89-Pony

I've settled on a 16" package from the Tire Rack. I chose 16" because a replacement set will cost $200 less than a 17" or 18" set. With how long I keep cars and the miles I put on, I'll go through at least 2 sets, maybe 3. The wheel prices are very close, but the price jump for tires happens when you go from 16" up to 17"; not too much difference between 17" and 18" tires. The wheels I'm getting are Rial Comos. They look a lot like the 17" dual 5-spokes that came on the Fusion the past couple years, but just different enough to look interesting. The tires are 95% going to be Blizzak WS-60, but I see Consumer Guide listed Michelins (X-Ice?) as the best, so I want to pick up the issue and read why. Still, I love my Blizzaks and the Tire Rack says they won their testing, hands-down. OEM wheels are outrageously expensive.

That looks great! I'll post some pics of mine as soon as it stops raining! No kidding. I first saw it on Monday, it was starting to rain. The dealer washed it and pulled it inside for the night. When I arrived Tuesday it was sitting outside, all shiny & beautiful and covered in new rain. It has rained every &!*^ day since then, including today. And they are calling for rain every day until next Thursday!!! That will be 10 straight days of rain. I forget what my car looks like clean, I'm not kidding. I feel like I live in Surrey England. For MPG, I've used 1.5 tanks of gas -- almost 400 miles already! I'm averaging 19.8 mpg. Not where I need it to be, but I know that the mileage won't settle in until about 2,000 miles. I drive about 67% highway on the weekdays, and all country & town roads on weekends.

Go piss in someone else's corn flakes. I know that by buying the Fusion, I keep a lot of Americans in the USA working, and I am helping to support an American-based company that employs a TON of Americans. I am helping Ford to be profitable and re-invest in all of their operations. I have nothing to apologize for, and I'm done talking about this.

So here's my feedback after the first 3 days -- I LOVE THIS CAR!!!!! The tight handling, the quality of how it's put together, Sync, the power, the comfort, the comments I'm hearing. A friend with a 2005 Lexus was VERY impressed with the quality, the features, the HP, the interior, the AWD, the horespower. He couldn't get over that this was a Ford. I should have done this a long time ago. I'm worried that this won't wear off and I'll have absolutely no interest in the '89 5.0 anymore. Oh well, if I sell it, then the Fusion will have a garage to live in. To anyone considering the Fusion but can't make up their mind -- DO IT! To consider how much car I got for $27,500 (before trade) and 0% for 60 months, this has to be the deal of the century. I saw an Audi A4 today and I wondered "why would anyone spend the extra money?" With the savings from the 0% financing, I decided to get the 5 yr/100k bumper-to-bumper. I put 20k miles a year on a car, so it's important to me, especially with all the electronics and the AWD. It cost me $1,800 if you're wondering. $30/month on the payment -- Same as the interest I no longer have to pay. And I'm not going with the Ziebart. Waxing a car is how I relax. My dad relaxes by gardening, I relax by waxing. Wax on, wax off. I like both Maguire's 3-step system and Mother's California Gold. Some other miscellaneous ramblings -- God DAMN the PA Turnpike! I'm driving it home for the first time on Tuesday, and suddenly there is a small black dot in the air in front of me. About 1/2 second later, it's a large black rock going WHACK off of my windshield. There looks to be the tiniest of small nicks in the glass. Going to have it checked out. Then last night, near Butler, I came across a patch where they are shaving down the slow lane to put a fresh coat on it. The fast lane is still untouched and about 1" higher. The slow lane suddenly slowed way down, and I started easing my way into the fast lane. Big mistake with the 45-series 18" tires. Even trying to ease over at 50 mpg, it made an impact sound like someone hit me. I kept waiting for the tire pressure warning to come on, but it didn't. When I got home I looked, and saw a nice 1" long gouge in the wheel. Son of a BITCH! Finally, I'm going to give a shout-out to my sales rep, Bob Popson at Schults Ford in Wexford PA. Bob treated me with respect and like an adult the whole way through the process. Absolutely no BS. I kept waiting for it, and it never came. If you live in the Pittsburgh area, go see Bob. It was only the second time in my life I actually enjoyed the car sales experience.

IT'S HERE IT'S HERE IT'S HERE! Went to the dealer today to drop off some paperwork. My salesman gave me a key fob and said "go check out your car, it just came." Shazzam! Less than 6 weeks. Man, is it black -- and DIRTY! But they were going to wash it and put it in the garage 2night. Taking the wife up in the AM to sign all of the forms (we put both our names on the cars). Then it's all mine! I'll post some photos, but probably not until the weekend -- it's raining here this week. Everything looked perfect. Checked the paint on the bottom of the doors -- perfect. I'd seen a previous post regarding problems with paint on the underside of the doors, but mine was perfect. Have to say, I am disappointed how little paint they sprayed in the trunk. Looks cheap. And the quick release folding rear seats are very reluctant, especially on the passenger side. I can only say I hope it lasts nearly as well as the old Altima did. Hey, the dealer is recommending some Ziebart paint treatment, since it will be sitting outside almost all of the time. I guess it's like a wax treatment? Can anyone tell me about this? And what about an extended warranty? I put 20k miles/year on it. Should I look into the extended warranty? I am very skeptical.

IT'S HERE IT'S HERE IT'S HERE! Went to the dealer today to drop off some paperwork. My salesman gave me a key fob and said "go check out your car, it just came." Shazzam! Less than 6 weeks. Man, is it black -- and DIRTY! But they were going to wash it and put it in the garage 2night. Taking the wife up in the AM to sign all of the forms (we put both our names on the cars). Then it's all mine! I'll post some photos, but probably not until the weekend -- it's raining here this week. Everything looked perfect. Checked the paint on the bottom of the doors -- perfect. I'd seen a previous post regarding problems with paint on the underside of the doors, but mine was perfect. Have to say, I am disappointed how little paint they sprayed in the trunk. Looks cheap. And the quick release folding rear seats are very reluctant, especially on the passenger side. I can only say I hope it lasts nearly as well as the old Altima did. Hey, the dealer is recommending some Ziebart paint treatment, since it will be sitting outside almost all of the time. I guess it's like a wax treatment? Can anyone tell me about this? And what about an extended warranty? I put 20k miles/year on it. Should I look into the extended warranty? I am very skeptical.

The one I test drove really snapped me back in the seat. No hesitation, except sometimes when I used the manumatic, it there was a delay of up to a whole second from the time I slapped it into 2nd gear before it actually engaged 2nd gear. Not every time, but it was damned annoying. It really shifted fine on its own. No idea about anything from Steeda. I did look on K & N's site for a filter for the Fusion 3.5 but they don't have one. I signed up for their email alert when one is available.

Yes, in my zip, the 0% takes the place of a $1,500 rebate. In my situation, I am financing for 5 years and with the amount of money I am putting down, the 0% offer will result in a payment $30+ lower than if I had gone with conventional financing with a $1,500 rebate. "Your results may vary", so everyone will have to do their own calculation. I checked bank car loans, home equity loan, and credit union, and they all came in at about $295/month for me. The 0% down offer turns this into $260. So over 60 months, I'm saving $2,100 over the rebate program. I'm going to put that $30/month into a separate account, which I will use towards winter tires, replacement tires, etc.

I got the same color, Tuxedo Black. It comes with the black leather (standard) with the graphite dash pieces -- Not to knock anyone else's preferences, but I just didn't like the look of the red or blue inserts. Trust me, the MKZ was the preferred choice. I love the classic looks, the much nicer quality of the leather, and the Lincoln heritage. But the price was out of my reach, even if I sold the 5.0 for downpayment $$. Shoot off a picture of your Lincoln, I'd love to see it!

Dude! Ford just announced 0% financing for up to 60 months on the 2010 Fusions. And mine is being built this week, due to be delivered late next week. The dealer confirmed I qualify. YES!!! http://www.fordvehicles.com/cars/fusion/in...0&zip=15636 :happy feet:

Thanks, pkvir. I like the blue ones too, they look great. I think I'm 2 weeks away from delivery. Getting excited!!! :happy feet:

What's a hub ring? Is that the same as the band used for prior-year TPMS sensors? Or is that just something to make the tire fit? Where did you find the wheels -- private seller or a business? And if I may ask, how much were they? I think I'm leaning towards just getting Blizzaks on the stock rims -- It's about $250-$300 cheaper than any package deal. I've had great luck with Blizzaks on the old Altima, and the new LM60's look like they'd be a good match in the stock size. I'll just have to get them swapped out in December and back to the summer tires in mid-April. Maybe by the time the first set of snow tires wears out (2-3 winters), I will be able to pick up a spare set of 17" rims on the cheap.

I'm going to be getting winter wheels & tires for my yet-to-arrive 2010 Fusion Sport. The Tire Rack has a really good deal on packages. However, I don't really care for the looks of the non-OEM wheels they have. I actually like the "styled steel wheel w/cover" as found on the SE's. Any idea where I could get them besides a dealer ($$$)? Or, any of the 17-inchers off of the SEL's wold be nice too, but again, not from the dealer ($$$). Any ideas on a good place to order OEM Fusion wheels?

Thanks for the info, Aneekr. I was wondering about that, and was hoping I could get by with the stock tires. I have a lot of experience with the Blizzaks (WS-50's) and I'm a HUGE fan of them. I guess I'll have to save up for those now. "Hey honey, you know that car payment? I have one more thing to tell you..."

I gotta tell you, I really struggled with this decision because Americans aren't assembling it. Nothing against Mexicans, but I felt like maybe I was betraying some fellow Americans. But then I realized, there are a lot of Americans who designed, engineered and marketed the car. But most of all, if I am helping an American company be profitable, they'll be able to keep investing in their business, which employs thousands, maybe tens of thousands of Americans. Except for the old Altima, which was bought used so it almost doesn't count anyway, every one of the other 9-10 cars I've owned in my life were American owned and American built. So I don't owe anybody any apologies.

There's one at Kenny Ross Ford in Irwin PA. Grey, if I remember right.

Oh, I know I will love it. When I test drove one, I couldn't believe it felt almost as fast as my 5.0 (mostly stock). It was an absolute hoot to drive. I haven't seen any formal tests yet, though. I'd love to know the official 0-60 times.

I really like the fact that you're getting 25mpg. Is yours AWD? 25 is my goal. I figure that's pretty good. I get a regular 28-29 on the Altima even w/173k miles on it, and it would be really cool if I could pull off 25.

After what seemed like forever, I'm finally in a position to replace the old Altima that has 173,000 miles on it. A week ago today I ordered my Fusion Sport AWD. It's Tuxedo Black with the slate trim on the black interior. I ordered package 400A (standard equipment). The only 2 options I got are remote start and reverse sensors. I really wanted the heated seats, but didn't want the cost or reduced headroom of the sunroof I'd have to get to get heated leather. I looked for about a month, but there are very few Sports around here (Pittsburgh area) that are AWD, black w/slate trim, and no sunroof. I drive 80 miles a day in the snowy hills of western PA, so the AWD will come in handly -- although I never had any problems w/FWD + 4 Bridgestone Blizzaks. I can't wait! One week down, about 6 more to go! :happy feet:

I was deciding between and Edge (thought I needed the size) and a Fusion Sport, until I drove a Fusion Sport this past weekend. It absolutely blew me out of the water! So I am going to order the Tuxedo Black Fusion Sport AWD, but not until later this week or the week of the 6th. The 2010's have a $1,000 rebate now. Does anyone know what incentives there might be after July 1?

How much is the 5/100,000 warranty? I am getting a Tuxedo Black AWD Sport. I rack up 20,000 miles/yr, so this would be a warranty I'd like to consider.

James, this sounds like the same combo I would order. Do you have any pictures you can post?

I have an '89 5.0 with the exact same problem. No leak around the rubber, but one of the 2 bolts had a drip around it. It was easy to fix. I wish I had never checked that option when I ordered -- It cut way down on headroom by at least 1.5" (I didn't try one with a sunroof before ordering) and it had no screen, so you broiled in the summer, even with the A/C at full blast. But on the plus side, I loved to take the sunroof out and go through the Fort Pitt and Squirrel Hill tunnels in 4th gear -- What a beatuful sound with the Walker Dynomax exhaust!

Or 15% performance series?

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/19/spy-sho...d-without-camo/ :happy feet: