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After carefully rejecting my many suggestions, my daughter seems to have set her heart on a Fusion. She has looked as everything from about 2002 through 2010.
I know Fusions are now very good cars. I do not know when they became very good cars. I have heard prior to 2005 you may have engine issues and prior to 2002 Ford had transmission issues with many of their cars (not sure when they started making Fusions). I do not know whether this is accurate. Some years the touch screen computer system had major issues, I think that was more recent than she is looking at, but i am not sure.
Anyone know Fusions inside out? Best years? Common problems?
With the newer Fusions (2009-2010) she is looking at cars with 90 - 100K miles. Anything in particular we need to watch for with that kind of mileage other than what you normally watch for in any high mileage car?
Thank you.
BTW - I almost sold her on the idea of a VW TDI, but the fact that anything in her price range is well over 150K miles and that she could mess up and put gas in it in a tired moment or a blonde moment, made her reject that idea.
So are you looking only for the second gen? I don't know much about those, but I rented a 1st gen. I'm not sure of the year, but it only had around 50k mi and there were noises I was concerned about.
first year was 2006 for the Fusion. As far as I know they have above average reliablity ratings.
They were available with a 4 cyl and a v6, both are good engines. Don't know anything about any transmission issues I had two friends (one with an 06 and one with an 07) who never had any trans issues with their Fusions, and they were both V6 models.
The My Ford Touch indash touch screen didn't come along till 2010 and I think it was only in the Edge. We have a 2013 Edge and the MFT has been completely trouble free.
I'd push for the 2010, MCR -Mid Cycle Refresh. The price didn't go up much, but they made improvements all around the car. Only issue is cost going with such a new model. Other than that I'd look for 07-09 models, and avoid the 06 simply because it was the first year.
So are you looking only for the second gen? I don't know much about those, but I rented a 1st gen. I'm not sure of the year, but it only had around 50k mi and there were noises I was concerned about.
Interesting, I've never seen a rental company keep a car past 25-30K miles. But then again I refuse to buy a retired rental car, too many different driving styles.
When I was younger and had a rental, I'd take all the hubcaps off (so I didn't loose them), take the air filter out (gain a bit more power), and go rallye driving!
BTW, that Fusion you rented wasn't Red by any chance was it? I did a race weekend with a rental car and it was a gen 1 fusion, that was a fun weekend, I bet I put 50K miles worth of wear and tear on that car in two full days on the track.
My experience with Ford in general is that the quality prior to about 2007 was sub-par. The overall quality has only gotten remarkably better within the past five or so years.
Are there many 2009-2010 Fusions with mileage that high? That's 30K+ miles per year. Pretty hard use for a vehicle.
The Fusion was a reliable car from the get go (2006). Almost the entire first generation has been judged more reliable by CR than Camrys or Accords of the same period.
I own a 2008 Fusion 4 cylinder 5 speed. It is an SEL trim, cloth interior. It has been a very good car for my son. It isn't very quick, which is good. I replaced the front rotors recently, which is a bit early in my view. But otherwise it is solid. Roomy, handles well, good visibility, and the Ford Sync works very well.
Pre-2008 4cylinder models did not have ABS standard. ABS 4 cylinder cars of those years are rare. All of the 6 cylinder cars have ABS.
You really can't go wrong with a Fusion, though the 2010+ cars are certainly a better choice overall then the older ones. The transmission issues really isn't an issue with reliability as much as it is drivability. Ford has had a lot of issues with their 6-speed automatics and drivability. Some of them were fixed with a software update, others weren't. The issue still persists (at least in Ford forums online, lol) into the current model years. The general complaint is something you would notice instantly on a test drive. A hesitation to shift and hard shifiting in low gears.
Interesting, I've never seen a rental company keep a car past 25-30K miles. But then again I refuse to buy a retired rental car, too many different driving styles.
When I was younger and had a rental, I'd take all the hubcaps off (so I didn't loose them), take the air filter out (gain a bit more power), and go rallye driving!
BTW, that Fusion you rented wasn't Red by any chance was it? I did a race weekend with a rental car and it was a gen 1 fusion, that was a fun weekend, I bet I put 50K miles worth of wear and tear on that car in two full days on the track.
LOL I will now avoid Rentaing any Red Gen 1 Ford Fusion on Rental lots or telling anyone to purchase a Low Milage Pre-owned Red Ford Fusion that was used as a fleet car for Car Rental lot
But hey I had a Rental on 2011 Ford Fusion 3.5 liter V-6 AWD Sport model and took it through the Canadian Rockies early this summer and had some fun with it.
And totally agree they are a Blast to Drive through on the twisty mountian Roads and have tons of passing power for the steep graded climb up the Rockies and can seat fourfull sized adults in comfort with tons space to spare for luggage in the Trunk.
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