She Buys... He Sells 2012 Ford Explorer EcoBoost

A car review with a twist. Two perspectives on the same vehicle; one from someone who knows nothing about cars but knows what she likes, the other from an automotive know-it-all. Complete with video and photos.

2012 Ford Explorer EcoBoost

PERFORMANCE & HANDLING

She Buys (SB):

• Smooth, easy ride
• Very comfortable
• Lots of power
• Didn’t drive well in the snow

He Sells (HS):

• Nice and torquey.
• Handled well for its size.
• Love the ecoboost engine.

COMFORT

SB:

• Very comfortable.
• Would be a great long trip vehicle.

HS:

• Very comfortable.
• Would even enjoy a run to the mountains with kids and gear.

BUILD QUALITY

SB:

• Good, nice and solid, substantial feeling.

HS:

• Very nice design, seems to be tight and rattle-free.
• Nice, appealing look – a big departure from previous Explorers.

PRACTICALITY

SB:

• Loved all the cubby holes and placement of USB ports with room for two cells.
• Lots of plugins and drink holders everywhere.
• Great automated backseat/cargo area.

HS:

• Very user friendly.
• Requires little effort to drive.

MISC.

SB:

• Hazard lights button too easy to activate under MyFord Touch screen.
• Sign lights don’t click into place, takes some getting used to.

HS:

• Easy to enter and exit with memory seat feature.
• MyFord Touch works great once you figure it out.
• Has improved cargo capacity.
• Would like to have seen it with all wheel drive for our winter weather.

Lets Make A Deal

How to Get the Best Deal on a Vehicle Purchase

Want to know what is really out of “whack” in the car industry today? Expectations. What the buyer and seller expect from each other is totally out of whack.

The buyer is convinced the dealer is making buckets of money.

The seller is convinced the buyer is holding out on buckets of money.

The truth is, the days of major vehicle mark ups are long gone. Most dealers sell on volume so prices should be generally pretty fair. So how can you, the buyer, get the best deal for your vehicle purchase?

Keep a few of these things in mind:

·       Best time to deal is at year-end or as early in the next year as possible – on last years model.

·       There is more a mark up on trucks, so you can probably get a bigger discount on them.

·       There isn’t a whole lot of room to move on car prices.

By doing some homework, you can make sure to get the most bang for your buck:

·       Check to see if there are any factory incentives (cash rebates, extra options for free, bonus trade-in allowance)

·       Check out the site www.CarCostCanada.com - for $40 you can get a report on five different vehicles and find out what they are really worth and where you can get the best deals.

·       In the US, check out the Kelly Blue Book

·       Narrow down what you are looking for to a maximum of five possibilities and check out manufacturers websites for incentives. You can even build the car you want and print it off to take with you into a dealership.

When dealing with a salesman, try to treat him as an assistant. No, he isn’t there to get you the best deal (that is up to you) but that doesn’t make him your enemy. Unless he is a Badger, then all bets are off.

She Buys... He Sells

A car review with a twist. Two perspectives on the same vehicle; one from someone who knows nothing about cars but knows what she likes, the other from an automotive know-it-all. Complete with video and photos.

2012 Ford Focus Titanium

PERFORMANCE AND HANDLING
She Buys (SB):

• Zippy with lots of get-up-and-go

He Sells (HS):

• Nice handling
• 2.0L engine supplies ample power for this small car.

COMFORT

SB:

• Was surprised it was as comfortable as it was, I expected less comfort in this size of car.

HS:

• Very comfortable for its size.
• Layout of drink holder leaves room for improvement

BUILD QUALITY

SB:

• Decent, some controls seemed a bit flimsier like the seat warmers that are dials.

HS:

• Very appealing for a small hatchback
• Well engineered with incredible night illumination and things most won’t notice like the closing shutter behind the grill for improved gas mileage.

PRACTICALITY

SB:

• Only two drink holders, no place for cell phone or anything else.
•  Great car for around town, wouldn’t be as great on longer trips or with more than two people.

HS:

• Nice cargo capacity for its size.
• Overall, will be easy car to sell.

MISC.

SB:

• Map did not recognize secondary highways.
•  MyFord Touch – would like to see improvement on the placement of certain features ie: clock much more prominent.

HS:

•  MyFord Touch was a sweet spot for me – I really liked it.
• Family fit well in it, but not for longer trips with adults in the rear.

 *This Vehicle was supplied by Ford Canada