I'm looking at another car 😱

[eljefino]

Congrats, I looked at a few of these for my kids first car but settled on a Camry, LOL.

That front subframe rust is a little concerning, I would give it lots of attention and waxy undercoating. But they're replaceable. Your rockers look good and they were G-O-N-E on the models I looked at.

 

[andrew_j]

Buy a Tesla so you can say you are saving the Earth.

Akin to I bought a house and need a 1/2 Ton pickup ,

 

[miden851]

clean car, clean price

win-win

 

[michaelluscher]

I bought back the lady her plates and EZPass (how nice of her to let me use the plate for the afternoon, saving me having to pay a tow home

The subframe isn't quite as good as I would've liked, however with a good scrape+wire brush brush and paint, it should carry on

I'll consult with my body shop man on how much he would want to scrape and paint, plus waxoil or Cavity wax the rockers

Krown maybe?
I don't even know where I could get it here?

Or I'll don goggles, put a wire brush on the drill, get a few cans of Rust-Oleum and DIY

I wouldn't call this rusted out (by NY standards), but it seems to me like it's at the crucial phase where if you don't do anything, it will rust out soon

Most CD3 cars I see don't have any of this left

I can see a small bit of rust starting in front of the driver side rear wheel, but again it looks savable at this stage

Trans cooler lines (known weak spot) look a little scabby, but they aren't terrible to change, and their $75 from Ford

This car seems exactly opposite Project Milan, which despite having 3 times the miles, has a better looking subframe, but a somewhat worse body

I guess different usage cases?
They're both from NY/NJ?
But this one had SUNY Oneonta/University of Albany stickers on it, which implies it was upstate (think SMA in Avoca, NY )

It's been a mentally draining day, I need
Tomorrow I'll change the oil, and reflect on the events of today
So far I'm into it a $25 car wash, $30 OCI, and $40 worth of Mercon LV for a drain and fill, whenever Amazon brings it

I can still move further in, or move it on without losing money

For comparisons sake, similar cars for sale in my general area

Cars for Sale in Union, NJ - Planet Honda New Jersey

Cars for Sale in Union, NJ. View our Planet Honda New Jersey inventory to find the right car, truck, or SUV to fit your style and budget!

www.planethondanj.com

2010 Ford Fusion - VIN: 3FAHP0JG6AR311014

This 2010 Ford Fusion is in stock and for sale in Philadelphia, PA. View photos and learn more about this 2010 Ford Fusion on Edmunds.

www.edmunds.com

2010 Ford Fusion - VIN: 3FAHP0GA7AR190299

This 2010 Ford Fusion is in stock and for sale in Eatontown, NJ. View photos and learn more about this 2010 Ford Fusion on Edmunds.

www.edmunds.com

2012 Ford Fusion - VIN: 3FAHP0JGXCR444281

This 2012 Ford Fusion is in stock and for sale in Staten Island, NY. View photos and learn more about this 2012 Ford Fusion on Edmunds.

www.edmunds.com

2012 Ford Fusion - VIN: 3FAHP0HA1CR120394

This 2012 Ford Fusion is in stock and for sale in Middletown, NJ. View photos and learn more about this 2012 Ford Fusion on Edmunds.

www.edmunds.com

Either much higher mileage, S or SE, or accidents

This market is a disgrace

 

[dishdude]

Hit that subframe and those lines with some Krown when you're under it changing the oil.

 

[gregk24]

Isn’t this the generation that had transmission issues?

 

[michaelluscher]

Isn’t this the generation that had transmission issues?

The 6F35 is kinda ehh
Some of them shift kinda loopy, all the way to 200k+
The Milan has 112k on it, and it shifts beautifully
I'm hoping with 36k, periodic drain and fills keep it in good shape
Apparently this one's a later build, the Milan had a PCM reflash early in life for solenoid bore wear, this car was built almost a year later, I think it was a running change
6T/6F transmission was a GM/Ford joint venture in the mid 2000s

Oddly I've just realized this Fusion has a replacement PCM, I'll fire up FORScan and make sure it has the latest calibration

 

[gregk24]

The 6F35 is kinda ehh
Some of them shift kinda loopy, all the way to 200k+
The Milan has 112k on it, and it shifts beautifully
I'm hoping with 36k, periodic drain and fills keep it in good shape
Apparently this one's a later build, the Milan had a PCM reflash early in life for solenoid bore wear, this car was built almost a year later, I think it was a running change
6T/6F transmission was a GM/Ford joint venture in the mid 2000s

Oddly I've just realized this Fusion has a replacement PCM, I'll fire up FORScan and make sure it has the latest calibration

I recall seeing videos of severe slipping when changing gears. Maybe it was just a bad run, I can’t remember the details.

 

[GrumpyCat]

You don't need to use premium gas in your Camry. Using it might gain you 1 or 2 horsepower and 0.1 MPG better gas mileage, but the price difference doesn't justify using it. Using regular won't hurt anything and won't make the engine wear-out any faster.

Ditto. The car cleared the EPA on regular:

Fuel Economy of 2006 Toyota Camry

Fuel economy of the 2006 Toyota Camry. 1984 to present Buyer's Guide to Fuel Efficient Cars and Trucks. Estimates of gas mileage, greenhouse gas emissions, safety ratings, and air pollution ratings for new and used cars and trucks.

www.fueleconomy.gov

 

[GrumpyCat]

Apparently I'm the only one that ever read the manual on a 3MZ vehicle?
10.8:1 compression isn't in the realm of needing higher octane?
View attachment 121099
It doesn't strictly need premium, but I have definitely noticed more pinging and reduced power on regular?
AFAIK this "improved performance" disclaimer is in every owners manual of a 3MZ Highlander/Sienna/RX/ES

Either that or I've wasted a lot of money over the past 7 years

Yes, read the manual. "For (unspecified) improved vehicle performance ..." Toyota has used that verbiage for many years to tell snobs who want to believe they have to pay more for things because their engine is so good! But when Toyota faces the EPA they use 87 AKI. If there was real performance to be had with 91 then wouldn't they have used 91 to get better MPG numbers?

If you try telling a typical BMW, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, etc, customer that an engine runs on "regular" then they will shun that model to find one that uses "the good stuff".

 

[michaelluscher]

Ditto. The car cleared the EPA on regular:

Fuel Economy of 2006 Toyota Camry

Fuel economy of the 2006 Toyota Camry. 1984 to present Buyer's Guide to Fuel Efficient Cars and Trucks. Estimates of gas mileage, greenhouse gas emissions, safety ratings, and air pollution ratings for new and used cars and trucks.

www.fueleconomy.gov

Even without the regular/premium price delta (currently $3.29/3.99 in my area), looks like I'll be slightly more efficient in general

 

[panthermike]

Nice score at $5.5k I had a 2010 fusion sport that I absolutely loved in most ways. I thought it was stylish, comfortable and overall pretty quiet. Mine did have the occasional times where the transmission was funky. Also had the waterfall sound behind the dash which I believe was a heater core problem? I ended up trading mine in at 44k due to getting an itch for a more powerful car but it was super reliable to that point. Hope you get many good years out of it

 

[michaelluscher]

Air filter, ill fitting Wix

Cabin filter FACTORY

Throttle body, kinda dirty (it is the new and improved part # tho)

That's better

I think I found where the moisture in the trunk is coming from
Glad it's not the sunroof drains

Several hours of hosing crevices, there was so much mold, moss, and tree detritus clogging up every channel and jamb, nevermind the cowl
Should be able to manage water much better now
Did an OCI with PP 5w20 and a 910S, whatever came out looked fairly clean (Napa jobber filter)
I got a cheap deal on the Coolant degas kit (fixes waterfall noise from heater core) on eBay, so I'll install that when I do the thermostat (it loses temperature on the highway), one idler(to prevent timing cover failure), and a belt
I won't do the tensioner and water pump, I need to learn to conserve
So far, I'm up to maintenance items
This shop claimed to be looking after this car, I respectfully disagree

 

[michaelluscher]

It begins

 

[SC Maintenance]

Hit the rust with a wire brush then some rust converter, and drive it. Or if your not happy with it clean it up a bit and sell it - will go fast. In this market you did well.

 

[michaelluscher]

No free advertising here
Local Ford dealer is awful in every way

It's starting to grow on me, and everyone that's seen it so far seems to like it

When maintenance parts come in, we'll revisit this

Apparently I'm not the only one that experienced water in the trunk

I'll remove the rear bumper cover, and reseal or replace the body vents where they seal to the body
It may not be the vents themselves, just how they are interfacing with the body

 

[michaelluscher]

I ordered some touch up paint for the rear bumper
This being NYC, it will be damaged again in fairly short order

As for the front, the cracked chrome bar on the grille is $40 or so
The bumper cover itself presents a challenge
Do I buy a primed unit and have a local place paint it, I'll have to price that out?
Or do I order an OE cover pre painted to the paint code and have that delivered to my house for $400~, screw it on and move on with life?
Hopefully by mid next week I'll have plates/title/insurance, so I can toss it around a little bit before the salt comes out
Drive it, see if I like it, see if there's things wrong with it I don't know about
Drive it to a shop, look at it on a lift, evaluate rust mitigation costs
We'll see
It's growing on me, the minor exhaust leak is killing the vibe IMO
So far all that's wrong with it mechanically is brake rust (due to sitting), lug nut corrosion (because Ford), minor exhaust leak (will break out smoke machine to find) and when I test drove it on the highway, the temp gauge started falling, even though coolant was observed full at all times
I suspect a lazy thermostat, that's why I ordered one to install during cooling system service
After it gets plates, it's first jaunt on the highway will to go to the Ford dealer for the Takata inflator replacement
I have no patience for a claymore pointed at me, or someone else should I sell it

 

[dishdude]

I'd leave those bumpers alone, NYC and nice bumpers don't go together. I love seeing people with hooptie cars that have one of those bumper guards hanging off.

 

[michaelluscher]

This shop that represented this car "took care of it all it's life" can't put the right size blade on
I regret that they had any involvement in this transaction, but luckily I filled the lady in, so I doubt she's gonna let him make a cut
Because he did nothing to deserve it

...that's better

Fun fact, if you like Japan made NWB wiper blades, follow this Ford parts numbering scheme, you can get them for $11 each

Look at all that airflow

I love how they put the glovebox damper just close enough to the CAF door that it's in the way
Ford

Goodbye too small Wix

Hello slightly too big Motorcraft
At least it seals properly now

Battery was standing at 12.2v, probably a little weak from sitting
I'll let it sit on the charger/restorer
I've got AAA, so if this battery is bad, no charge (warranty transfer)

Will continue as more parts filter in

 

[michaelluscher]

I saved a little bit on this Amazon "used/return" Mcgard wheel kit

Turns out they're brand new unopened
A few still in the pocket
I've always been able to do things to the nines, now I gotta learn how to be more cost effective
I'm getting there...