rboe

We live in Phoenix and I'd like better flow control and cooler air. I get a white dust coming from the vents from time to time too. That is a bit annoying. The system seems to do fine till around a 100 degrees. Past a hundred I'd like a system with more poop. While we're on the subject, a quieter fan would be nice too; especially when it is on high. Satisfaction with the cooling could be personal preference too, my wife is much happier with warmer temps; I prefer a much cooler car - and house for that matter.

18" tires, FWD, roof rack - no BAMR, SEL, Easily geting 22+ in town, approaching 24mpg if I can avoid stop and go - just commute (17 miles one way; few stops at about 40mph average speed limit, no freeway). Drops down to about 22mpg with stop and go. This car really does not like stop and go traffic or hills: Things that make you push on the gas. Gawd help you if you go for quick acceleration as you mpg will plummet. Tire size has an effect on the finally gear ratio to the road. Smaller tires give more mechanical advantage vs. larger tires. For this little difference in size one would think tire pressure would be more important in the real world with respect to influencing your mpg rating.

Excellent point, had not thought of that. Timing may be right too as it was in April. A/C use tends to affect mileage too so I'll have to pay attention to mileage once we reach cooler weather.

For some reason I did not notice a jump in mileage until about 11K. In town driving went from 21mpg to about 22mpg (very little stop and go - drops to 19mpg just running around the neighborhood doing weekend chores). With the price of gas through the roof I have gone from gentle to real gentle and can hit 24mpg on average for a tank. In town. Provided I avoid side trips that make me stop. Shell gas seems to do better for me than Vaquaro - same gas from the same pipeline so I'm assuming it's the additives. We're going on a major road trip in the fall so I'm keen on seeing what she'll do then. Last trip up to Flagstaff and to Prescott 21mpg was the best I could average out - big hills suck fuel like you would not believe!

I'm considering it as I really miss the room the minivan gave me. Almost got a Freestyle but it didn't spin my crank nor was the seat height all that high. But I'd have to get over the feeling I'm buying an International Travel-All.

North Phoenix. This was taken the day after I bought it at a friends house in Sedona.

5100+ miles, mostly city driving with slight downhill to work, and most of the lights are sync'd so I get 21.9mpg per fill. When we're doing the weekend chores and put the the indicator on mpg it drops to 19 or so. This car does not like stop and go at all. I have not really seen much of an increase in mileage with the break in. The last freeway trip saw mileage in the 24+mpg range all very flat with a repeat trip in the spring to compare to (low miles to "high" miles). Hopefully a Flagstaff trip in January but that is tough one as it's all up hill on the way there and coasting on the way back. Somehow it does not quite average out.

Not having a low range should tell you something right there. The purdy looks is the second clue. Not having a body on frame chassis is the final nail in the coffin. The four wheel drive is good for snow and inclement (sp?) weather and that is about it. But a true off-roader in this size, only a bit uglier so we don't have to worry about woodland rash (say, a 1946 Dodge Powerwagon - a truely handsome vehicle in its' own right) from Ford would be pretty sweet.

Redfire goes better with the window trays from Sonic. Gun rack would be problematic with our slanted rear windows. Might be worth a try though. Probably end up mounting them to the roof rack with flip rig to provide quick and easy access. A pair of pink fluffy slippers to prevent wear and tear on the Edge logo floor mats would be cool. Bunny ears optional. :shades:

One of those racks to hang from the drivers window to hold your fries, drink and hamburger....... :whistle:

Sounds like you have done your homework. The Finance Officer (you get to see him/her whether you pay in cash or finance - they are the ones that draw up all the legal paperwork) is the dealers last chance to squeeze some money out of you. Going in with your eyes open should serve you well. Good Luck!

That is a cute car. Will have to check out the front and the interior.

If you find a particular model you like with the options and colour you want get on the web and look around to see what other dealers have something similar. Always be prepared to walk. That is the best tool you can use. Ford sales are not that great nationwide (have no idea what your location is like) and with the 08's coming out you have some power. Check out edmunds.com to get a feel for what Edges are selling for in your area. The price they quote there is an average so see if you can beat it. They love to sell you maintenance packages once you get into the Finance Officer. I was told by the Finance Officer that Ford would not honor the warranty unless all the work was done by a Ford dealership. I questioned him on this and was told the new longer warranties demanded this. It's crap. Says so in the manual. Don't do it. Don't get sold on that. Stick to your guns. Sales managers and Finance Officers are the pox. Salesmen can be a piece of work but it has been my experience most salespeople are not too bad. The others can run hot or cold and the last Ford dealer had a pair of real winners. I really should have walked! I'm not big on extended warranties either but have noticed that some folks are. Depends on how long you keep a car. If offered one, refuse. They will usually come back with a lower figure. Sometimes several lower figures - it varies with the dealership. It's up to you if you think you'll need one. The factory warranty is pretty good. Being young and female some dealerships will try to take advantage of you - the good ones won't. I don't think this is an automatic. If you feel that happening walk. As you purchase more cars over the years you will appreciate that tool more than any other and it takes practice. If you feel rushed, unsure or uncomfortable walk. Take some time, get your facts straight if you need to then go back. There are several reasons to walk and not all of them are due to a bad dealer experience. You are going to spend a lot of money so you may as well be as comfortable about the decision as you can.

That is pretty good alright. I've found for city driving the longer the drive with sync'd lights you can do pretty good (assuming about 40mph for major trunk). But short trips to the store and such it's not so good. Too many stop and goes. I'll be doing a similar trip in a few weeks so you have certainly given me high expectations!

I'm getting about 21+ in town (pretty flat, slight down hill to work 17 miles, then back; getting 26mpg to and 20-21 on the return trip) and so far 24mpg on the freeway from Phoenix to Sedona and back. Some ugly hills on the way up, and one coming back. Speed between 60-70 for the most part. I have a pretty flat road trip coming up to a star party so I'm very keen on seeing what she does then. Just turned 2000 miles and the mileage is creeping up. Other low mileage posters that could not attribute their numbers to driving habits lived in hilly country. This car drinks gas on hills - I suspect the weight has a bit to do with this.

I second the fruminator. Does not work on our pointer, a bit better on the border collie and wonderfully on the corgi. Darn good on the cats too (but they don't ride). Pointers hair is too short and coarse - and she hates it - so a waste of time for her. The Corgi has a very thick coat with tons of fine under coat hairs. Does a bang up job on those. That plastic idea is a keeper. Thanks for mentioning that!

Thank, that is exactly what I was looking for. :bow:

Ah, and hence my dilemma, which would be good quality? Having never been in the market for the product I have no clue as to what is good and what is just plain pretty in a bottle. I suppose something will be better than nothing - just hoping a wee bit of direction will steer me right. Otherwise I'll do the Pin the tail on the Donkey choosing method.

While we're talking leather - what is a good product to keep them clean and from cracking? Amoral has the wipes but there are plenty of other products out there. Saddle soap I know works but who wants to sit on that?! Plus you have the mix of vinyl and leather so you may as well use something that works well with both - if possible.

We have three dogs and it seems to work out best to have the seat up. Especially for the Border Collie going to and from Agility meets as she can settle in and nest for a good nap where as the flat back she can't (unless we pack a dog mattress). I suspect a good deal of that comes from being used to seats in the mini-van.

For $100 I'd hope for 20' - but I'd do it. Tires - I'll wait till I get some use out of mine. 146 feet is not bad, it's just not that great and should be better.

The only Redfire with a premium package was in FWD - so there you go. Plus, we just don't seem to get the blizzards in Phoenix like got in Minnesota. So I took a chance. :wacko:

This so true and probably covers the majority of situations. While my brakes seem to be just fine (tire upgrades seem to be the biggest gain in stopping distance in our case) the case where something darts out in front of you and you need to swerve and/or stop - deer, child, car with lost brakes coming down a hill etc. And then the ever so popular inattentive driver doing something stupid and uses up any safety factor you may be using. Excellent braking qualities will help you recover from some (never all) situations. Poor driving habits will ruin any perceived advantage great brakes give you. Besides, we have a very nice car and I for one hate to see any part of it perform with less than stellar marks.

Redfire 07 SEL, doors look perfect so it appears Pete is correct.

Not so. Mandated for motorcycles so I got in the habit of using them on the car so many years ago. Too many times the colour of the car makes it blend in with the road so the lights make it stand out and prevent folks from pulling out in front of you because they don't see you. How many times have you seen some idgit at twighlight without their lights on? Makes them darn hard to see and judge their approach speed. Having the lamps on at all times just makes good sense.