alrighty

2/21/2011 10:36:55 PM

really? You're asking for reasons not to get it. I give you a link that has well over 500 complaints about the Escape just in the last 5 years (FIVE TIMES more than your Element) and your response is "alrighty"?

So basically you really did just want people to say you're making the right choice? Got it. Have fun in the Escape.

[Edited on February 21, 2011 at 10:49 PM. Reason : .]

2/21/2011 10:49:12 PM

no, it was a legitimate "alrighty"

2/21/2011 10:52:50 PM

Wow, really...a Ford Escape? You know that the Ford Escape hasn't had a model overhaul since before you bought your Element. The current model was revised about 4 years ago and that was just a light refreshing of the original model that came out who knows how long ago?

Crossovers suck as Duke has mentioned over and over again, but seriously if you INSIST on a crossover why wouldn't you at least pick one that's fairly new and at the head of its class?

2/21/2011 10:53:09 PM

ok, I get it, tdub has a deep seeded hatred for the Ford Escape.

So what would you all recommend? I dont care about speed, horsepower, towing capacity, etc. I dont want a coupe, so probably an SUV but open to others. 2010 at the oldest. Love gadgets, so it needs to have built in navigation, usb, voice commands, and maybe stuff like heated seats, remote start, review camera. Would like 22+ mpg, more the better, and it needs to be around $15-18K after my trade in...

[Edited on February 21, 2011 at 11:02 PM. Reason : d]

2/21/2011 10:58:53 PM

No deep seated hatred...facts are facts...the build quality is what I would consider to be subpar.

My dad was in the running for a crossover when his '95 Toyota T100 hit 420k miles...so he went looking at the Escape. I suggested that he just go take a look at the CR-V, which he bought. He says there's no comparison in quality.

2/21/2011 11:04:00 PM

so he just rode in it during the test drive and said "this feels like shit" ?

2/21/2011 11:05:15 PM

Shit, no, fool. He did his research. Nobody in my family buys a car without exhaustively researching it. He wasn't impressed with it to begin with. He asked. I said "CR-V"...he checked it out. Pop had never owned a Honda before.

Hell, some cars in my family have been flagged for purchase without ever driving them. The integrity comes first. Driving is primarily a feel thing and is low on the totem pole. That said, we won't buy something that rides like a fucking buckboard.

[Edited on February 21, 2011 at 11:20 PM. Reason : blah blah.]

2/21/2011 11:18:48 PM

the guy is gonna buy it, be happy with it for like 2 months, then realize he just spent more money on the same shit he already had. he won't give us the satisfaction of telling us we were right, but he'll act like it was a good move by trying to justify it to himself over and over. the thread is over and clearly the garage should just withdraw from it and leave the man to his devices.

2/22/2011 12:49:35 AM

Jaybee... i like you. and as a friend and even a ford guy i'm saying

The escape is built on technology 6 years + older than your element. It may be newer but the tech and the chassis is from the 90s.

go elsewhere....

Get something with direct injection if you're looking for gas mileage its the only way to gain hp without losing mileage.

2/22/2011 8:44:47 AM

^hey, get out of here with your facts and reason! We don't need that here!

2/22/2011 8:53:54 AM

I don't hate the Escape.
There's just no way I'd pay $15k to upgrade from a Honda Element with decent mileage to one.
And I think you'd be much better off saving that $15k over the next few years while driving your perfectly capable Element.

If you really feel the need to blow some money go buy a jet ski. Or an ATV. Or a motorcycle. Or take a two week trip to Costa Rica. Either way you save about $10k and end up better off in the long run.

[Edited on February 22, 2011 at 10:45 AM. Reason : l]

2/22/2011 10:43:31 AM

Um, how about a newer Element? I know it went out of production recently, but I'll bet you could find a new one still on a dealer lot somewhere with a pretty nice markdown. If you love your current one why change?

2/22/2011 11:51:44 AM

you will all be happy to know that I ended up not getting it... got to the dealer and this badass Geo Tracker caught my eye

2/22/2011 8:22:53 PM

Ha.

The issue with my dad's original transmission was kind of unknown. I think it just had severe issues getting into gear/shifting. His new transmission sometimes takes too long to go into gear, or does it "suddenly" and startles you, or it changes gears rather harshly while you're driving (then changes into that gear later rather smoothly). Basically it feels about like the transmission on that jetta my dad had before it went into "limp" mode and started driving like a piece of shit death trap.

Your element is at least as nice of a car, and if you want more features consider installing them. You can do some decent aftermarket AV stuff on the cheap.

2/23/2011 2:04:00 AM

Lol for further trolling you really should have used the mercury mariner and Mazda tribute.

[Edited on February 23, 2011 at 6:36 AM. Reason : Auto correct hates me.]

2/23/2011 6:35:34 AM

^^ see! thats constructive information... not just "I hate that entire genre of vehicles"


I have decided to keep the Element, replace the tires and see if I can get another year or so out of it

2/23/2011 11:59:09 AM

dude, the reason I hate that entire genre of vehicles isn't just my subjective tastes. It's because they objectively, empirically, demonstrably aren't good.

...and you should be able to get YEARS more dependable service out of your Element if you take care of it, doing all the scheduled maintenance and stuff. Go replace your tires, and run by a stereo shop and see about getting bluetooth integration/backup camera/etc installed.

2/23/2011 12:32:51 PM

Lotsa hate and strong opinions in this thread, but I wanted to interject something positive about the Escape. My mom drives one and has put 180k on it without any major maintenance. Mostly highway miles since the folks live in BFE, Lake Gaston. I've driven it before and it seemed to have a smooth ride, [relatively] decent pickup, tight steering, etc.

A few years running they were a Consumer Reports best buy. They've had their share of shaky years too though, and CR can sometimes be a load of crap, so take it for what it's worth

Not saying they're particularly special, but I'd consider one if I was in the market for that size crossover.

Oh, and fwiw (nothing) the Element is ugly hell IMO, so all practical and pragmatic arguments aside, I'd pay more for an Escape than an Element, even if it is "A Honda."

[Edited on February 23, 2011 at 1:04 PM. Reason : .]

2/23/2011 1:02:35 PM

^^ nope, or once again the class wouldn't even exist if no one liked them. You are using performance measures to determine if it is good or not, and that is not the whole picture. It would be like saying one tv show is better because it is in HD, but there are a LOT more things that go into someone liking a show (and car) than technical specs. And, once again, I have owned all three types (cars, truck, crossover) and the crossover was by far my favorite.

2/23/2011 1:42:33 PM

^People are retarded. Just because people buy something doesn't meant that it's anything beyond a piece of shit. It just means a bunch of (potentially retarded) people bought it. People buy shit because their neighbor/friend/family member bought it and they want to "fit in" so they buy it too. How many people START smoking every year? How many people have bought Snuggies? How many people spend thousands of dollars a year on clothes & bags for their precious little Chihuahua? I assume that you feel these are all great ideas?

Crossovers haul less than a truck/suv. Interior space is worse than a wagon or van. Performance and ride quality is worse than a car. The only "benefit" of a crossover is "I like riding up high". You like riding up high so that you can see better. The only reason you need to ride higher to see better is because so many retarded people buy high riding crossovers and huge SUVs so that they can drive back and forth to work. These people all bought a crossover because their neighbor told them that you can see better and it's safer (they're not) and more capable (they're not) and it's better in the snow (again, they're not)... I mean, I can walk around all day with my precious Sir Pablo, Furry Prince of Mexico in a $5000 Prada bag and a $10,000 diamond collar but the fact that I was able to buy that doesn't make me any less of a tool or the entire category any less the result of a smart company taking advantage of stupid consumers.

BTW, the only way that you're not going to be able to "get another year or so out of" the Element is if you run it into a wall. The "or so" will easily be another 5-10 years with regular maintenance

[Edited on February 23, 2011 at 10:34 PM. Reason : .]

2/23/2011 10:33:26 PM

well, I disagree, and definitely didnt buy the Element because of the "coolness" or fitting in factor but I am tired of arguing about it...


Got my new LTX M/S2 put on today, put them on when I first bought it too because the factory tires sucked ass, got about 109,000 miles out of them hahaha

2/23/2011 11:14:34 PM

^^ding ding ding we have a winner.

Quote :

"I have decided to keep the Element, replace the tires and see if I can get another year or so out of it"

Lol, why would you even doubt that your Element wouldn't last till at least 200k miles? The thing I could foresee going wrong is the transmission if you bought one with a slushbox...and I'm kinda guessing you did.

2/23/2011 11:41:04 PM

sigh... god damn you people are annoying.

Ok, if ONE god damn thing goes wrong with it in the next two years, all of you who have posted in here are passing around the hat and paying for that shit.

I know its a reliable car, I realize that... JUUUUUST a bit of the reason I bought it in the first place... I didnt just throw a fucking random dart. I am just saying there it is typically more likely for something to go wrong as something gets older.

I understand that it probably will last two more years plus, but in the whole realm of possible outcomes in the universe, there is a chance that it might not. Which is why I said " see if I can get another year or so out of it"" and not "I definitely will or will not get another year or so out of it".

Dealing in absolutes motherfuckers



[Edited on February 23, 2011 at 11:48 PM. Reason : d]

2/23/2011 11:46:24 PM

Dude, you're the one that came in asking for advice and then complained about said advice and then argued your opinion against facts. You think you're the only one that's annoyed?

Regardless, enjoy the Element.



V The other shit was legitimate advice too. It just didn't jive with what you wanted to hear and you didn't like it.

[Edited on February 23, 2011 at 11:53 PM. Reason : .]

2/23/2011 11:49:02 PM

no, where there has been legitimate advice, I have been fine with it, and actually took it into account and it helped my decision. Its the other shit that is annoying.

and no, thats not it... I didnt have a set choice that I was going to do, thats the whole reason I asked... and, if you notice, I did not get it, so dont give me that "you didnt listen to anyone, you were going to do it anyways blah blah blah"

[Edited on February 24, 2011 at 12:17 AM. Reason : d]

2/23/2011 11:50:35 PM

Garage motherfuckers just don't know the difference between a fact and an opinion, man

2/24/2011 12:16:21 AM