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2013 C-Maxx opinions


Ranger850

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Looking at a 2013 C-Maxx for my dad. His F-150 gets about 3.3mpg and needs a small commuter/DD. I have a line on a 2013C-Maxx SEL. Guy says " All it needs is a battery and it'lll drive. I know it needs four tires. What I'm worried about is the rest of the car. No experience with Hybrid tech so I don't know what to look for or ask. If any of you guys that work at shops or dealerships have the Good, Bad, and Ugly on these little cars, it would be appreciated.

What I do Know : It has a new PS fender and lower bumper cover. It has the Sync Infotainment System. Leather seats. 225/5R-17 tires 17x7 rims
Manufactured - 03/13
VIN:1FADP5BU8DL526509
 


Roert42

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Hybrid batteries are expensive. @Shran said the battery alone for his prius was $1500 plus $3k labor.

Might be cheaper to just fix whatever the issues are with the F150 causing such low gas mileage. New plugs and coils, filters ect. Even if you had to regear the axels because he is running 44s with a 3.08 rear, would probably be in the same ball park.
 

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Hybrid batteries are expensive. @Shran said the battery alone for his prius was $1500 plus $3k labor.

Might be cheaper to just fix whatever the issues are with the F150 causing such low gas mileage. New plugs and coils, filters ect. Even if you had to regear the axels because he is running 44s with a 3.08 rear, would probably be in the same ball park.
Agreed re the F150 mileage. Fix the problem.

Shran's battery was $1500 as a DIY fix vs $3000 as a dealer repair as I understood it.
 

Ranger850

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I was exaggerating the MPGs on his F-150. Sorry guys. He really gets about 17 mpg. The truck has a few motor mods and a lot of rear suspension stuff for hauling heavy loads. He gets the same MPG pulling his camper or not pulling anything at all. He just needs a decent DD that's good on gas. This C-maxx just kinda fell in front of me about the time Pops asked about a smaller car.
 

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Honestly, if I were buying a car for daily commuting to save money, I'd buy something dirt cheap. It would take years to make up the difference between purchase savings and fuel savings.
 

Ranger850

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Honestly, if I were buying a car for daily commuting to save money, I'd buy something dirt cheap. It would take years to make up the difference between purchase savings and fuel savings.
I agree. but the used market for gas sippers is ridiculous. If this car checks out, I can get it for about half of what the average C-Maxx is going for. roughly $4k for this one, average price is $7-8,500
 

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Agreed re the F150 mileage. Fix the problem.

Shran's battery was $1500 as a DIY fix vs $3000 as a dealer repair as I understood it.
That is correct.
 

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Because its a daily driver for the old man, I would pass and get something turn key. Besides the MPG, sometimes driving a full size truck is a PITA. A small car is much easier to deal with things like parking, traffic etc...

A lot of the guys at work have a truck/small car combo. 3 of the guys have Chevy Volts. They all seem happy with them. One filled his with hay bales and 4x6 lumber no problem. Their only problem is th efuel gets old from never being used. We gotta remind our buddy to top off a little fresh fuel once in awhile.
I think GM stopped making them (because they were actually good cars). I'm not a GM/Chevy fan by any means, but do give credit where due.
My daily driver is Ford Fusion, which I am probably replacing soon due to not wanting to throw wrenches and parts at it. Plus my mom borrows it often, so I need old lady proof reliability.

Anyways I say get something ready to go. Even if you fix what he says it needs, there will be more things. Nothing beats a good old fashioned test drive. Ideally get a warranty.
 

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"all it needs"...

Why don't they just throw a $100 battery in it and get way more out of it?

Kinda like all the junk listed that just needs a fuel pump.

Huge turnoff to me, my spidy senses say they are hiding something.
 

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I'm gonna pass in this one, but the ol' man is kinda geeked on a C-maxx now SMH. He's been looking at them online, thanks Google. Does anybody have any Real World experience with them? He's in NC right now and I gotta reel him in before my sister and BIL get him a Smart for2. they have one and love it, but it's not their DD. . Civic and Corollas are too low for him, he has trouble getting up/down in my Crolla. The C-maxx has mini-van "like" seats and aren't that low even though the floor is really close to the ground. the for2 has similar seating.
 

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I'm gonna pass in this one, but the ol' man is kinda geeked on a C-maxx now SMH. He's been looking at them online, thanks Google. Does anybody have any Real World experience with them? He's in NC right now and I gotta reel him in before my sister and BIL get him a Smart for2. they have one and love it, but it's not their DD. . Civic and Corollas are too low for him, he has trouble getting up/down in my Crolla. The C-maxx has mini-van "like" seats and aren't that low even though the floor is really close to the ground. the for2 has similar seating.
My mom had a C-Max. I think it was a ‘13. She bought it new, kept it for about 5 years. She never had an issue or warranty repair. I drove it a few times... it was just another uninspiring, run of the mill car.

She had a 2008 Smart for 2 convertible before that. It was slow, shifted funny, weird looking, but it had leg room for days. (My buddy is 6’4” 350+ lbs., with the seat all the way back, he couldn’t reach the pedals.) It wasn’t a bad car, it had more personality than the boring C-Max.
 

Ranger850

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My mom had a C-Max. I think it was a ‘13. She bought it new, kept it for about 5 years. She never had an issue or warranty repair. I drove it a few times... it was just another uninspiring, run of the mill car.

She had a 2008 Smart for 2 convertible before that. It was slow, shifted funny, weird looking, but it had leg room for days. (My buddy is 6’4” 350+ lbs., with the seat all the way back, he couldn’t reach the pedals.) It wasn’t a bad car, it had more personality than the boring C-Max.
Agree 100% about the funny shifting for2. the leg room is what he's going for, and a tall seat, not bolted directly to the floor. He like the for2, for exactly what you said about the leg room. Not sure if he's driven my sister's or just sat in it. He has sat in the C-maxx, but with no battery, we couldn't open the rear hatch or unlock any doors. The DS door was unlocked. He likes the proportions of the C-maxx and the rear folding seats. Not sure if the for2 can do what he might want it to do.
 

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Agree 100% about the funny shifting for2. the leg room is what he's going for, and a tall seat, not bolted directly to the floor. He like the for2, for exactly what you said about the leg room. Not sure if he's driven my sister's or just sat in it. He has sat in the C-maxx, but with no battery, we couldn't open the rear hatch or unlock any doors. The DS door was unlocked. He likes the proportions of the C-maxx and the rear folding seats. Not sure if the for2 can do what he might want it to do.
The Smart car can carry 2 passengers and a loaf of bread (a regular loaf of bread, nothing bigger).
 

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Meh eff it just get a Prius and call it a day.
 

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We sold some C Maxs and didn't have much trouble with them. I liked the way they drove. A couple had battery drain issues that we fixed following a TSB that was released for the problem. I processed a buy back on one we sold because the customer had moved away and the flat rate dealer near her new home couldn't/didn't/wouldn't fix it after many tries. The TSB is quite involved and time consuming, my hourly rate hybrid tech was- and still is- meticulous.
The one Escape hybrid battery we replaced generated a $14,000 warranty claim. Last week a guy in Norway strapped 60 lbs of dynamite to his Tesla and set it off after getting a $22,600 quote for a new battery. A used hybrid or electric car is something to avoid.
 

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