Ford Escape

Reply Subscribe

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

Jan 11, 2004 | 08:31 PM

S10Guy

Thread Starter

New User

Joined: Jan 2004

Posts: 3

Likes: 0

From: North Carolina

Ford Escape

Hi fellas,
I've been lurking for awhile and reading the various opinions vis a vis Ford and Chevy. I will be up front in that I am partial to Chevrolet simply because they have proven to be good to me.
My S-10 now has 105,000 miles and is running just fine; indeed, it is a handy little truck that does exactly what I want it to do.
I say that to bring out that "flaming" Chevy will not turn me into
a Ford fanatic.

However, (and I don't know if this is the place to ask) I am intrigued with the Ford Escape. I must admit that it seems to be
a well-designed concept with the right combination of size, interior
room and fuel mileage, and I like the style of it. I also know that Chevy will be introducing the Equinox in a couple months which is supposed to compete with the Escape. I will, of course, examine this vehicle as well.

Can anyone tell me the pros and cons, the recalls, the overall owner satisfaction with this vehicle? Any issues I should be aware of?

Thanks

S-10 Guy

Jan 12, 2004 | 05:22 PM

1956MarkII

Lead Driver

Joined: Apr 2002

Posts: 7,746

Likes: 7

From: Tampa Bay, FL USA

1) If you're looking to buy used, avoid the 2001s. First model year problems and all that.
2) Take one for a good, LONG test drive and make sure you're comfortable with the seats. I lose more Escape sales because people find the seats to be too firm for their tastes. And it's the only complaint I ever get about the vehicle.
3) The good points: plenty of zip with the V6, nice ride, very roomy for its size, nice ride, nimble in city traffic
4) I think you'll be seeing some impressive rebates soon on the '04, because the '05 is right around the corner; they'll be out next month. You may want to wait for the '05, because: a more powerful 4-cylinder becomes available, the shift lever moves to the floor console (everytime you shift gears on the '04, you'll hit the wiper lever), the base XLS gets a split-folding rear seat, and you'll be able to get the new 4-cylinder with an automatic, a first for the Escape. Not to mention that the Escape Hybrid will be out later this summer: V6 performance, and 40 mpg in the city!

Jan 12, 2004 | 09:08 PM

S10Guy

Thread Starter

New User

Joined: Jan 2004

Posts: 3

Likes: 0

From: North Carolina

Thanks a lot for the heads up! I do like the Escape, and I drove a coupe for short test drives. The only thing I found with the one I drove was there was no arm rest so you had to drive with your right hand on the wheel at all times. With the arm rest, one could
at least rest that right elbow while driving with both hands. Who knows, I may be the owner of an Escape in the Spring. (I'm keeping my Chevy just in case LOL! (Just kiddin')

S10Guy

Jan 13, 2004 | 08:15 AM

PrPlayboy

Elder User

Joined: Mar 2003

Posts: 812

Likes: 0

From: New Canaan, CT

Hey I had a yellow 2001 and had no problems at all. I traded it in with 35K for the EB Explorer. I drove that thing hard and pulled a 6ft landscape trailer weekly. We are now leasing an Black 04 and I seem to remember the 01 being a better ride altho the seats in the 04 seem better. I also think my 01 was faster but it could be that I am used to the V8 in the Explorer so the V6 now seems slow. All in all the escape is a great car/truck with very minor recalls. You can't compare car Co.s because every model has it's pros and cons. I have two ford suv's but I am getting a chevy 2500 truck in the summer. Actually Its the GMC sierra version I like.

Jan 14, 2004 | 04:21 PM

gotv10

Junior User

Joined: Jan 2001

Posts: 60

Likes: 0

I disagree with the "stay away from 2001s" to! I bought one new and have not had a minutes problem with it. It's one of the most trouble free vehicles that I've owned.

Jan 15, 2004 | 04:25 PM

omio

Freshman User

Joined: Sep 2002

Posts: 35

Likes: 0

From: Douglassville, PA

Quote:

Originally posted by gotv10
I disagree with the "stay away from 2001s" to! I bought one new and have not had a minutes problem with it. It's one of the most trouble free vehicles that I've owned.

The 2001's that you have to stay away from are the Job 1 builds of 2001. The Job 2 builds had many less problems.

Overall our 2002 has been a great vehicle and at almost 30,000 miles it just keeps plugging away. We did have the typical problems that a lot of people seem to have:

1) driver side mirror vibration
2) Stalling (fixed Warranty)
3) Sticky Throttle Body (fixed Warranty)

If I were you, I would look for the 2004 or 2005. The line-up is a little bit more diverse and it you HAVE to have the floor shifter you have that option in '05. I personally love the column shifter because I have all of the console space as storage right to the floor.

Jan 16, 2004 | 08:15 AM

gasman6674

Posting Guru

Joined: Apr 2002

Posts: 1,471

Likes: 3

From: Greenwood In. USA

The only complaints I have so far are the location of the mirror controls and the location of the column shift in relation to wiper control. Took a couple weeks to get use to them, kept turning wipers on when switching direction and my wife's arms are to short to be able to reset the mirrors without doing a back a forth bounce.

2004 Limited FWD Black on Black