Ford Escape

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JoshOnt

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I am looking at getting a Ford Escape likely between 2004 and 2009. I know this covers two separate models/gens of it but I am looking for opinions and if anyone knows how long these things last for. I am 18 so I will be buying a used one around 180 000 km (~112 000 miles) I would like to go with less km but since I have school and want to pay cash I am limited. Thanks in advance.
 

Scott Danforth

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its a glorified ford taurus. the motor and trans if well maintained will last for at least 300,000km. however they really do not have much for towing capacity
 

jbcurt00

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My 3liter V6 Limited model 2003 Escape came w the trans cooler so its rated to tow 3500lb

If V6 and equipped w the factory tow package, other models of Escape are rated for 3500 too.

That inculdes ALL weight besides the driver IN the Escape too, so keep that in mind.

I wont tow 3500 w mine, although I theoretically could, towed 2500+/- once, and that was plenty....

I like the Escape, but my boss at the time I bought it, HATED them and couldnt wait to get rid of his after 3 factory service transmission swaps. Dont know what year, or what caused the 3 failures, but it was older then mine and had the 4cyl engine.
 

jbcurt00

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Oh and keep in mind that you have to disassemble the intake to change the plugs or plug coil packs on the V6

More of a hassle then anything really, but much more involved then I expected.
 

JoshOnt

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its a glorified ford taurus. the motor and trans if well maintained will last for at least 300,000km. however they really do not have much for towing capacity
Not much? Sure compared to a F-350 but more than enough for my boat so why go overkill when I have no need to.
 

JoshOnt

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My 3liter V6 Limited model 2003 Escape came w the trans cooler so its rated to tow 3500lb

If V6 and equipped w the factory tow package, other models of Escape are rated for 3500 too.

That inculdes ALL weight besides the driver IN the Escape too, so keep that in mind.

I wont tow 3500 w mine, although I theoretically could, towed 2500+/- once, and that was plenty....

I like the Escape, but my boss at the time I bought it, HATED them and couldnt wait to get rid of his after 3 factory service transmission swaps. Dont know what year, or what caused the 3 failures, but it was older then mine and had the 4cyl engine.
I know my parents have a 2011 one with the v6 and tranny cooler. It works great which is what made me think that it would make sense to go with one. I know theirs does not have a factory tow package.

Yeah 3500 seems a bit much, I have done 2200# ish and that I felt was pushing it with the roads here. My boat and trailer likely come in around 1800# with everything in it.

Yeah I wonder why your boss had to replace his tranny 3 times.. Seems like it was likely an issue with the driving/another part causing it to happen or something else not just bad reliability.
 

ondarvr

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I had one that was a little newer, V6, AWD and tow package, it did fairly well with a small boat under 2,000 lbs. I drove it 135,000 miles with no issues, you'll just be buying it at that point though. The gearing is very low in the first three gears, this helps a great deal when towing.
 

Ming15237

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As an ASE certified master tech I will attempt to glean you a bit of my knowledge on this platform. They have extensive rusting issues especially in areas where road salt is used. The front radiator support where the engine and transmission cradle mounts has been known to simply rust in half. The rear quarter panels and rocker panels rust in a similar manor. The transmissions are absolute rubbish. Back when these vehicles were still popular in our area (Pittsburgh Pennsylvania) we would see them with blown transmissions on a monthly basis, the side of the transmission was also known to rot away and cause a massive transmission oil leak. The four cylinder was anemic at best and the v6 was imho a poorly designed piece of poop! Removing the intake to do a spark plug replacement is ridiculous! The also has a large percentage of catalytic converter failures (a very expensive part of the exhaust system) wiring problems were also a systemic issue. Another common failure on the v6 is the alternator, which in and of itself is not that big of a deal, however the labor to remove the alternator which is on the lower rear of the engine requires the removal of the axle shaft and lowering of the sub frame of the engine to simply gain access to remove it. The total on one we recently (as in last week) was $750.00 Front wheel bearings are also a common failure around 90k which is a $400 per side repair. This all being said this is a great vehicle to buy if you want to be nickel and dimes to death! And as a person whom was once a "poor college student" I am sure this is not the demise you would knowingly want to choose. A far better vehicle choice would be a used Honda CRV, or a Toyota RAV4. They may have a few issues as well but are far from used up at 100k miles, unlike the Ford. It is far more common to find a 200k plus miles CRV or RAV4 still on the roads than a 200k Ford Escape. I am sure you will have people chime in saying that Fords are great, but in the repair industry where we see these vehicles every day, we see the common failures, and the pains they bring their owners.
 

JoshOnt

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As an ASE certified master tech I will attempt to glean you a bit of my knowledge on this platform. They have extensive rusting issues especially in areas where road salt is used. The front radiator support where the engine and transmission cradle mounts has been known to simply rust in half. The rear quarter panels and rocker panels rust in a similar manor. The transmissions are absolute rubbish. Back when these vehicles were still popular in our area (Pittsburgh Pennsylvania) we would see them with blown transmissions on a monthly basis, the side of the transmission was also known to rot away and cause a massive transmission oil leak. The four cylinder was anemic at best and the v6 was imho a poorly designed piece of poop! Removing the intake to do a spark plug replacement is ridiculous! The also has a large percentage of catalytic converter failures (a very expensive part of the exhaust system) wiring problems were also a systemic issue. Another common failure on the v6 is the alternator, which in and of itself is not that big of a deal, however the labor to remove the alternator which is on the lower rear of the engine requires the removal of the axle shaft and lowering of the sub frame of the engine to simply gain access to remove it. The total on one we recently (as in last week) was $750.00 Front wheel bearings are also a common failure around 90k which is a $400 per side repair. This all being said this is a great vehicle to buy if you want to be nickel and dimes to death! And as a person whom was once a "poor college student" I am sure this is not the demise you would knowingly want to choose. A far better vehicle choice would be a used Honda CRV, or a Toyota RAV4. They may have a few issues as well but are far from used up at 100k miles, unlike the Ford. It is far more common to find a 200k plus miles CRV or RAV4 still on the roads than a 200k Ford Escape. I am sure you will have people chime in saying that Fords are great, but in the repair industry where we see these vehicles every day, we see the common failures, and the pains they bring their owners.
Thanks for the long reply, your insight is better than I was hoping for. Being nickeled and dimed to death does not sound too good. I will look ito the RAV4 and the CRV and see what I can find around here. If this is the case with escapes often then I feel bad for my parents and a ton of other people around here. They are the most common SUV and have been for quite some time.

If all I care about is towing and daily commute would an SUV or a truck be better in your opinion for Canada?
 

JoshOnt

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I agree, the RAV 4 would be a much better choice.
Is there any particular reason why you think it would be a better choice?

All I can find for the RAV4 is the 4 cylinder version no v6s and I am sure the 4 won't have enough power to pull my boat as it is a bit of a large 16ft one
 
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gm280

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Maybe you could consider a used mid-size SUV's before they all went front wheel drive. Any rear wheel drive SUV will pull most anything you want. But sadly the manufacturers made a stupid decision to forgo framed midsize SUVs and went front wheel drive models now. So while they look big and mean, they are all wimpy and anemic when it comes to pulling anything. JMHO!
 

JoshOnt

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Maybe you could consider a used mid-size SUV's before they all went front wheel drive. Any rear wheel drive SUV will pull most anything you want. But sadly the manufacturers made a stupid decision to forgo framed midsize SUVs and went front wheel drive models now. So while they look big and mean, they are all wimpy and anemic when it comes to pulling anything. JMHO!
The fwd 2011 escape is enough to pull what I need, sure it does not compare to a rwd truck but doesn't need to. While I would love a rwd I just don't think I will find one. Not many SUVs of any size older than 2004 around here. Likely due to rusting out due to the salt.
 

thumpar

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Do you need to stay small or would a full size work for you? The early/mid 2000 tahoes and yukons are great.
 

JoshOnt

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Do you need to stay small or would a full size work for you? The early/mid 2000 tahoes and yukons are great.
I can go full size but I won't go with a V8 since the gas would be way too much for me and insurance would be much more too. So if I could find a full size with a v6 I would go with one.
 

bassman284

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If you check the numbers I think you'll find that in a full size SUV a V6 will at best only give you slightly better mileage than a V8. And the power deficit will be very noticeable, especially when towing.
 

gm280

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Josh, I seriously am not trying to change your mind or debate the issues either. But I hope you do know that any FWD vehicle will make pulling out a boat on any wet ramp a lot more iffy because of wheel slip. A rear wheel has more force applied because the weight of the trailer is in the rear. But front wheel drive actually has less when you apply the trailer on it and a wet tilling ramp on top of that too. The dynamics (CG) change on a tilled ramp and wet as well. JMHO!
 

thumpar

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I can go full size but I won't go with a V8 since the gas would be way too much for me and insurance would be much more too. So if I could find a full size with a v6 I would go with one.
You would be surprised. I went from a V6 in my van to a V8 in my Yukon gets as good or better MPG. Some of the newer engines are pretty economical.
 

Ming15237

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If you do not feel the RAV4 or CRV can tow a 2k load with a 4 cylinder (of which I think the vehicle would tow the load just fine.) I would look at a mid size SUVs like a Toyota 4Runner, which imho is one of the best built midsize SUVs in the world, simply put it is an excellent platform, and will tow up to 5k with ease. I understand you are cash limited which is why I would recommend the RAV4 or CRV, which are very low maintenance vehicles and economical on fuel. I would NEVER recommend you buy a vehicle which is at the end of its lifecycle (of which a escape with 110k miles is.) to any customer of mine.
 

JoshOnt

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Josh, I seriously am not trying to change your mind or debate the issues either. But I hope you do know that any FWD vehicle will make pulling out a boat on any wet ramp a lot more iffy because of wheel slip. A rear wheel has more force applied because the weight of the trailer is in the rear. But front wheel drive actually has less when you apply the trailer on it and a wet tilling ramp on top of that too. The dynamics (CG) change on a tilled ramp and wet as well. JMHO!
I only go to a few lakes and all of the launches have been shallow ones and have done fine with my parents escape so I am confident that fwd will work. Sure it is not the best choice but if everything else about the thing is right I can overlook it.
 
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