Considering an Escape
#1
Considering an Escape
Hey everyone, I wanted to make a post introducing myself and explaining a bit about what I’m considering. I’ve been a car enthusiast for my entire (short) life. I’ve owned three very different vehicles. I started with a MKV GTI (which I went to town modifying). I moved north and sold the GTI for a Subaru Legacy GT SpecB (also very modified). After I moved back to NY, I decided it was time to switch cars for something small, light, fun and very trackable. I now own an NC Miata, which rides on custom coilovers and has some other work done as well. It makes a great daily/commuter car and is a warrior out on the track. I throw snow tires on in the winter time; coupled with the mechanical LSD I’ve never really had any trouble in the snow (unless it gets really deep—there’s only so much you can do with 3-4” ground clearance). I’ve thought about retiring it for the winter and picking up some sort of beater.
The two strong contenders for me are: a WJ Grand Cherokee, which I really like. I also wanted to consider a third generation Explorer, but many owners on the forum deterred me from one because of how problematic they are, especially with major, expensive issues. So, this got me thinking: maybe I should consider the smaller Escape (first generation)!
The Escape would serve as a second vehicle for me. I’d like to keep it under about $8,000 and I'm in no hurry to buy, so I can seek out the right one for me. I'd like to limit my search to only Limited models, though there aren't nearly as many Limiteds available as XLTs.
What should I specifically look out for with a used first generation Escape? Are there certain common problem/weak areas? Is the engine overall very reliable (V6 is the one I'd go for)? How about the transmission and drivetrain in these vehicles? I know the transmission was a major weak point for the third gen Explorer. I’m open to any and all advice, problem areas, cautions, etc. to look out for when shopping for an Escape.
The two strong contenders for me are: a WJ Grand Cherokee, which I really like. I also wanted to consider a third generation Explorer, but many owners on the forum deterred me from one because of how problematic they are, especially with major, expensive issues. So, this got me thinking: maybe I should consider the smaller Escape (first generation)!
The Escape would serve as a second vehicle for me. I’d like to keep it under about $8,000 and I'm in no hurry to buy, so I can seek out the right one for me. I'd like to limit my search to only Limited models, though there aren't nearly as many Limiteds available as XLTs.
What should I specifically look out for with a used first generation Escape? Are there certain common problem/weak areas? Is the engine overall very reliable (V6 is the one I'd go for)? How about the transmission and drivetrain in these vehicles? I know the transmission was a major weak point for the third gen Explorer. I’m open to any and all advice, problem areas, cautions, etc. to look out for when shopping for an Escape.
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seventyseven250
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07-29-2007 03:42 PM
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