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Monday, March 04, 2013

Car Troubles

How long can we drive our Escape? That is what we were discussing on the way home from Ikea. Paid for and running fine @ 116,000 mi (32,000 mi towing 3,000lb Marco) we were talking about how we might just continue for at least a year and maybe two years without car payments....Suddenly the engine began to miss. Gaa! We limped home and thought a bit. The Googles  produce tales of woe RE "Escape engine miss" (could be the engine computer - $1200 and up) but it could be as simple as a fuel filter. But it's Winter. Hmm.

After sleeping on it we drove off Saturday AM to the Ford dealer where we upgraded to a brand new Escape. This is the first new car we have bought since 1972 (a Volkswagen Beetle). The nice Ford people gave us $5000 trade in as well as honoring the discounted internet price of $24,500 on the new car. We were happy to find a 4X4 Escape with no frills except the big engine (required for the 3500 lb tow rating) and were not ready to start down the road of diagnosis&repair so it turned out to be just the right car at a very good price.... at just the right time.

Marco's new Toter

The "big engine" for towing is a 2.0L 4cyl Turbocharged wonder of modern technology. At 122 cubic inch displacement this little mill pumps out 237HP and has more torque than the 3.0L V6 it replaces. Plus, at 21/28 MPG the EPA fuel mileage rating for our new four wheel drive Escape is higher than our old front wheel drive Escape was.



Lew

2 comments:

  1. Wow! A new car! We have not bought a new vehicle since, lets see... our '81 Toyota Corolla. The current motorhome was "sort of" new. It was three years old but was unused, having sat on a CA dealer's lot until it was repossessed by the finance company. It had only delivery miles on it and the appliances had never been used.

    I think that Escape will be just what you need. Enough power to tow and great economy for exploring.

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  2. Yup. We are happy to have AWD also. Our old Escape didn't and that got us in trouble a couple times while towing. Ford is betting heavily on these little Turbocharged engines and I guess we are betting on Ford....of course, we also bought Ford ESP bumper to bumper $100 deductible for 125,000mi.

    I can't wait to tow Marco with it. With the 6 speed automatic and 275ft# of torque I want to try it on a little mountain near us that the old rig went up at 28mph wide open in second.

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