2003- 2006 Ford Escapes...Tell me about them.

[itguy08]

Originally Posted By: badtlc
Originally Posted By: Canadastang
Junk. Stay away. The CD4E trans will die an early death.


The CD4E when paired with the 4-cyl options has been bulletproof.


30k fluid changes helped ours to last behind the V6.

 

[FutureDoc]

We had a 2004 Escape Hybrid go to 190K in our fleet before it was phased out. Even with the higher mileage, it was a popular choice. That being said, it was not a trouble-free 190K. It was prone to a lot of brake/regeneration issues. The rear-diff went sour, and had some electrical troubles. It was one of the highest cost-per-mile vehicles I had in the maintenance department, but it was popular... compared to the minivans in our fleet.

I thought it was a horrific riding car. It was uncomfortable within 15 minutes, unbearable in 30. Highway noise (tire roar) was terrible and for some reason, it was prone to a lot of high-speed vibrations we always struggled to track down. Ride was bouncy/jittery which lead to another issue...

It was my "assigned" winter weather '4WD' car and it stunk in the snow/ice. Dynamically, it was just off on the white stuff and prone to letting its rear-end come around even with snow tires. So it was a jittery mess when it was dry and warm... take away traction and it was down-right scary for a 4WD vehicle. It might do better in mid-western flat and snow, but mountain snow was beyond its reach.

The only redeeming quality is that it was a good training vehicle for winter driving because I could get it to do the "bad" winter dynamics very easily. It punished mistakes very well. Oh, and it was fun to break the rear-end out in a roundabout for some tomfoolery too.

My synopsis is this: Popular but bad, dangerous in winter for the mountains.

 

[97tbird]

I appreciate all the answers so far. Thanks a lot! Really helped me to be aware of certain things I didn't know/consider about the Escape.
The Majority of those who responded have a negative impression of it, and that should mean something, I guess.

So, if I chuck the Escape idea, what alternatives are there?

I am looking for:

-something from 2003-2005 (older is OK if in good condition and < 100k miles),
-used,
-AWD/4WD,
-some utility (as in small SUV or a hatch),
-Preferably under 100k miles,
-MPG figures are not a deciding factor due to potentially limited use.
-budget is around $6k max

 

[FutureDoc]

Originally Posted By: 97tbird
I appreciate all the answers so far. Thanks a lot! Really helped me to be aware of certain things I didn't know/consider about the Escape.
The Majority of those who responded have a negative impression of it, and that should mean something, I guess.

So, if I chuck the Escape idea, what alternatives are there?

I am looking for:

-something from 2003-2005 (older is OK if in good condition and < 100k miles),
-used,
-AWD/4WD,
-some utility (as in small SUV or a hatch),
-Preferably under 100k miles,
-MPG figures are not a deciding factor due to potentially limited use.
-budget is around $6k max


Unicorn.

For the price and AWD, esh. You are going to struggle with AWD + under 100K @6K. I just did an autotrader search with you categories, and got 5 matches... and two were incorrect (VW rabbit and a firebird)

Suzuki SX4 if you can fine one in decent shape. Hyundai/Kia Utes will might be in that range. I saw that 2005 Hyundai SantaFe was $5,700 and the Suzuki was $4K

Someone around here was having a hard time selling their 2009 Forester for $7,000. Biggest issue was that it was about 140K and a manual. Decent shape. I wanted it but did not have any real use. You can find something but it was a bit of a tough grouping.

 

[97tbird]

Yeah I know it's a bit tough at $6k but on Ebay I do see Outback sport (the half wagon/half hatch thing) around or even under 100k miles for around $6k .... And rarely Outback station wagons...
But yeah it's going to be hard, but perh. not impossible... (?)