Thinking about Buying a Mach-E in a few years

[Jdude1]

Hey guys, thought it would make sense to post this question here and just get the whole group's opinions.

I'm an Middle Age Electrical Engineer (EV's are exciting to me!) and currently drive a 2014 Manual transmission Ford Focus with about 100k miles on it. Hitting this mileage mark just has me thinking, "Hmm, should probably start thinking about what vehicle I want to start looking for in a year or two."

This time around I am really interested in either a EV or a Hybrid power train vehicle. I've owned Nissans, Fords, Kia, and Mazda vehicles in the past so I don't have any huge brand loyalty but I'd prefer a vehicle from a major manufacturer with solid reputation. I'd also like to get a vehicle with a bit more room to haul me and the family (wife + 2 Kids) around on weekends a little more spaciously than my Focus without whipping out the family minivan.

My daily commute is only about 12 miles each way for work and I have occasional evening activities throughout the week. Probably drive 30 miles a day on average.

I have an ample 200A power service to my home and pretty close access from the main breaker box to my garage where I generally park my car. Probably about 10-15 FT of a power run at most to run a 60Amp 220V service into my garage up and through one wall from the basement (wall is brick unfortunatly in the garage but still seems like a pretty easy setup for a knowledgeable electrician (would pay an electrician to set it up and get it inspected and all that).

With my hunting of EV vehicles it seems that the ones that really look good to me these days are the newer EV Kia/Hundai Sedan/Hatchbacks out there as well as the Mach-E (probably like it's looks the best).

What I'm really looking for is people's honest opinion on the overall on the Mach-E, do you enjoy driving it? Does it have space for a family of 4 enough that you might consider taking it as far as a 100-150 mile weekend road trip with a couple suitcases(provided the hotel at the far end would have charging capabilities). Does it bring you joy every morning when you climb into it to head off to work? Are there any unique features of the car that you didn't care about when buying but really like now? What trim, RWD/AWD option or range level did you get and if you regret the choice or find yourself not using the options you paid extra for?

Finally did you buy new or used, and would you have concerns buying a Mach-E used more or less than a normal combustion vehicle?

I'm just trying to get an overall feel for life with a Mach-E and do you love it, like it, hate it, feel neutral about it and do you think the capabilities meet my needs above.

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[HuntingPudel]

I’m an electro-mechanical engineer, with a bit of a performance car background. My current commute is similar to yours (10.5 miles each way). I enjoy the heck out of driving my 2021 MME GT-Performance Edition. It often brings a huge smile to my face. ??

Depending on whom you are asking, Ford may or may not be reputable. As a guy with loyalty to another brand (which is defunct), I feel that for the most part Ford is reputable. I may complain about stuff, but the grass is always greener and all… ??

Since I have purposely bought a few used cars with known engine problems, I think I will excuse myself from discussion of buying used. ??

 

[Thunderbuck]

I'm thinking your vehicle taste runs to the utilitarian, and by the time you'll be buying the Kia EV-3 and EV-5 will be on the market. Hopefully, so will the revamped Chevy Bolt. I wouldn't have any trouble recommending any of these for someone looking for functional transportation and who doesn't have EV show-stoppers (like limited charging options).

As for the Mach-E? Here's the thing: I love my car. Like, to an irrational degree. I think it's an attractive, sporty car that fits what I want to project. It's not the most useful, but it's still useful enough. People comment on it (yes, positively); not everyone even knows it's an EV.

I have an AWD Premium that I just traded for in February, but I had an AWD Select before that and I drove it for nearly two years in a city above the 60th Parallel. Among other things, it's the best winter driver I've ever owned by a wide margin.

For the things you're asking about? As I say, there may be more "useful" EVs, but yes, my car makes me smile every time I walk up to it. I've had people challenge me to stoplight drag races (and I doubt a Bolt driver has EVER had that happen). It feels like a muscle car from behind the wheel. The instant torque is addictive. Ford hasn't been perfect but at least for me they haven't been bad. Yes, a family of 4 could take a weekend trip pretty comfortably (TONS of room in the back seat). Not a ton of suspension travel so rough roads aren't great but it's a fantastic highway cruiser.

 

[MABachE131]

Love the Mach E!
I have a family of 4 and we frequently use it for short day trips. Enough room and range.
I have a GT and agree, it puts a big smile on my face often. ?

 

[jay1122]

For daily car, I would definitely recommend EV over ICE. Better acceleration, smooth drive, quiet, low maintenance. 40K miles so far with no problem. Only thing I ran into are software bugs.

The only downside I see for going EV is you must have the ability to charge at home with level 2 charger. Second is inconvenience on super long trips with DC charging. It takes more time. And fly over states have very few chargers. Also, cold winter real range use is around 70% of EPA range.

I would recommend buying used based on the current depreciation rate. No big upgrades between the most current vs the old one. I think it will work well for your situation. You should test drive one and see.

If I am at the market now looking for used EV right now, my top choice would be used MME GT or polestar 2. A 2022 PS2 dual motor can be had for $28K. 4.1 Sec 0-60 with 249 Miles range. Best bang for the buck if you ask me. If you are buying in a few years, then all bets are off. Solid state battery may be coming.

 

[PalsyWalsy]

Honestly, I have no brand loyalty per se. Never owned a Ford, but had many cars.

The MachE ticked these boxes and still does (as I would likely have no problem getting again):
- Looks
- Room - I have a family of five, but never take more than four in it (we use another vehicle for outright road trips with all of us)
- Room - I do get a lot of gear in there for my sports and the kids
- Room - the frunk is nice if you have a need for it as I store extra gear in there, towels for muddy kids after games, and stinky stuff I do not want in the back of the car
- Wanted EV at the time for power, torque, ease of driving
- Easy servicing with little expenses (only have had to rotate tires after 55K on a '22 GT)
- Plug at home 99.9% of time (30 miles to work)
- Easy to get to 150 miles away (my kids make me take it all the time to all soccer games/tournaments)

I love driving it everyday and happy with the tweaks I have put into it to make it even more enjoyable (though I enjoyed it before I did).

Yes, I could gripe, grumble, and complain about a few annoyances or WTF questions on some decisions, but it does not change the above.

For the record, I did have the HVJB fail and Ford made it right by paying one of my months options payment and the dealer was good to work with, so I do not have the bad taste in my mouth that others may have.

 

[NC-GT]

Hey guys, thought it would make sense to post this question here and just get the whole group's opinions.

I'm just trying to get an overall feel for life with a Mach-E and do you love it, like it, hate it, feel neutral about it and do you think the capabilities meet my needs above.

YIKES This could be an interesting thread for someone who is looking for observations of current owners, market etc for a purchase decision this year.

However once you say a couple of years, it is why are you asking now? Fun to research before buying, but most knowledge gleamed here now will not help you make an informed decision in 2026+

 

[uclavic]

My 2 cents here. I picked up a 1 year old used Mach-E Premium Extended range RWD last September. Previously I had 3 different Ford Explorers and a Ford Edge. So you can say I'm brand loyal. I typically buy new after having a vehicle for 6-10 years so this is the first vehicle that I bought used. I did so to avoid taking a giant depreciation hit on new technology. If I would have waited another 6 months I probalby would have timed it perfectly, but only time will tell.

I typically drive between 20-30 miles a day unless I go out somewhere for the evening. I had the Tesla Universal Wall Charger installed in my garage. I chose that charger as it does both NACS and J1772 and I wanted to be future proofed in terms of being able to charge vehicles with both connectors. I had to wait about 10 weeks to receive the charger as it was new at the time. I purchased it through Best Buy and their deliveries were pushed back by about a month. So for the first 10 weeks that I owned the vehicle I used the Ford charger plugged into a 110 outlet. Since I didn't take it out for any roadtrips I didn't have a need for a fast charging experience in those first 2 and a half months of ownership.

I've always been used to having the space of the Explorer so downsizing took a little bit of getting used to. I've had to be judicious on what I'm packing for tailgating purposes whereas with the Explorer I could just bring whatever. But since I'm only tailgating roughly 4-6 days a year I figured I could get by with a smaller vehicle.

So far I really like the driving experience. The center of gravity is so low compared to the Explorer so it make the drive dynamics a lot more fun. I've taken it to Vegas and Phoenix twice and down to SD once. The only downside so far has been the wait at Electrify America stations when they are busy. So the Tesla adapter can't get here quick enough. I'm supposed to receive the adapter by the end of May so hopefully that schedule holds as I have another trip to AZ planned for early June.

 

[Snakebitten]

I haven't had mine very long. Just short of 2 months.
It's a brand new (2023.5) GTPE and I'm still in the honeymoon period.

Which, by the way, makes this forum a bit more difficult to enjoy. There's a lot of misery and gnashing of teeth that at times is exhausting. Lol

Anyways, I often have 3 little ones in the back seat once I get back from my daily work commute. I'm an afternoon grandpa to 3 grandkids. 1, 4, & 6
They love it! We have a ball with Alexa and some park toys I keep in the cargo area. (scooters. Remote control barbie jeeps. Etc)

But! Since you mentioned "family of 4", that gave me pause. While just running around on short jaunts, I don't struggle with the size of the Mach-E, I'm not sure I would choose the same vehicle as dad vs grandpa, if you know what I mean.
That other grown up in the front seat better be happy with the decision too.

As for going electric though?
As long as you aren't burdened with single vehicle household limits, I say go for it! This is my second EV and I've learned SO MUCH about EV ownership after diving in. Emphasis on after. At least for me.
The Mach-E is my educated choice because it was not on the radar when I was just imagining EV ownership.

The Mach-E is simply a hoot to drive every single time I get in it. And at my age I'm fortunate to have that as a primary determining factor over all else.
If it can fit the practical needs as well? It's a wonderful choice.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

Hey guys, thought it would make sense to post this question here and just get the whole group's opinions.

I'm an Middle Age Electrical Engineer (EV's are exciting to me!) and currently drive a 2014 Manual transmission Ford Focus with about 100k miles on it. Hitting this mileage mark just has me thinking, "Hmm, should probably start thinking about what vehicle I want to start looking for in a year or two."

This time around I am really interested in either a EV or a Hybrid power train vehicle. I've owned Nissans, Fords, Kia, and Mazda vehicles in the past so I don't have any huge brand loyalty but I'd prefer a vehicle from a major manufacturer with solid reputation. I'd also like to get a vehicle with a bit more room to haul me and the family (wife + 2 Kids) around on weekends a little more spaciously than my Focus without whipping out the family minivan.

My daily commute is only about 12 miles each way for work and I have occasional evening activities throughout the week. Probably drive 30 miles a day on average.

I have an ample 200A power service to my home and pretty close access from the main breaker box to my garage where I generally park my car. Probably about 10-15 FT of a power run at most to run a 60Amp 220V service into my garage up and through one wall from the basement (wall is brick unfortunatly in the garage but still seems like a pretty easy setup for a knowledgeable electrician (would pay an electrician to set it up and get it inspected and all that).

With my hunting of EV vehicles it seems that the ones that really look good to me these days are the newer EV Kia/Hundai Sedan/Hatchbacks out there as well as the Mach-E (probably like it's looks the best).

What I'm really looking for is people's honest opinion on the overall on the Mach-E, do you enjoy driving it? Does it have space for a family of 4 enough that you might consider taking it as far as a 100-150 mile weekend road trip with a couple suitcases(provided the hotel at the far end would have charging capabilities). Does it bring you joy every morning when you climb into it to head off to work? Are there any unique features of the car that you didn't care about when buying but really like now? What trim, RWD/AWD option or range level did you get and if you regret the choice or find yourself not using the options you paid extra for?

Finally did you buy new or used, and would you have concerns buying a Mach-E used more or less than a normal combustion vehicle?

I'm just trying to get an overall feel for life with a Mach-E and do you love it, like it, hate it, feel neutral about it and do you think the capabilities meet my needs above.

We're glad to hear you're considering the Mach-E. If you ever have any questions in the future, please don't hesitate to reach out.

 

[VaporTrails]

Another EE here. It was a foregone conclusion my next car would be Electric. I keep cars for a looooong time, and it was my assessment that the MME would fall in line with that expectation. I suspected the charging network would lag, and it did. I have now done many road trips with teenagers. It took on Christmas road trip with presents in the frunk. It swallowed 10 bags of garden mulch and four bags of rocks for the hardware store run.

We don’t drive 6-hour marathons, so the brute-force range was not an issue. As a new electric car owner, the whole DCFC learning curve was an issue. Now it is just fine. The charging network needs to build out enough where you can hit the charging peaks, then those charging curves won’t feel quite as slow. On a road trip, you stop charging at 80% and fire off to the next one.

 

[phil]

Thinking about it? In a few years? And you might even start looking in just a year or two???

Where's the fire? You middle-agers are all the same, always in a hurry. Well, I guess I can understand. I was middle aged myself once. But take my advice, and give it a decade or two. No need to rush these things. Good luck with your purchase, when and if it ever comes to pass!

 

[RickMachE]

In a couple of years, things will have changed. Right now the Mach-E is not near the top of the fastest charging vehicles (for traveling when it matters). In 2 years, today's Mach-E will be at the bottom of the pack.

The Mach-E isn't much bigger inside than your Focus IMO, although I haven't compared side by side. 4 people, luggage, you're pretty full. For 2 of us, it's great. Picking up my son and granddaughter in a few hours, and I'll be taking the Lightning. No luggage except a backpack, but so much more room.

 

[Blue highway]

geez get an EV... they are just better daily drivers. Life is short. do somethin interesting.

 

[67 Stang Convertible]

Despite a fewsoftware "bumps in the road" it has been a great car for me. Love to drive it. The instant torque is addicting. You will see, when your forced to drive an ICE after an electric.

Sounds like from your description your life was built for an EV. Don't wait!!! Go used in this current landscape. I'm 2 years and 10 months in and I still treat her like the "Trailer Queen" that she is. I don't haul mulch and rocks in her!!! That is why God created the $20 Home Depot Truck Rentals!!

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