pingman

Problem solved! Check the interior forum. Thanks.

So I get the AWD comment because I live in the northeast but we are talking 2 front wheel drive 4 door sedans. If I drive to Georgia I can save $2000? Or does it need to be Iowa or Texas? I really don't agree with local markets changing a vehicles resale value that drastically.

Apples to apples. Glad I kept all my paperwork! Accord Msrp $25380. Selling price $22100. Difference $3280. Fusion Msrp $25630. Selling price $21795. Difference $3835. So we are talking about a $500 difference in mark up. Resale (not resell) on the Honda $18900 and the Fusion $16500. There is about a $1900 difference in depreciation when you subtract the difference in mark up. The dealer sold me the car I traded the Honda in for at invoice minus incentives, so there was no hiding of money in the deal. Also the Accord had a lot more mileage than the 2K on the Fusion. So looking back to my original post, the accord was actually $6K off Msrp and the fusion is still $9k. I am 45 years old, have owned more cars than most, and this is my first domestic purchase because of the reason stated on the original post (and past quality issues). Unfortunately, I still believe trade in value of domestics can't compete with imports. The general manager of the dealer I tried to trade the car in at told me it was twofold. The biggest reason is the market gets flooded (supply and demand) with auction cars that were rentals (when was the last time you could rent an accord?). Why would a dealer pay the book value of $18000 when they can get almost the same vehicle at auction for $2-3K less? The second problem is they are selling 2011 for the same discounted price as the 2010. There is zero profit margin unless they beat you up on your trade. Bbf2530-you are correct when you say the only way to make it work is to sell the vehicle yourself.

Thanks to all who have replied. The upholsterer added new padding between the seat and the springs, which raised the middle of the seat and more or less flattened out the side supports. This has made the seat extremeley more comfortable and only cost me $70! If anyone else has this problem, after watching him, it is a very simple fix. One clip for the seat cover under the front and one on the right side, between the seat and the center console. Loosen both and pull the seat cover back slightly. Now you can lift the foam very easily and add padding between the foam and the springs. The guy used padding 2 inches in thickness and that was more than enough. Very easy to experiment with. So with all the information I just saved about $5000! :happy feet:

bbf2530, Thanks for both replies and I do understand the theory behind the trade and the way they move money around. It just seems that the american cars still take a larger hit over their japanese rivals although they have seemed to have caught up to, or in the case of the fusion, surpassed the quality of the competition. I owned a 2009 Accord and the trade in value was $5K off msrp and this is $9K, almost double. They also list older Hondas for much more than the domestics. Just surprising to me that Ford hasn't caught up yet.

I purchased a 2010 Fusion SE about 2k miles ago and have had a seat comfort issue that I posted about here. So I shopped it around to different dealers, including the one I purchased it at and was shocked to find out how much these depreciate. It is an SE with the 3.0 v6 and the sun/sync package with an msrp around $25600. With cashback I was able to buy this for about $21700 and now there is another $500 back which would have brought it lower. The best actual cash value I could get with 2K miles on it was $16500 from the original dealer I purchased it from. I am used to trading Honda or Nissan and was shocked at the drop. Other books show the car around $17500 to $18000 for trade but I can't get them to budge. Ford also touts the Fusion beating the Accord in resale value. Can anyone explain why a car that I think surpasses the Accord doesn't hold it's value better?

I agree with you about the passenger seat 100%! I thought it may be a different seat because it is not power. I just haven't found a comfortable spot to put the drivers seat in, but I can sit in the passenger seat anywhere! I am going back to the upholsterer this morning to try something a little different but may call the ford dealer to see if I can get a non power matching drivers seat. It will be a lot less expensive than trading the car in. Sticker was around $25,500, I paid $21,700, the car has just over 2K , miles and the most I have been offered on trade is $16,500-even from the dealer I purchased the car from!

Thanks again for the info. The filler didn't really help so I will look at those recaros.

Those seats look great! I added some foam between the springs and the original pad. It raised the middle up a little and I am in the trial period. Hopefully this works and thanks for all the ideas. Btw, can you tell me where you got those seats and a ballpark cost?

Let me start by saying I broke my tailbone a few years back and need something comfortable to sit in. I have a 2010 SE V6 with cloth interior. The drivers seat has been nothing but a problem for me since day one. When I demoed the car it was not for a long period of time, but now, even on short drives to work-1/2 hour- I get quite a bit of back pain and soreness in my legs. I am 5'10 and about 220 lbs., so I am not a small guy, but I just don't seem to have any luck getting this seat in a comfortable position. It is a power seat and the funny thing is the passengers seat feels better to me. I have also put a foam pad on the seat and this helps a little. If I can't find a solution I will probably have to trade out of the car. I would appreciate any ideas or input.