Ford Escape 2003 with 148,000 miles - will it last?

[kylerhoden]

Good morning,

I am thinking of buying an used 2003 Ford Escape XLS with 148,000 miles, second owner (both private party) in reasonable condition. Offroad Michelin tires with about 10-15k tread remaining. Clean interior, no accident, some minor dents.

Asking price is $3500, which is $1000 higher than the KBB price, but I can make an offer for $3000. The seller has maintenance records, and I can take it for an inspection at a dealer.

This will be for my step son who is attending college nearby and will use it as a commuter car. No snow or off-road driving.

My mechanic, without seeing the car or knowing anything about it, told me that a Ford Escape with such high mileage is not a great buy.

Do any of you car experts have any comments?

Much appreciated,
K. Rhoden

 

[desy]

That year of escape is a Mazda
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/Escape/

2003 does not look to be a very problematic year for that vehicle, I can't comment on pricing cause it seems to vary so much from region to region
The wear is pretty much normal at 14k per year.
If there is no snow you don't need the awd and that hurts fuel economy and maintenance so is fwd only?

 

[kylerhoden]

Good day,

The car is a XLS trim, V6, 2WD. It has off road tires from the first owner.

The KBB price for a vehicle of those specs good or excellent condition in my zip is ~$2400 and the seller is asking for $3500. I can put in an offer for $3,000 if it is worth pursuing.

Does it have life remaining, with regular maintenance?

Thank you for your wisdom,
K. Rhoden

 

[Pacfanweb]

That year of escape is a Mazda
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/Escape/

2003 does not look to be a very problematic year for that vehicle, I can't comment on pricing cause it seems to vary so much from region to region
The wear is pretty much normal at 14k per year.
If there is no snow you don't need the awd and that hurts fuel economy and maintenance so is fwd only?

Escapes weren't really Mazda or Ford. The 4 cylinder was a Mazda motor, the V6 is a Ford. Ford built them. They were jointly designed.

The car itself is essentially a Ford. They are GREAT cars. It *should* last...but you just never really know.
But based on their history, they should go well over 200k with no problems.

 

[Yuriman]

Can't comment on the car itself but the offroad tires will hurt your gas mileage, possibly significantly.

 

[xaeniac]

i was going to say yes, until I saw it had the 6 cylinder.

 

[Tweak155]

i was going to say yes, until I saw it had the 6 cylinder.

Funny, because I was thinking the opposite. No until I saw it was the 6cyl.

 

[Zargon]

the 6 gets pretty bad MPG

 

[pauldun170]

Duratec V6 Escapes from that time period have been known to have Coil on Plug issues and that typically leads to bad catalytic converters.
Also bad egr valves
Gas mileage sucks for the size of the truck.

I agree with the emechanic

 

[monkeydelmagico]

GF had a 2002 V6 that we ran up to 200K plus before selling. Was durable and reliable. Noisy and thirsty but didn't cost much to maintain. No leaks and good compression when we sold it.

 

[JCH13]

My friend's wife has one from about that era with around 280k on it. Starting to have transmission issues, but is still drive-able. It one time went 18mo without an oil change and still runs well aside from 1st gear being wonky.

I would say quite reliable.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

My friend's wife has one from about that era with around 280k on it. Starting to have transmission issues, but is still drive-able. It one time went 18mo without an oil change and still runs well aside from 1st gear being wonky.

I would say quite reliable.

Considering how well they maintained the oil it probably just needs a trans fluid change.

Friend owns a trucking company. He grabs ford rangers (basically the same as the escape) when he sees them. There are a couple on his lot with around the 300k mark. He likes that they are super simple to work on and parts are stupid cheap.

 

[JCH13]

Considering how well they maintained the oil it probably just needs a trans fluid change.

Friend owns a trucking company. He grabs ford rangers (basically the same as the escape) when he sees them. There are a couple on his lot with around the 300k mark. He likes that they are super simple to work on and parts are stupid cheap.

I remember asking about that, and they said it had been done somewhat recently.*shrug*

 

[kylerhoden]

How about a 2002 Lexus RX300? It has 123,000 miles with relatively new Michelin tires.

It is a V6, 3.0 Liter, in relatively good condition. I have the carfax report if you need additional details.

Will this have more durability/remaining life compared to the Ford Escape?

Estimated future driving will be about 600-800miles a year, mostly highway.

Thank you
K.Rhoden

 

[TridenT]

How about a 2002 Lexus RX300? It has 123,000 miles with relatively new Michelin tires.

It is a V6, 3.0 Liter, in relatively good condition. I have the carfax report if you need additional details.

Will this have more durability/remaining life compared to the Ford Escape?

Estimated future driving will be about 600-800miles a year, mostly highway.

Thank you
K.Rhoden

600-800 miles a ... year? Maybe a rental car would be more suitable.

If your son is commuting with it, it's more likely to get something like 8k-15k.

 

[CurseTheSky]

What's your budget, and is there any reason you're looking at SUVs (especially 2WD) specifically? You can usually find a car cheaper.

For the best bang for the buck, I'd look for a 2005-2007 Ford Focus with as low miles as you can find. They're basic, but excellent cars.

 

[kylerhoden]

Oops...sorry I meant about 600-800 miles a month, so about 8000-10000 a year.

 

[Yuriman]

As said above, SUVs are not good commuter cars for young college students. Gas cost and maintenance will typically be more expensive than with a smaller car.

 

[NutBucket]

Volvo 740. Done and done Too bad those cars are over 20 years old now.

 

[Meghan54]

I'm just as surprised as others about the need for an SUV in this case.....I'd have thought you'd be looking at Corollas, Sentras, etc. Maybe even old Camrys. Those types of cars are more advantageous in almost every conceivable way vs. an SUV.

 

[SearchMaster]

I would choose the Lexus over the Escape. Toyota was making darn reliable vehicles in the early 00s and Lexus was Toyota with better parts. The biggest issue seems to be sludge so get the engine checked out; otherwise sensors are the bugaboo and should be easy to keep up with.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

I would choose the Lexus over the Escape. Toyota was making darn reliable vehicles in the early 00s and Lexus was Toyota with better parts. The biggest issue seems to be sludge so get the engine checked out; otherwise sensors are the bugaboo and should be easy to keep up with.

+1 The Lexus is a really nice vehicle. Ride and comfort level is much higher than the Escape. Reliability is probably higher too

 

[Zodiark1593]

Volvo 740. Done and done Too bad those cars are over 20 years old now.

Bah, with enough money, you can make them near-immortal.

 

[NutBucket]

The whole point wasn't to spend "enough money"!

 

[Pacfanweb]

Considering how well they maintained the oil it probably just needs a trans fluid change.

Friend owns a trucking company. He grabs ford rangers (basically the same as the escape) when he sees them. There are a couple on his lot with around the 300k mark. He likes that they are super simple to work on and parts are stupid cheap.

A Ranger has practically nothing in common with an Escape. It has more in common with an Explorer.