Anyone else in line for a 2019 Diesel XLT Connect Wagon?

[ford-diesel]

Just recently found out that the diesel was going to be standard.

Now I'm wondering what else I should plan on ordering.

It's replacing a 2009 VW TDI that got up to 47MPG on long trips so I'm rather excited that ford decided to introduce it.

 

What are "useless" upgrades versus "got to have" upgrades?

[BananasRUS]

Yes, I am very interested in the diesel option for 2019! Unfortunately, I don't know what to order myself, other than the fact that I don't need or want too many bells and whistles. I also don't want leather seats. I am leaning towards the SWB as I love the way it looks and drives (older ones) and really don't need the extra room and third row seats in the LWB. 

[Eddy Kilowatt]

I was going to resist the new diesel and go for a used 2.5, but private-owner wagons are scarce on the market around here and nothing's turned up yet.  So I'm back to being tempted by the 1.5 diesel, somewhat to my dismay -- I have never in my life bought a new engine (and transmission) in its first year of production.  But the diesel seems appealingly quirky to me, I've had a VW TDI (older rotary-pump job) which was a great long-life diesel experience, and a 5-cylinder Eurovan with even less power than the 1.5 diesel will have, so if anyone can deal with it, I figure I can.  This new "EcoBlue" ought to be second generation for the SCR and DPF emissions hardware, so by rights they ought to have the major bugs worked out.

 

It's odd that there's still not much info out there on the 1.5 other than the splash of publicity at introduction last February.  No progress reports, ordering info, test drives of the engine in Euro-market cars, or really much of anything at all.

 

[Fifty150]

1 hour ago, Eddy Kilowatt said:

 a used 2.5, but private-owner wagons are scarce on the market around here and nothing's turned up yet

 

 

If you think that a used car will satisfy you, try searching with CarMax.  I think buying used cars online is challenging at best.  But it is an option.  Just to see what is available and where the pricing is.  

[Fifty150]

On 4/7/2018 at 3:30 PM, ford-diesel said:

 

 

What are "useless" upgrades versus "got to have" upgrades?

  That all depends on what you can live without.  I have a button on my dash for heating up the mirror mounted on my door.  It never gets that cold here, that I need it.  I now other guys who bought cars with engine block heaters, and they never use them either.  I am living without leather seats.  I am living without the top of the line stereo.  I am living without the tow package.  I did not get the OEM bumper insert cornering fog lights.  I am living without the glass roof.  

[Mike Chell]

I'm putting up with these seats ... vinyl, I think.  I hate them.  I much prefer cloth.  

I didn't have to order it as an upgrade, but I'd never buy a vehicle without cruise control.  Same thing with A/C ... I live in Florida, gotta have A/C.

 

As for diesel ... I'll never own one.  Just not a fan.

Edited July 19, 2018 by Mike Chell

[mrtn]

16 hours ago, Eddy Kilowatt said:

It's odd that there's still not much info out there on the 1.5 other than the splash of publicity at introduction last February.  No progress reports, ordering info, test drives of the engine in Euro-market cars, or really much of anything at all.

 

You can join the transit connect’ed facebook group and ask for opinions there. Half of the new model owners probably have the 1.5 liter diesel there as it’s been available for a couple of years already.

[Eddy Kilowatt]

17 hours ago, Fifty150 said:

 

 

If you think that a used car will satisfy you, try searching with CarMax.  I think buying used cars online is challenging at best.  But it is an option.  Just to see what is available and where the pricing is.  

Yes, in addition to the usual suspects (Craigslist, AutoTrader, Cars.com, etc) in a 100-mile radius,  I've been looking at some of these new nationwide franchise operations like CarMax, CarGurus, and Carvana.   They offer pre-inspected vehicles, meant I think to be equivalent to manufacturer Certified Pre-Owned, at a no-haggle price, with transport options that range all the way up to "we drop it off in your driveway"... for a fee, of course (visible or built-in).

 

I'm curious whether you or anyone else here might have seen or heard any scuttlebut about the "inspections" these outfits do.   My personal default is to mentally translate "rigorous 128-point inspection" into "we drove it around the block... no smoke came out, and no parts fell off"... but this is an interesting new market niche and there is the opportunity for an honest player who actually does credible inspections to gain a foothold by delivering actual customer value.  Anyone heard anything?

[Eddy Kilowatt]

2 hours ago, mrtn said:

 

You can join the transit connect’ed facebook group and ask for opinions there. Half of the new model owners probably have the 1.5 liter diesel there as it’s been available for a couple of years already.

 

I'll check that out, as it looks to have more members than Transit Connect Owners, which I'm already a member of.

 

The 2.0 EcoBlue (meeting Euro6) was announced by Ford in 2016 and has been available since 2017... the 1.5 version is more recent.  I'm trying to learn where and when it might have been road tested, and released for sale to the public.

[Fifty150]

Sometimes dealers will offer an inspection report.  Other times, dealers will simply announce that they inspected the vehicle.  Some guys insist that the seller allow you to have your own mechanic inspect it.  If you are competent, you can lift the hood and kick the tires yourself.  But with used cars, there is always the chance that an issue will arise that nobody saw during the inspection, or that an unscrupulous person is hiding.  Then there are things that you just can't see.  You'll never know the condition of the timing belt or chain.  You can check the fluids, but you won't be able to see what the inside of the engine or transmission looks like. 

 

I know someone who ran into a fire hydrant.  High pressure water sprayed up into the engine compartment for over an hour.  The car was flooded.  After draining and airing out all of the mechanical parts, then replacing a whole bunch of parts, a shop got it to start and run again.  But it never ran the same again.  Then there were "phantom" issues with the BCM, ECM, and TCM.  When the car's computer gets wet, even if you replace a module, there is corrosion in the contacts.  Climate control would switch between heat & AC, lights flickered, turn signals activated randomly, high beams sometimes worked, you get the picture.  Engine would occasionally bog down, misfire, randomly idle higher, et cetera.  The car became "haunted".  All in all, it became a piece of garbage.  It was less than a year old.  $100 worth of detailing, and the car looked great.  Traded it in.  Dealership tech looked it over, and it looked good.  Everything on it was clean.  We saw it on the used side of the lot for about 6 weeks.  Next thing you know, someone else bought it, and by now, they are probably wondering how a next to new used car can be such a piece of junk.  

[Mike Chell]

CarMax has been on the scene for a long time (1993) ... it's not "an interesting new market niche".    They're a "Fortune 500" company ...  with more good reviews than bad.  Their inspections are so good that several of the local dealerships accept a CarMax inspection report on your trade in.  They give you more on your trade in if you have one.

 

That said, they're also one of the used car dealerships that will sell a car to anyone, no matter the credit history.  Their financing has very high interest rate because of that.  You might get the vehicle at a "seemingly" lower price than elsewhere ... but if you finance it through them, you'll end up paying more.

Edited July 20, 2018 by Mike Chell

[Fifty150]

On 7/20/2018 at 3:37 AM, Mike Chell said:

 

 

 

That said, they're also one of the used car dealerships that will sell a car to anyone, no matter the credit history.  Their financing has very high interest rate because of that. 

 

A "dealership" at the flea market does the exact same thing.  It is legal.  They are a licensed car dealer.  Buyer beware is the rule.  But in some cases, the buyer has no credit history and no options.  Nothing new, since unscrupulous used car dealers have operated for decades with used car lots and fancy TV commercials.  Even worse, the buyer knows absolutely nothing about how cars are bought & sold, how the value of a car is determined, or they wouldn't consider buying a car at a flea market.

 

Typical customer is a young person who does not have anyone to guide him/her.  Or a recent immigrant.  They sell the car based on color, rims, sound system, and wax.  Then they charge you whatever they can get out of you each month in payments, and finance you into 72 or 84 payments.  So some kid or immigrant ends up paying $500 a month, for a total of $42,000, for a 10 year old Chevy Malibu or Hyundai Sonata with over 100,000 miles.  They do the math to show the sale at whatever amount it takes to finance at 20%, so that the number fits into the "negotiated" payment.  

 

In some ethnic immigrant communities, there are "car brokers" who operate without inventory or a lot.  You meet with them, and they determine what you are willing to pay monthly on finance or lease, get the particulars on make & model of you choice, then source the car and deliver it to you.  The buyer is a recent immigrant.  The sale is handled much in the same fashion with outrageous finance, and the vehicle being sold for way over Blue Book value. 

 

With the brokers, the more common scam is the lease.  Once they have determined that you want a black BMW, 3 Series, or some other "luxury " brand, with nice rims, they will source a salvage title, or 10 year old used car with 100,000 miles that another used car dealer couldn't get rid of.  Then they lease it to the customer for for $500 or $600 monthly, 

 

Imagine buying at auction, a 2005 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C 240 Sedan 4D, with a Kelley Blue Book of $1,086 - $1,777, and cleaning it up real good with a new coat of wax.  Then some guy from The Ukraine or Korea is willing to give you $100 a week to drive a shiny Mercedes.  In a year, you generate $5,200.  But he doesn't even get to buy the car from you.  He leases it from you, and whenever he doesn't want that car anymore, you get to sell it off at auction or to another used car lot, and probably recover the $1,000 you paid for it.    Not bad for no lot, no inventory, and doing business with a cell phone, meeting your customers at a coffee shop.  These guys only need a continuous supply of new immigrants to make a good living.  

 

Is this greed?  Well, they are not in the non-profit sector.  Taking advantage of poor people, with no sophistication in finance, and even less knowledge of things like Kelley Blue Book.....not exactly nice, but not illegal.  

[Mike Chell]

Got a little angst built up there, Fifty?  I didn't read your whole diatribe but I get the gist.

I wasn't complaining about CarMax.  As far as I am concerned, they deserve the extra interest rates, because they give people a chance to reestablish ruined credit histories.  My first wife destroyed my credit ... divorce happened and it was so bad, I couldn't get anything on credit.  Carmax saved my hide ... and I didn't mind paying the higher rate.  Plus, it's not exorbitant ... just higher. 

 

As far as "taking advantage of immigrants" ... I hope you're talking about legally admitted citizens.  I couldn't care less about what happens to the foreign invaders that are illegally flooding our Country.

[Fifty150]

I am always upset when people like immigrants are taken advantage of.....and always by members of their own community.  Latino flea market car dealer at the cheating Mexicans.  Russian car broker dealing from a cafe.  Chinese restaurant paying cash, at below minimum wage with no overtime.  Check cashing stores in inner city neighborhoods.

 

CarMax is different. If you are savvy enough to buy a car online, you should know about finance options.

 

 

 

 

[FDLFDC]

As of today, I have a 2019 TC XLT, swb, diesel,  symmetrical rear doors, on order.  With: tow, cloth seats, mid overhead storage, driver assist, sync3 w/nav, anti theft, blis, power seat.  Enough is enough! Invoice less incentives on delivery....they are guessing April-June.

 

The diesel is the only option on swb.  No rear symmetrical doors on Titanium’s.  I hated my hatchback on my 2016 TC, just sayin’

 

Good luck to others who have ordered.

[Beta Don]

2 hours ago, FDLFDC said:

As of today, I have a 2019 TC XLT, swb, diesel,  symmetrical rear doors, on order.

What's the sticker price on a rig like that??

 

Don

[Fifty150]

6 hours ago, FDLFDC said:

 

 

The diesel is the only option on swb.  

 

 

Is the diesel an option for Long Wheel Base?

 

I just don't think I would ever buy a short bed pickup either.  Same way I know that you need a full size bed on a pickup truck in case you need to carry plywood, futons, beds, whatever......I don't want to buy a smaller van that will leave me kicking rocks & crying, because of whatever it is that I can't get in my van.  And it's always by inches.  Not too bad in a truck with a shorter bed, because you can still try to drive with the tailgate down, and your load strapped.  But I don't want to drive with the van doors open.  

[FDLFDC]

On 7/30/2018 at 2:43 PM, Beta Don said:

What's the sticker price on a rig like that??

 

Don

$30525 MSRP

[Mike Chell]

?

That's almost a third the price of my house !!!

I'll start riding a bicycle before I'll ever pay that much for a vehicle.

[mrtn]

Being poor is not "in" anymore.

 

[OLDSCHOOLFOOL]

7 hours ago, Mike Chell said:

?

That's almost a third the price of my house !!!

I'll start riding a bicycle before I'll ever pay that much for a vehicle.

 

But you just can't get all the "necessary" bells and whistles on a bicycle like backup camera, driver assist, navigation, power locks and lights that won't turn off. How in the world are you going to back that bike up without a camera?

[G B L]

I will have to take a test ride in the Diesel before I would consider one. Hopefully some one gets some on spec.

[Fifty150]

4 hours ago, OLDSCHOOLFOOL said:

 

But you just can't get all the "necessary" bells and whistles on a bicycle like backup camera, driver assist, navigation, power locks and lights that won't turn off. How in the world are you going to back that bike up without a camera?

  

 

He has a 100 mile round trip daily commute.  With mostly flat roads, and mild grades, he could probably go 20 miles per hour, with the right bicycle.  Factor in bathroom stops, breaks for food & beer, he could get to work in under 3 hours if he learns to light his cigarette and smoke it while the bike is in motion.  Save up all those car payments, based on a 60 month finance plan, and he could own another house in 15 years.....assuming that his local real estate market does not go up in that time frame, and the dollar has not devalued.  

[Mike Chell]

Okay ... maybe "a bicycle" was an exaggeration.  But I will not pay that much for transportation.  I'll buy a use vehicle first.  I can keep a vehicle running, even rebuild an engine a few times and still not have $30,000.00 in a used vehicle.

My current T.C. (paid $22,000.00 out the door) should be good to go for at least 10 years.  I doubt I'll be around long enough to bother buying another vehicle.

[DonShockley]

I'll be replacing my current TC Wagon next year and had been planning on special ordering a TC Van. That may change depending on how my current trip to the shop turns out in the end, but for now another TC is still the plan. For those with prior diesel vehicle ownership, what are the reasons to consider making the switch from gas to diesel. I've heard durability at high milage is a big plus, but I do less than 10K per year so I am not sure that would be a big benefit. It seems like the fuel cost is slightly higher and I've noticed they now have some additive that's needed in addition to fuel, I'm assuming for emissions reasons. I would think keeping that topped off in addition to fill ups would be a bit of a pain. I'll be doing more specific research on all the options once I'm ready to special order, but I'm interested in learning more about diesel in a daily use vehicle instead of a commercial vehicle.

Edited August 3, 2018 by DonShockley