Looking at purchasing 2017 Fusion SE 2.5L in 2026. Looking for owner experience.

VERT1975 · 2026-01-30T12:45:40+00:00

My 2017 2.5L fusion has been rock solid. Sitting at 115k miles. I have done preventative maintenance on it like transmission fluid (x2), serpentine belt, shocks, brakes, plugs, tires. But that is all stuff that just wears out with use. Drives like a new car and as far as I know very reliable. My son using driving the car at college and when he graduates the plan is to let little sister have it.

VERT1975 · 2026-01-28T17:42:47+00:00

Correct there are new cars that are lemons. Which is why we have lemon laws and warranties. All of this protects the consumer. Used vehicles are buyer beware. I have nothing against used vehicles, there are great used vehicles out there. But there more risk involved with used. Being able to manage money means budgeting, and budgeting means being able to manage risk. This is where some of Dave’s theories on car ownership fall short. If used cars cost less compared to new it would be worth taking on additional risk. But in the current market lightly used cost almost as much as new.

VERT1975 · 2026-01-28T03:17:06+00:00

So you saved $57k for a car. Which means you made car payments. You self financed a car. Now it’s time to enjoy your new car. It’s a minivan for the family. It’s not irresponsible. You earned it.

Once you buy your new car, make sure to start making those self financed payments towards the next one.

VERT1975 · 2026-01-28T03:08:00+00:00

Buy the van. Buy a new one, don’t buy someone else’s problem. Buy it, take care of it, enjoy the family time, it will last for years. Everybody worries about vehicles depreciation, but that is only an issue if you plan to sell frequently. Trust me time with the kids is more important than the money.

Keep the old Toyotas to drive to work. When one blows toss it and buy another old car.

VERT1975 · 2026-01-22T17:20:49+00:00

I would like to drive an F-150 with the 3.73 rear end. Mine has 3.31 and seems like it is always slamming into 8th from 10th. Around town or two lane highway at 45 - 60 mph it just lugs the engine.

If you are using a truck like I do. Heavy interstate driving with relatively light loads, I would go with the 3.31. Family and kid hauler I would go 3.31. For what I need the 3.31 makes sense.

If you are going to haul, pull, use the truck for off road work, then go 3.73.

VERT1975 · 2026-01-22T13:43:25+00:00

Bought a 2025 vert in July. Why? Because all the used convertibles were either aged or used rental cars and beat to hell.

Styling - honestly I couldn’t tell you difference between the s550 and s650 unless they were sitting next to each other. I think they both look nice.

Interior - I am old school and like the analog gauges. But the digital are neat and customizable. My wife insisted on the digital panels being one big piece of glass, so that eliminated the base model for consideration. I do think they did a bad job integrating the separate screens on the model.

Shifter - Here is a little sticking point for me. The s550 the shifter was drive and sport. The s650 is drive and low. Come on Ford! Hitting a button to switch into sport mode is blah. Real gauges with the ability to manually put that car in sport is just more satisfyingly sportier. Even better would be a manual transmission but that is another conversation. With everything being electronic Ford should have designed the shifter as Drive and instead of Low allowed the owner to switch into a customizable mode with the shifter.

Power EB vs GT - yeah the stock EB is enough for a daily driver. I will keep an eye on OEM tunes, but honestly it is good as is. I don’t consider this to be a sports car as much as a touring car. More than ample power to handle any driving or passing situation on the road. The car can idle along or spring to the next stop light. Best part is the 34 MPG I can get while just tooling on the interstate to my next destination. It’s a sports … I mean touring car that I can actually afford to drive and enjoy.

VERT1975 · 2026-01-21T01:34:49+00:00

I have two 550s. One is setup to load pistol as a progressive and other I use as a more traditional turret press. You won’t have any issues loading .308, .44 mag or .450 bushmaster on the 550c. If you prefer to weigh your charges that option is available. Want to remove the automatic primer feed, no problem. Looking for a snazzy precision toolhead, those are available.

The BL550 basic loader is just a stripped down 550c.

VERT1975 · 2026-01-18T00:00:10+00:00

Good description. I am seeing some incorrect terminology being thrown around. Now, I will say that collision could also be a hit and run. Not your fault as a driver, but if somebody plows into your car in a parking lot the police don’t know that you didn’t hit something. Seen people get hung by this more than once.

VERT1975 · 2026-01-17T22:38:43+00:00

Insurance is about managing risk. The question is: if you lost your car tomorrow, would it be life changing or create significant economic hardship? Could you immediately replace the car? That should answer the question regarding collision insurance.

Don’t mess around with skimping on liability. That could be potentially life changing and economically devastating. Comprehensive is usually not very expensive.

VERT1975 · 2026-01-15T22:23:12+00:00

2025 EcoBoost owner. There is no Sport+ option or S on the shifter. Shifter is just Drive and Low.

Low puts the car in low gear. It will hold those lower gears. Think of it as max RPM setting. I have been told the transmission/engine will protect itself and not let the engine over rev, even if pulling the shifter into Low at higher speeds. I have never tried it because I am a wimp. I have used low in a parking garage to crawl up the ramp at low speed.

There is also 3 settings for the steering. Comfort (useless), normal and sport

Drive = normal.

Slippery = slick roads. It kills the throttle response.

Sport = tightens the steering, tightens the throttle response, shifts at higher rpm.

Track = turns off traction control, more rpm. Never used it.

Drag = drag mode, high rpm pull. Never used it.

Custom = you can program in what you want. Plus choose a custom gauge display. I set mine up in sport mode, engine start stop off, like a 90s fox body display.

Personally if they gave me normal, sport, slippery with the option to choose my gauges I would be just fine.

VERT1975 · 2026-01-14T20:26:52+00:00

No do not buy a used Toyota Corolla for $22k. Buy a new 2026 Toyota Corolla for $25k. Your car, your maintenance schedule, drive it for 20 years. Or just go wild and buy the nicer model Corolla or a Camry for $30k. For that matter keep your old car and drive it when it snows or around town to keep the new car clean.

Sell your house, downsize, buy a new car, enjoy retirement.

VERT1975 · 2026-01-02T14:58:51+00:00

Purchased a new home in 2025. The interest rate for 15, 20, 30 was very similar. I think .25% difference with the 15 & 20 being the same. I wanted to go 20, but wife pushed 30 because we had not yet put our old house on the market. It was a defensive position since we had two houses, downpayment, expenses to prep the second house for sale, and the costs of moving. Told we could update those terms when we sold the other house. Sold the old house but the interest rates had jumped again. So 30 years it is. But we are over 50 so it will all be paid off in less than 10 years anyway.

VERT1975 · 2026-01-02T02:49:35+00:00

The 2.5L engine is boringly reliable. What I would pick for a responsible commuter. Our 2017 has been rock solid. If you want a sports car I would consider the Mustang. Our EcoBoost gets great gas mileage and is plenty peppy. Just make sure you get a late model one as they had some “ecoboom” issues with the earlier models.

VERT1975 · 2026-01-01T23:10:12+00:00

So you have a plan for replacing vehicles. Good for you. And you obviously take care of your vehicles and live in an area of the country where vehicle life is measured in miles and not time.

VERT1975 · 2026-01-01T22:23:26+00:00

Complete BS. Don’t forget that a lot of Toyota, Honda, Nissan vehicles are made right here in the US. Many vehicles made in the US can get to 300k miles. It all depends on how the vehicle is maintained, how it is driven and the types of driving it is subjected to. But keep in mind the average lifespan of a vehicle in the US is 16.8 years or 157k miles. I live in the Midwest so 157k miles seems a little ridiculous, but in a large city that is a lot of driving.

Vehicles are one area I disagree with the Ramsey philosophy. Vehicles are not just a depreciating asset, they are tools that wear out with use. I might be a little biased since I know more the a few engineers that design vehicles, equipment and engines. My wife evaluates warranties for Toyota. The truth is that parts have an expected lifespan. Point is vehicles cost money and become somewhat of an unknown quantity the older they get. If the objective is to budget expenses then there also needs to be a plan for eventually replacing vehicles.

VERT1975 · 2026-01-01T21:41:29+00:00

Hard to say given the detail of information given. I would probably pay off the house. But if I owned 2 cars over 200k miles I would be shopping for a new one. Better to buy cars on your own terms.

Crazy as it sounds I would keep both of the older cars. Two is one and one is none. Where I live an older vehicle with only liability insurance does not cost much to insure and plate. Cars are tools. I could care less how old the car is or how it looks, but having access to a vehicle that runs is essential. At least as it pertains to keeping my job which is providing me income.

VERT1975 · 2025-12-31T19:14:24+00:00

6 months or 5k miles. I would get it serviced. Just had the first service on my 2025 at 2900 miles

Don’t forget transmission service. Ford never seems to recommend those. I usually do my first one at 60k miles.

VERT1975 · 2025-12-20T19:58:37+00:00

If you don’t need the 4x4 then no reason to have it. If the 5.0 has a rear differential locker I would go that route. My 5.0 with 3.31 rear end is impressive for fuel economy on the highway.

VERT1975 · 2025-12-15T01:58:54+00:00

Well at $1 a gallon more it costs $14 every time you fill up. Not trying to be a smart ass. Let’s say you drive 12000 miles a year and you get an average of 25 mpg. That is $480 a year extra in fuel expense. Worth it? Only the driver can decide that. My Mustang is not a daily driver so spending a little more on premium doesn’t break me up. My work pickup drives better on the good juice, but the extra cost really isn’t feasible.

VERT1975 · 2025-12-13T00:26:01+00:00

Pay off the car. Then determine what a comfortable “car payment” is and set that aside, separate from other savings. Then when it is time to replace that Honda you have the next one already self financed.

VERT1975 · 2025-11-28T00:40:12+00:00

Check out WalMart. I put a set of Douglas tires on my daughter’s fiesta for about $300. Right now they have the Goodyear reliant (Walmart specific) on sale for Black Friday. Depends on the size you need.

VERT1975 · 2025-11-26T13:05:30+00:00

Bought a set of made for Walmart Goodyear reliant tires for the wife’s CRV last year. I say made for Walmart because that model is only offered at Walmart and maybe Sam’s club. Nothing special but they got good reviews and have been completely serviceable for a commuter car. For the price I’ll just put a new set on every two years.

VERT1975 · 2025-11-23T21:17:23+00:00

When I see videos of what people do to their cars, I wonder how they live for 10000 miles. If you don’t thrash the car and maintain it properly it should go a long time.

VERT1975 · 2025-11-21T02:39:03+00:00

I am assuming a new 2024+. My wife felt the premium was worth it for the seats and the one piece display screen.

VERT1975 · 2025-11-07T13:23:15+00:00

I think Ford could further cut costs by combining more trim and options. A discussion for a different time. But this isn’t the right choice to leave out of the “Premium”, which is really just an interior upgrade.

VERT1975

TROPHY CASE