2002 Ford Escape consumer reviews

Much better gas mileage than my conversion van. Comfortable seating all the way around. Runs great. Room inside to haul groceries, or pack in some luggage for a road trip. the roof rack is great for extra luggage.

....its a bit long in the tooth. The weak link is the transmission that was finally upgraded in 2004. If someone changed the tranny fluid every 30K miles then this is a winner. Beware that the gas mileage is horrible. You will only get 15-17, with 20 tops on pure highway driving. But this price is fair. These are rust buckets, so look out for cheap rust repair jobs.

I really liked the syle and performance of this car when I test drove it. What a shock to me that a year later it turned into the worst vehicular-nightmare that I've ever encountered. After spending my life savings on a catalytic coverter, I find out that the coils are garbage and...oh yeah, it's a ford so it's needs a new front end and won't pass inspection. Thanks Ford! Thanks for taking a once great company and driving it into the ground.

We have really enjoyed this vehicle. It is fun to drive and handles well in the snow. The exterior styling is sporty and says "Hey, let's go play!".

I bought this car used about a month ago. It handles better than other suv's that I've driven. My Escape is manual. The gears are smooth and the pick up is good. I bought this car to take camping in the mountains. Our first trip is next month. I can't wait.Downside is gas mileage.I live in the city.

Nice, very strong V6, lots of space, nice interior, everything where you would expect it to be. Got the XLT with every option, tow pkg, roof rack, sun roof, power everything, 4 whl drive. Just wish the gas mileage was better, currently getting about 21 mpg overall.

I owned a first year Escape (2001) and drove it until almost 100,000 miles and never had a single issue with it. Over 10 years later I decided to buy another one because we were in need of another vehicle. I found a great deal on a 4X4 version with leather, moonroof, Mach 6 stereo, etc. Very nice car. Love the power of the V6 and the gas mileage is moderate. Would highly recommend this vehicle to a family just starting out and has or is having children. Very safe cars.

Very nice all-arounf commuter SUV! V6 has plenty of pep! Wheelbase a little short & heater struggles in winter.

If any of the cars from this place have really low prices it's because they need major work example Transmission/Engine ect. Does not run great.

I picked up a 2002 Ford Escape XLT with leather seats, a sunroof, and four fresh tires. I'm thrilled with it, but I'm reluctant to recommend a 10-year-old Escape to my friends -- most of my friends should pay the premium for used Toyotas and Hondas, rather venturing into the land of Detroit Metal. I've always owned high-mileage used cars. I enjoy the maintenance process. I fix computers for a living, I fix cars for fun, and I enjoy handyman projects around the house. I don't feel like I own a machine until I understand its internals, and fixing the occasional minor malf is a good way to get to know how a machine works. Before this Escape, I owned a Ford Ranger with nearly 200k miles on it (that was ready for another 100k). It required a bit of maintenance around the 100k-mile mark but, overall, it was great. It hauled me and my stuff through my 20s and innumerable DIY projects. After 100k+ miles of ownership I knew the status of every part on the vehicle very well. But, as a dad of a toddler, that 5-speed RWD pickup truck was no longer a good fit for my lifestyle -- my wife won't drive a manual, I now live in a city, and it was lousy for hauling kids. So, I traded it in on an Escape. The Escape was cheap enough after the trade that I do not have a car payment. But, my new Escape is a 10-year-old American car, and the previous owner got rid of it for a reason. Just to bring the car up to my very-high personal standards for car maintenance, I had to do the following: 1. Lower control arms and associated hardware needed to be replaced. The research I did on this car pointed out that this is a common problem for Escapes of this vintage with over 100k miles on them. 2. Oil pan seal and rear pinion seals needed to be replaced. (I have the AWD version) 3. Weather stripping needed some TLC 4. Dashboard lights were burned out. They're easy to replace (it takes a wrench, a pair of pliers, and about 5 minutes), but Ford prices out the dashboard light bulbs about about $10/ea -- and there are 16 of them in the instrument cluster. I did (and had done) quality work using OEM parts, so these systems be good for a long time. The vehicle really is designed for exactly what I'm doing - all-weather kid-hauling and grocery-getting, some home-improvement projects, and occasional towing of a utility trailer. Also, the 200hp V6 (the most common variant) is a hoot to drive. The car has about the same driveway-footprint as our Prius, but it has some extra interior space, roof racks, and towing ability. I really like the leather seats and the sunroof. On the other hand, the Escape goes half as far on a gallon of gas as the Prius, so we really have to pick the right car for the right job. Overall, a 10-year-old Escape with 120k miles on it is a great vehicle for a wonderful price and I'm thrilled with it. But, I have very different attitude about automotive "problems" than most people, and I'm much more willing to tinker with a car than anyone in my neighborhood. I have one or two super-handy friends to whom I would recommend this vehicle, but normal people should probably pay 2-3x what I paid, and just get a RAV4 or CR-V or a post-2005 Escape. But that would have stretched my finances and would have been boring.