adam1991

Dealers have another huge advantage with respect to the Energi: the tax credit is available on used cars only when bought from dealers.

In very early January I bought a 2017 SEL with 57K miles on it. $14K is a good price for that, especially on the west coast. And remember, used plug-in vehicles including the Energi are now eligible for a tax credit. $4000. Do the research. If you can take advantage of that, suddenly it's a $10K car... Anyway, my son's been driving it for 4 months now. No gripes.

eh. Not rare at all, really. 15 years/200K miles is a bunch of work, and that's when one of the cells in my Prius battery gave out. It's rare only for the average Joe who doesn't keep a car past the lease period, sure.

With all the bad rains, hurricanes, and flooding that's been around lately, my guess is that was a flooded car. The first 2016 we saw nearby here had weird rust in weird places; this was in late December/early January, and eventually it became clear to me that the sole explanation for some of it was that the car spent time under water. Plus, the price was just a tad cheaper than anyone else's. I knew right away they were looking to dump it. Yours could have been something else, but you'll never know. You don't have to take the chance. Run.

The engine was running, no question.

Couldn't see the video. But I just bought a 2016 Energi SEL; if I can see the video, I can compare to mine.

The aftermarket does a fine job of this. You may want to seek out a local stereo shop. It's also a good time, while you're there, to rig up driving cameras front and rear.

Prior to my 2016 that I picked up 3 months ago, I had a 2007 Prius bought new. At 200K miles, in Oct. 2021, it finally threw an error on the HVB--one of the cells was not good. So yeah, that was 14 years and 200K miles of life. Fortunately, the industry has solved that whole problem--18 hours later I had a new battery installed with lifetime warranty. Too bad the C-Max isn't a more popular car, otherwise it might have similar aftermarket support. But it isn't, and it doesn't. When the battery goes, it's Ford dealer or nothing as a practical matter.

as noted earlier, there's no need for that. Just set the function in your information display. Set it to "intermittent" instead of "rain sensing".

I haven't received the credit yet; it won't apply until I do my 2023 taxes. But, $4000. (Actually, I think I read $4007 somewhere.)

EVGo is DC fast charging, right? There's no adapting that to J1772.

I've had hybrid since 2007. I would never, ever, ever flat tow--with drive wheels on the ground--a hybrid. Anyway, the owner's manual talks to this, and it's not clear. Under "Emergency Towing," it says this: If your vehicle becomes inoperable (without access to wheel dollies, car-hauling trailer, or flatbed transport vehicle), it can be flat-towed (all wheels on the ground, regardless of the powertrain and transmission configuration) under the following conditions: Tow only in the forward direction. The transmission in position N. If you cannot move the transmission into N, you may need to override it. See Automatic Transmission (page 161) Maximum speed is 35 mph (56 km/h). Maximum distance is 50 miles (80 kilometers). but then immediately following, it says this: Recreational Towing Note: Put your climate control system in recirculated air mode to prevent exhaust fumes from entering the vehicle. See Climate Control (page 108). Follow these guidelines if you have a need for recreational (RV) towing. An example of recreational towing would be towing your vehicle behind a motorhome. We designed these guidelines to prevent damage to your transmission. You can tow your vehicle with all four wheels on the ground or with the front wheels off the ground by using a tow dolly. If you are using a tow dolly follow the instructions specified by the equipment provider. If you tow your vehicle with all four wheels on the ground: Tow only in the forward direction. Release the parking brake. Vehicles with Push Button Start Start the vehicle by pressing the brake pedal, and then pressing the ENGINE START/STOP button until the vehicle starts. Press the brake pedal and shift the transmission into position N. Turn the vehicle off by pressing the ENGINE START/STOP button once. (Trip Summary appears in the left instrument cluster screen when the vehicle is off.) Vehicles with Ignition Key Start the vehicle by pressing the brake pedal, and then turning the ignition key until the vehicle starts. Press the brake pedal and shift the transmission into position N. Turn the vehicle off by turning the ignition key past the accessory position. The key position is between the accessory and off positions. See Ignition Switch (page 129). (Trip Summary appears in the left instrument cluster screen when the vehicle is off.) Note: If your vehicle is equipped with an ignition key, you cannot remove the key from the ignition cylinder when the transmission is in position N and the vehicle is off. All Vehicles Do not exceed 70 mph (113 km/h). Place the transmission in position P, start the vehicle, and allow the engine to run for one minute at the beginning of each day (you may need to press the accelerator pedal in order to start the engine). After allowing the vehicle to run, place the transmission back into position N and the ignition in the off position. Note: A SHIFT TO PARK or TRANSMISSION NOT IN PARK message may appear in the information display when the transmission is in position N and the ignition is in the off position. On the one hand, no more than 35mph and no more than 50 miles. On the other hand, "tow away!" Dolly it for safety and security. Seriously.

that's not the issue here. The issue is that the C-Max turning radius is abnormally large. No other car its size, rear or front wheel drive, has a turning radius anywhere near that large.

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.

The problem with that is, the C-Max uses cabin air to condition the battery. The battery is best in environmental conditions that make YOU comfortable, and the system simply circulates cabin air around the battery, so if you're comfortable, the battery is too. If you're not, the battery isn't. It's counterproductive NOT to run the climate control, even if that means using gas. In the long run, it's cheaper to use the gas in winter and make the cabin and the battery happy compared to making the battery suffer. Things are way different on the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid, where it uses engine coolant and A/C to condition the battery--and it even has an inline electric coolant heater. The ECH will take miles off your range, but it will keep the engine from running on a cold day just to create waste heat to comfort the battery. But that's all a discussion for another day.