06 Escape Hybrid?

My sister and her husband are thinking about an 06 Escape Hybrid, 156k, $3000. Cosmetically it looks nice.

I have little experience with hybrids and zero experience with Ford hybrids. What should they look for?

I am assuming that the rust out the rear wheelwells by the shock towers like regular Escapes. It's not an every-vehicle thing but maybe 1 in 20 Escapes will get severe rot in the right rear like there was an assembly line error where seam sealer wasn't applied properly. The wheelwell braces/supports the shock mount so when it goes away the shock mount flaps in the breeze. If it hasn't happened to an '05 by now then it's not going to happen.

If the rear hatch hinges are corroded, they will eventually break the glass from pressure. Aluminum expands a lot when it turns into aluminum oxide.

Note, none of these have to do with the hybrid system itself, it's pretty solid and reliable. And the Escape Hybrids are inexpensive used, clean examples are under $10k. I think it'd be awesome to own one for the geek factor, although they still only get about 30mpg-ish. At $3k I'd be curious if it does have any pending issues or if the current owner is just spooked at the idea of a 150k+ hybrid and wants to unload it.

I feel like I saw a bunch of these as taxis last time I was in NYC. I figure if it'll survive abuse by cabbies, it ought to be just fine for a regular person.

szeis4cookie wrote: I feel like I saw a bunch of these as taxis last time I was in NYC. I figure if it'll survive abuse by cabbies, it ought to be just fine for a regular person.

I definitely saw the same thing.. and suspect the same so long as the batteries are decent.

Ok, thanks. I'll pass this along. I was mostly concerned about the reliability of the hybrid drive and putting my very non-mechanic sister in it.

Knurled wrote: At $3k I'd be curious if it does have any pending issues or if the current owner is just spooked at the idea of a 150k+ hybrid and wants to unload it.

The really scary part is that its on a used car lot for $3k. It has a clean title at least, but who knows what it went through.