I am looking at a 2007 escapee hybrid for my 16 year old son.

I wanted to get him something all wheel drive
I wanted to get him something safe
I wanted to get him a SUV
and
I wanted to get him something economical

So I started researching and I came across the escape hybrid Seems to match all of my criterion above. Having said that the only thing I won't budge on from my list is safety.

So... Found 2 of them on Craigs List both 2007 both asking $6,900 one has $113K miles and the other has $89K miles.

It seems like a lot of money for a car with that much miles. Am I crazy.

I also looked at non hybrids and Jeep Grand Cherokees and LIbertys that I can get for closer to my budget which is $5K - (Started at 3k)

Just wanted to get your thoughts on maintenance, longevity etc.

One other fact. My son is the oldest of 3 boys. My plan would be for this car to last for my now 14 year old and then even 11 year old.

Advice? Thoughts?

Lastly..... when I go to look at these cars, is there anything specific I need to check out?

 

YES... for that many miles! I've got a 2006 with only 65,000 miles that I am selling for $7500 in immaculate condition. I can't believe the people trying to get $7000 for over 100,000 miles and no battery warranty!

 

Hate to be a bit of a wet blanket, but...

If safety is a primary concern, I have to question buying an suv to begin with. Though they have more mass than equivalent cars, they're also much more prone to rollovers. A Pris or Camry Hybrid might be a better idea.

Adding to this risk in the case of a 2007 Escape Hybrid, is that the Escape Hybrid did not get stability control until the 2009 model. Stability control is very effective in protecting suv's from rollovers.

 

Speaking from experience, a teenager's first car should be considered a throw away. $3k or less sounds about right. Something around 10 years or less old and was manufactured in the gazillions. Something with 4 doors, a full metal roof (no sunroofs), 2 liter 4 cylinder engine. Something with a manual shift if you and others in your household know how to drive one. Nothing with all wheel drive or 4 wheel drive (front wheel drive is adequate and better than rear wheel drive). American first then Japanese. Nothing European. Save the rest of your $7k for sons insurance and repairs. Check out the cost of insurance for that car before you buy it for your son. Lastly, if you don't work on cars or don't have a relative who does, find an honest mechanic.


Remember this adage: "the cheapest car to own is the one you already have." Maybe your current family sedan fits the bill.


If the young man knows how to work on cars or wants to learn then let him decide what he wants and help him spend your $3k.


Just my opinion, having survived 2 sons learning to drive, and they both survived as did I.


Best of luck.

 

As to safety...I gave my '06 FEH to one teenage son a couple of years ago, who is now driving it in college. He managed to put it in the trees in one accident, caused minor damage to the front hood. A year later got clipped by someone cutting across lanes, damaging the front bumper. Neither accident triggered air bag deployment and safe and sound is he. That was one and two years ago respectively. The FEH today with 230,000 miles is still being driven to college, dents and all. The AC is weak, the interior coverings on the door side panels have all come off and we stick'm back on as best we can. Nav /radio display is gone, though radio still works, one of the door handles won't work from the outside. Still that car starts up and other than having to replace the battery cooling pump a few years back, has performed exceptionally reliably. I keep waiting for The Call one day that something bad blew up but I think we might get another 20-30 thousand out of it.

As to cost .. We did get The Call on another family hand me down car given to another one of our other kids in college.. kid forgot to check coolant, kept driving it after it overheated and "blew" the engine up (cracked heads, block etc) in it, so kid and I were recently in the market for a replacement. Best way to get a feel for whats out there and what a few thousand bucks will bring or not bring is go on auto trader and do a search for something like cars with less than 100,000 miles and less than 8 years old. Best I could find was a 07 Aveo in good shape for 3400. Actually spent close to 4K, there was no info on how old the timing belt was, so we had it changed as preventative maintenance (and good thing too the belt and water pump were shot and had few miles left in them).

[Just a side not, not sure how many hybrid cars this applies to - alot of eco four bangers having timing belts not chains, that can break at 40-100K miles. Unfortunately alot of the engines they are in are what are called interference engines, meaning the open valves and pistons occupy the same space while running, what keeps them from slamming into each other is correct engine timing. If the belt which keeps things in time breaks while its running, major engine damage can result. When buying an older car, finding out if it has a timing belt rather than a chain and if its an interference engine is pretty important... the 06 FEH uses a timing chain BTW]

So basically, to get something economical, reliable, in decent shape, under 100,000 miles and constructed alot later than the Internet was, expect to spend about $4K. Now if you restrict that to hybrids only, well I did not see a one for sale in that price range with lower mileage and less ancient vintage. I guess we all got pretty decent cars and resale value is reflected accordingly.

 

I like low miles but to me maintenance is more important. I'd buy a car with 150K that has had all schedule and preventative maintenance before I buy a car with 90K that has just had oil changes. There can be a lot of small issues like ball joints, shocks, radiator, CV joints that will need replacement.


As far as the OP question I don't think spending 6K on a hybrid for your son is a bad thing. Getting him something economical and reliable is a good start.

 

These things can pack on miles... In San Francisco and New York they used them as cabs for a while and retire them sometimes at 300k miles and still running fine. So 100k is nothing on these. I just paid $6k last year for an 06 with 90k and it was a deal at cost.

The resell value really depends on your location too. In southern CA used hybrids are in demand and harder to find. I bought mine in WI and drive it out here and could pretty much sell it for $7k out here.

If you are in a snowy area check the wheel wells and undercarriage for rust though...

 

Totally agree with these comments, although you can't go wrong with this purchase as far as a reliable car. That vehicle would sell for at least $1000 more than that in my area. You can't touch a "running" FEH in the Seattle area for less than $5000, no matter how many miles it has on it. The secret is out... These cars go and go with very few problems.

We've been through 3 teenagers now. They beat the crap out of cars, unintentionally most of the time. Stuff just happens to them due to inexperience. My oldest daughter is 21 and I still wouldn't want her driving my cars. She's banged up 3 so far - All minor stuff but still, her cars end up looking like fugitives from a Walmart parking lot at best. I'm really hoping the FEH I found for her will be her first long term driver without any war wounds!

 

Batteries are simply not an issue. I've never heard of a battery failure under 200K mi. and if you research "hybrid battery reconditioning" you'll find a lot of information suggesting that the batteries rarely, if ever, fail; they just get out of calibration badly enough that they need to be reconditioned to go again.

Your car (very sharp colors!) is worth 10K at least in my area.