toywaltz

The used 2014 with an asking price of $28k had an MSRP of $41K, so it seems about right. It's equipped a little better than what I was considering new. I've seen a few FFH in the $23k price range but they aren't apples to apples. I've not seen any '14 models, and the used '13's have 20k miles and less options. I would definitely agree that if an otherwise identical FFH was $23k that would be a no-brainer. Comparing new prices, the FFE seems to be about indentical price after the tax credit so the only difference for me is the potentially lower mpg in hybrid mode. I do about 10k a year just on the highway on longer trips so will likely be in hybrid more than electric. I'm not a hypermiler by any stretch either.

So I've been considering a FFE and noticed there are quite a lot of these available lightly used. That's kind of scary, particularly the 2013 models, but I also found some 2014's that are listed as "Ford manufacturer" cars and have 3k-7k miles. Prices are about $2k less than if I bought new with the tax credit. So about $28k before haggling which I presume I can do a little better. I'd probably want to be at least $3k cheaper than a new one to make it worthwhile. Has anyone had else picked up a used FFE? Also worth noting, my insurance will run 25% higher on the FFE vs a FFH. I thought it could just be from the higher MSRP. But that rate was actually quite a bit higher than some other vehicles I'm considering which are considerably more expensive than the FFE. From an actual $$ perspective it's not much for me as I'm dirt cheap to insurance regardless, but I thought it was interesting.

Regarding the hills on my 4-day/week trips, there are lots of ups/down, but the biggest hills look like this: -200' ascent 4.0 miles -200' descent 0.6 mile (with three "s" turns, 40mph is typical) -150 descent 6.0 miles -250' ascent 0.7 mile (with two sweeping "s" turns, 60mph is typical) -200' descent 1.0 mile (fairly straight) Reverse on the way home. This is actually a very fun drive and many manufacturers, car magazines, and sports clubs use this road regularly. I really don't want something that's a zero on the fun scale and it seems even the FFH and FFE get decent reviews from a performance standpoint. I'd never buy a Prius or Camry as they're just terrible. The trunk is definitely a concern that plays into the mix. We rarely would use this as a family hauler, but there are times we could on shorter trips. So I do need to fit a few bags in the back for those instances. There is a dealer nearby that I use for buying company vehicles and they always have a couple FFH on the lot. I'm going to get one and drive it for a few days. They've never had an Energi though so I'm not sure if I will have the same opportunity for that or not.

You're right, it does play into the calcuation and I'm making assumptions around the electric use. I do have the opportunity to plug-in on the four-a-week trips. I'm estimating only about 15 miles of electric only range given the steep hills. Plus it's cold here 4-5 months. But I'm really trying to get a feel for what to expect once it's rolling in conventional hybrid mode. On paper it's about 1mpg shy of the FFH but I'm also researching how that vehicle performs in the same situation.

I'm looking at a host of different vehicles for a commuter and interested in input from those that drive these on a regular basis on similar roads/terrain. Here's my typical commute: -4 days a week, 60 miles RT. About 55 miles are on hilly/curvy rural state routes and the rest in-town with about seven quick traffic lights. I usually run about 65mph on rural section. I also need to pass trucks at times to avoid getting stuck behind them on the steepest hills, so it's not uncommon to have a couple quick runs to 80mph each day to get around traffic. -1 day a week, 140 miles RT. 4 miles of downtown, 15 miles of (sometimes) stop-go heavy highway traffic, and the balance 75mph highway cruising, somewhat hilly. I have included a FFH, FFE, and FF 2.0 in my cost analysis and I'm estimating averages of 40, 40, and 28 respectively. I tend to average about 90% of EPA highway on my gas vehicles and usually exceed it by 10% with my current TDI. I only estimated 85% of hwy for the 2.0 as they don't seem to hit their numbers consistently. For the FFE I've used the 40mpg number for the portion of the trip where the EV is consumed and then added the cost of electric. I realize this is probably the worst scenario for a hybrid or EV but it seems like there's still a benefit over a 28mpg average vehicle. While cost isn't my only factor in this, I do at least want to get the numbers as accurate as possible for comparison purposes. The FFE intrigues me and I like the idea of using this for other errands on weekends and possibly handing this over to my daughter in a few years when she starts driving. TIA for any input.