Any Ford Techs? - Finally getting a back seat

I love my Taco, but there are times when the access cab sucks. I’ve posted a few threads and contemplated a 3rd vehicle for the past couple years, but never pulled the trigger. I don't have any grand ideas that my base Tacoma is anything special or that I'm going to save money on gas, but it sure would be nice to have something with a usable back seat when my wife needs her car, since she refuses to drive a manual.

My grandparents finally decided to give up on driving. My uncle said "Hey, you buy one so I don't have to deal with selling it on Craigslist for them, and they can trade in the other on something bigger for people to taxi them around in."

I’m hoping someone with some Ford experience can weigh in on any known issues or nightmares:

2008 Ford Fusion - V6 AWD - 60k miles - valve cover leaks a little, rear bumper cover is cracked, and the original tires are shot. Heated seats and comfortable to drive and surprisingly fast. Very, very cheap because they don’t want to fix anything on it. The cracked bumper cover doesn't bother me and I feel confident in my ability to replace the valve cover gasket.

2008 Ford Escape - V6 -FWD - 45k miles, sunroof leaks and it feels like a tractor compared to the Taco. I don't think it needs to be replaced, but there's no arguing when they've decided they want something new. It's more than I want to spend, but it's crazy low mileage and allegedly gets better gas milage than the Fusion.

My gut says "Just buy the Fusion because it's stupid cheap, hopefully it doesn't become a money pit, and its AWD for the 2-3 times a year that Ohio gets snow. "

 

My cousin had an '09 Ford Fusion that wasn't unreliable but as the only American vehicle she ever owned it was a total turd compared to the other three (A Honda Civic, a Scion tC, and another Honda Civic; The Scion was totaled when someone ran a red light and hit my cousin, and the Fusion replaced the Scion). Among the problems with the Fusion was the braking system; My cousin's fiance did some research and found out that older Fusions have a poorly designed braking system. While the brakes themselves work just fine, this design flaw causes the brake pedal to feel "mushy." There apparently should be a recall, but Ford hasn't addressed it. Replacing the part with another flawed part would cost A LOT. My cousin sold the '09 Fusion and bought a '98 Civic hatchback with 65K on it, and she loves the Civic. Also, the factory stereo in my cousin's Fusion had absolutely no balls! This is coming from a guy who has a high-powered Pioneer stereo in his Tacoma, but it's the truth!

If you're going to buy an Escape, at least get a 4-wheel drive version!

FYI: Unless it's a truck or a Mustang, I would never buy a Ford product. Just my two cents...

 

I can't actually remember what the brakes feel like on the Fusion, so I'll have to take a drive in it the next time I stop by for lunch. I grew up in a Ford family and my parents still have the 1994 Ranger that I took my driving test in, 17 years ago, and it's going strong, so I don't have total hatred of Fords.

 

Subaru outback. Super safe, AWD, 25-28 MPG, lots of cargo space, heck, we've pulled deer out of the Trinity Alps in ours. All good and no bad so far. We've had ours since 2012 and no problems AT ALL. Not even a weird noise or anything. It has like 80k miles on it. If I wasn't a 20 year old guy who wants to look halfway "manly" I would be driving one. The best do-it-all single vehicle if you don't need a truck IMO.

 

Like I said, trucks and Mustangs are fine...

Just about anything else makes my Tacoma look like a Rolls-Royce in terms of quality...

 

I'd love an Outback, but I don't know if I'll find a 60k mile one for $2k

 

Volvo XC70 wagon is also a good choice!

 

They just don't make Ford's like they used to. Give me a 90s F250 with the 7.3 diesel and a manual tranny and I'll be happy. The new ones though are money pits that depreciate faster than you can say "Ecoboost V6"

 

You mean Ecoboom V6...

@Iamraiderpower can tell you all about that!

 

Like the Ford Exploder??? Lol I kid

 

I don't. Ask @Iamraiderpower about his 2016 F150!

 

oh, I'd never get an ecoboost exploder. My boss has one and it's been through two turbos.

 

Yeah. Like SilverTaco said, mustangs are fine. If I absolutely had to tow over 10,000 lbs I would get an F250 or a GMC 2500.

 

Or an older Dodge Ram Cummins!

 

That too, the 5.9 straight 6? Pretty decent

 

Specifically the 12V, used from 1989 through the first half of 1998, until the EPA stepped in...

 

Don't even get me started on those........The 12V Ram and a Series III Land Rover are both on the top of my want list, but my Taco does 99.9% of what I need it to do, except of having a spacious back seat.

 

At least you actually have a backseat...

I have an RC, my neighbor is helping me install an amp and powered subwoofer on Saturday, and it's going to be a tight squeeze!

 

For 2k who cares. Drive the piss out of it

 

So budget another $1000 for a set of tires and drive it.

Ford does weird shit like using plastic oilpans and timing chain-driven water pumps which may or may not affect this particular Fusion model. Your best bet is to look in a Fusion forum for common problems and give this car a once-over.