New Tow Vehicle for the Admiral's Daily Car

tpenfield

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A bit of a story about our primary towing vehicle . . .

The Admiral uses our 2004 Cadillac Escalade as her daily car. Last Friday morning the water pump crapped out, spewed AF all over the place in the engine compartment and shorted things out in the electrical system, trashing the battery, all this while on her way into work :(

That afternoon and $1,000 later the car was fixed, but we decided that she needed a more reliable car, as the Caddy seems to be in the repair shop on a regular basis. The next day (Saturday) we went to the local Ford dealer and drove a 2018 Ford Explorer XLT. It was pretty nice, they also had a 2016 Platinum Edition CPO w/ 21K miles for about the same $$$$$, but the color (metallic Brown) was a no-go with the Admiral.

We did not talk any numbers on the car, but learned through talking with the salesperson and checking online that the remaining 2017 models (new) were being given steeper incentives and a 2016 or 2017 CPO would also be a good option from a cost perspective. Later Saturday afternoon, we scoured the Internet for any remaining new 2017's. Blue, White, Silver, or Red were acceptable colors for the Admiral. I figured that the option packages with the heated leather seats, Class III Towing, and there was a Technology bundle that got you Navigation and Blind Spot & cross traffic indicators were the best option combination for us. The vehicles are rated to tow up to 5,000 lbs, which would be fine for the sailboat. (3.5 V6 w/ 290 HP)

We found that 'Herb Chambers' Ford had a bunch of new 2017 remaining on their lots (They have 2 Ford dealerships in the Boston area) and had 1 or 2 in the option combination we were looking for. So, we put an inquiry online about a 2017 Explorer XLT - Blue Jeans Metallic. I had also signed up for TrueCar and put a few inquiries in . . . BTW don't sign up for TrueCar unless you like to talk to car salespeople, as you will get a plethora of calls, emails, texts, etc.

Anyway, a short time later the folks from Herb Chambers called and emailed a 'price' on the car. By then it was about 6:00 PM and the dealers were all closing for the day. We also got a response from another dealer that supposedly had 2 cars that matched our desired configuration, but upon talking with them, the cars were gone.

Sunday, we had a bunch of stuff to do in the AM and the afternoon was the AFC Championship game. So, rather than looking at the car, 'Herb' said we could put a 'hold' on the car and come in on Monday after work. So, we did. Our concern at that point was, if we could not find a 2017 XLT with leather, towing, and tech bundle, the next steps up were in the 'Limited' series, which were a whole bunch more money. The 2018's of similar configuration did not have as steep incentives, and they also had eliminated the Blind Spot/Cross traffic feature from the tech bundle :( I was just concerned that when we got to the dealer, that the car would not actually be there and we'd be in a 'bait & switch' play.

Monday after work, we went to the dealership and the car was there . . . no bait & switch . . . we drove the car and it was nice. We had them take a look at our Escalade and work up some numbers. At that point we came to realize that the Caddy had a minor accident back in 2008 ( a La CARFAX report ) . The car was previously the FIL's car and he gave it to us a few years ago. Although the car had been in the family since new, we were unaware of the blemish on the car history report. So, that took a little bit of air out of our negotiating ability, but we came up with some decent numbers that were pretty much what we expected.

The car was going to be in the Admiral's name (since I already have 3 cars in my name), but at that point we realized her drivers license had expired last week :facepalm: Anyway, they did the paperwork and the Admiral was going to renew her driver's license first thing Tuesday (yesterday), and we would pick up the car all prepped, inspected, and registered Tuesday evening.

That all worked out and we drove the car home last night. I got to say, I was not too keen on the 'uni-body' versions of the Explorers, having done away with the truck-based chassis, but this car/SUV is really nice. . . feature rich and very comfortable.

So, we got
2017 Ford Explorer XLT Metallic Blue w/ black leather interior - 7 passenger.
Premium Audio System
Dual Zone temperature control
10-way power seats
Heated seats and steering wheel
Sync 3 system, which is great as we took phone calls via the radio on the way home.
Navigation system
Blind Spot system
Foot Activated lift gate
Remote start
Forward Sensing system
Keyless Entry
Class III Towing
Intelligent 4 wheel drive
Etc. . . .

We still have our older Explorer (2004), so we will probably keep both for a while. I'll post a few pics, when we have the car out in the daylight, as it is now, we go to work in the dark and come home in the dark. :rolleyes:
 
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Scott Danforth

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Cool......didnt happen without pics.

most importantly, does the Admiral like her new ride?
 

tpenfield

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Here is a picture I took last night when we arrived home. :)

Click image for larger version  Name:	2017ExploerXLT.jpg Views:	2 Size:	44.7 KB ID:	10531790

The Admiral is driving it for the first time this morning - icy roads - black ice, etc :eek:

I should be able to get some better ones this weekend. We are going to the summer house to get the 2004 Ford Explorer, as it has been sitting there for a few months on a battery maintainer and is now due for annual inspection sticker.
 

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JASinIL2006

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BTW don't sign up for TrueCar unless you like to talk to car salespeople, as you will get a plethora of calls, emails, texts, etc.

Truer words were never written! I was helping my son get his first new car and made the mistake of signing up for TrueCar. We were inundated with emails, phone messages,etc. The price we ultimately paid was from a TrueCar dealer but was substantially less than the TrueCar price. I see no advantage to the buyer in using TrueCar; it's seems to mostly be a marketing gimmick for the dealers.

Sounds like you got a nice deal for the Admiral!
 

southkogs

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Congrats to the Admiral! I was really hesitant when they changed the Explorer frame (I had a 2000 model), but EVERYONE who I've talked with loves theirs.

New ride ... new MacBook ... new boat next? :D
 

briangcc

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Congrats!

As to TrueCar - yep, been there, done that. Only way I got OFF a certain dealer's list was I found the sales manager's contact info and let him know I wasn't interested and the calls should stop...immediately. Amazingly, they followed the request after that!

So when's the new boat showing up? Boat show season is right around the corner here!!
 

tpenfield

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Congrats to the Admiral! I was really hesitant when they changed the Explorer frame (I had a 2000 model), but EVERYONE who I've talked with loves theirs.

New ride ... new MacBook ... new boat next? :D

Thanks Guys :thumb: As far as a boat . . . Probably not . . . we were doing well on the 'new boat fund' over the past year, but the new car seems to have depleted it :rolleyes:
 

tpenfield

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Truer words were never written! I was helping my son get his first new car and made the mistake of signing up for TrueCar. We were inundated with emails, phone messages,etc. The price we ultimately paid was from a TrueCar dealer but was substantially less than the TrueCar price. I see no advantage to the buyer in using TrueCar; it's seems to mostly be a marketing gimmick for the dealers.

Sounds like you got a nice deal for the Admiral!

Yes, about the pricing from TrueCar. Once we got talking about a specific car and working directly with a salesperson, the price was lower than anything we had seen on the web or via TrueCar. I signed up for TrueCar, thinking it was a consumer oriented tool, but quickly realized it seems to have been invented by/for the dealers.

No matter the technology or the smoke and mirrors of rebates, not much has changed in car pricing, once you get down to it. Typically you are going to end up at around 85% of MSRP, give or take, which has been the case for a long, long time. I've done better than that and also have done worse, depending on market conditions.

What seems to be different today vs yester-year (in my experience) is that much of the price bantering is done over the Internet (email) and via phone follow-up, before you head out with your checkbook. Before Internet sales it was mostly done face-to-face at the dealership, which made it more difficult to shop around and compare.
 

Silvertip

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Once you make an inquiry with ANY car dealer, you will be hounded. Car Gurus is my preferred auto web site but the same problem exists should you elect to inquire with them. Their sites however seem to show much more detail about the vehicles and generally include many more pictures.
 

jimmbo

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Going from a Cadillac to a mere Ford:eek:. That's gotta hurt
 

tpenfield

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Going from a Cadillac to a mere Ford:eek:. That's gotta hurt

I'm not a big fan of Cadillac's and have owned lots of Ford's over the years, so it didn't hurt at all. If we need to feel special, my daily driver is a Mercedes, albeit an older one.
 
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David Young

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Explorer's are beautiful. Would have bought one for my wife but it was to big for just us. We got a Ford Edge instead. Nice looking :)
 

Redfred1

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My Admiral has a ' o7; and still loves it! Only problem we have had is brake pads at 88k. Rocks around 21-22mph. Pulls the boat with no problem with the V6.
 

jkust

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Curious how many miles were on that 04 Escalade. I almost never see the pre 07 body style anymore. They either rusted away or I don't know what because I still see tons of the same year suburbans and tahoes. As for the new suv, you know my ultra conservative stance on new vehicles. Sounds like a nice car though.
 

jimmbo

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I'm not a big fan of Cadillac's and have owned lots of Ford's over the years, so it didn't hurt at all. If we need to feel special, my daily driver is a Mercedes, albeit and older one.

I like the older caddies, 77 - 80 are my favs, they had the best seats
img153.jpg
 

tpenfield

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The 2004 Escalade has/had 144,000 miles on it . Here is a picture we took just before trading it in.

6.0L V8 360 HP, 9,000 lb. towing rating

IMG_0893.JPG


6.0L V8 360 HP, 9,000 lb. towing rating.

Our 2004 Explorer has a 4.6L V8 249 HP, 7,000 lb. towing rating. The new Explorer is 3.5L V6 290 HP, 5,000 lb. towing rating.

It seems like to get the better towing ratings in a Ford SUV you have to get the Expedition, or go into the Truck line.
 

briangcc

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That's true along many brands. To get a higher tow rating you have to go to the uber expensive full size SUV or get a pickup. I lob the V8 Hemi Durango into the uber expensive category as well.
 

82rude

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Can a truck still be had without all the nanny junk?Can a just plain truck be bought anymore? Zero offence to the op and their nice ride just wondering if its possible to get a truck tech delete.
 

tpenfield

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Can a truck still be had without all the nanny junk?Can a just plain truck be bought anymore? Zero offence to the op and their nice ride just wondering if its possible to get a truck tech delete.

Ford F-150 XL seems to be the base model w/ basic stuff, no options, if that is what you are asking. Probably wouldn't find any on the dealer lots, may have to special order. Probably similar situation for Chevy and Dodge.
 
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