Unregistered

The responses on here are interesting. I can offer some input as a cross-shopper on the Fusion. I'm 30 and had a friend recently looking to buy a new/used sedan in the $20-30K range. As the car nut in the group, he asked if I'd come along. I drive a 2003 Acura TL Type-S and he loves my car. So he was looking for a used version of my car, a new/barely-used Accord V6, or anything that I could recommend.

Having owned several Fords (currently my wife drives an Escape), I knew we would definitely make a trip to the Ford dealer to see the Fusion. We first went to the Honda dealer where we saw a low-mileage '03 Accord that he really liked. He doesn't like the back end of the '06, so for Accords, we had to find a used '03 - '05. Knowing the prices, I was anticipating going to Ford knowing he could get a new loaded Fusion for the price of a used Accord. I informed him he was giving up a little horsepower for the V6's (Ford's 221-hp vs. Honda's 240-hp), but the price difference and handling should make up for it.

Arrived at the Ford dealer (Southern Cal) where the car salesman reaked of coffee/cigarettes and was aggressive. We sat in a fully loaded Fusion and the leather felt like it belonged in a 1995 Hyundai Sonata and the materials felt very cheap. Even the used 2003 Accord's interior blew it out of the water. I was shocked. And after Mr. Coffee kept spewing about how the Fusion is going to wipe the market clean, I was embarrassed. My friend could not have left the dealer fast enough. He never drove the car.

He bought an '05 Accord V6. Unfortunately, I'm sure this scenario is quite common, especially here in SoCal.