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Showing content with the highest reputation on 10/07/2023 in Posts
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Once the plug-in charge is depleted, it operates like a hybrid only model which still charges/depletes the battery as you drive as part of the hybrid operation. But it won't come up to having a plug-in charge where you can run pure EV mode, hence the 0km range shown.1 point
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Dealers have another huge advantage with respect to the Energi: the tax credit is available on used cars only when bought from dealers.1 point
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How are C-Max values holding up in your area?
Sara K reacted to Wheatridger for a topic
Maybe I should have phrased the question differently- has anyone, anywhere managed to sell a used C-Max? Mine has been on sale for three months, with only two live buyers coming to see it. They liked it, but chose to buy other cars that had AWD and/or more automatic safety equipment. I've dropped $3000 from my original asking price, which was on par with other similar SELs at local dealers. The dealers' best wholesale price offer is another $3000 lower. Dealers have one big advantage in selling a lesser-known model like the C-Max. They can redirect someone looking for a Prius to look at our larger, faster and better alternative. As a private seller, however, I'm dependent on shoppers who have enough knowledge and interest to remember that funny name and search for it. And nobody's seen an ad for a C-Max in at least six years. Ford's spent a fortune portraying itself as that tough truck brand, which probably doesn't help, either. At least that's the view from Denver, one of the most truck-hungry, Subaru-hugging car markets in the US. Is it any different where you live? Right now I'm discouraged. Is the C-Max like a time share, something you can hardly get rid of? Not quite, but it's become a tough sell...1 point -
Is the C-Max still the way to go? What would you do today?
Sara K reacted to Hafro Samurai for a topic
Wow.....well you both are severely lucky to have the experience you've had. Well back in 2021 by uncle reached out and asked if I'd like to inherit the 2013 SEL my aunt purchased new passed away the year so he had no use for it. I said "Yes please!" as my Triumph Striple was giving me some electrical grief (was an all season rider for years living in the Seattle area since my 2000 Subaru GC8's trans was shot and sat during that time). Skip forward to picking the car up from my uncle. Not a clue which model it was, nor what color (blue), but when I got in and looked at the odo my jaw dropped at seeing just under 17,500mi. Here I was thinking I just scored a new car hah for free......little did I know what was in store. The 1st year my uncle already had got a year of insurance so it was under his name.......during that year I popped 2 of the 4 og tires as they were brittle and riddled with micro cracks. Other 2 were replaced soon after. (GRIPE #1): Not firing the geniuses who thought up and approved, "Remove the spare, give them an 1 shot device that will only help with a small leak! Oh and since they won't have a spare and clearly that's the only reason people jack up their cars." Wow I didn't see this to urning into a novel hah...I pick up the pace. Fast forward to summer 2022. Time for me to put the car in my name we had already filled out the proper documents. Get to the dol and...low and behold you can only gift a vehicle once (in WA at least). Slapped with tax on fair market value of over $12k (Seattle sales tax was 10.1% at the time too haha). I didn't know how to work the system until afterward. Then my move to OR is when this thing just gained some baditude. Now I had already made 2 or 3 trips down to the Portland area and it was smooth and quiet. By now I was maybe at 32k miles and moved in July. Buddy of mine hooked it up with a job when I got here delivering luggage airlines lose. I figured what a perfect job with this hybrid with ample capacity. For those of you not familiar with the great PNW, our roads are seemingly always in need of attention. I would say about late August I was noticing more road noise and the ride was not as smooth anymore. Got rotations and balancing at appropriate mileage and everything. Got an alignment and by then I was getting that rear squat look (and no, I am NOT into the stanced look nor functionality). The alignment shop said my suspension was all good and brakes too. During a 2 week period I have the balance checked 3 times and was all good. Now in all of this one day I got a screw in my tire around 4am (doing late night/morning deliveries), had to go home until discount tire opened across the street from me (this was my second time since moving I got a leak). Back to delivering by 9ish and on my way to last delivery ding.....check engine light. Auto shop let me scan it and was thrown p0304 (misfires in cylinder 4. By no means was did I know my way around cars let alone a hybrid. I knew just some of the basics like oil changes brake rotors/pads, spark plugs and the sort. So being a hands on learner and craving some new knowledge I decided I'd do as much as I was comfortable with. So after all new spark plugs was still getting misfires so I did the ignition coils next. Nope! Okay so logically based on no other related codes being thrown I could afford a new injector. I curse the buttfaces on the internet who give out incorrect info. I red the number 4 cylinder was the third from the left. (It's not, it's the last one on the right) well that check engine light would go away and reappear a few times before it went out for awhile at least. Sometimes in Sept I took my car for a real good inspection and asked them to really get into the suspension and figured they'd run into an issue they could diagnose and fix. Also to clear any codes they found. They didn't see any codes nor find anything wrong with the car.....I was seriously thinking I was going crazy at that point. Not 1 mechanic or technician who all know more than I can find the issue or feel/hear it like me. Oddly enough I went back to the auto shop for a scan and sure enough that p0304 was still present. Then not a month after the Ford shop's inspection I hit a long and wide pothole on a county road during dusk. No popped rire yay. a week later by shock gave out on the freeway and evey tiny bump sounded like I was bottoming out. Fast forward to now, I have replaced (learned to and did the work myself too!) Both shocks, front lower control arms, outer tie rods, front and rear sway bar links (twice now as the first time I torqued while unloaded), rear upper control arms (yes the forward ones to correct the camber). I went with Moog parts and got them for a steal on Amazon. Well at this point I realized that I didn't trust the factory suspension so I found some coilovers as I figured it'd be nice to be able to adjust my damping to better tackle crazy roads we come up against delivering. This took a lot longer than I had guessed it would. Not having a place to work on it at home means I'm using what little windows of good weather there are to work on it in flat parking lots around here. I legit succeeded with the install but then had a lot of adjustments so was going to have a shop take over so I could let my body heal. Needless to say. I'm quite certain this sour faced lemon joke of a free car is the bane of my existence. Had to run up to Seattle before that appointment and a car up ahead and a lane over ran over a deer and caused it to come over to my lane in front of me. I actually didn't feel thuds or crunches but more glides over it. no tire leaks but blood fluids and fur were all up under the car and wheel wells. And something was indeed wrong. Pulled into a shell and looked see the coil springs on the front and the coils were almost touching. Spent an hour plus adjusting them and got back on it only to pull off in another few miles. After all said and done I discovered one of the springs is permanently 5mm shorter. Then I did some digging and discovered the Godspeed project monoss coilovers for the C-max have the very same spring rates as the roughly 600lb lighter Focus. Which I think was more the problem than the deer. It would explain why the rear at near maximum ride heigh setting is still pretty low. And would certainly cause springs to overcompress. Regardless, I like how much I've learned but I've been out of work since the day before Thanksgiving. Though I like to say I saved a ton (likely in the $4000 range from doing work myself). I also highly recommend a bidirectional scan tool (I got a ThinkDiag2) as you can test components from your phone app rather than hunt down the part then run texts. Okay wow....I'm done (definitely left out much more) but I need some sleep and to regain feeling in my frozen toes haha. I am also more than happy to try and help out whoever. Once I get the coilovers sorted though I'll try And post my thoughts and feeling of them. Maybe throw up some pictures too Not all were created equally hahaha. I've ever my car a C-min(imum). Good luck!1 point -
Is the C-Max still the way to go? What would you do today?
Sara K reacted to takingittothemax for a topic
I love the steering in this era of Euro-developed Fords. I wish they were a little chattier, but barely anything from any brand in this era is. They're just well weighted, heavy enough without needing build your biceps, just enough feel, and stable at highway speeds so that a slight motion off center doesn't send you careening towards the next lane.1 point -
Is the C-Max still the way to go? What would you do today?
Sara K reacted to Wheatridger for a topic
It's not just because it's FWD- every AWD car is also a front wheel drive, and the only RWD cars are sports cars. The C-Max's wide turning radius is disappointing, but it's rarely a problem for me, or even a nuisance. I'm guessing that this chassis, which was sold for a decade in Europe before it came to North America as a hybrid, was re-equipped with wider tires and wheels. That might have created some clearance problem that limits their swing. Would I buy a C-Max again? That's what I suggested to a guy I met on the Quora site today. His 2013 SE was getting "a little tired." It had 209,000 miles! He loves the C-Max, but was pondering an EV instead. I suggested he get a late-model, low mileage C-Max instead. I'm also shopping for an SUV for tougher duties, and testing brands like Mercedes, Volvo and Lincoln. With a $30K used budget, I'm finding it hard to match the C-Max's options level and comfort. And none of the others have such responsive, well-weighted steering.1 point -
Well, I keep seeing this complaint about the turning radius but even after 245,000 miles and almost ten years I could hardly care less. I'm not even sure I would have ever noticed it if I hadn't read about it on this forum. We all have different things that annoy us and different driving/parking situations but for most folks it shouldn't be a significant issue. I sure wouldn't let it rule out selecting a C-Max over another car.1 point
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2013 Prius turning radius 17.1 to 18′ 2013 C-max turning radius 19.19' Didn't notice it until the first time I tried a U-turn.1 point
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Front wheel drive causes larger turning radius.1 point
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Energi will get you the used car tax credit if you buy it from a dealer, but if cargo space is important it's not the car for you. Same with small turning radius. I swear, Mack trucks could turn inside a C-Max turning radius.1 point
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C-Max on "The Amazing Race"
Sara K reacted to Kelleytoons for a topic
Just got through watching Friday night's episode of "The Amazing Race" and totally aside from it being my wife and my favorite reality show we had the fun of seeing our C-Max featured prominently on the episode. They were in Sweden and given each an Energi to drive to Denmark and do it in an efficient manner or have time deducted from them. Very few of them managed it, but they ALL commented on how nice the ride was. And then, immediately after that segment, Ford ran a C-Max Hybrid ad (first one I've ever seen) which was very nicely done, having a woman who appreciated both the ride, comfort and size of the car as well as the efficiency. And the winners of that leg of the race both got a C-Max Hybrid to take home -- so, again, a nice plug at the end of the show. I've seen this done throughout the seasons with other Ford vehicles and, truth be told, I was always impressed by the Ford models they showed and felt it to be a very effective advertisement that I couldn't skip past (unlike all the rest of the ads which my wife and I Tivo through). So it was doubly nice to finally see our own vehicle shown.1 point -
When I read the headline, I thought you'd actually seen a never-before-sighted Ford "efficiency coach". These were announced along with the first round of fuel rebate checks last year.1 point
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A Visit from C-Max Expert
Sara K reacted to Kelleytoons for a topic
Yup, I got to see the covers among the other mods Paul has made to squeeze the last ounce of mileage out. After he left I went down to the auto store (for some more stuff for my emergency kit) and the kids working there were asking me what the heck it was that I was driving, as they are used to seeing almost anything and had no idea what it was that *I* had. If only Paul and I could have driven in together <g>. It's another tiny perk of having the C-Max (in that you aren't driving yet *another* Prius).1 point