Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
Originally Posted by rubberchicken
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
Originally Posted by 02SE
I would tell her to steer clear of the same vehicle that just crapped out on her. I'm surprised the transmission lasted that long. I could recommend some more reliable vehicles, but that would likely become an argument among the brand fan boys.
She's looking at a 2013 Escape at the same dealer that only has 44K miles, a local one owner vehicle. I looked at it yesterday and it's in really nice condition. Titanium model, so pretty much fully loaded. The newer Escapes have the CVT transmission (the 2005 didn't have CVT), and of course some of the CVT transmissions had issues. But of course it's usually the "luck of the draw" on stuff like that. Fords seem to be hit or miss on reliability, just like most car brands.
When I was looking at 2017 Escapes, they did not have CVT trans. I was of the firm belief that I wanted to avoid a CVT at all costs, as I do not feel they hold up long-term. I looked at Rav4, CRV, some Chevys, and one of the big differences on the Escape was its much higher tow rating: 3500 lbs vs 2000 for the same year Rav4 and CRV. Tow rating was important for me in a small SUV because we haul some Waverunners.
After some more research what you say is correct, the newer Escapes don't have the CVT transmission. I test drove it last night and it didn't act like a CVT transmission and you can put it in "Sport Mode" and shift the transmission manually with the buttons on the shifter handle. I was pretty impressed on how much power the 2.0L Ecoboot has, and acceleration was pretty impressive. She ended up buying it last night, and now working on selling the dead 2005 Escape as is. One of the mechanics at the dealership may want to buy it and fix it for his daughter. Also have an add on Craigslist, so will see what happens. A junkyard transmission would be about $700, so someone could get it back on the road and keep it or flip it. Will see what happens.
We bought the 2017 2.0 Ecoboost Escape for my wife, she loves it. Yes, its quite peppy, maybe slightly quicker than her 2004 Saturn Vue V6 with the 3.5. We really liked the Vue- it was a great all around little SUV, but the interior was cheap. As for the Escape, it has proven to be very nice. Usually I find a bunch of things to nitpick or dislike about any vehicle, but I only found one thing to complain about the Escape: it has the dohicky where you wave your foot around under the rear bumper to open the hatch if your arms are full. However, if you are hooking up a trailer and connecting the trailer lights, it can sometimes open on you suddenly and might bump you on the head.
