list of issues may not seem so major, but they were deciding factors for us. It was a relief to sit in a Hyundai Santa Fe SE’s comfortable seats, without glare, with good visibility, a well designed interior and a much better warranty for the same price. Such a relief that we bought it!
The vehicle is annoying when going up grades, It always wants to default to the most economical gear, almost lugging the engine. The only way to overcome this is to give it more gas. It will change back and forth many times on a grade.
Hope Ford rectifies this in 2010.
However, I tested a lot of SUVs before buying and the Escape was the best overall fit for us.
Hope your new purchase works out for you in the years to come.
I am new to this forum. I am considering buying a 2004 Escape, Limited Edition. It is is excellent condition, but I am worried if the motor and transmission will last. Does anyone own a high mileage Escape and how does it run?
Thanks,
Miles
I wouldn't purchase a Ford Escape if it was the only way to reach the promised land after the Tribulation.
I come from a family of Ford Fanatics. My first "car" was a Ford F-150 Lariat that my Daddy bought me for graduation. Mustangs, Escorts, Explorers and Expeditions were what my family drove.
My husband (at my insistence) bought a 2001 Escape XLT off the lot.
My best friend bought a 2007 Escape (I didn't know or I would have performed an intervention)
My brother had a 2005 Escape for about 2 weeks, new off the lot. Thank goodness for Lemon Laws.
Friends from work own and hate their Escapes years 2005-2010. Hybrids included.
I will tell you that I know of no one who has bought an Escape who has not come to hate the car and rue the day they purchased it.
Our Escape became an Albatross around our necks - electrical problems, the brakes, leaking oil, more electrical problems, more brake problems, alarms that reset for no reason, stalls for no reason. If you do a search online for problems you'll find people complaining of electrical failures after it rained - that is not an exaggeration.
My friend who is a single mother working 2 jobs to make ends meet is currently riding the bus to and from her jobs because she can't afford the latest round of repairs to the death trap. We are going to do a fund raiser for her at our High School Reunion to get her another car because her situation is just heart breaking.
I realize that this sounds overly dramatic... and I apologize for the melodrama but I can't actually think of a non-dramatic means of expressing exactly how horrifying the cars are and my view that anything is better. Oh wait... I can.
I now drive a Mini Cooper S
My husband drives an Acura Crossover
My brother drives a Nissan
My Father tows his boat with a Toyota Tundra
My niece just purchased and LOVES her Chevy Blazer
I will never purchase another Ford Vehicle again and actually make it a point to send friends who are in the market reviews and safety information on Fords and alternatives. :lemon:
Our 2004 Escape Limited V6 4WD...after 6 years and 75,000 miles later, not once have I had to go back to the dealership for any problems besides regular maintenance.
Traded!!!!