Suggest me in buying used Ford Fusion

[manne]

To day I have seen a ford fusion for one of my friend ho is intrested in buying one.Please suggest what checks should I do to avoid surprise spending later.

Model : Ford Fusion +
MonYear: Sep05
KM driven: 42000
Ownership: Single

First Test drive Experience : Good but little bit rattling in the rear.
I heard Hyraulic steering problem in 2005 model.Is it true?
Please share your ownership experience and Spareparts availability/Cost in Hyderabad
Is it a good buy @ 3.4 Lakhs??If not what could be best price?

[gaurav.skoda]

i would go for a fabia instead

[shankar.balan]

Fusion is a good vehicle but in all probability it is going out of production quite soon in which case spare parts could be a pain and definitely its re-sale/ residual value will take a beating. It never had a very high re-sale value to start with so you can imagine.

For similar space and comfort + reliability + residual value it might be sensible for you to consider an used Hyundai Getz instead.

[ampere]

I agree with what shankar.balan mentioned. I have 2005 fusion. Have not seen any hydraulic steering problem. But I guess there is no point in buying a used Fusion, unless you really like it for its practicality.

I am saying this in-spite of owning a Fusion+ and being satisfied with it for 4.5 years. If Ford stops production of Fusion, you will have trouble getting spares. Although many spares may also be shared with Fiesta (Others may correct me if I am wrong), but yet it will be a difficult proposition.

Look for a different vehicle. But having said that even I am struggling to find a replacement for my Fusion, as no other car gives me the clearance and high seating position, which Fusion provides.

[beejay]

It would be a safer bet to go for the Getz as shankar.balan has mentioned.
You could also consider the Swift. There should be very little surprise spending on this.

[shankar.balan]

the only few vehicles which might give one the same high GC and SUV like stance are the new breed of crossovers like the Fiat Sedici/ SX4 Hatch, Daihatsu Terios and others which are mentioned in that crossover thread.

Unfortunately these are not available in India yet. Skoda Yeti when it gets launched may be one more option but will have to be evaluated once it comes in.

Used cars - unfortunately the only vehicles that are comparable with the Fusion in some manner are 1; Getz (which is good), 2; Fiat Adventure (which also is now phased out and would be dicey to buy) 3; Used Chevy Forester which is petrol driven, is quite a gas guzzler and has the same problem of having been phased out already plus non availability and high cost of parts, 4; Tata Indigo Marina - which could, at a pinch be considered because it is a pretty functional vehicle, all things considered, though there are likely to be some niggles here and there plus overall image issues etc and 5; a newer Fusion+ - however we ve just been discussing why the Fusion per se is not the best buy around.

this segment is one of growing importance for small/ medium families who like / want/ need a station wagon - and I do believe we will see some action in this segment in the coming 2 or 3 years when all the manufacturers will rush to plug the hole that currently exists in this segment! (I am also keenly watching this segment since it interests me greatly.)

Originally Posted by ampere

I agree with what shankar.balan mentioned. I have 2005 fusion. Have not seen any hydraulic steering problem. But I guess there is no point in buying a used Fusion, unless you really like it for its practicality.

I am saying this in-spite of owning a Fusion+ and being satisfied with it for 4.5 years. If Ford stops production of Fusion, you will have trouble getting spares. Although many spares may also be shared with Fiesta (Others may correct me if I am wrong), but yet it will be a difficult proposition.

Look for a different vehicle. But having said that even I am struggling to find a replacement for my Fusion, as no other car gives me the clearance and high seating position, which Fusion provides.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by manne

I heard Hyraulic steering problem in 2005 model.Is it true?
Please share your ownership experience and Spareparts availability/Cost in Hyderabad
Is it a good buy @ 3.4 Lakhs??If not what could be best price?

I own a 2005 FF+. Couple of Ford guys are coming to my office today to check out the Hydraulics issue. This problem seems to be there in one of the 2005 batch. It seems like Ford is actively checking out each vehicles for this issue. If the problem is there with the car then they will replace the faulty parts free of cost.

About the availability of spare parts, lots of FF parts are shared between Fiesta so they are easily available. But the Fusion specific spare parts may take max 1-2 weeks to arrive, as they order it on demand from their Chennai hub. The Quality of Service at Hyderabad is just average, I had better servicing experience from Ford A** from outside Hyd. Any way the service experience is better than what it used to be 1 year back.

Please remember that FF is still in production and not yet discontinued.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

the only few vehicles which might give one the same high GC and SUV like stance are the new breed of crossovers like the Fiat Sedici/ SX4 Hatch, Daihatsu Terios and others which are mentioned in that crossover thread.

Unfortunately these are not available in India yet. Skoda Yeti when it gets launched may be one more option but will have to be evaluated once it comes in.

Used cars - unfortunately the only vehicles that are comparable with the Fusion in some manner are 1; Getz (which is good), 2; Fiat Adventure (which also is now phased out and would be dicey to buy) 3; Used Chevy Forester which is petrol driven, is quite a gas guzzler and has the same problem of having been phased out already plus non availability and high cost of parts, 4; Tata Indigo Marina - which could, at a pinch be considered because it is a pretty functional vehicle, all things considered, though there are likely to be some niggles here and there plus overall image issues etc and 5; a newer Fusion+ - however we ve just been discussing why the Fusion per se is not the best buy around.

this segment is one of growing importance for small/ medium families who like / want/ need a station wagon - and I do believe we will see some action in this segment in the coming 2 or 3 years when all the manufacturers will rush to plug the hole that currently exists in this segment! (I am also keenly watching this segment since it interests me greatly.)

Even I was waiting for the Yeti. All depends on its pricing and the Skoda after sales, which is playing a huge part on my mind.

But still I have I hopes on the vehicle.