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Looking at purchasing an Escape

29 messages,  Last post on Jul 26, 2011 at 8:42 PM

You are in the Ford Escape Forum.

What is this discussion about? Ford Escape, SUV

Messages Page 1 of 3

#1 of 29 Looking at purchasing an Escape by aburnette81

Jul 22, 2009 (7:20 am)

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.

#2 of 29 Re: Looking at purchasing an Escape [aburnette81] by vg33e power

Jul 22, 2009 (8:20 am)

Replying to: aburnette81 (Jul 22, 2009 7:20 am)
Every manufacturer is going to have some issues with malfunctioning details from time to time. I have a 2004 Escape Limited and (knock on wood) I have had five years of pleasant reliability on all aspects. I cannot speak for the newly redesigned model (2008 and up) but I hear and read that they are majorly superior in fit and quality to the older generation like mine. I say that if you are looking for a small SUV the Ford Escape should definately be in your list of consideration. Go test drive one and see how it feels for you....besides I hate to say it but anything is going to be an upgrade to the vehicle you are replacing...

#3 of 29 re: by aburnette81

Jul 22, 2009 (11:27 am)

thanks for the input. I'm going to try and go test drive one in the next week. Actually the stratus I have has 204,000 on it, and it is still holding together well (knock on wood). Although, it does have a Mitsubishi engine haha. I know its just a matter of time before I am going to have to have a replacement, and am trying to get things in line so when I do need something, I know what I want and am in a position to purchase. Thanks for the reply

#4 of 29 re: [aburnette81] by explorerx4

Jul 22, 2009 (5:41 pm)

Replying to: aburnette81 (Jul 22, 2009 11:27 am)
yes, test drive one to see if you like it.
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).

#5 of 29 Also looking for an escape by secutanudu

Jul 23, 2009 (9:26 am)

Replying to: explorerx4 (Jul 22, 2009 5:41 pm)
I did the TMV pricing report for a 2009 XLS Escape, and it came to $23,521. That seems pricey...what is the best method for me to go to a dealer and try to negotiate a better price than that? Thanks.
 
What price would be appropriatre for a 2009 XLS with the sync option added?

#6 of 29 Re: Also looking for an escape [secutanudu] by vg33e power

Jul 23, 2009 (10:44 am)

Replying to: secutanudu (Jul 23, 2009 9:26 am)
My suggestion is to get on the Ford website and send out quote requests to your close dealerships in your area and name your price. For example:
 
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.

#7 of 29 Highly Recommended by matthattan1587

Jul 24, 2009 (8:28 am)

I highly recommend the new Escape. I recently purchased a 2009 XLT I4 with sun and sync package, leather seats and cargo package and walked out the door with it at 23,500 excluding taxes. That is almost 4,000 dollars under the MSRP of the vehicle.
 
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.
 

#8 of 29 Re: Highly Recommended [matthattan1587] by secutanudu

Jul 24, 2009 (9:05 am)

Replying to: matthattan1587 (Jul 24, 2009 8:28 am)
Mind telling me which dealer gave you that price? I live in the NY area...

#9 of 29 Wanted to buy Ford Escape by dave251

Jul 26, 2009 (1:08 pm)

We tried to buy a 2009 Ford Escape XLT with the V-6 and front wheel drive. We liked the smaller size. It was a fast vehicle and got good gas mileage for the horsepower and had a smooth highway ride. We also appreciated the 1,000 pound payload. We also test drove the Mazda Tribute and Mercury Mariner. We did several test drives and kept the Escape over the weekend. The XLT had the options we wanted without having to buy options we didn’t.
 
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!

#10 of 29 Re: Wanted to buy Ford Escape [dave251] by bdyment

Jul 27, 2009 (7:34 am)

Replying to: dave251 (Jul 26, 2009 1:08 pm)
We have had our 2009 Escape Limited V6 since Sept. 08. Overall we find this a very satisfying vehicle. Something must have been missing from the grill on your test vehicle. Ours is solid. Our seats are leather and are quite comfortable, much better than the 07 Escape we owned. Two complaints: The instruments are difficult to read under certain lighting conditions and I wish there was a manual pick up for 2nd and 3rd gears on the transmission.
 
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.

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