dogo88

I've only had one oil change at 10,000 miles by the dealer and they filled it up. Dan

True. I've been doing all my own cars maintenance for over 40 years but it's getting harder to climb up from under the vehicle. ;)

Here's another option that I took. Go to www.flmowner.com and click on the Works. For $29.95 you get an oil change, tire rotation and multipoint inspection which they top off all fluids. You don't have to get dirty, or get under the car. The Walmart oil and filter cost is almost $20. So for another $10 you get all the rest and not dirty. Oh and the manual indicates oil interval to be 10,000 miles and that's what I follow. No reason to waste money. Dan

Well in all fairness when I was looking in mid March 09 there were some very slim picking available. Most dealers had none and those that would have had some all wanted list or more. So any savings would have been negated. I found one on Ebay that was asking 2k over list and you pick it up in Kansas. Plus at that time we were dealing with an entirely new vehicle that sounded great but still had to prove itself. And it's done that handsomely. Dan

"... It provides a similar look and driving experience as the non-hybrid Fusion, but because the price discrepancy between the two models is relatively slim (about $3,200), drivers are likely to break even with the money they save in gas within six years. ..." And let's not forget those that were able to get the tax credit. That's a dollar to dollar drop in the difference. If you were able to get the full tax credit, you can out ahead. Dan

"As much as possible I'd like to complete this process via e-mail and facsimile to avoid the whole face to face haggling process which some people thrive off. I'm just not wired that way." That's exactly the way I did it. Good luck. Dan

We got the Tricoat. It's a bit expensive as a $500 add on. It's held up great and looks great too. I've had no issues with it and is waxes up to a nice shine. Why did we get it? We wanted white, I didn't know there was a less expensive white. It is what was coming in first so we grabbed it. At that time the FFHs weren't on a dealers floor for very long. I knew what I wanted, so we basically bought it sight unseen. When we went to pick it up we were very pleased. The Trocolor White just glistens in the sun. No regrets. Also, the beauty of the Credit Union (to me) was I didn't have to haggle, or argue over price. It's the negotiated deal and if I want it, that's it. Could I have save some $ if I wanted to go to a couple of dealers and dicker? Yeah, probably, but my times valuable too. When we went to pick up the car, we had the CU check and the salesman had already worked through the paperwork stuff. So from the time we walked in to when we drove off was no more that 20 minutes. That was sweet. Dan

Google Sirius subscription problems and you will find a ton of folks that aren't happy. Seems once they get your credit card info it's almost impossible to cancel. And when you think they are canceled or you tell them and just let the card expire, they send you to collections. So yeah, no wonder they are going broke. Plus their rates are pretty given that most folks just listen to a couple of channels. Main reason I never renewed once the free period ended. Dan

Yup, should be. I'd just send them a copy of the purchase agreement with VIN. Dan

I can tell you what we did. In early March 09 we decided to get a FFH. I contacted my Credit Union which offers a free buying service and an interest reduction if you use it. They found a couple of FFHs with the dealer they do business with. Their price was $500 off sticker and considering at that time Ford was not getting anything off sticker and some dealers were in fact, raising the prices over sticker, we felt it was a good deal. We loved the car but weren't to fond of the two on the lot. The salesman told be they had an order for a white one with leather and the 501A package. They didn't know when it would get in. Within a day or two we decided to get that one. The Credit Union told the dealer we wanted it and we did not have to put down any deposit. The car finally came in at the mid/end of May 09. We picked it up and gave the dealer the check for the vehicle and drove off. After over 10,000 miles still love the car. Dan

Our accountant filed in early March too. We're not a business and we took delivery in may 2009. We were eligible for the $1700 credit. We got our refund in early April. Dan

Yup, you have to hold it a bit to end an existing call, but if you tap it twice on an incoming call it hang up on them. My son couldn't figure out why I kept on hanging up on him instead of answering the call. Dan

Yup, took me a couple of screw-ups to get it right. One tap to answer. If you do like I did and tap it a couple of times, since I figured it needed to be woken up, it hangs up on the caller. Dan

You do. The meter just reads less so you really don't run out when it shows it's on E. Combination safety factor and the fact that meters and actual measurements can be off. Dan

i was thinking about this today and you have a good point. If all these "improvements" end up in the FFH, what do they put in the MKZ? Dan

The hybrids are a step in the right direction, not the final solution. For me I traded in my 1999 Buick LeSabre which got a pretty good 17-20 mph around town for a FFH which gets a solid 35+ around town. I probably could get higher but sometimes you just got to step on the gas. My gas bill has been cut in half. As far as the batteries, They are almost 100% recyclable. So they don't end up in the dumps. People aren't going to be pulling out the batteries from the hybrids and throwing them away. Why would they? At battery change time you'll go to a dealer or a battery exchange place. China is cheap to make stuff there because their labor costs are dirt compared to ours. Plus, as far as battery production, their government offers much more incentives. We're just starting to realize that we need to invest in these "green" technologies. Dan

With some nice help from Toyota (poor quality and over priced product). Dan

just don't like it. The shark fin type looks much better. Dan

The antenna just plain sucks.

i think the ICE ia an Atkinson Cycle but not an Atkinson engine where the intake and exhaust valve openings are much longer. This results in a very narrow power band at a constant rpm. Here's a cutaway of the engine. Doesn't show it all but gives you a pretty nice perspective: http://alternativefuels.about.com/od/2008hybridvehicles/ig/2008-NY-Auto-Show---Hybrids/Ford-Hybrid-cutaway-inverter.htm Here's another link to a more detailed cutaway and it's comparison to the Escape: http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f13/introduction-ford-hybrids-20777/ Dan

Ah, didn't know dealers could opt out. I too bought mine from a dealer 30+ miles away but my local dealer is 2 miles away and does participate. I know I was going to do my own but when I tried to use my ramps thet were too high to drive up on and I didn't feel like jacking up the car. Then I tripped over the special and for me, it was a no brainer. I've been doing oil changes and basic car maintenance for over 40 years and it get harder and harder to climb under the cars. Dan

All correct, but Ford has coupons that make doing your own oil change much easier. If you sign up for Owner Advantage and go to www.genuineservice.com Ford offers the WORKS package after rebate it's $29.99. It includes oil and filter change, tire rotation and all fluids topped off. So for $29.99 - 11.50 = 18.49 you get the work done, Best $18.49 I ever spent. Dan

At 9500 miles mine just came on too. Oil change scheduled at the dealer for Friday. Dan

Well in my simple mind the way I looked at it is if you were driving 50 mph for 200 hours you would go 10,000 miles. Since I'm driving 10,000 miles before I change the oil and I'm not doing 50, in fact much less, a large part of my time is ICE off. Like idle time, waiting in traffic, bumper to bumper. I admit it a very rough calculation but works for me. Mainly because the dealers would have you changing the oil half the recommended time and the Jiffy Lube even sooner. Dan

The manual list for normal service oil change + filter - 12 months or 10,000 miles or 200 hours of ICE. Dan