I am looking at a 2006 Ford Escape and a 2004 Honda CR-V. They are both about the same price and have about the same mileage. They both have clean carfax reports. The Escape is blue and the Honda is silver (with a sunroof!!!). Which would you choose??
The one with the most complete service records and the one that had the best pre-purchase inspection results.
Twotone
That Honda Could Be Coming Up On Its 7th Birthday In As Little As 3 Months. For Me That’s Too Old Unless You’re Only Paying Just A Couple Thousand For It.
The ford is middle-aged and the Honda is soon to be a senior citizen in car years.
I’d go with the younger vehicle, but I doubt it’s that simple.
What’s the maintenance / repair history on these vehicles?
How much money are we talking about and how many miles are on these cars ?
CSA
you accentuate sunroof.
In a bad way or good ?
To me that’s worse. The sun roof will be future trouble. I’d go with the Escape.
Too many fancy toys on any older vehicle will only sting you in the wallet later.
They are both about $13,000 and have about 53,000 miles. For the Ford Escape, one owner, no accidents and 2 service records available. The last one on 4/3/10 which was a routine maintenance (oil filter, air filter, fluids flushed…)
The Honda, 3 previous owners, 5 service records available. It looks like they were all maintenance checks except for one where airbags and seatbelts were checked (accident??)
The CR-V is probably due for a timing belt change at this point, which isn’t cheap.
I would take both vehicles to my trusted mechanic. Then I would buy whichever one he recommends after a thorough inspection.
3 Previous Owners In 53,000 Miles Scares Me. “Accident ??,” Scares Me Even More.
$13,000 is too much to be spending on a 4-7 year-old Escape or CR-V with 53,000 miles.
Save your money. You almpst have enough to get into an almost new vehicle.
Positively don’t buy a car that’s been in an accident.
Do Buy a car that is still covered by some factory warranty.
What are you driving now ? What’swrong with it ? How long will it run ? Why are you shopping ?
CSA
Offer the dealer 10 large for the Escape, he will say that’s impossible, you smile, get up and leave. Within 24 hours, your phone will ring…You might not get it for 10, but you will certainly get it for less than 13…And yes…Sunroofs, at some point, become a nightmare…
I HAD a 2002 Ford Explorer but a rod went through the engine and several mechanics (including mine) thought it wasn’t worth fixing for $4,500. It had 90,000 miles and there were a couple of other things I would’ve needed to fix including the back windows would go down but could barely go back up. I’m guessing it’s the motor. I’ve also already spent a fair amount on it in the 8 yrs I’ve owned it. I have $4,000 to put down and am borrowing a friend’s car at the moment. Need to buy something!! I also have 2 kids and cart a lot of kids around frequently. Need a “mom” car.
Also, I really, really like sunroofs!!!
Go with the Honda CRV if they replace the timing belt and water pump and give you a warranty.
It would be cheeper to swap out the engine in the explorer. Ford is not going bankrupt but neither is Honda, so future parts and repairs are a wash between these three vehicles.
sunroofs leak water on your head when it rains, if not now soon.
a brand new hyundai can be had for 13grand.
three owners is not a good thing, even if it is not a bad thing.
the color dont matter much, Earl Shibe can change that in a day.
Although the CRV is basically a better car, I would go for the Escape. It’s younger and will be cheaper to keep going as you own it.
The CRV’s past ownership scares me as well. Whichever you buy, have a qualified mechanic inspect it.
can you recommend another used car in the similar price range? Need at least 5-6 passenger seating.
They both have clean carfax reports.
Unfortunately, that only means you don’t know if they’ve been in any accidents.
For about 6 or 7 grand more, you could get a brand new Hyundai Tuscon and not have to worry about any previous history, plus a 10 year factory powertrain warranty
What about a 2004 Saturn Vue?? I know the company is going out of business but I have a 2 yr warranty.
Assuming that both had similar maintenance and that Hondas CRV is a good 5 to 7 years more advanced design wise than an that year Escape, it’s an obvious choice if not this one then one in general. Remember that this Escape is from the company that still sells the Ranger which has elements still left from 1983…they sometimes import their best cars.
Besides, silver doesn’t show the dirt as well and you can save more on wash jobs.
The Escape price is on the high end, but then again, we know very little about it. What model Escape, and what options? AWD or 2WD? It might be grossly overpriced, or attractively priced, depending on your answers.