I may be getting an Escape instead of the 05 Mustang ...need the extra two doors etc.

Does anybody have any experience with the Escape? I'm looking at maybe the XLT Sport with 4WD.

The good news is that the "Boss" says I can get another classic Stang if I get the Escape.

Thanks! :usa:

 

My wife has an 03 Escape XLT, and she loves it. The 05s are better, because the shifter is not column mounted. Otherwise, I like it too.

 

Wow, same thing is pretty much happening to me. Wife wants a '05 Escape so I ditched plans to buy a sports car this year. Bah, there's always next year!

 

Bridget has an Escape (I found out about theMustangSource.com from Brad and Bridget on Escape-central)

I've had my Escape since 1/03 and love it, but it will be replaced (Hopefully) by a GT in the spring...

www.Escape-Central.com

All in all the Escape is a great ride, the 05s seem pretty nice, some good upgrades from my 03. (Though slightly slower)

 

P.S. Be sure to check out the Mercury Mariner - The Mercury version of the Escape (Well, and look at the Tribute too)... The Merc looks pretty nice, and isn't as common as the Escape (As it's just hitting dealers)

 

Don't forget to give the Hybrid a look. Its not for towing and there's a premium but that gas mileage is a great thig plus your state may offer tax incentives.

 

Yeah, the Hybrid only has a 1k towing capacity... The cost is too high for the Escape Hybrid IMHO - The +3k often touted is 3k over MSRP of a regular Escape, given the incentives even for the 05s this leads to a considerable price difference (As the limited production of the Hybrid will limit incentives on it)... There are only 4k being made this year, and 20k next. My understanding is that all of this years production, and much of next, is spoken for.

To buy a hybrid purely for gas savings is a non sequitur.

 

I'm interested in this, too.

My little sister is going to buy an Escape, but can't decide between a slightly used XLT V6 with leather, or a 2005 XLS 4-banger. She loves that floor-mounted shifter, but she only has $18,000 to work with.

So, your Escapes have been pretty reliable, guys?

 

Between the Merc Mariner, Escape, and Tribute... I'd say go with the Mariner...(and there's an Escape forum? wow!)

BTW, is an F-150 in the cards? A little more refined than the Escape, and about the same price...

 

The issue with the Mariner may be, at the start anyway, getting a similar deal as you can on an Escape - There are amazing deals out there to be had on Escapes (And 'butes too).

Yes, Escape-central has been around since the very first Escapes were rolling, has over 200k posts and 8,500 members.

 

In general most people seem to be fairly happy with their Escapes. Some people are still finding 04 Escapes on Dealer lots and getting huge deals, though as the 05 has been out since March the remaining "new" 04s should be few and far between. The tranny on the Escape is not the most bullet-proof, and though the majority of members do not have troubles with theirs, those who do have catastrophic issues... (Which would be my only concern in buying used) I would avoid 01 Escapes, as that was the first year, and had the majority of issues, 02 Escapes had some issues as well. 03 is the "sweet spot" for those looking for a good deal, though your sister should be able to find a well equipped 04 for around 18k.

 

Yeah, the Hybrid only has a 1k towing capacity... The cost is too high for the Escape Hybrid IMHO - The +3k often touted is 3k over MSRP of a regular Escape, given the incentives even for the 05s this leads to a considerable price difference (As the limited production of the Hybrid will limit incentives on it)... There are only 4k being made this year, and 20k next. My understanding is that all of this years production, and much of next, is spoken for.

To buy a hybrid purely for gas savings is a non sequitur. [/b][/quote]
no more so than that statement

 

beautiful!

Anyways, why would they sell hybrids any cheaper now anyways, since they're selling every one of em? Sure it is debatable at this point whether you actually save any money buying a hybrid. Look at it this way, the escape's hybrid components come with a 10 year 150,000 mile warranty (in the PZEV states anyways, 8year/100,000 miles in the others). 150,000 miles works out to about $12,000 at $2 a gallon with a 25mpg car, as opposed to $8500 with a 35mpg car. So ya, its pretty close.
But again, it doesn't really matter, cause people want these cars anyways, they're all gonna sell. These people probably actually care about the impact they're having while driving, and not just how much money they'll save, which is wonderful.
The prices of hybrids is, just like any other new technology, gonna come down as the years go by. Economies of scale. The mustang would cost a lot more if they were only gonna make 20 000 of them in a year.

 

Which was exactly my point. No one who does not do an Extreme amount of driving should purchase a hybrid "purely" as a matter of cost savings. Buying it because of a feeling of benefiting the environment is an entirely different proposition altogether.

 

We have had a Hybrid on order since 5/24....still clean and unscheduled. We are paying MSRP which I think is the best you're going to get on these for a while. Purchasing both for cost savings and a small step to help change our oil consumption ways. I agree with others though, that any large benefit from these vehicles is decades off.

 

well... there are supposed to be something like 20 hybrid models by 2008. In a year or so we'll have: prius, civic, insight (still?), accord, altima, camry, highlander, rx400h, escape, mariner, ford fusion (not sure how soon the hybrid version will be out), and then all the mild-hybrid offerings from GM, like the pick ups, Saturn VUE and the Tahoe and so forth.
Cars like the accord, camry and altima are gonna be crazy popular, me thinks. Especially since the accord is gonna have a V6 hybrid, which'll be faster and more efficient than the standard v6.
There are gonna be a lot of hybrid sales, and this is gonna bring down the price of the technology.
I'm not convinced it'll be decades before these things start to save people money, i think definitely within a decade.

I love hybrid tech, cause there's nothing that pisses me off more than cars that are left idling needlessly. Especially big diesel work trucks. How can people complain about gas prices so much when they're too lazy to turn a key before they wait for their kid at school for 10 minutes?

 

On another note, i'm just curious if anybody agrees with me...
I've always found the escape to have quite similar proportions to the Grand Cherokee. i find them to be quite nice proportions too. In fact, i was always a little peeved, cause i'm a devote ford guy, but i liked the looks of the grand cherokee better than the explorer (the old explorer with the rounded headlights was pretty ugly, in my opinion).
The escape also has similar tail lights to the old GC.
Anybody else know what i'm talking about?

I also love the new roof racks! Those things are awesome! Is it easy to put bikes on the back part, and then like, regular luggage on top? or is it best to do it the other way around?
I remember seeing an escape with that rack parked on my street once. I started to inspect the thing, figure out how it came down over the back and locked in and everything, spent a good two minutes looking at it. Only to realize that the driver was sitting somewhat frightened in the driver's seat.

 

Figure you'll try to break even with the GT? Kinda like your own personal CAFE rating. LOL

Paul

 

My sister is probably going to get a new Mariner now. She's getting married in March, and has decided to go for an economical wedding. So, that's saving a few thousand dollars for my parents, and they're more than willing to spend that on a new car for her rather than one "special day."

 

LOL! I'd be a little freaked too The "NEW RACK" you're referring to is called the "No Boundaries Rack" and is only available on the 02-03 "XLT Sport" and 04-05 "XLT No Boundaries Edition" (Ford had to make it more confusing by renaming the 04 "Appearance Package" (Painted Cladding) to the 05 "XLT Sport" but I digress.

This is the rack that I have on my Escape, and it was one of the primary things that swayed me to the Escape at the time... I love mine, but a lot of people find it somewhat limiting if they're used to adding a lot of accessories to their racks.... I only use mine for the bike carrier, and being able to use it in either it's up or down position is AWESOME...

It also makes a great rack to attach a fin too...



<!--QuoteBegin-Dr Ivan@September 19, 2004, 8:59 PM
My sister is probably going to get a new Mariner now. [/quote]

I saw a Mariner on the road yesterday for the first time and must say it looked much better than I thought it would... If the 'stang doesn't work out for me for whatever reason I'll likely go with a Mariner...