Considering buying C-Max in Texas

[raadsel]

I'm considering buying a C-Max and have been reading through the site, trying to get a feel of what owners think about the car. I'm attracted to the C-Max largely because of the cargo space. I'm in no hurry to make any type of move, and am not even sure if I will buy a car at this time.

 

 

 

[Adrian_L]

See if you can rent one for a few days. It's a good way to check out a car.

 

We've had Vws, Honda, Audi and Volvo and I can honestly say this is the best car we have owned. Heated seats are too damn hot but you won't need 'em in Texas.

[ScubaDadMiami]

That's what I did. I rented for 24 hours, gave a good test drive, and that confirmed my decision.

[raadsel]

Where did you find a C-Max to rent, and what was the rental rate?

[anaphora68]

Well, here's the thing about the cargo capacity on the C-max. With the rear seats up, you don't have a ton. My old Prius actually held more. With the seats down, there's a lot of space.

 

I love mine. We have a RAV-4, as well, for hauling larger stuff. The C-Max is a very comfortable car. Great ride. 

[fotomoto]

Did someone mention "hauling"?   :)

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 13, 2015 by fotomoto

[ScubaDadMiami]

Where did you find a C-Max to rent, and what was the rental rate?

I wrote a post on what I did, but that was a while ago. I actually can't remember, but I think that it was from Budget. You can't just show up at the agency to assure the kind of vehicle you want. Start by calling, and then explain that you need to rent the C-MAX. Let them know that you are not a tourist that needs the car on a specific date, but that you are a local that needs the specific car make and model, and that you can be flexible on the date. It can take some time for them to locate and transfer the car to your local rental agency.

 

It costs more to rent a specific vehicle. I think I spent about $125 for 24 hours. Think of it as a wise investment in deciding which vehicle you will purchase.

[scottwood2]

Before my purchase I test drove about 6 C-Max's from different dealers.  The dealer I purchased my car from had no problem with giving me a car to use for 24 hours.  It was a sales person's car with about 4000 miles on it but it was fine for what I wanted.  It was the first dealer I asked to get a car overnight but it was not a problem other than they would not do Fridays.  They were open on Saturday but something with their insurance about the weekend.  I think it was more of a concern that someone would not come back to the dealer by noon on Saturday when they closed. 

 

Can't hurt to ask. 

[Adrian_L]

Took the words right off my keyboard.  I was going to say, take your Hyundai into the dealership for a trade-in appraisal and ask them if you can borrow a C-max for half a day. 

[raadsel]

I did find one other possible option as I searched on the 'Net. It looks like in a few cities around the US, Hertz has a C-Max for sell, and you can rent the C-Max at $49 from their lot (though may be limited to 3 days).

[anaphora68]

I would be very, very wary buying from a rental agency. Take the vehicle to a mechanic and have them look it over. 

 

My car's tires had never been rotated, so I ended up need 4 new tires. I also have a sinking suspicion that when I get my engine oil and engine air filters swapped out, I'm not going to like what I see. 

[raadsel]

I would be very, very wary buying from a rental agency. Take the vehicle to a mechanic and have them look it over. 

 

My car's tires had never been rotated, so I ended up need 4 new tires. I also have a sinking suspicion that when I get my engine oil and engine air filters swapped out, I'm not going to like what I see. 

 

I wasn't suggesting to buy from them, just a good way to rent a C-Max to get a feel for it for a couple of days. Especially since you can treat it like a rental car.  ;)

[RockwallRick]

No need to rent one, there are dealers that will let you take a car for a full weekend. I have done it myself. :rockon:

[anaphora68]

Regardless, enjoy it. 

 

I'm really glad I got mine. I'm averaging over 42 MPG in the car, mixed usage. 

[cmax-nynj]

I rented one from Hertz too and bought the car based on my one day test drive

[raadsel]

I currently am driving an Oxford White, 2014 C-Max SEL, package 302A, with 27,000 miles, debating if I want to buy it. I'd be buying it as a Certified Pre-Owned, with the extended warranty and roadside assistance. In fact, a quick question, for those that have used Ford's Roadside Assistance, what kind of experience have you had? 

 

I took a drive last night on the Interstate and, driving at 65 (to be clear, the dealer knew I was going to do it). I averaged 41.5 mpg (displayed). It also seemed like the speedometer was a 1-2 mph off, 67 on the speedometer is what GPS shows as 65. How accurate have people found the dashboard display on their 2014 (or even all years) C-Max -- the speedometer, odometer, and fuel economy?

 

In terms of driving -- steering, braking, road noise, etc. -- the C-Max reminds me a lot of my Sonata Hybrid. The C-Max likely has a slight advantage with traction, because of the wider tires, but some of that is offset by the height, shorter wheelbase, and aerodynamics (the Sonata Hybrid has a 0.25 coefficient of drag). Of course, the big difference is that the Sonata gets better fuel economy on the highway, the C-Max (based on my driving thus far) clearly prefers city driving. It really is an interesting comparison.

 

In the meantime, I have a decision to make. Guess we'll see what happens tomorrow.

Edited March 29, 2015 by raadsel

[jmckinley]

My dash display is consistently 7% optimistic on gas mileage.  So if you saw 41.5 it was actually 38.5.

 

Don't expect even that much mileage if you're going to drive it 75 in Texas in the summer with A/C.  More like 35 then.

 

Lots of cheaper cars out there that can get just as good mileage without all the complications.

[ptjones]

Some of us do better at MPG's than others, I see 45mpg during Summer with AC on driving on the HWY.  During Winter low 40's mpg's, BTW Grill Covers are worth 2-4mpg"s. :)

 

Paul

[raadsel]

My dash display is consistently 7% optimistic on gas mileage.  So if you saw 41.5 it was actually 38.5.

 

Don't expect even that much mileage if you're going to drive it 75 in Texas in the summer with A/C.  More like 35 then.

 

Lots of cheaper cars out there that can get just as good mileage without all the complications.

 

For speeds, I prefer to stay 65 or below, for fuel efficiency, and this particular drive was with A/C off. It was evening and ideal hybrid driving weather. Since most of my driving tends to be in the metro area, going 65 or under doesn't tend to be a problem. When you get onto the rural freeways, going 65 can make you feel like you are going to get run over. ;)

 

For the record, I ended up not buying it as it was one of the "Special Order" vehicles and had been heavily used as a "Fleet" vehicle.. While it would have had a great warranty to cover any issues, there were little things that made me question how reliable it might be.

[jmckinley]

Take a look at Fuelly.com.  Average for all owners reporting is 40 mpg.  

 

Dorkmilers and other fanatics can get more by driving this thing like a 1968 Volkswagen but I had hoped at this stage of my life to enjoy Heat and Air Conditioning and to be able to keep up with Interstate highway traffic. I had my fill of hot, cold, slow cars when I was working my way through college.

 

Drive this car 70 mph and you won't get 45 mph. And, if it's cold, or raining, or hot or there's a headwind you may not even get 35 mpg.

 

And, I'm running crappy looking Plexiglas covers over both grills. If people ask why, I explain that Ford wasn't smart enough to design radiator shutters that actually work.

[shinytop]

Admittedly I only get 40 on the highway at 75 MPH.  In the city every tank has been over 50 MPG except one.  My lifetime after ten months is over 47 MPG.  And I live in Florida, so yes, I use AC.  This is not a slow car.  When you have to punch it from a start or to merge when passing on the interstate over 70 MPH it gets up and goes.   

[Kelleytoons]

Yes, my experience echos this, albeit only nine months instead of ten (and I'm in Florida as well).

[spyburn]

I'm in Texas and I love my CMax.  I drive about 80-90% highway miles, 30 miles each way to work.  Perhaps 8 of those "highway miles" are spent banging my head on the steering wheel wondering when I can retire and get the heck out of the daily commute, but once I get beyond the bottlenecks, I'm cruising at 70.  I have 26000 miles and a lifetime MPG of 43.2.  I do tend to run the AC when temps exceed 90, but I prefer the seat heater to running the heat on those rare mornings I need heat.  

 

My lifetime MPG was 43.9 until recently when I had to make an emergency trip to Florida.  It was a 20 hour trip and I was both distressed and in a hurry, so I wasn't terribly concerned about either fuel efficiency or speed limits.  I still got 40.1 on the way there and 39.9 on the trip back a few days later.  

 

In my experience, I do get better mileage when I drive in town, provided I know where I'm going.  During 2 days of city driving in an unfamiliar Florida city, I got terrible mileage the first day (like 33 - 35), but significantly improved the next day as I began to figure out where I was going and could anticipate things.

 

I hop you enjoy your CMax!

[Kelleytoons]

Hopefully that "distress" passed and had a good resolution (I always cringe when I read something like that -- at my age the kind of thing that would cause me such an emergency trip would involve health of someone near and dear to me).

[Noah Harbinger]

I try to toe 68MPH on the freeway. Not fast, but still hanging in the right two lanes. If you drive 75/80, the fuel economy drops fast - it has a ridiculously high drag coefficient and a large cross-section size, and with drag increasing with cube of speed, it becomes a factor fast. I probably average 42MPG at 68MPH, but my fuel economy dropped to 34MPG at 78MPH. At that point, you do better in a Camry. (Though I may have had a headwind that trip).

 

My gauge also reads optimistic, generally about 4%. I wonder how much of that is evaporative gasses being recirculated to the engine, burned without being injected / counted? I do report the optimistic mileage on Fuelly. 

Edited April 11, 2015 by Noah Harbinger