Should I buy a 2013 Ford Fusion? How reliable are they?
I currently own a 2001 Honda Civic LX (130,000 miles) I got offered $2,200 for the car. My cousin is selling her 2013 Ford Fusions SE for $7,500. The fusion has 47,000 miles, but it is salvaged. The original owner got hit on the back left door. I'm afraid of buying a salvage car, and the reviews for the fusion are not the best. The reliability of the fusion is 2/5. Depending on what website you do your research on, people will say they are good cars while others say they are horrible and to stay away.
No
First off, you could get nearly $3k for your 2001 if it is in good shape.
Secondly, a base model 2013 Ford Fusion (what's your cousin's trim level?) in good condition with 47k miles has a current market value of well over $9,000. However, the fact the Ford has been deemed salvaged decreases its value as much has $2k. Even with that said your cousin is asking a fair price, but don't pay more than $7k even.
The big question to your cousin would be what were the circumstances which tagged the vehicle as salvaged. Do you/she know what damage occurred? And weather the damage was significant? That bit of information is a must if you wish to consider purchase.
Fusions have chronic transmission trouble that Ford has never managed to work out a repair on. Honda's of that vintage also suffered chronic transmission failure around 30,000 miles and that's pretty consistent. Honda recalled it and extended the warranty, but that only got you one repair that lasted you another 30,000 miles. Look for a Honda '06 or later, or a Toyota. Leave that Fusion to be somebody else's problem.
FORD = Found On Road Dead, and Fix Or Repair Daily.
All joking aside, that's a really good price for the mileage and the Fusion isn't that unreliable. The big question is how badly was it damaged in the accident? With a salvage title, it probably had to be pretty bad. If it drives fine with no unusual vibrations and the tire wear isn't abnormal, and the repair is undetectable and paintwork as good as factory, then it's probably worth taking a chance. It gets a high safety rating so is one of the cheaper vehicles to insure for a young driver, and it gets pretty good gas mileage, so the overall cost of ownership makes the Fusion a decent choice. Just be sure to get it inspected before you hand over any money so there are no surprises, even if it costs you $100 or so to do that. When you look around and see what else you can get for $7,500 you ought to be able to make up your mind. A Civic it's not, but if you don't plan on keeping it more than 3 years or so, it's a viable option.
Stick with the Honda.
Check out these websites:
CarComplaints.com
And
Edmunds.com/tco.html
The last time I checked out the difference between an older Honda and newer Ford car the Honda was actually the better car mainly due to transmission failures in the Fords and cheaper maintenance than the Fords.
Also last months issue of Consumer Reports said the Ford cars are currently the worst used car choice. Hondas came in much better although it didn't go back as far as 2001.
Stay away from salvaged cars. There are thousands of used cars in very good condition.
I could get that Honda to got 300,000 miles. But you do what you want.
Keep driving the Honda until it develops a problem not worth fixing(trans is starting to go, blown head gasket, etc). 130,000 isn't that much for a Honda. I know someone with a 1990 civic and someone with a 1993 and they are both over 300,000 miles and have had no major issues.
2200 is a pretty good offer. You do probably want to get out of that car but a salvaged fusion isn't the way to go. Your Honda will eventually need some expensive maintenance done such as timing belt, coil replacements, etc. The air conditioning, radio, cd player will eventually stop working, so it would be best to get rid of it soon, before that happens. Once a car hits 130,000 it is all down hill. Some will say you can push it to 300,000 but if you are doing proper maintenance for the amount of mileage, you are just wasting your money. You should be able to get to 150000 without much trouble though.
Never buy a salvaged car. I can't believe a family member would offer to sell you a car that has previously been completely destroyed. They are looking for a way to stick their obligation on you.
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