[DECIDED Ford Escape Titanium, 2.0L I4, 4WD] In the market for new car (Mini-SUV)

[AustinIllini]

Why Do people keep on insisting that VWs break more often and cost more to fix. It's simply not true.

I don't assume. I have owned one and it was insane to fix. Also, I read things.

Ford may be average but Volkswagen is absolutely terrible.

OP, assuming you don't work on your own cars, the Ford is the smartest decision you can make, seeing as anyone and their mother in the US can fix a Ford.

 

[2298754]

I don't assume. I have owned one and it was insane to fix. Also, I read things.

Image

Ford may be average but Volkswagen is absolutely terrible.

OP, assuming you don't work on your own cars, the Ford is the smartest decision you can make, seeing as anyone and their mother in the US can fix a Ford.

I doubt this. Especially with the new Fords that have forced induction, Sync, MFT, etc

 

[quagmire]

I doubt this. Especially with the new Fords that have forced induction, Sync, MFT, etc

Both models that the OP is looking at have turbocharged engines. Plus, they are more reliable these days than past FI engines have been. My dads 335xi with the N54 has been solid turbo's wise at 60,000 miles so far. Only thing done with the engine was a TSB with the injectors( not turbo related). And the most common problem with the N54 was with the HPFP and that relates to direct injection.

SYNC wasn't a problem. Only myfordtouch has been. Plus for me, even with mfordtouch being buggy, I wouldn't use it to detract from Ford's dependability. I would use it to mark down Ford on the vehicle satisfaction survey, but not the dependability survey.

 

[G51989]

I doubt this. Especially with the new Fords that have forced induction, Sync, MFT, etc

Ford has a history of having a bit of a problem when a new generation of anything is brought out.

After the first year or so they typically iron it out into a rock solid product.

Fords are some of the best built cars the average consumer can buy, very reliable. And much more refined than other American cars.

 

[jav6454]

[...]

OP, assuming you don't work on your own cars, the Ford is the smartest decision you can make, seeing as anyone and their mother in the US can fix a Ford.

I work on my own cars to a certain extent. I won't replace entire parts that seem complicated, but will give them preventive maintenance myself. I have done compressor replacement to my old '95 Corolla and '08 Forenza.

I doubt this. Especially with the new Fords that have forced induction, Sync, MFT, etc

I personally wouldn't count SYNC and MyTouch as a negative aspects or dependability problem. Like others have stated, it would go under a dissatisfaction survey at best. However, like I also stated before, I won't be using MyTouch much since everything will be handled by Siri (except radio/AC changes). Same goes for VW's on-board computer system.

Engine wise, I see the EcoBoost as a nice alternative and so far, people have only talked good about it. The only con I have heard is that maybe the 1.6L engine is a tad small if you look for a nice kick in speed in those rare occasions.

 

[monokakata]

However, I do plan on moving the car to my home country of Honduras (after finishing my Masters and work permit) which has lots of mountains and dirt/mud roads [assuming you want to go on a trip somewhere nice; city is plain old boring pavement].

I assume that you've explored the service and especially parts availability for the various brands in Honduras, right? Wouldn't there be differences between the various brands, depending on how the supply chains work?

Don't get me wrong -- I'm not being US-centric. I'm almost completely moved back to one of the outer Hawaiian islands (where I grew up) and one of the perpetual problems there is spare parts (for just about everything). If it's in stock somewhere in town, then great. If not and it's not a light-weight part that can economically be air-shipped then I hear the dreaded "four to six weeks," which means by boat from the continental US.

If I were buying a car for Honduras I'd make sure I knew who had the best service/parts distribution setup in the country, and move that company up the list. If they're all about the same, no problem, of course.

I have an older BMW 328xit and when I get it to the Big Island where there's no dealership (Honolulu, 200 miles away by air has one) I'm going to have to use regular mechanics who, no matter how good they are, are going to have to deal with getting parts in either from Honolulu or the mainland. I also have a Toyota 4Runner there and there's never a parts problem. So that's the kind of thing I mean.

 

[jav6454]

Honduras does have all the parts needed. There is even three Ford dealers in the country and two of them offer genuine Ford repair service (with Ford certified mechanics).

Same goes with VW, and repair costs there are comparable to the US. Not much in change.

 

[quagmire]

Both the VW and Ford have it, but since you're going to live in a mountainous area, definitely get an engine that is forced inducted. Having a NA engine and driving in the mountains suck since the air density decreased thus a NA engine would have decreased power.

 

[jav6454]

Both the VW and Ford have it, but since you're going to live in a mountainous area, definitely get an engine that is forced inducted. Having a NA engine and driving in the mountains suck since the air density decreased thus a NA engine would have decreased power.

I'm not entire familiarized with the hole engine things (see I'm an EE, not ME, so engine talk is at best rocket science).

I can understand that naturally aspirated means carburetor, and direct injection means a pump pushing air/gas mix in. What does Forced Inducted mean?

 

[quagmire]

I'm not entire familiarized with the hole engine things (see I'm an EE, not ME, so engine talk is at best rocket science).

I can understand that naturally aspirated means carburetor, and direct injection means a pump pushing air/gas mix in. What does Forced Inducted mean?

There hasn't been a carbureted engine in a long time. Most car engines today is fuel injected either port injected or direct injected. Port injection has the fuel and air mix right before entering the cylinder. Direct injection is the fuel is injected directly into the cylinder.

The cylinder on the left is a port injected engine. The cylinder on the right is direct injected.

Naturally aspirated means the air the engine gets is the same air outside the vehicle. Since you'll be driving in mountains that are a lot higher than sea level, air density decreases. So there is less air going into the engine and the cars ECM will decrease the amount of fuel going into the cylinder to maintain the optimal air/fuel ratio for combustion. This results in less power. So for instance my moms Equinox 4 cylinder makes 182 HP at sea level. Put in the mountains and it will make lets say 160 HP.

Forced induction is when the air is compressed and then fed into the engine. This is done usually by a turbocharger or supercharger. Since the air is being compressed, forced inducted engines are not greatly affected by a decrease in air density.

 

[jav6454]

Well, the bank has approved me... bank is 0% first 12 months and 1% after.

Dealer's offer on both VW and Ford is 0% for 60 months... odd given that Ford doesn't do that, but the salesman explained that the dealership owner is doing it as an incentive to "first time buyers" on "fantastic car offerings". FYI, my current car (and my old one) are my brother's and dad's respectively.

Crap,I'm screwed again. I hoped the dealers would allow me to do an easy decision.

 

[2298754]

Well, the bank has approved me... bank is 0% first 12 months and 1% after.

Dealer's offer on both VW and Ford is 0% for 60 months... odd given that Ford doesn't do that, but the salesman explained that the dealership owner is doing it as an incentive to "first time buyers" on "fantastic car offerings". FYI, my current car (and my old one) are my brother's and dad's respectively.

Crap,I'm screwed again. I hoped the dealers would allow me to do an easy decision.

Wow, that's fantastic!

At this point, try to get an extended test-drive in both. Try to do your daily routine in the cars. You always pick up some quirks on longer test drives, than your usual 10 min quick run on some streets and highway.

If that doesn't work, coin flip

 

[b-rad g]

Well, the bank has approved me... bank is 0% first 12 months and 1% after.

Dealer's offer on both VW and Ford is 0% for 60 months... odd given that Ford doesn't do that, but the salesman explained that the dealership owner is doing it as an incentive to "first time buyers" on "fantastic car offerings". FYI, my current car (and my old one) are my brother's and dad's respectively.

Crap,I'm screwed again. I hoped the dealers would allow me to do an easy decision.

I surely hope you are planning on posting photos of your purchase because even though I haven't posted, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading and keeping up with this thread and it feels like we are all buying this car!

 

[G51989]

I'm not entire familiarized with the hole engine things (see I'm an EE, not ME, so engine talk is at best rocket science).

I can understand that naturally aspirated means carburetor, and direct injection means a pump pushing air/gas mix in. What does Forced Inducted mean?

Thats great!

Seeing as their are fully supplied Ford dealers in your home country near your location, and Ford has a very good warranty program, I would say go for the Ford.

 

[jav6454]

Wow, that's fantastic!

At this point, try to get an extended test-drive in both. Try to do your daily routine in the cars. You always pick up some quirks on longer test drives, than your usual 10 min quick run on some streets and highway.

If that doesn't work, coin flip

I was actually thinking this!

I surely hope you are planning on posting photos of your purchase because even though I haven't posted, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading and keeping up with this thread and it feels like we are all buying this car!

I will definitely. Any discussion of vehicles we had (or will have) here I bet will help anyone looking for a Mini-SUV or Crossover later on.

Thats great!

Seeing as their are fully supplied Ford dealers in your home country near your location, and Ford has a very good warranty program, I would say go for the Ford.

Let's see what happens.

 

[jav6454]

Ok, so I finally decided and it was the dealer who sweetened the deal good enough for me to choose it.

Got $3k off the price tag, got free Ford All-weather floor mats with the vehicle. Free Turnover cover.

As to why 4WD, helps with wheel slip, which anyone living in New Orleans knows, is crucial in those huge showers. More so, as I do some traveling and would like to have that extra kick just in case. (I got a $300 discount besides the $3k mentioned above on this)

Why Titanium, well, it had many of the features I love. Pictures? Not yet! They have to order my car in... they don't have it in stock, which means I have to pay $900 in delivery. Win some, loose some.... :/

 

[G51989]

Ok, so I finally decided and it was the dealer who sweetened the deal good enough for me to choose it.

That's who wins the sale for me! I was looking at a Dodge Viper when the Chevy dealership said " hey, we'll give you a deal with your S2000 trade in on this Corvette " and I was sold. Nothing wrong with getting the best for your dollar

Got $3k off the price tag, got free Ford All-weather floor mats with the vehicle. Free Turnover cover.

Very good, you know how to strike a deal, got a discount, and got an almost 700 dollar option free.

As to why 4WD, helps with wheel slip, which anyone living in New Orleans knows, is crucial in those huge showers. More so, as I do some traveling and would like to have that extra kick just in case. (I got a $300 discount besides the $3k mentioned above on this)

The Ford AWD/4WD system will Serve you well here, and in your home country. Its a very good system thats also reliable.

Why Titanium, well, it had many of the features I love. Pictures? Not yet! They have to order my car in... they don't have it in stock, which means I have to pay $900 in delivery. Win some, loose some.... :/

When your saying 3,000 dollars, you can eat the 900 dollar deilivery free and still come out ahead,

For your peace of mind, you have a rugged, reliable, good on gas, 4WD, American designed car, with dealerships in your home country to service it. You won't have to deal with a german car that will break down all the time


You got an awesome deal.

 

[three]

Congratulations on the purchase! I drove a 2013 Ford Fusion for about a month and what a fantastic car it was. I'm really impressed with Ford and their direction in design and the overall quality of their cars. You're going to love your Escape!

 

[ucfgrad93]

Sweet! Enjoy your new ride.

 

[Gregg2]

they don't have it in stock, which means I have to pay $900 in delivery. Win some, loose some.... :/

???? It costs them to have any vehicle shipped to their place of business, whether it's before you come in to buy one or after. You'd get charged for that buying a new one off the lot also.

 

[quagmire]

???? It costs them to have any vehicle shipped to their place of business, whether it's before you come in to buy one or after. You'd get charged for that buying a new one off the lot also.

^^^ This.

Even if they had it in stock you would still be paying for the destination fee. Probably a dealer trick to keep the sticker as high as possible. " We will take $3,000 off the sticker price, but you'll have to pay the $900 destination cost." Which in the end the dealer only really lowered the cost of the vehicle by $2,100.

 

[2298754]

???? It costs them to have any vehicle shipped to their place of business, whether it's before you come in to buy one or after. You'd get charged for that buying a new one off the lot also.

No. I think he means delivery from another dealer.

My brother recently went through. Got a smoking deal on a Mercedes GLK. It was about 4 hours away. They charged him $400 for transportation to bring it to his dealer.

 

[jav6454]

I'm not exactly sure where they are getting it from, but it is not locally I think because they quoted me 1 week before delivery.

BTW, I tried to ask for Kodiak Brown, but I had to settle for Black.

 

[quagmire]

I'm not exactly sure where they are getting it from, but it is not locally I think because they quoted me 1 week before delivery.

BTW, I tried to ask for Kodiak Brown, but I had to settle for Black.

Oh ok so you didn't get tricked and they are getting one from another dealer. Sounded like you ordered from the factory and there is no way it would be one week delivery if it was factory ordered.

 

[Seniordan]

Congrats mate!