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Comments
dealer can find the one I want. I have
test-driven
both the Escape and Tribute and I have not noticed
appreciable wind noise that others are complaining
about. I went 70mph in both and didn't notice
excessive road or wind noise. Granted, I own a
ragtop now and my previous car had T-tops, so
maybe
I'm so used to noise that I don't pay attention
anymore.
I guess I'm going to have to test-drive again and
pay attention especially for that!
Dave
PLEASE do not buy/order one.
Why? That way I'll get mine much sooner.
: )
I placed an order on September 30th for a
loaded Escape XLT. I checked late October / early
November and was given a ship date of November 20th. Then came the wiper recall and I knew my SUV would be late. I just checked with dealer today to request the VIN so I could track the SUV and found out why there has been such a delay.
According to the dealer, the Escape has stop sale / hold on account of the ABS, nothing to do with the wiper issue. Worse, now there is only a partial VIN and no expected delivery date. We estimate that if this doesn't change within two weeks then I almost surely will not receive the vehicle until 2001.
So just a heads up, accoridng to my dealer,
the ABS is now an issue. Anyone else got more
info? I'd like to hear at dgontz@po-box.esu.edu.
Anybody with a definitive answer on this?
To put this in to perspective, this guy is the manager at a dealership that will remain nameless to protect the innocent. He and I have known each other personally for over 20 years and we both are Ford people. When we speak about cars, it is in matter of fact terms, not hype. Prices are his prices, not sticker. No service hassles, no fast sales person hussle. I won't buy Ford anywhere else so I trust what he knows about his product.
dgontz@po-box.esu.edu
I am usually more critical than the average consumer, however, I have to admit Ford has a good idea in the Escape. More attention should have been paid to the assembly details.
Now the good news. I am getting about 20 mpg in all city driving (V6 4x4 too). For those on the fence, I can recommend the vehicle but would suggest waiting as long as possible for Ford to work out all of the kinks. My Expedition lease was up, so I couldn't, and I don't miss it a bit.
Escape in Houston(I'm in Dallas) that was EXACTLY like the one I ordered. Truely a miracle.
I called the dealer, told him to hold it for me, and that I'd be there on Friday to pick it up. I flew down to Houston($100), drove straight to the dealer, and bought it. I had to fight the Ford dealers all the way to get this baby. I'm surprised Ford stays in business as messy as their sales dept. is. The dealer in Houston was fine though and very helpful.
So after all that hassle, I got just what I wanted and it's a beauty. Dark green XLT, fully loaded except for 4WD, and I love it. No problems so far and it's a joy to drive.
My advice to all who have special ordered an Escape and are STILL waiting: Do a search on your own! You'll get one alot quicker than waiting on Ford to get their sh** togather and build it for you. When and IF you do get one, you won't be sorry. It's a great truck!!
I have a guaranteed price of $500 over invoice at the dealer I'm using. As soon as they find what I want, they'll bring it in and I'll pick it up. I'm not willing to wait 8+ weeks to order one. The salesman told me tonight that there are six that meet my criteria in the area. Hopefully, one of those will be available. If not, I might break down and order one.
Thanks,
Dave
The Escape has had some early problems, but I believe Ford has acted responsibly, and most owners are reporting satisfaction ... especially the units built recently.
What caught my eye was the Hyundai Santa Fe. Rode well, has a V6, and comes 2WD or AWD, in GLS and LX (top of the line) models -- and is the same price $20 -$22K as the Escape PLUS has a 10yr / 100K Powertrain warrenty. I WAS skeptical, but it is now a top choice.
And by the way - no recalls.
All dealers have a second sales channel for educated buyers who don't use retail services and won't pay for them. They use salaried order-takers called Fleet sales, Internet sales, or Plan sales. You too can use them provided you do your Own Homework to provide them the information they require to program your sale into the computerized system. To work with them:
1. Do not become a customer of a retail salesman by giving them your name. Tell them your salesman is the fleet sales manager. You can still get your demo drive.
2. Instead use printed and internet information sources such as Edmunds and observation of vehicles at the dealer to help you yourself determine exactly what you want.
3. Your easiest and best pricing is to use a Ford Corporate sales promotion plan. These are the "A", "Z" and "X" Plans. They are all fixed -price under-invoice set by Ford corporate only and that's it, no expensive haggling allowed. Anyone can qualify for one of these plans if they take a few simple steps to do so. This is by far the best way for a woman to buy a new car because no one can take advantage of her on the simple predetermined deal. Never imagine that using a plan is in any way "cheating" anyone, because Ford knowingly established the plan and fully compensates for the limited services used at the Dealer. Ford doesn't lose when you save!
"A" PLAN serves active US and Canadian Ford employees and their relatives including parents, children, grandchildren, and inlaws. "Z" PLAN is the same except for retired employees and their relatives. Fixed pricing varies by car but for the Escape is now about 5% below total invoice. Look through your relatives.
"X" PLAN serves Ford suppliers and select corporate family "partners". "X" pricing for Escape it is about 1% below total invoice. Ford used to manufacture airplanes and has always supported American civil aviation so EAA is a Ford family partner. See www.eaa.org If you go to that website and support that organization by your membership, You qualify for "X" PLAN. I personally have done this and bought an Escape using this "X" PLAN. And the organization is important, interesting, and worth supporting. Go and see! Every woman should take the simple steps to buy this way because it is the safest, easiest, and most economical way I know! Make the effort and You will succeed like many others.
Take enough time to decide very thoughtfully the exact features you want. Calculate for yourself your plan total cost by using Edmunds for detailed invoice prices. Get that Plan PIN over the internet. Use it to order your Escape from Fleet. Don't worry, it's perfectly ethical, you just never bought this way before. Now you are a BUYER. See www.aplanheadquarters.com Copy This Post For Yourself
In the NW Escapes are showing up all over the place. A large Ford dealership in my area has about 12 of them now in various trims. Better than just about 3 months ago..1. Its only a matter of time that production will catch up with demand.
Making such a charge is indicative of the fact that you do not know what you are talking about.
I think that justifies my assertion that with your post you show yourself to be a moron.
The actual number of Escapes recalled is very low in comparison to the total quantity produced. A fix is in the workd for the few who are experiencing fuel problems.
Go buy your Santa Fe and stop trying to justify your decision by posting nonsense here.
The Santa Fe may not be the gem you think it is. I have friends who own Hyundia. Read the fine print. You must keep care of the vehicle at a Hyundia shop. And parts can take forever if you need something special. Hyundia doesn't have that great of a track record either when it comes to reliability. They are getting better however. I won't buy a Hyundia, Kia, Daewoo or what ever. No way no how.
The V6 offered in the Tribute/Escape is much better than the engine offered in the Hyundia. Better HP/Torque curve, more HP and torque.
Those of you who are experiencing the fuel smell after warm starts might be interested in the experience we are now having with our dealer.
Escape #1 was taken back by our dealer in November because they could not find a reason for the fuel smell. It was replaced by Escape #2. #2 also has the fuel smell - not just after running the A/I as some of you have reported, but it occurs after any warm start via the air vents whether on A/I, heat or air.
Car #2 has now been at the dealer's for a week and Ford has given us a rental car. Today we were informed by a Regional Ford Manager that while Ford is aware of the fuel smell problem, there is no fix, nor any date in sight for the fix, and we must return our rental car. They will no longer pay for the rental and want us to either take back the fume car and drive it until a fix comes around, or return it for our money back.
The Regional Manager says that her head engineer thinks it is OK to drive while breathing gas fumes until there is a fix. (I wonder if they would do that?) It's not OK for me or for my family. Ford will also not put that in writing for us.
We were told that it would take until sometime in January at the earliest to process our return check. So here's the scenario: I have no car to drive while we wait for the reimbursement unless we pay for a rental out of our own pocket. We need the reimbursement (we paid cash) to buy another car. We are being told we must pay for the rental for another potentially 6 weeks and all because Ford has sold us a car that has a serious problem - for which there is no fix.
When we complained back to our dealership, the manager said he would "try to work something out" with Ford about the rental car situation, but we have no firm commitments from him.
The Regional Manager is extremely rude and even went so far as to say that this dilemma "really isn't her problem." Ford is acting like we are a big inconvenience. How that for customer service? How's that for "Quality is Job One" at Ford?
We're done with Ford for life. This is the most amazing consumer situation we've ever experienced.
The Consumer Advocate we contacted talked to us at length. They've been getting a lot of complaints about unresolved Escape problems and are compiling information for future action. They advised us to get out from under this car.
It's bad news.
These are not my words but just one of the MANY post citing problems with the Escape/Tribute. Hyundai is not perfect but I don't see lots of forum posts and reviews citing endless problems. (in fact the reviews have been pretty positive) Also the auto writers are now writing about the questionable build quality of the Escape. One recent MSN article stated that if they were given an Escape they would give it back because of the poor build quality. Again these are not my words. I am just posting them so that the information can get out and others can make their own minds up. ptmccain seems upset by this and I don't know exactly why.
I am giving up my 1987 BMW 325iS for a sport ute. I was just looking at the fourms to see what others were saying and join in.
You are foolish for implying that anyone who buys an Escape is, as you put it, "out of their mind." You are foolish for implying or suggesting that every Escape is under a recall. You are foolish for implying that every Escape owner is experiencing massive problems.
Come over to the Yahoo Escape Club and try this stunt.
Please refrain from your posts here, keep your neurotic obsession with badmouthing Escape owners to the Escape "Problem" forum.
I am sure that there are unhappy Ford customers. Even a 99.9% satisfaction rate is going to leave hundreds unhappy. And many of these treat their dealers with contempt, bad mouth consumer reps and demand instant satisfaction or they will have their lawyers sue and sue and sue. When that gets them nowhere,they get on the internet and bad mouth everyone. The customer satisfaction rate is better than ever, but the expectation rate is climbing faster(except our expectations for the media and lawyers).
Visit:
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/thefordescapeclub
We'd love to have you in the club.
Its funny too. Even with all the Ford bashing I am still seeing these on the road more and more... The consumer makes the choice not the media...
Dealer: Adamson Ford in Birmingham, AL
Salesman: Bob H, the internet guy, they'll know who you're
talking about.
How we got this sweet deal. Well, we did our homework at www.carbuyingtips.com and got our invoice numbers from Edmunds. Bob, our salesman, was so cool that he called us back this morning after we blindly faxed his dealership the offer. He said he didn't have exactly what we wanted on the lot, but he told me what they did have and I entered the new figures on the offer.xls spreadsheet from carbuyingtips.com. We drove to the dealership, handed him our very minimal offer of nearly $400.00 below invoice, and without any hangling he said, "DONE!" The Escape now sits in my driveway and my wife and I couldn't be happier.
Don't think this was a simple task. We've been car shopping for over 6 months, but today's deal was as easy as pie. Last night we went to close on another Escape at a different dealer, and they had finagled the numbers to make us think we were getting a deal, but they were actually having us pay MSRP. There is only one name for a car buyer who pays MSRP, "SUCKER!" We came home and fired off 10 offer faxes to Ford and Mazda dealers in the area, Bob called this morning at 8am, and the rest is history.
Moral of the story: If you live in Birmingham, AL, and want an Escape, call Adamson Ford and ask for Bob H., the internet salesman. But, only do this after you've done your homework on the car and know exactly what you're paying and why. He'll cut you a sweet deal.
Now I just have to call the other Ford dealer and rub their noses in it. Actually, I guess I need to thank them for forcing me to take my business elsewhere.
Merry Christmas,
JC.
: )
Hope Santa does NOT bring me an Aztec uglymobile.
Well, the dealer called last week to let us know that our Trib was ready and the fuel odor fixed. It had been in the shop since November 13. We have owned the vehicle for about 90 days, of which 30 it has been at dealer. We cranked it up and were greeted with a blast of fuel odor that now is present all of the time and not intermittant as it was earlier. The dealer says there is nothing else they can do and refuse to provide a rental any longer or do any further work. Factory tech reps had been sent from Jacksonville FL to Montgomery, AL to look at the truck and had recommended a fix that involved shaving part of the manifold down and installing a new gasket. Did not work. Has anyone been able to get a successful fix on this problem? We are considering exercising our rights under state lemon law.
----------------------------------------------------------------------#310 of 310 Fuel smell by bj02176 Dec 25, 2000 (05:52 pm)
As I just posted in the Escape forum, I think mine for the moment is okay, it's day 5 or 6 days without it coming through the vents, regarding outside of the vehicle it's hard to say as it's currently 12 degrees. When it is warm it's more noticeable. I think they used silicone and replaced a "weepy O ring". This has taken 4 or 5 tries to get to this point, if it comes back I'm going the lemon route, sounnds like you should too. I guess it depends on the laws in your state on how many repair attempts have to be made. Let me be the first to admit that I'm sorry I bought this Ford made "vehicle". And low mileage to boot. Going back to Honda or Toyota in the fall.
One little annoyance, is the tendancy to spin the tires easily while accelerating. I suppose this is the "fun" factor I get with the vehicle.
These Escapes seem to be a great deal for the money. I checked out all of the [non-permissible content removed]/Korean models everyone rants and raves about driving 250K miles without a tuneup (sick people). The [non-permissible content removed]/Korean models feel cheap, cramped, and underpowered - especially the Honda CRV. Yeah keep this CRV for 250K miles and tell all your buddies how proud you are from the seat of your wheelchair now that you are a hunch-back ( and how your wheelchair accelerates faster than your CRV).
A question for this group:
Does the AC vent odor problem occur only on V6 models?
Happy holidays from warm and sunny Orlando, Florida!
I posted the problems and comments from owners because I fel tthey were relevant to people considering buying an Escape/Tribute.
In addition to this, the Honda dealer would not budge from sticker price and wanted to tack on extra $ for "supply demand" reasons (although there were about 40 CRV's on his lot - and only about 5 customers on the showroom floor). Ford sold me the Escape for $91 over invoice even though there were only about 10 on the lot and 3 more were sold during my vist!
I usually keep a car for about 2-3 years since technology improves to the point where it is not safe to drive a vehicle much older than that. I have been driving Fords for the past 12 years and must say that the trade in values for all of them were suprisingly good! Also the reliability has been great - I have never been stranded on the road in a Ford vehicle (although I regularly rescue a friend with a Honda CIVIC that refuses to start intermittently).
Also - if anyone has had the fuel smell problem with a 4 cyl model - please post to this group.
Happy holidays from Mickey Mouse and the gang in warm and sunny Orlando, Florida!
Go to www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ and open a consumer complaint. I have had my Trib in 3 times for this problem with no resolution yet.
at least you're keeping the economy moving! ;>
Second generation airbags
Third generation airbags
side airbags
revised crumple zones
revised seat belt arrangement technology
safer and lighter materials
better sound systems
safer steering columns
better suspension
better tires (Firestone helped with this)
safer fuel tanks
better electronics
better engine management
better transmission designs
better ergonomics
better seating
better visibility (Although some would argue the AMC Pacer ruled this one)
better side and offset impact protection
I have a couple of kids that I must think about when making the decision about keeping an automobile or buying a new one and the technology that keeps them safe is paramount. I currently own a 1999 Expedition and 2001 Escape. Almost time to trade out the Expedition - just about 20K miles on it.
I can see the changes made between 1990 and 2000; but I can't see them as being remarkable between 1997 and 2000...
20k on an Expedition... I'm surprised it hasn't killed you yet! j/k
but, I still feel safe driving my '90 Crown Vic with a little over 161k miles.
I guess I can see trading in every few years to avoid paying maintence bills, which I'm becoming all too familiar with, but I've just never heard of your take on this...
May I ask, which vehicle do you feel is safer, the Expedition, or the Escape?