I'm buying a 2007 Toyota Camry, 2008 Ford Escape or 2007 Ford Five hundred(great safety ratings) Helpme choose

Question

Which car is most logical for a family of 4? I decided to throw in the Ford five hundred because of it's great safety ratings, AWD, and size. I am quite fond of the camry because of it's redesign along with the features and excellent MPG. Also the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid really caught my eye, it has great MPG for an SUV of it's size and I love the new look. This will be for a family who lives in New York with a large of snow fall mind you.

Answer 1

The Escape Hybrid, along with all the Escapes are new designs for 2008. What I can tell you, is that there haven't been any issues with the Hybrids, nor is the mileage any better in a Hybrid once you turn the A/C on. This is because the gasoline engine needs to be running to turn the A/C compressor. The 500 does have the optional AWD for you New York winters. This is also the last year the CVT will be produced in the 500. Toyota has had recent issues with engines sludging up from what I've heard. It's just that Toyota has been very good at "hiding" these issues from the public.

Answer 2

Even though the camry is made in the U.S., it is a lot more reliable than any ford. The camry is also a lot more comfortable, like a lexus es 350. The 500 is big but it's not going to last more than a few years, same with the escape. If you want a fuel efficient suv, the rav 4 is fuel efficient and bigger. The escape is too small for a family of four, and with a hybrid powertrain made by ford, it's probably going to last even shorter than the 500. If you think about it, the escape is a compact suv that gets 30 mpg of gas, its not that impressive. The new honda cr-v isn't a hybrid and it gets 30 mpg. Also, the escape never had a new look, it has looked the same since it came out in 2001. I think it has an outdated body. The rav 4 and cr-v has actually changed its design a couple of times when the escape (along with the mercury mariner and mazda tribute which has the same body as the escape) has not been changed once. Also, almost all cars these days have good safety ratings. If you want a safe, fuel efficient, AWD, family car go for a subaru legacy. If AWD is not important, the camry is your best bet. The camry also has traction control, a lot of on board computer systems, and it's a front wheel drive car so driving a camry on snow isn't that hard. If you don't agree that all toyotas are more reliable than toyotas just look at the questions pages of yahoo answers and see what kinds of question tehy ask (a lot of car trouble from fords).

Answer 3

Although most midsize cars are safer then they were 10 -20 years ago anyone of those would be a good choice for safty but dont leave out the North American car of the year the Saturn Aura, a real nice car with a MPG rating also it has some pep with it somthing the ford five hundred is lacking the Camry is a bit over rated like most anything toyota makes.

Answer 4

I am a manager at a Honda dealership. Besides even mentioning the Accord I would go for the Camry. The residual value on a camry is 51%. The camry will give you a smooth ride the day you drive it off the lot and also 5 years from now. Which is something I would not expect from a Ford. You will never get your money back from a Ford.

I would also recommend the Honda CR-V. It has a 4 cylinder engine with plenty of pickup, great MPG, safety, and will do you and your family well in the snow of New York.

I hope this helps with your decision!

Answer 5

Ford, GM & Chrysler vehicles are good cars and are getting better every year in all categories, but I still prefer Toyotas. I've been driving Toyota Corollas (One Tercel) since 1990, I must admit that I've never had to return any of them for service other than the usual oil changes and tires. My present 2003 corolla has 141,000 Km (approx. 85000 miles) and nothing has ever gone wrong (same brakes; never needed wheel alignments). The only thing I had to change was one light bulb (rear). My wife has driven a Toyota Tercel and now drives a 2001 Echo with 75000 Km (45,000 miles) - mostly city driving. She's never had a problem and loves her little ju-jube as she calls it.
The reason I changed from being a GM and Ford car owner was the constant repairs I had with these cars (i.e - gas tank and rad replacement in my 1988 Impala amongst other things) and after only a couple of years ownership. I've also owned Chrysler products - don't want to go there !
I will be picking my first ever Toyota Camry SE (2007) in a couple of weeks and after going through tons of literature (consumer reports; customer reviews; etc..) I feel like I've chosen the best vehicle on the market. I am not married to Toyota by any means, nor any other brand, but common sense dictates overwhelmingly that this is the car for me. It looks great; has great resale value; consumer reports give the Camry glowing revues (past & present) and after all is said and done, I just feel good about the product.
My brother rented a Ford 500 last week and did not like it because of the way his vision was obstructed re. gauges (display) and this guy's had a lot of cars. I'm sure the car is good, but it does not have a long track record as far as I'm concerned.
I've got to admit that that the feel good zing that I had when I bought my first car (new 72 Mustang -Grande) is the same feeling I now have for the Camry SE that I'll be picking up soon.

The Camry has a 5 star rating re. frontal crash and is great as well for side impacts since they've incorpotaed the side airbags as standard equipment.
The Ford Escape is also a nice looking car but not much room for luggage especially if you are 4 going on holidays.
Well, I wish you good luck on your purchase and happy motoring.

Answer 6

Wow! I usually agree with Rakels advice on everything, but i'm going to have to disagree about one little point:
I drove a Hybrid Escape (demo) for the 3 HOTTEST weeks last summer, here in Chicagoland. And I STILL DOUBLED my miles per gallon (vs a non Hybrid Escape)
Both Escapes were 4X4 & I didn't change my driving habits at all!
I also used the air conditioner (I prefer not to sweat), but tried to keep it in one of the other settings (not the 'orange' ones on the dial)

I LOVED the Hybrid Escape! It's the ONLY demo I.ve ever had that I actually wanted to cry(.........ok....I really did cry a little ) when it got sold.

I've seen & driven the 08 & it's even better!
Don't listen to the 'Hybrid' Nay-sayers.about the economics of the hybrid,. The Ford Hybrid Escape has actually gone down in price each & every year thats its been out.
Yep, 05, 06, 07, & now for 08 model years have each had a price reduction. So you can buy an 08 cheaper tha you could have bought the 05 (new)!

It also has the largest Federal tax break of all the Hybrids available to date!
Also all of the hybrid componants are covered for at least 100,000 warranty
And the oil change schedule is LESS frequent than the non-hybrid!

If you want some unbiased info, check out http://hybridcars.com/

more specifically this page:
http://www.hybridcars.com/gas-saving-tips/maximizing-mileage-ford-escape-hybrid.html

As you can see I'm VERY much in love, but I will not be the one making YOUR decision, so go & drive one!

As for the other 2 vehicles:
I have NOTHING bad to say about the FiveHundred.

But I do have some very bad things to say about the "all new & improved" Camry

I'll just refer you to a couple of links :
Look it up here under the 'search comlaints" catagory
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/results.cfm
(109 formal safety complaints from owners, about half of them tranny probs. that Toyota says is normal, but owners are afraid to drive!)
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/01/toyota_sludge_settlement.html
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/10/toyota_quality.html
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/toyota_engine.html

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/toyota_engine.html

I could go on but I've already given you a record length answer!
(sorry)

but I will ask you to read one more link (if you have time)
http://www.thecarconnection.com/pf/Auto_News/Commentary/At_Witz_End_Whats_an_American_Car.S192.A11981.html

Answer 7

Consider the Fusion all wheel drive with the 24 valve V6 motor. I own a Sable which is similar to a Fusion and a 2004 Camry. The Toyota came with the most worthless tires I've ever owned. Bridgestone RE-92's. No snow or ice traction. If someone spills a can of soda pop on the road disaster soon follows. It's hydroplane city every time it rains. If you run a deal on a new Toyota, demand they change tires on the spot to the Yokohama TRZ number. Toyota dealers sell tires also and among them are Yokohama. Great traction outstanding wear, no noise and hydroplaning is a thing of the past. The Ford 500 is a box car. It weighs 4,000 pounds and it takes horsepower and gas to move weight.

Answer 8

Escape or 500. Definatly go with AWD or 4x4. Escape is great in the snow. I own one and live in the Ohio snow belt. Love it. A few or my neighbors have the 500 and Mecury's verision of it and say they go great in the snow too. Id be a little worried about the Camry in snow, especially with a family to carry.

Answer 9

I would boil it down to a Camry or an Escape. The Camry is A Little bit nicer thoughj. toyota has wonderful gas mileage and i very reliable. So, If I were you I would get the camry.

Answer 10

If I were to choose which one I would want, I would pick the Toyota Camry. Toyota's are famous for their great reliability ratings, and if they ever do have problems, Toyota is quick to point it out and recall the vehicle. Ford, however, doesn't recall their vehicles as much as they should. In fact, they rarely do make recalls unless it is a major safety issue. My brother had a Ford Ranger and after five years of owning it, it started breaking down on him about three times a year. He was paying on average $1,200 every time he had to take it into the shop. My dad also has a Ford (F-250) and around 70,000 miles, it started breaking down. My sister had a 1988 Toyota and it never once broke down or had any mechanical problems at all. In fact, she sold it five years ago (with 250,000 miles) and it still had never burned a single drop of oil because the car was put together so well. Like I said, Toyota's are well known for being reliable. In your case, I would prefer reliability over handling in a snowstorm. I would hate to have my car breakdown in a blizzard. Plus, Camry's come with TRAC and VDIM, which help stabilize all tires to give you great handling in slippery conditions. The Camry also has top marks in safety, a low depreciation rate, and has recieved a lot of praises from professional reviewers. It seems more logical to me to get the Camry. Besides, the Ford Five Hundred hasn't been around for more than 10 years so the long-term reliability ratings are unknown. Same with the Escape. If you still decide you want one of the Fords, good luck with that money pit.


By the way, the Camry was designed after the 2007 Lexus ES 350 (Toyota is Lexus' parent company and they often share designs with each other). Test drive one and you'll know what that means. :)