I know used hybrids are a bad idea in general due to battery wear. But what about used hybrids that have low mileage? I recently saw a 2009 Ford Escape 2.5L 4 cylinder Hybrid with and eCVT that had about 45000 miles on it. Assuming that it is the correct mileage (which is an if), would the battery/electronics have weakened due to sheer age despite low use? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
I really don’t have a clear answer to this. Just anecdotal evidence, it seems the higher mileage batteries last longer than the lower mileage batteries. Batteries need the right amount of exercise to keep their juices flowing.
On the flip side, each battery has an expected amount of charging cycles to them, so their may be life left in the battery.
If it were a Toyota hybrid, and the price were cheap, I’d say jump on it. There is a market for aftermarket new or refurbished batteries. And Toyota hybrids seem to last a long time, even taking into account battery changes.
With that said, it is a Ford, and not as popular as the Toyota. The Ford hybrid is okay. Not as great as Toyota, but not absolutely horrible. I actually think the Escape chassis was built pretty strong. My only concern would be the aftermarket for a Ford Escape battery. if there is one, and the batteries are affordable with respect to the price of the car, it may be worth it. Otherwise, maybe not.
That is of course, assuming everything else checks out.
