LordUmoja Posted July 26, 2013 Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 Figured I should join up here so my soon-to-be-wife and I can get some good ideas on getting the best performance out of our C-MAX. We are both new to hybrids but I have a good history with Ford and decided that we would go for the C-MAX when looking for a replacement for her 1998 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport. I wish I could say we had the car now but it has been a long series of issues, we are SUPPOSEDLY getting the car next week after the headliner recall is completed. About 2 weeks ago now, late on a Friday, my fiancé got a call from a dealer telling her about a Candy Blue C-MAX SEL with Nav and Winter package they had for $26k. She set up an appointment to view the car that Monday knowing this was a great deal because the SE we had spec'd out was $28k. Monday morning arrives and she calls to confirm her appointment that evening and is informed that the car was sold over the weekend. We go to the appointment anyway and have to meet with a different sales rep who tells us there is "no way we could sell an SEL that cheap" and proceeds to price us out for a SE with the paint, Nav, and Winter package. Fine. She applies for a loan, next day gets approval, and we set an appointment to pick up the car Wednesday evening as they have to bring the car from another dealer given the color and options she wants. Wednesday at 1pm we call to verify the car and appointment and are informed that the car can't be sold until the recall they announced....She was nearly in tears, I searched a 3 state area to find a matching car without the recall on it and came up without anything. We are waiting as the car is supposedly going to be ready next week.... Then I read on here that power seats are only on the SEL which means deal breaker, as my fiancé is 5'1" and has fibromyalgia and arthritis so a power seat is a must.....Hopefully the 203A package or Winter Package makes at least the driver's seat powered since the dealer said it had power seats.... I'll keep everyone updated if we get the car after this near month of hoops, hurdles, and heartache. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizM Posted July 26, 2013 Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 First all, welcome to the Forum. I am not 100% positive, but I don't think the power driver's seat comes on the SE with any package. Anyone know for sure? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xanotos Posted July 26, 2013 Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 I have a fully loaded SE and it doesn't come with power driver seat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus-A-CMax Posted July 26, 2013 Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 One thing with the power seat in the SEL - it has NO memory. Buyer beware. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordUmoja Posted July 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 Crap. That's not what I needed to hear. I'm going to look at the car tonight if I can get out of work early. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordUmoja Posted July 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 So as not to be a total buzz kill, as I said I am not new to Fords. My first car was a 2002 Focus ZX5 that I prepped for bracket racing. By the time I sold it, I could do 3 time trial runs at the track and predict to +/- .05 seconds what the car would run the rest of the night. I currently daily drive a 2004 Mustang Mach 1. It goes in storage for restoration when we get the C-MAX, I'll DD the fiancé's subie. See? I can do happy posts... slampro 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus-A-CMax Posted July 26, 2013 Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 Oh man, are you sure you want to do this? R U sure u want to come into the hybrid world where its not all about speed but the MPG...I dunno....that :drool: Tesla S performance might be more your alley....I mean the CMax is quick but in the MPG world, its never about speed.... :stirpot: M&M and LordUmoja 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-Maxgo Posted July 26, 2013 Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 Welcome to the C-Max forums. Sorry to hear about your misfortune. Hopefully it means that something better is coming along! Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordUmoja Posted July 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 Well I looked at another SE today. The dealership "forgot" to inform me they hadn't moved the car over to the main lot. Looks like manual seat and keyed ignition instead of the push button the fiancé wanted. Oh well.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ford Posted July 26, 2013 Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 Figured I should join up here so my soon-to-be-wife and I can get some good ideas on getting the best performance out of our C-MAX. We are both new to hybrids but I have a good history with Ford and decided that we would go for the C-MAX when looking for a replacement for her 1998 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport. I wish I could say we had the car now but it has been a long series of issues, we are SUPPOSEDLY getting the car next week after the headliner recall is completed. About 2 weeks ago now, late on a Friday, my fiancé got a call from a dealer telling her about a Candy Blue C-MAX SEL with Nav and Winter package they had for $26k. She set up an appointment to view the car that Monday knowing this was a great deal because the SE we had spec'd out was $28k. Monday morning arrives and she calls to confirm her appointment that evening and is informed that the car was sold over the weekend. We go to the appointment anyway and have to meet with a different sales rep who tells us there is "no way we could sell an SEL that cheap" and proceeds to price us out for a SE with the paint, Nav, and Winter package. Fine. She applies for a loan, next day gets approval, and we set an appointment to pick up the car Wednesday evening as they have to bring the car from another dealer given the color and options she wants. Wednesday at 1pm we call to verify the car and appointment and are informed that the car can't be sold until the recall they announced....She was nearly in tears, I searched a 3 state area to find a matching car without the recall on it and came up without anything. We are waiting as the car is supposedly going to be ready next week.... Then I read on here that power seats are only on the SEL which means deal breaker, as my fiancé is 5'1" and has fibromyalgia and arthritis so a power seat is a must.....Hopefully the 203A package or Winter Package makes at least the driver's seat powered since the dealer said it had power seats.... I'll keep everyone updated if we get the car after this near month of hoops, hurdles, and heartache.Sounds like that SEL for $26000 never existed. The old "Bait And Switch" trick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordUmoja Posted July 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 These guys are seriously making me re-consider the purchase. Good news is if I don't buy it now, you guys get to see my stupid posts without a C-Max for the next 6mo. We are set on the C-MAX, just need to decide if now is really the time. Jus-A-CMax, the car is for the fiancé, I keep my toys. I also have a '75 Honda CB750F Café Racer and a '93 Nissan 240SX convertible awaiting a turbo 2.4l and manual swap. I am learning the MPG game though, starting to see an amazing 23 combined MPG from the Mach 1....people look at mustangs weird if they cruise along at 55 in the slow lane though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ford Posted July 26, 2013 Report Share Posted July 26, 2013 (edited) Well I looked at another SE today. The dealership "forgot" to inform me they hadn't moved the car over to the main lot. Looks like manual seat and keyed ignition instead of the push button the fiancé wanted. Oh well....The cmax manual seat works very good. My last car was a Cadillac CTS with electric seats with memory. I don't miss the electric seats at all. My wife is 5' and I am 6'. I do miss the memory electric mirrors, a little! Edited July 27, 2013 by ford Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adair Posted July 27, 2013 Report Share Posted July 27, 2013 Well I looked at another SE today. The dealership "forgot" to inform me they hadn't moved the car over to the main lot. Looks like manual seat and keyed ignition instead of the push button the fiancé wanted. Oh well....So, is it back to the drawing board and search? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salsaguy Posted July 27, 2013 Report Share Posted July 27, 2013 really hate this fact. what good is power seats without memory esp when you have multiple drivers in the same house.in the SEL trim it should be std.i can see in the SE it shouldn't be but as an option. One thing with the power seat in the SEL - it has NO memory. Buyer beware. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salsaguy Posted July 27, 2013 Report Share Posted July 27, 2013 oh boy another LEAD FOOT SPEEDSTER coming to the hybrid world. don't have high expectations for good mpg right away. or is the cmax for your wife only?:) So as not to be a total buzz kill, as I said I am not new to Fords. My first car was a 2002 Focus ZX5 that I prepped for bracket racing. By the time I sold it, I could do 3 time trial runs at the track and predict to +/- .05 seconds what the car would run the rest of the night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salsaguy Posted July 27, 2013 Report Share Posted July 27, 2013 why settle? get what you want.you'll regret it later. its not that much more. Well I looked at another SE today. The dealership "forgot" to inform me they hadn't moved the car over to the main lot. Looks like manual seat and keyed ignition instead of the push button the fiancé wanted. Oh well.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordUmoja Posted July 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2013 (edited) Salsaguy, The car is MAINLY for her but I'll drive it on weekends and long trips. I am getting good at the MPG game in the Mach, commuting in that thing at $3.85/gal kind of forces me to eke as much mileage as possible. As for settling, we talked about it and she wants to see the car in person before the final decision but the lack of a power seat and no push button start are apparently little details she wanted but doesn't think is worth the additional $3k that the SEL upgrade costs. Remember her current car is a 15 year old Subaru with manual locks and seats so bad you can feel the metal frames. Edited July 27, 2013 by LordUmoja Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScubaDadMiami Posted July 27, 2013 Report Share Posted July 27, 2013 Welcome aboard! Make sure to check very carefully about what each package has. People have made mistakes, such as thinking that the power liftgate is the same thing as the kick-open option, and many other little things like that. In a number of instances, things like upgrading the sound system aftermarket ended out costing a lot more, with not-so-great results. Also, some packages force you to get something you don't care about in order to get something that you really want. Good luck with finding your MAX. I ended out ordering, and it took eight weeks to arrive. I hope you find yours quickly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salsaguy Posted July 27, 2013 Report Share Posted July 27, 2013 Lordu, i too will be getting the cmax for the wife too ( to replace her 199d9 Toyota SUV 4Runner) but I'm going to be sure to try and borrow it as much as i can to do testing and report here. maybe try and trade the cmax for my Passat for a whole week. she gets the better deal right? :)yeah i have been getting better at the mpg game as well. been doing more p&g and cruise in my Passat and getting great results for a big gas sedan.it's nice to know you don't have to go to the gas station each week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordUmoja Posted July 27, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2013 it's nice to know you don't have to go to the gas station each week.Each week? With her commute, she fills the Subaru every 2-3 days and I fill the Mach every 4 if I'm lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe Posted July 27, 2013 Report Share Posted July 27, 2013 Moving from an older vehicle to the C-Max is like moving from the space shuttle to the star ship Enterprise. So many features that you never realized you needed. Such as auto wipers, auto hatch back with auto kick feature, hill assist (holds car while moving foot from brake to accelerator pedal), The left information screen which allows you to customize it. Although auto seat adjustment would be nice, we don't find it that inconvenient. MyFord Touch features, GPS, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnrobitaille Posted July 27, 2013 Report Share Posted July 27, 2013 Salsaguy, The car is MAINLY for her but I'll drive it on weekends and long trips. I am getting good at the MPG game in the Mach, commuting in that thing at $3.85/gal kind of forces me to eke as much mileage as possible. As for settling, we talked about it and she wants to see the car in person before the final decision but the lack of a power seat and no push button start are apparently little details she wanted but doesn't think is worth the additional $3k that the SEL upgrade costs. Remember her current car is a 15 year old Subaru with manual locks and seats so bad you can feel the metal frames. We have a fully loaded C-Max Hybrid SEL, & although we may not use all the options/features all the time, it can be beneficial to have them if the need arises. Better to have an item not immediately needed, than to have an immediate need & not have it. Being that your fiancee is 5'1" the power/handsfree liftgate might be of a benefit especially with her having Fibro as she wouldn't have to overly strain herself to open/close the liftgate. My wife has Fibro & the times she sits in the front heated seat is a lifesaver for her. salsaguy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnrobitaille Posted July 27, 2013 Report Share Posted July 27, 2013 Moving from an older vehicle to the C-Max is like moving from the space shuttle to the star ship Enterprise. So many features that you never realized you needed. Such as auto wipers, auto hatch back with auto kick feature, hill assist (holds car while moving foot from brake to accelerator pedal), The left information screen which allows you to customize it. Although auto seat adjustment would be nice, we don't find it that inconvenient. MyFord Touch features, GPS, etc.Actually a more accurate description would be moving from an Apollo Mission Module to the Starship Enterprise-E. joe and xanotos 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-MaxSea Posted July 27, 2013 Report Share Posted July 27, 2013 I'll 'second' the 'be careful what you don't get' conversation. The 'unnecessary' items, may become 'necessary some day, or at least standard equip. in very short order on many cars. Hope you get your situation sorted out LU. (Go for that push button start, way to cool; and don't worry about the chair memory - maybe it can be upgraded in the future) Gizmobiling, and love all of the features. Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordUmoja Posted July 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2013 Update! We got a call last evening from a different dealership that has been bending over backwards for us. They have a candy blue SE on the lot, with the nav and winter package, and they made us a great financing offer. It is ours as soon as the headliner recall is fixed. They are also checking to see if it already has the FE programming update. Looks like we will have our C-Max soon. Very excited salsaguy and ScubaDadMiami 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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