[BlueDust]

I have been eyeing the Fusion Sport since 2016 Detroit Auto show but have been stuck in a lease or two... Current lease ends in 4 weeks and Sport has been discontinued. This maybe my last chance. I found a new 2019 Sport with <100 miles on it. It was built 10 months ago, and just sitting....
The question is, Should I be concerned about this car sitting or should I buy it?

 

[RBX QB]

Wouldn't phase me at all... warranty starts from when you buy it, so if the deal is good, and you don't see/feel/hear anything odd, I say do it.

 

[BlueDust]

Wouldn't phase me at all... warranty starts from when you buy it, so if the deal is good, and you don't see/feel/hear anything odd, I say do it.

Should I at least change out the old oil asap? Anything else?

 

[Titan80102]

Should I at least change out the old oil asap? Anything else?

I wouldn't even worry about the oil. Todays oils are a lot better than oils even 10 or 15 years ago.

 

[jdgesmlls]

I have been eyeing the Fusion Sport since 2016 Detroit Auto show but have been stuck in a lease or two... Current lease ends in 4 weeks and Sport has been discontinued. This maybe my last chance. I found a new 2019 Sport with <100 miles on it. It was built 10 months ago, and just sitting....
The question is, Should I be concerned about this car sitting or should I buy it?

What are they asking for it? I think there is a $7500 rebate on them now so you should be able to get it for under 30K if you do some haggling. My 2017 sat for a year before I bought it, and all issues have been covered by warranty. Think about an extended warranty or Ford Protect as well.

 

[bbf2530]

I have been eyeing the Fusion Sport since 2016 Detroit Auto show but have been stuck in a lease or two... Current lease ends in 4 weeks and Sport has been discontinued. This maybe my last chance. I found a new 2019 Sport with <100 miles on it. It was built 10 months ago, and just sitting....
The question is, Should I be concerned about this car sitting or should I buy it?

Hi BD. No reason to worry about purchasing the car. Just take a nice long test drive, perform a full inspection of the vehicle, etc. Do all the things you should do with any new car purchase. In this case, with a car that has spent a long time sitting, also closely check the tires for flat spots and the brakes for rust, sticking etc.

Oil change interval for the Fusion is 12 months/10,000 miles, whichever comes first. So the car is due for an oil change shortly. Therefore, I would ask the Dealership to perform an oil change as part of the purchase. Do that after you negotiate the price, so they do not just build it into your price.

Let us know how you make out and good luck.

 

[BlueDust]

What are they asking for it? I think there is a $7500 rebate on them now so you should be able to get it for under 30K if you do some haggling. My 2017 sat for a year before I bought it, and all issues have been covered by warranty. Think about an extended warranty or Ford Protect as well.

I have talked to a few dealers recently and rebates are not that good. I have been checking randomly for the past 12 months and other then just low interest rates, they haven't done much in that regard.
If I get the car, I will share more details on what I was able to get in the end.

 

[DrunkLahey]

My new 17' sat on a Ford dealers lot for over a year. The only thing that affected was the battery which they replaced before shipping to me. 28% off MSRP.

 

[BlueDust]

My new 17' sat on a Ford dealers lot for over a year. The only thing that affected was the battery which they replaced before shipping to me. 28% off MSRP.

Thanks for the feedback on your battery.... I forgot to add that to my list to question. I was thinking too much on old fluids, and flat spots on the tires.

 

[BlueDust]

My new 17' sat on a Ford dealers lot for over a year. The only thing that affected was the battery which they replaced before shipping to me. 28% off MSRP.

I am surprised at how not popular this car is. I have been wanting one since it was released and it seems like everyone who likes the car enough to buy it is on this forum.
I was reading over the posts about people mentioning when they see them on the road and I must be an outlier. I am guessing I see one at least once a month. And it's not weird to see two in the same week. (Rare but not weird). Funny thing is I am always driving and never get a picture so it could be the same FFS everytime. A coworker bought a 17 right after it came out and told me he loved it.

 

[BlueTxSport]

I would not hesitate to buy either. I got my car (2/18 build) the last week of 7/18. It didn't sit a full year but did not see many test drives over the months it sat. It only had 18 miles when I drove it. I had a battery die last month but it was replaced under warranty no questions. I had a 15 2.0 Fusion before this and wanted a Sport since they were first announced so I knew I was trading once I found the right deal. I got the last brand new Lighting Blue in Tx at the time. It is the most expensive but by far the nicest of any cars I've owned and ill drive it until the wheels fall off. Especially now that sedans are disappearing. Get it before its gone.

 

[metroplex]

The low-profile tires are a big drawback to the car as a daily driver. I've been reading NHTSA consumer complaints for the Fusion Sport and there are multiple complaints about tire damage from potholes. Ford under-sized the tires for this car. 235/40R19 might be fine for a 3000-3500 lb sedan, but on a 4120 lb Crown Vic sized vehicle (The Fusion Sport weighs as much as a 98-02 Crown Vic/Grand Marquis), it needs more sidewall. The MKZ has 245/45R18 (edited: standard size), which looks like a far better option for a vehicle of this weight, but I'd want more. The Taurus SHO is 4300 lb and comes with 255/45R19 stock with 245/45R20 as an option for the Perf Package but they then went to 245/45R20 across the SHOs. To my eye the 255/45R19 was still a thin tire, but I never had a problem driving in SE MI pothole ridden roads. Within 1 month, a single month, of driving the Fusion Sport around the winter, I lost 2 tires back to back due to pinch flats from potholes that wouldn't have done a thing to normal tires.
If you don't daily drive this car and/or live in an area with fine smooth paved roads year-round, this shouldn't be a problem.

If I were you, I'd look for a MKZ AWD w/ the 3.0L EcoBoost. 2020 is the last year for this vehicle and factory orders were cut-off a few weeks ago. There is far more tuning potential from that 3.0L because of the bigger turbos they used (the 3.0 is based on the 2.7 in the Fusion Sport).

This is also why the Edge ST is woefully underpowered for its weight compared to the Explorer ST. I can get maybe 450 hp out of the tuned 2.7 EcoBoost, but that 3.0 in the Explorer ST can be tuned for 500-550 hp, shooting the 4800 lb. Explorer ST into the 12.0x 1/4 mile ET. The Edge ST looks sleeker and is less expensive, but the cost delta between the Edge ST and Explorer ST coupled with the power differences makes the Edge ST not worth looking at.

If I had to do it again, I would have gone with the MKZ 3.0 and spent a little more up front.

 

[bbf2530]

Hi gang. Just some additional information: The standard tire size on the MKZ is 245/45-18. The optional tire size is 245/40-19.

Hope this information helps.

 

[metroplex]

Thanks. I saw a MKZ in our parking lot with 245/45R18. I'd still feel more comfortable with extra sidewall but it looked a lot better than 235/40R19 which is paper thin. My Mustang GT had 235/55R17 stock, which won't make it competitive at Road America, but I never had any problems with potholes.

 

[BlueDust]

I had a 2013 Fusion Titanium with 19 inch rims so I bought the Tire/Wheel insurance... Around the 20th month, I started blowing tires on pot holes. One was when I was dodging pot holes in a parking lot slowing down but was at 15 mph when it blew. 3 tires blown in 6 months. When I turned the lease in they claimed $20 for excessive rim cosmetic damage. Insurance paid for itself after the 2nd blown tire was replaced.
If I get the Sport, I will buy the insurance again.

 

[metroplex]

My dealer never even offered the insurance! None of the dealers even had the 235/40R19 in stock and a few claimed they would order them for me and never did.

 

[BlueDust]

My dealer never even offered the insurance! None of the dealers even had the 235/40R19 in stock and a few claimed they would order them for me and never did.

I asked about it. The low profile tires made me nervous, and I wasn't able to get 17in on the car.

 

[metroplex]

17s won't fit on the Sport because of the front brakes. The thought didn't occur to me because I had even lower profile tires on my Cobalt SS Turbo (225/40R18) and never had a problem. But the Cobalt is 3000 lb, so the tires aren't squished down as much (lots of sidewall flex available) and they are pretty stiff Continental summer tires.

 

[BlueDust]

17s won't fit on the Sport because of the front brakes. The thought didn't occur to me because I had even lower profile tires on my Cobalt SS Turbo (225/40R18) and never had a problem. But the Cobalt is 3000 lb, so the tires aren't squished down as much (lots of sidewall flex available) and they are pretty stiff Continental summer tires.

Sorry I gave you the wrong impression.... I wanted to have 17s on my 2013 Fusion Titanium, and it wasn't an option.
I never had the expectation I could get them on the Sport.
The fact the Sport has pot hole detection makes me think it will not be worse then the Titanium I used to have. I am not saying I don't expect to still blow a tire at low speed (when driving a FFS), as I mentioned has happened to me (15mph>).

That brings me to a question I have wondered for a while. How effective is CCD with Pothole detection and protecting blow outs?

 

[metroplex]

Sorry I gave you the wrong impression.... I wanted to have 17s on my 2013 Fusion Titanium, and it wasn't an option.
I never had the expectation I could get them on the Sport.
The fact the Sport has pot hole detection makes me think it will not be worse then the Titanium I used to have. I am not saying I don't expect to still blow a tire at low speed (when driving a FFS), as I mentioned has happened to me (15mph>).

That brings me to a question I have wondered for a while. How effective is CCD with Pothole detection and protecting blow outs?

Sorry, I did understand you meant your 2013. Just wanted to point out to others (if they were wondering) that 17s unfortunately won't fit the Sports.

The CCD/Pothole mitigation system is worthless for potholes. I watched the Ford video demo on YouTube and caught the amount of deflection of the sidewall of the front tire as it dipped into the pothole and avoided crushing those ping pong balls. The tire nearly blew out from a pinch flat with that amount of deflection. This is probably why the pothole mitigation aspect of the CCD system died a quiet death in Ford marketing. They use the CCD in other platforms, I think the Expedition might still be using it. The CCD is great for ride quality. I find it does make a difference in smoothing out the ride but does nothing to really protect the tires from potholes. In Sport mode, I can tell the difference. There's a certain stretch of road with multiple bumps. In Comfort mode/Normal mode, the car will kind of bob up/down continuously until it is all damped (softer ride). In Sport mode, I can feel the tires go over the first set of bumps and the vehicle rides smoothly but firmly afterwards.