I promise I’ll get to the cars, but first a word about drums and differences.
I’m currently playing drums in a granddad band. I own enough parts and pieces to make up almost 3 full kits and I mix and match as needed. My favorite set up is a little 18″ kick, 10″ mounted tom, 13″ floor tom and 13″ snare. It’s small enough that I can fit into our 10′ x 12′ rehearsal space (spare bedroom) or coffee house stage. I can go even smaller if I substitute cajon with a foot pedal. For sure it’s a different look. It doesn’t have a huge sound, but it works and it’s easy to haul around. But enough about drums, I’m just setting the stage here.
So don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I knock it
It’s just because I’m not in the market
I’ve always loved that rhyme – knock it…market. Michael Nesmith might have resented his fame as a Monkee, but you can’t fault him for Different Drum, it’s a great song. And speaking of markets, I’ve just finished the process of buying my next car. As a long time CC subscriber and very occasional contributor, I suspect I’m not alone in my interest for the less-than-loved automotive design. For me this often extends into ownership. I’ve always been attracted to the orpans and peculiar design choices of the auto world. If it’s popular, chances are I will take a pass. This might have taken root back in 1965 when my Uncle Floyd came home with a Saab 96 2 stroke. I had never seen one before, but I was fascinated by it.
I’m in the process of replacing my 2018 F150 after four years of ownership. Obviously the F150 doesn’t fit with my lead in, you can’t get much more conventional than this. But to my credit, I own the less popular SuperCab, not a SuperCrew. I bought it to haul our Escape 5th wheel and it’s been great. But next year we plan to sell the trailer, so we will no longer need a truck. Oh, and the FORD grill? The original was cracked and it was cheaper to replace it with this $120 piece from Ebay than the OEM part at $400 plus.
You might question pulling a 5th wheel with an F150, especially as equiped with the 2.7 L Ecoboost. Not to worry, the Escape is just 21′ long with a dry weight of 4,500 lbs. They are made in Chilliwack, BC and are sold factory direct, no dealers. They will reach out to me if a prospective buyer from the Twin Cities area asks to see one. Escape pays me a small amount if the showing results in a sale. Raise your hand if you’ve ever seen one. They are pretty rare, especially east of the Mississippi.
I thought about all of this yesterday on my morning walk. My typical process for deciding what kind of vehicle to buy next starts with thinking about used cars that have caught my eye. Not unusual right? Except I’m drawn to models with design quirks that have resulted in low sales. Once I decide on the car I want, I start combing the online resources and record possible candidates in a spreadsheet. When Maggie sees the spreadsheet she knows things are getting serious.
Here’s an example of quirky. We were looking for a car to replace my wife Maggie’s 2006 PT Cruiser back in 2012. She wanted something small and quick. We tried a Mini, she hated the pie plate center instrument pod thing. Then I suggested a Volvo V40 wagon. We went to the Volvo dealer only to find out they had stopped production, but what’s this cute little thing? We learned that Volvo had announced they were killing the C30 as well, but the dealer had one on the lot and they were very motivated to sell. I think Volvo sold fewer than 300 month in the US their last year here. This was our entry into camping, the Volvo was rated for towing up to 2,000 lbs and easily handled our teardrop.
We replaced the Volvo in 2018 with a new 2017 Ford C-Max we found languishing on a dealer’s lot. Reviewers wanted to compare it to a Prius, a very different car. Yes, they are both small hybrids, but if you’ve driven both, you know they were going after very different customers. Ford pulled the plug in 2017 after 5 years of declining sales and we got ourselves a really nice car at a deep discount. We still have it, Maggie says it’s the best car she’s ever owned. These poor reviews create a market opportunity as folks can’t see past the reviews and dealers drop prices to move their inventory. Which leads me to the car that will be replacing the F150…
Yes, the much maligned Ford Ecosport is at the top of my list. I first encountered one at the Ford dealer when we were servicing the C-Max and I really liked the look. Edward Snitkoff did a nice writeup on these back in 2018 that pretty well captured Ford’s challenge with this model. Watching the reviews on YouTube would lead you to believe this might be the worst CUV ever made. They talk about the lousy combined 29 MPG and the weak 2.0 L engine with just 166 hp, pathetic. They mock the side opening tailgate (hello, Toyota had that with the RAV4 for the first two generations). They hate the lack of knee room in the back seat and complain about the proportions; too tall and too narrow. And what’s with pronouncing it echosport when it’s spelled ecosport. Okay, I’ll give them that last point. I’m not sure what happened in the marketing meeting, but nobody pronouces it echosport. Ford threw in the towel at the end of the 2022 model year.
The size is a non issue for us, I’m all of 5’5″ and Maggie is just 5’1″. And if you know you need to open the hatch, you park appropriately. Actually, the narrow width works to our advantage as we park in a 4 story parking garage adjacent to our condo. I can’t tell you how many folks who live here have scraped the side of their cars going down the ramp.
Since the Ecosport was such an abject failure, I’m finding a fair number of newer, low mileage examples around. The AWD SE is the sweet spot and most common, priced well under $20,000 for a 2022 model. I will admit that I hadn’t actually driven one until a couple of days ago and this whole deal could have fallen apart with the first drive. I found a 2022 nearby with just 12,000 miles. This one was pretty representative of what I was looking for: SE trim or higher, AWD, convenience package with 8″ display. Going with the AWD automatically gets you the 2.0 L and not the trouble prone 1.0 L, 3 cylinder turbo. The car handled nicely with quick, well damped steering and a tight turning radius. Power was just adequate, but I suspect the 6 speed transmission was the issue, it didn’t like to downshift. Visibility was great, something that’s critical in a city full of pedestrians and bikers. This one might have made the cut except for a tiny bit of damage in the front, so I kept looking.
In reflecting on the interior, I thought Ford had done a good job for such a small car. The seats, while cloth, have a nice patterned texture to them and they are heated. Driver’s side is powered with the convenience package and the 8″ display is positioned well for viewing and access while driving. The steering wheel tilts and telescopes so I was able to get comfortably situated for my test. My only really issue is the tiny wheels. Standard on the SE are 16″ with 60 series rubber. The SES and Titanium come with 17″ 50 series, so the same diameter, leaving a very large, unoccupied wheel well. Note to self, consider upsizing the tires slightly when the time comes.
Yesterday the testing began in earnest. Using CARFAX’s Used Car search tool, I narrowed my prospects down to two, one in Zumbrota and one in Austin. After verifying these cars were both available, I started the 210 mile loop, stopping first at Zumbrota Ford. They were offering a blue 2021 in SES trim with about 26,000 miles. The walk around was promising with no dings or scratches. The tires would need replacing soon, but otherwise all was good. Inside I spotted just a little bit of wear on the seats, nothing alarming. The dealer was in the minority in not posting the asking price online. They wanted to play the old school game which, frankly, turned me off. I had asked in my email and again when I arrived what the ask was. The salesman responded with “what would you be willing to offer?” I suggested a price I might be willing to pay, which they ultimately accepted. I don’t need to get the lowest price, I just need to feel good about the deal I’m doing and this tactic turns me off.
The car itself was fine and I came close to pulling the trigger, but the combination of that blue paint with the black wheels just wasn’t working for me. In black, those wheels almost dissappear into those wheel wells. The Ecosport is already too tall and this combination made it look like it was standing on tippy toes. I told the salesman I needed to see one more car and headed for Austin, home of Hormel Foods and Spam.
Prospect number 2 was a gray 2022 in SE trim, also with about 26,000 miles at Austin Ford. This one had just about every available option and was in pristine condition. The previous owner had also added paint protection and undercoating. It was locally owned and serviced, not a lease return. The owner traded it for a truck, kind of ironic I guess. We took it for a test drive around Austin and I practiced my acceleration skills. The salesman from a few days earlier had suggested that there was a bit of a trick to coaxing it to shift faster. He said as I was accelerating, let up on the gas for just a second then hit it again. It seemed to work but I might just be imagining that. All three cars were fairly quiet and poised on the highway. I didn’t sense the short wheelbase hop some reviewers suggested was there. Those 17″ silver wheels seemed to at least give the appearance there was something in the wheel wells.
This car even came with the optional orange trim. It actually looks better in person than in photos. It almost matches the trim on my coral colored Pixel 7A, so it must be a sign. As we headed back to the shop I was already sure this was the one. Buying a 2022 would also give me an extra year on the power train warranty over 2021. Back at the dealer they asked what I thought and I told them I liked the car, but suggested they might drop the price by $900, which would match the other car, to which they politely declined. The asking price was about $1,200 under the low end of the KBB retail value, so it felt like a reasonable price. I told them I wanted to talk it over with my wife and hit the road. She was in Chicago for the weekend, but we connected to discuss and agreed this was a fair deal for the right car. I called the dealer back a couple hours later, just before closing time, and gave them a deposit.
We’ll keep the F150 through next summer for one more season of camping out west, then we’ll put both the truck and the camper up for sale. Fiberglass campers have traditionally held their value, so I expect to get close to what we paid for it when we sell. I’m not sure about the truck, it’ll have over 100,000 miles by then and it has the 2.7 L turbo. A lot of folks still don’t trust these smaller, turbo charged engines. I may just sell it to a dealer and take the loss. We’re looking forward to bringing the Ecoboost home next week. Maggie did not like driving the truck in the city but she’ll be fine driving this.
I too like these. I’ve seen one with the optional ourside spare that seems popular overseas.
Six speed, 2.0, AWD….good choice for our future
I endorse the idea of buying an unpopular or discontinued vehicle, since I have 2 Ford Focii myself.
Speaking of Focii I thought the Ecosport might be based on the Focus platform but it’s based on the Fiesta platform. Should have known that, one of my co-workers has an Ecosport and on seeing it I noted how small it is.
Good luck with your new vehicle!
Good luck with the new ride!
We have been shopping also, and are picking it up Monday. While shopping, a salesman asked the same question you were asked about what we wanted to pay. We were looking at new, but I responded by saying $15k. He said that was used car territory. I said I knew that but he asked what I wanted to pay. He got a bit better afterwards.
Don’t worry about the 2.7 and high mileage. There are several in fleet use where I work, all having over 200k and are still going strong. I know of one that has had only two primary drivers and another has been passed around like a Thanksgiving turkey and neither have had problems.
Good find and solid rationale, congrats.
I think the Ecosport is a good case study in the concept of “there are no bad cars anymore”. Objectively, there’s nothing wrong with it if you aren’t power-hungry, and it has some distinct advantages that you point out. If it meets reliability goals, then it’s a good car.
Part of the problem when these were new was the asking price. KBB on your two-year old Ecosport is about $16,000 retail. Inflation-adjusted, it carried a new MSRP closer to 30 grand. That’s a tough sell. I think magazine people were also ticked off that the Fiesta and Focus, both of which were less expensive and more fun to drive, were killed off and replaced by this.
Two weekends ago my wife and I met up with her brother and wife for a week at a rented house. They were up for week from Florida. Their daughter gave them her car for week. This exact model Ford to boot. We drove all over the place in crowded CT. I very surprised how comfortable it was and light on gas use. Never gave them much attention before. A pleasant surprise. Good on the interstate and in crowded urban settings. Decent choice.
So weird to see these in the US! They were developed in Brazil and were a success there. I think those for the US were built in India.
Thanks for the interesting writeup, with mentions of two cars this Ford Guy has a soft spot for: the C-Max and Ecosport. When we purchased a few years ago the Escape was a better match for our hauling needs, but the other two were tempting, and there appear to be many satisfied customers in the U.S.—-though there are indeed some good deals to be had on both nowadays.
Here’s hoping your Ecosport works out well (for both drivers) long-term!
Yes, the wheels do tend to look undersized on these, in a retro sort of way. In fact they’re kind of an update on the original CUVs like the CRV and Rav4 back in the day, right down to the spare tire out back. It also reminds me of our Chevy Tracker; this Ecosport was really the last truly compact SUV.
I agree on the look of the black wheels and how they seem way too small. I am another who has gravitated to less popular older cars. That can be a problem when you sell, but if you keep it long enough it won’t be much of an issue.
A friend owned a C-Max for several years and really liked it.
That big back door seems like it would mis align with age . The weight, the hinges, the combination.
I must confess I struggle with the proportions, in particular the tire diameter and wheelwells. I normally like blue with black wheels … when I put larger steelies on my blue ‘86 Ranger I painted them black … but I agree it looks much better withe silver 17’s. As for the car itself, it’s a slightly more capacious 4 door Fiesta. As the owner long ago of an original 1978 Fiesta, which while it was a 2 door the boxy 70’s Euro Ford styling and huge hatch gave it lots of room for its size; so in that context the Ecosport makes a lot of sense. Which of course is why we Americans didn’t buy them. Bay the way, though I do say that my van has an Eeko-boost engine, I also say eh-cology, so I’m fine with either Eekosport or Echosport.