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  #1  
Old 01-30-2012, 11:57 PM
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Ford Escape to replace my Cherokee?

I'm getting sick of replacing things on my Jeep. It's been fairly good to me, and held up to being treated like an ugly redheaded stepchild at times. It's just that a dented up 97 Cherokee with 220k miles on it, is a bit needy, and I'm getting rid of it. I want a newer ride that I can not need to put anything into, and be happy with. I dont want to be concerned with "will it make it" on a trip of 3k miles or so. I frequently get the urge to get something cool, which happens to be a 5 hr drive away... The jeep isnt cutting it, and the GF's caviler cant tow anything.

My Jeep should be an easy sell for $1500 to $1800ish, being a rust free Cherokee with a lift and newer 31" tires. That will give me around $7500-$8500 for what I want. Less is ok!


Looking for a smaller SUV, that will get decent MPG, and can tow a neon on a dolly. Must be sensible, and responsible... I plan on keeping it for 5-6 years. I dont need 4wd, fwd is fine. I dont need a ton of power. All I'm interested in for options are cruise and AC. Must be a domestic, for cost, ease of repair, and personal preference. I "really" want a 5 speed.

Looking for something to be ok in a collage parking lot, not draw alot of attention, and not have a "kids car" aura to it. An Escape seems to be what I want. Around 20 in town, and around 30 highway. Decent reviews.

Decent choice? And... Anyone know of one for sale nearby?
Thank you, and I welcome all comments of any type.
~Nate

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  #2  
Old 01-31-2012, 12:00 AM
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What is the tow rating for the 4 cylinder Escape? I don't know if the V6 would give you the mileage, although has a better chance of providing the towing capacity A V6 Jeep Liberty would also work, but you probably would want a 4x4, since the Liberty 2WD is RWD, and gas mileage is sucky.

Also be aware that tow ratings are often lower for a manual transmission version of a given vehicle than for the automatic-equipped versions.

Last edited by PaulC; 01-31-2012 at 12:15 AM.
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  #3  
Old 01-31-2012, 12:03 AM
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Escape = a car with a "trucklike" body to cater to stupid Americans who don't know any better, and think that "trucks are safer than cars."

Can't you get a low-end pickup or a Cherokee in better shape? If you don't need off-road capability, a cop surplus Clown Vick would also do the trick.

"Kid's car" -- WGAMFS what other people think of your car? Get one that's calculated to irritate vain idiots.
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  #4  
Old 01-31-2012, 12:10 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spdrun View Post
Escape = a car with a "trucklike" body to cater to stupid Americans who don't know any better, and think that "trucks are safer than cars."
It does offer some benefits over a car if you have to drive in snow, such as decent ground clearance.

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Originally Posted by spdrun View Post
Can't you get a low-end pickup or a Cherokee in better shape? If you don't need off-road capability, a cop surplus Clown Vick would also do the trick.
None of those choices offer decent fuel economy.

Quote:
Originally Posted by spdrun View Post
"Kid's car" -- WGAMFS what other people think of your car? Get one that's calculated to irritate vain idiots.
They don't make a FWD Mercedes, at least for North American consumption...
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  #5  
Old 01-31-2012, 12:14 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulC View Post
It does offer some benefits over a car if you have to drive in snow, such as decent ground clearance.
Given a good set of winter tires and a driver who's not a fearful little handwringer, most normal cars are adequate in snow without having to look like like they were redesigned by a Venice Beach bodybuilder with a welding torch and a large bag of crystal meth.

As far as MPG, a small pickup or full-size Ford will do better than a Cherokee. And yes, I know that neither is FWD. FWD is actually a bad thing when you're towing something almost as heavy as the vehicle.
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  #6  
Old 01-31-2012, 12:17 AM
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spdrun's face when he saw the word SUV
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  #7  
Old 01-31-2012, 12:18 AM
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I do not want a pickup. I have a trailer for hauling large objects, and always prefer enclosed interior room. I dont care about feeling "safer" in a suv, at all. I understand an escape is based on a mazda 626 unibody. It would be comfy for a long trip, the interior ergonomics are great, the mpg is good.

The 6cy has a 3500lb tow rating, the 4cyl has a 1500 tow rating, but the brakes and curb weights are the same. They only came with the 4cyl fwd if it was a 5 speed. Depending on the year, the 4cyl has between 150hp and 170hp. My jeep had 150hp, 220k miles ago. I'll do fine power wise for my towing needs with the 4cyl.

I looked into liberty's, we had one as a delivery vehicle for a few weeks. Hated it. The radio was good, and the visibility was good. I like the interior style, but it wasnt very well built. It got horrible mpg, netted 14mpg whereas the rangers get 22mpg in the same or harsher conditions.

A car isnt an interest to me. Crown vics are nice, cheap, and plentiful, but I am not interested.
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  #8  
Old 01-31-2012, 12:21 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spdrun View Post
Given a good set of winter tires and a driver who's not a fearful little handwringer, most normal cars are adequate in snow without having to look like like they were redesigned by a Venice Beach bodybuilder with a welding torch and a large bag of crystal meth.
I live in a hilly/mountainous area that usually sees a fair amount of snow in the winter, and ground clearance can make the difference between making it up an unplowed road, or having the undercarriage drag on the snow, which makes the driver an instant pedestrian. Snow tires are great, unless they can't bite into the surface because the car is high-centered...
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  #9  
Old 01-31-2012, 12:21 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate View Post
The 6cy has a 3500lb tow rating, the 4cyl has a 1500 tow rating, but the brakes and curb weights are the same. They only came with the 4cyl fwd if it was a 5 speed. Depending on the year, the 4cyl has between 150hp and 170hp. My jeep had 150hp, 220k miles ago. I'll do fine power wise for my towing needs with the 4cyl.
Power isn't the only consideration when calculating tow rating -- is the 4 cyl's transmission and clutch up to the job of towing ~3000 lb? I'd still consider looking for another Cherokee XJ in nicer shape than yours.
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  #10  
Old 01-31-2012, 12:24 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulC View Post
I live in a hilly/mountainous area that usually sees a fair amount of snow in the winter, and ground clearance can make the difference between making it up an unplowed road, or having the undercarriage drag on the snow, which makes the driver an instant pedestrian. Snow tires are great, unless they can't bite into the surface because the car is high-centered...
This is off-topic, but you can have a fairly high-clearance car without it looking like a f***ing delivery truck. See also: the Subie Outback till about 2009. Seeing a crossdresser utility vehicle generally makes me want to mark my territory on it.
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  #11  
Old 01-31-2012, 12:25 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate View Post
I do not want a pickup. I have a trailer for hauling large objects, and always prefer enclosed interior room. I dont care about feeling "safer" in a suv, at all. I understand an escape is based on a mazda 626 unibody. It would be comfy for a long trip, the interior ergonomics are great, the mpg is good.

The 6cy has a 3500lb tow rating, the 4cyl has a 1500 tow rating, but the brakes and curb weights are the same. They only came with the 4cyl fwd if it was a 5 speed. Depending on the year, the 4cyl has between 150hp and 170hp. My jeep had 150hp, 220k miles ago. I'll do fine power wise for my towing needs with the 4cyl.

I looked into liberty's, we had one as a delivery vehicle for a few weeks. Hated it. The radio was good, and the visibility was good. I like the interior style, but it wasnt very well built. It got horrible mpg, netted 14mpg whereas the rangers get 22mpg in the same or harsher conditions.

A car isnt an interest to me. Crown vics are nice, cheap, and plentiful, but I am not interested.
I'm guessing that the most likely limiting factor with using a manual for towing is the capacity of the clutch to handle the extra weight. You might be able to get away with it driving in a relatively level area. I don't know anything about the topography of Eau Claire.
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  #12  
Old 01-31-2012, 12:26 AM
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My son has a 2001 Escape with a 4 cyl. and a 5 speed. I have to say it is a pretty awesome car and I wouldn't mind having one myself. It is really basic and easy to work on, especially for a newer car. The back seats have way more room than any of my Mercedes 123's do, and it gets 25 to 30 mpg. They seem to have a great reputation for reliability as well. There are some websites dedicated to them and I think Escapecity is one of them. I had never even heard of the Escape until my son decided to look at buying one, and I was impressed that you can get them with a manual transmission. BTW- my son is all American, but he is certainly not stupid.
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  #13  
Old 01-31-2012, 12:26 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spdrun View Post
This is off-topic, but you can have a fairly high-clearance car without it looking like a f***ing delivery truck. See also: the Subie Outback till about 2009. Seeing a crossdresser utility vehicle generally makes me want to mark my territory on it.
I don't think that Nate considers Subaru a domestic brand, which is one of his criteria.
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  #14  
Old 01-31-2012, 12:28 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulC View Post
I don't think that Nate considers Subaru a domestic brand, which is one of his criteria.
I only suggested that it was possible to build a "normal" car that did well in snow, not suggesting that he buy an Outback.
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  #15  
Old 01-31-2012, 12:39 AM
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For towing purposes, torque is more important than horsepower. You want a fair amount of engine torque, produced at a fairly low RPM. The 4.0L Cherokee probably produces a lot more overall and low-RPM torque than the 2.3L Escape, even though their HP ratings are close.

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