question about the Escape hybrids because I don't pay attention sometimes

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Lauren Y

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Don't know if the message category is right tho...



My boyfriend is looking to possibly buy an Escape hybrid late winter or early spring. He asked me if they hybrids come with 4x4. I told him I thought AWD only but I would ask my friends @ MYST. He is a transplant from Oklahoma so he is not used to our New England winters yet and I think he would prefer 4x4. Any suggestions? He plans on moving closer to me but will keep his job in Boston. He can commute by train during the week but the weekend schedule is not cooperative when he has the weekend shifts.

Thanks much!
 
There are both FRONT wheel drive and a FOUR wheel drive models.

I'll post a link for you to check them out.

Don't you like the oil companies or something??? hehe
 
thanks Baron. I'm not the one buying! I LOVE MY ST!!!!!!! It's my boyfriend...his 4x4 in OK was a Chevy Silverado-so-if I can convert him-let him get what he wants!
 
Lauren,

Well, tell him good luck with it. I'd love to have a hybrid vehicle, but they just don't have enough power for me yet. If I could find a way to save gas (or eliminate it altogether) and have tons of power, I'd be all over it. Hydrogen has that potential, but we're still a few years away from any viable hydrogen powered supercars for the unwashed masses. hehe

 
I saw a Roush F150 the other day and I fell in love. The truck was positively BEAUTIFUL (and presumably quite fast)! I'd have traded my 'trac on it in a heartbeat, but I'm fairly sure my girlfriend would also trade ME in if I got another new vehicle. hehe
 
awww-trade you in because you trade in the trac? that's not right. of course-you would have to get a supercrew...that is the ONLY way I would go.
 
The one I saw was nearly identical to the one in this picture (in the link at the bottom), it was RED though. I also believe it was a 2006 stage 2, which means that it has even more performance and suspension goodies. This one is a 2005. However, since the price was well over $40k, I don't think she would have much trouble trading ME in because I'd probably be broke. haha

 
I meant HIGH 40s (47-48 if I remember correctly). I really don't know how much a fully loaded F150 is, but I bet you're right, it's probably in the $40k range too. My brother has the top of the line F250 and it was over $50k. Of course he's stuck working 12-16 hour shifts for the next 4 years too thanks to that high price. ;)

I really doubt that the Roush F150 could outrun my trac anyway. I'm absolutely sure it wouldn't get better gas mileage. I think my next vehicle will probably be a GTO (new one) or mustang cobra, if they ever introduce such a thing in the newer bodystyle. Of course I also like the SVT sport trac...I'd probably buy it before a GTO or Cobra. I like having a lot of speed with a place to haul stuff.
 
Ford is building a GT500. 5.4L Supercharged. About 500 HP. Like the original, it will have cobra emblems on it, but it will not be called a Cobra because the GT500 was never called a Cobra. The real Cobra was the two seater roadster.



Don't buy a GTO. People would mistake you driving a Grand Prix.





Tom
 
Hybrids are not right for many people, although the Auto Manufacturers say

they are. You have to drive several years and many miles to even get to a

"break-even" point, financially. Also, there are not enough long-term reliability

studies out, yet, since most of these types of vehicles are relatively new.

My professional opinion, don't buy one just yet.

By the way, I work at G.M., and if there are any of you out there seriously

considering the purchase of any new G.M. vehicle, I can get you an additional

$500 off of the sticker (plus any additional incentives).

I know, I know! I'm not trying to convert any of you, since I drive a what!?,

Sport Trac, Thank You!

Make your vehicle choice based on the needs of yourself and/or your family,

your personal circumstances and budget. You've got to live with your choice,

I'm not trying to make it for you.

Buy American, (whenever possible), and do right by yourself and your family.:)
 
tracnblack,



Most studies I have read about Hybrid cars are this. On average, a hybrid vehicle costs about $3,000.00 more then the same model without the hybrid option. The difference in price will usually take about 100,000 miles to "break even", as you stated before.



There are other things to conside too. If you drive alot of highway miles, hybrid vehicles are not the item to have. They excel in city driving. If you live in an area where there is minor traffic, you are wasting your money on that option. Places like New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, etc. a hybrid vehicle might be something to consider. Then again, if you drive in the city at city speeds, it might take 10 years to drive 100,000 miles. Most vehicles are taken off the road before 10 years. No matter who makes it, be it Honda, Toyota, Missan, Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge, or anyone else, 10 years is a long time to keep a vehicle.



Then we need to look at the big one. Batteries. Let's face the fact, rechargable batteries don't last forever. They get old and die. Many cordless drills in perfect working order get thrown away because the batteries lose the ability to hold a charge. Replacing two batteries on a cordless drill can cost as much as buying a new drill, so sometimes it is better to throw a good drill away because you just can't justify the cost of new batteries for an old drill.



The same goes with hybrid vehicles. Last I read, a complete battery change on a hybrid vehicle can cost about $3,000.00. If the batteries last 10 years and you replace them, you haven't saved a dime on gas, in the long run. You are still at that "break even' point, but now need to justify spending 3g's on a car with 100,000 miles. Will it last another 100,000 miles?



As many times as a hybrid vehicle charges and then discharges the batteries on a daily basis, personally, I don't think they will last 100,000 miles.



The only advantage of a hybrid vehicle is that warm and fuzzy feeling you get by "saving the environment" and telling Exxon/Mobil to F-off. Unfortunatly, batteries are considered hazardous waste, so you might save fuel, but you still polute the ground with batteries. How much of a battery is able to be recycled, that I don't know. I guess it depends on the type of batteries used in a hybrid vehicle.



Fuel cells are something else that people will think will eliminate polution and use of oil. As of right now, it takes twice as much energy to produce hydrogen then it does gasoline. So if every car on the road today was replaced with a fuel cell vehicle, we would consume twice the energy we consume today.



Pretty scary...isn't it?





Tom
 
Tom,

To sum up our last two posts;

Are we really any better off, environmentally, financially, and otherwise, to spend

mega-bucks on an, as now, new technology?

My answer has to be NO!

The disposal of the old battery packs, or cells? Hundreds of them, vs. just one 12v.

battery now?

Kinda like Caymen (You) inferred to:

One day, those old "battery packs" are going to have to be disposed of.

One 12 v. battery, vs. one 3,200 v. (or something like that) battery pack for

a hybrid vehicle.

We think we have recycle/disposal problems now?!?

Tom,

Did not mean to "Put Words in your Mouth",

Just my thoughts on the future disposal problems:

As a Country,

Let's not get ahead of ourselves on the "disposal" problems!

We need to fix one problem before we create another!!!

That's what I love about this site.

Many great minds working together!!!:wub::rolleyes::D
 
I read that the Escape Hybrid batteries are good for only about 4 years and cost $5800 to replace. :blink: I was considering one before I got the Trac, but decided I needed a pickup bed (still) and while I read that the Hybrid can tow 1000 lb., looking at the dealer literature and the website I don't see that a trailer hitch is available. Need to save gas here so I can waste it in my jetski over there. :lol: Seriously, if I can't tow with it then it doesn't do me a lot of good.
 
JohnnyO,

Just like myself, and I believe, Caymen, were referring to.

New, expensive technology to save a few miles per gallon.

Many miles and many years to recoup the initial investment.

The concept, and the thoughts are good, but in all actuality, you'd have

to live to be an old man before you ever saw an actual savings in your

own pocketbook (If you ever did).

My honest thoughts, as a professional, A.S.E. Master Certified Mechanic:

Keep your vehicle maintained properly:

Proper air pressure in the tires;

Regular oil an filter changes;

Don't "Drive It Like You Stole It"!!!:)
 
There's a black Roush F-150 SC on one of dealers lots in OKC. I saw it, and was wishing I had the money to buy it. Of course, the gas and additional vehicle payments would break the bank. :(
 
The battery packs are something like 99.5% recycleable. The cost will come down when the numbers go up.



I recall in the early 70's when catalytic converters were going to be required on the 1974 models that the automakers said that the catyalitic converters were going to cost $350-400 each (in 1970 dollars!), and they did. However, with improvements in materials and production technology, as well as economies of scale, one can buy a brand new cat converter for what-- $50 in 2005 dollars?!



Hybrid vehicle technology will get cheaper and more reliable over time. I agree that they are not for everybody or every driving style, but we have to do something, and just producing and selling them will help push the technology envelope in many areas, such as manufacturing, servicing knowlege, and public understanding and acceptance.
 
tracnblack,



Have you noticed that in a society like ours that tries to push the theory "reduce, reuse, recycle" has more throw away products now then ever before?



It seems like everything is throw away. Just use it once and then toss it.



I do agree with Gavin, while technology goes up, the price comes down. The question is, how long will it take for the price to come down?





Tom
 

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