Is this a good buy: Seeking Advice

[FordGuy23]

Hey all,

 

 

I've recently been in the market for a car, and found an awesome looking 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid with only 38,000 miles on it. It's selling for $8,500.00 and it looks like it's in great condition. Although I am REALLY interested in financing this car, I wanted to ask any veterans if I should dig deeper into a concern that I have. First off, the car has been at the same dealership for over two months, and on the market for three. I'm new to owning a hybrid (recently had to sell my 2004 Ford Escape that I bought from my neighbor), and so I'm not familiar with how the battery portion of the engine operates. Basically, I'm wondering if the age (9+ years) or lack of driving of the car may have not been charging the battery optimally, and if that's any cause for concern. The dealer promised he would give me a 6 month warranty on the battery, and stated that he would replace it if it failed in the first 6 months. However, I'm just trying to get a sense for the odds that I may need to replace the battery in 4 years because of its lack of mobility. Also, would replacing the engine even be an option in a few years since Ford is discontinuing the production of their Sedans? Or would it just make the process more expensive? I plan on getting the car inspected by a mechanic before buying, but also wanted to ask for any additional opinions before going over to test drive it.

 

I did a few free VIN searches on the vehicle which came back clean (other than needing an airbag recall), and the car truly does look great online. If I also find out that it has a well maintained service history, is the car a no-brainer at that price? Any thoughts on the matter are very appreciated.

 

 

Thanks,

Jake

[dogo88]

Jake,

Read through this thread in the forum:

 

http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/12638-wont-run-in-ev-mode-ice-kicks-in-immediately/

 

Good info on the current issue for the 2010 FFH and battery. If the dealer has made the software change to reset the battery age back to 0 or 1 year you may be in good shape. If the dealer has not or tells you it's not necessary then I would be very cautious. The other point of concern is the dealers response they would replace the battery if it failed within 6 months. The operative word here for me is "failed". Who determines what failed means? Won't go into EV mode due to battery degradation or just dies? Not staying in EV mode seems to be pretty common on these models, dying isn't.

 

There is a reason why it's not selling. Eventually you may find out what it is.

 

Dan

[murphy]

I bought a 2010 Fusion Hybrid in April of 2009 so it's possible that car is over 10 years old. I traded it in for a 2013 Fusion Energi in April of 2013. They "gave" me $12,000 on it in the trade.

 

The battery is supposed to last for the life of the car. The same is true for the engine and the electric motors.

 

The car doesn't have a starter motor or an alternator. One of the two electric motors is used to start the engine. The 12 volt battery is charged by a DC to DC converter running off of the high voltage battery (HVB). My memory tells me that the the high voltage is around 350 volts DC.

 

It's not mentioned in any of the documentation but I found that the rear seat backs could be folded down by using a long screwdriver. It's covered in the First Responder manual for the car.

 

Electric drive only works up to 47 mph. Above 47 mph the engine will be on all of the time. On level ground I could go about 1 mile using electric drive. The HVB is charged by regenerative braking and / or the engine. Instead of dissipating energy as heat in the brakes it is recovered and dumped into the HVB.

 

It is a good daily driver. There is a technique called "pulse and glide" where you use the engine to get up to speed and then back off of the accelerator pedal to let it switch to electric drive. This is only useful below 47 mph.

 

If you have the Monroney sticker for the car you will note that the mpg is higher for local driving than it is for high speed driving.

 

 

Preparation for the test drive.

 

The accelerator pedal is NOT connected to the engine. It is connected to the computer and tells the computer what you want. The computer determines what RPM the engine will run at if it is started at all. There will be no correlation between pedal position and engine sound (RPM).

 

Regenerative braking is on the brake pedal up to the point where the friction brakes start to engage.

 

Getting used to the pedals takes some time to learn how to get the best mpg.

 

Do the test drive and then come back and ask specific questions.

 

Oh! be prepared for a salesman that doesn't understand hybrid cars and wants to sell you a fully loaded Mustang or a monster SUV.

 

When I bought my Energi the salesman tried to convince me that I could only drive it 21 miles. That's the electric range of an Energi.

[Waldo]

I wouldn't be worried about any unique Hybrid issues because of the low mileage, as long as it drives properly. it's always a good idea when buying a used car to test drive several of them, even ones you know you don't want. That way you're better prepared to spot anything unusual.

 

$8500 isn't a great bargain for a 10 year old sedan that's been on the market for 3 months, even with the low mileage. I'd look for around $7000 if everything seems to be in good shape.

[ethermion]

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. $8500 is definitely not a bargain. $7000 maybe, but still a stretch in my mind.

 

For that money, for a car that old (when I was a youngster, a 10 year old car was scrap metal), I would have a mechanic give it a peek. And, if it were me, I would take a look-see at 2013+ models. Probably in a similar price range, and have meaningfully superior battery technology.

[lolder]

It's hard to get a mile of EV range. Typically at 30 mph the car will cycle between EV and ICE about every 1/2 mile. The HVB cycles between about 1/3 and 1/2 charge. 1/2 charge is the normal max. It can be seen in the "Empower" dash display mode. There are 4 modes that are selectable in the menus accessed by pressing the proper buttons on the left of the steering wheel. If the HVB age software has been reset as mentioned above and the EV cycles on and off properly, it's probably OK. Other maintenance issues have been O2 sensors and electric vacuum pumps at high mileage. Make sure you get all the paperwork including the "Hybrid Quick Reference Guide" and the "Owners Guide" and read them thoroughly twice cover to cover. If they aren't in the car they may be available on-line.