[6323cd]

so that Ford can build the Escape on a more fuel efficient car platform

Oh, no; I have a 2001 Escape which I love, it gets 21 mpg on the highway, and it's built like a little tank; if they stick a flimsier chassis on it, they won't be anywhere near as solid as they have been. I was rear-ended on the freeway three years ago and had nearly $6,000 of damage to the Escape but didn't have a scratch on me. Ford should leave well enough alone!

[Hoosier Catholic Momma]

We bought a 2001 Escape and loved it. Less than 2 weeks after we bought it, our almost 3 y.o. daughter managed to whack it with a hammer (not very well, thankfully). Other than that, we enjoyed driving it. Unfortunately, when I found out I was pregnant with baby #3 less than three years later, we had to trade it in on something bigger (2000 Ford Windstar), which I still drive today.

[Stonewall Jackson]

I used to own a 1998 Explorer. A few years ago, I was sitting at a red light when a Lincoln Town Car and a Cadillac El Dorado collided in the middle of the intersection. The Lincoln went airborne and slammed into me on the front driver's side corner. The impact was hard enough that my Explorer was shoved sideways almost ten feet.

The damage to my Explorer was just over $7800, but I walked away with just a bruised knee from having it resting against the door when the Town Car hit me.