Anybody have a Ford Escape or Chevy Cruze? Do you like it?....

[tvguy]

The reason I bought the Subaru over the Chevy or Ford was because of greater reliability. The Forester's reliability ratings were much better.

That rating is for "intial"quality. As a lot of Subaru owners find, long term they can have issues. My mechanic's only comment is that a lot of things that commonly need service on a Subaru are hidden and take a lot of labor to fix.

 

[barkley]

Most of the Escapes we looked at already have a little rust on them. But it does sound like a good idea, especially for Wisconsin!

we haven't had any problems with rust on either of ours (or our 3rd ford vehicle) despite driving on one for as many as 9 snowy winters (and the stuff they put on the roads for the snow is nasty)-might be b/c we periodically take them through a carwash during the winter just to get the undercarriages cleaned off.

if you're in cold weather I can highly recommend the escapes that have heated front seats-a blessing in the winters (and helpful during other times of the year when transporting a pizza home on the passenger seat).

 

[sksjasams]

OP, here is a good link for you - it has two lists of safe cars for teens. You can also click on the RATINGS tab and look up any vehicle.
http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicles-for-teens

 

[HM]

We had a Chevy Cruze from the year it was first offered. All four drivers in our family loved that car.
Unfortunately, my son was in a one-car accident and totalled it. He wasn't hurt, which is a plus for the car, I'd say. We might have replaced with the same car, but he needed more space so we went with a Jeep Patriot. (DD drives one too).

 

[SharonZ]

I have the Escape, and love it. I have always driven an Explorer in the past, but decided since I was single and had no children it didn't make sense to have the bigger vehicle. I've not had any issues with the last 10 Ford vehicles that I've owned.

 

[DOREEN1779]

My husband has a 2002 V6. The car, other than recalls, has never had an issue. The thing is a work horse. My parents have a 2016 and love it! I would have bought one but we opted for the Explorer for the third row seating.

 

[brennicksmom]

My son drives a 2001 Ford Escape. It is great for him. Except on by one we have been having to replace something that has to do with the spark plugs, at $125 each. The repair guy we have said that eventually they will all go, we have done 2 so far.
My hubby has a 2015 Chevy Cruze. It's a great little car for him as he drives 100 miles round trip for work and the gas mileage is great. It is not a great family car with bigger kids. Our 14 and 17 year old hardly fit in the back seat. Also the oil changes are CRAZY EXPENSIVE!

 

[Shmily1]

My oil changes are cheaper on my Cruze. I take it to a dealership nearby (not the one it came from originally) and get it for around $37. Do you have synthetic oil in yours? If so, that's what's making it so expensive.

 

[brennicksmom]

My oil changes are cheaper on my Cruze. I take it to a dealership nearby (not the one it came from originally) and get it for around $37. Do you have synthetic oil in yours? If so, that's what's making it so expensive.

Yes, it's synthetic oil. My husband still has one or two more free from the dealership. Everywhere around here charges about $60 for the oil changes. I dread paying that each time.

 

[Shmily1]

Yes, it's synthetic oil. My husband still has one or two more free from the dealership. Everywhere around here charges about $60 for the oil changes. I dread paying that each time.

DH gets that in his truck and it is very expensive. Not so much for regular oil in the Cruze though.

 

[tvguy]

Yes, it's synthetic oil. My husband still has one or two more free from the dealership. Everywhere around here charges about $60 for the oil changes. I dread paying that each time.

That's a little steep. According to the Chevy dealer website they charge $29.95 for an oil change, $39.95 for synthetic blend, and $49.95 for full synthetic.

 

[Northernlites]

We have a 2009 Ford Escape, original owners, no issues except every Ford escape for 2009 has rust over the rear passenger side wheel cover. Just look the next time you are at a light. I mentioned this to a friend of mine and he said some one should start a class action lawsuit. We have rust just starting.

 

[bobcat]

I have a 2011 escape and I love it. Someone mentioned the 4 ltr engines have trouble and that's true. My other half is a Ford Master Tech and we are swapping the motor on mine now at 160,000 miles rather than rebuild the engine. Get an extended warranty that will cover it.

 

[tvguy]

I have a 2011 escape and I love it. Someone mentioned the 4 ltr engines have trouble and that's true. My other half is a Ford Master Tech and we are swapping the motor on mine now at 160,000 miles rather than rebuild the engine. Get an extended warranty that will cover it.

Not aware of any extended warranties that will cover a car for 160,000 miles, that's good life.

 

[traces7]

OP, here is a good link for you - it has two lists of safe cars for teens. You can also click on the RATINGS tab and look up any vehicle.
http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicles-for-teens

Thanks for the link! Think we may be switching our plans of an Escape or Cruze. We found a Chevy Malibu in our price range that we may get. But thanks for all the advice everyone!

 

[brennicksmom]

That's a little steep. According to the Chevy dealer website they charge $29.95 for an oil change, $39.95 for synthetic blend, and $49.95 for full synthetic.

Unfortunately the dealer is about 30 minutes away from our house, so it saves money, but isn't convenient.

 

[tvguy]

Unfortunately the dealer is about 30 minutes away from our house, so it saves money, but isn't convenient.

You don't any any quick lube places closer? They tend to be even cheaper.

 

[angierae]

I have a 2014 Cruze and I'm super happy with it. It's comfortable, it feels a lot bigger inside than it is, it gets great gas mileage, I love having the handsfree bluetooth for my phone, etc etc. I've got 50k miles on it and I've never had to do anything other than change the oil and routine maintenance.

 

[bigbabyblues]

I would check with your insurance company and find out how much insurance will be for each of them.