My transmission problem story V6 2006 SE

[jcnieves]

Hi Fusion fans.

 

I bought my SE V6 2006 Fusion pre owned back in march this year (2010). During 6 months it was just heaven, but recently my wife got stoped in the traffic due to the car didn't move any more, just accelerated the engine like in neutral and the service light showed up.

 

I assumed the transmission had problems since the car started working again slowly later and worked 'fine' after that, with some slips and kicks on reverse and so

 

I got the car to some transmission specialists (two, because I didnt believe the first mechanic version) and they told me my transmission had a 4th gear problem and I would need to repair the whole transmission. The price for the repair was quoted from 1800 to 3000 dollars !! And buying a new transmission would cost about 6500 !!! :censored:

 

I decided to get the car to the second mechanic and he told me the transmission 'control' was the problem, not the transmission, but the repair of that would cost about 1400, and actually the problem maybe would dissapear just with a simple transmission tunning (oil change, since FORD never changed it, its not part of the service programs for that milage). And we did that, 140 dollars for the oil change and the car performed like a charm, with no issues nor engine service light.

 

Later I realized, by reading forums and this web site, that the Fusion 2006 has a transmission issue and sooner or later it would destroy itself. That scared the sh.t out of me. I don't want to pay a 6500 replacement or 3000 repair. The car is out of warranty and looks like the previous owner didn't hear the recall!!

 

What I did was get the Fusion to the FORD and sell it to them to get a new one :headspin: and they told me the Fusion didn't have any problem (yet) and they were happy by buying the car, at a very low price of course, but I didn't care.

 

I'm getting my new Fusion SE FWD (ST here in Mexico) in two days, and what I would do in the future is not getting a used car if the transmission is automatic. You never know if the previous owner took care of it properly and the repair for that is crazy!! :rant:

[fusionff]

You never know if the previous owner took care of it properly and the repair for that is crazy!! :rant:

 

That goes for any vehicle, not only the Fusion. That is why I will never buy any used vehicles!

[xmech2k]

2nd!

[juice]

That goes for any vehicle, not only the Fusion. That is why I will never buy any used vehicles!

 

True that!!! I always buy new.......You buy other peoples problems when you buy used....

[jazztrumpet216]

True that!!! I always buy new.......You buy other peoples problems when you buy used....

 

I've not had any good experiences buying used when I didn't know who I was buying from (i.e. I knew the previous owner maintained it). People seldom trade cars in because they love them. Those that feel confident in their used car, usually will sell it themselves to make a little more money on the transaction.

 

Just my .02

Edited December 9, 2010 by jazztrumpet216

[Waldo]

So wait a minute, you're going to spend $5000+ to trade up for a new Fusion just to avoid the possibility that you might have to spend $3000 on a transmission?

 

The depreciation you loose on a new car can pay for a lot of repairs.

[juice]

So wait a minute, you're going to spend $5000+ to trade up for a new Fusion just to avoid the possibility that you might have to spend $3000 on a transmission?

 

The depreciation you loose on a new car can pay for a lot of repairs.

 

 

Depreciation is only numbers on paper and doesn't affect you if you actually keep your new vehicle until it drops dead. I'm not a pig, I only buy vehicles when needed, not wanted......

[Waldo]

Depreciation is only numbers on paper and doesn't affect you if you actually keep your new vehicle until it drops dead. I'm not a pig, I only buy vehicles when needed, not wanted......

 

Not really, depreciation is cash in your pocket when you buy a used car. Buying a 2-year old car for say $5000 less than a new car is really cash in your pocket. There's not much you can do to a car in it's first 2 years (outside of a crash) that is really going to change it's likely hood of repairs way down the road. If you're keeping your car until it drops dead, you're going to pay the same for repairs anyway.

[akirby]

Depreciation is only numbers on paper and doesn't affect you if you actually keep your new vehicle until it drops dead. I'm not a pig, I only buy vehicles when needed, not wanted......

 

That's only true AFTER you buy the vehicle. As Waldo points out you can use depreciation to reduce the initial cost off the vehicle - in some cases by over 50% for a 3 yr old vehicle. e.g. the cost of buying a new Fusion for $20k and driving it for 10 years is $2K/year not counting maintenance or repairs. Buying a 2 year old Fusion for $15K and driving it for 10 years only costs $1500/yr. With the first one you're paying for the first 2 years depreciation ($5K). With the second one you're not.

 

I think what you meant to say was you don't care what the resale value will be in 2 or 3 years because you plan to keep the vehicle way beyond that, which is more or less correct. But you can't say depreciation in general isn't meaningful.