Celebrating My Son's 16th Birthday with a Surprise Gift

I bought this 2017 for my son’s 16th birthday, which is just a week away. We’re so excited to surprise him with it

Aftermarket rims, chrome deletes, tints… I always worry about what the last owner might have done besides what’s visible.

What engine and trim is it?

Jaden said:
Aftermarket rims, chrome deletes, tints… I always worry about what the last owner might have done besides what’s visible.

What engine and trim is it?

I’m really curious why that makes you worry. I’d love to black out my car if I could because I’m not a fan of chrome. The CarFax showed it was well taken care of. The VIN from the NHTSA confirmed zero unfixed recalls.

It’s a 2017 SE AWD 6-speed automatic with a 2.0L I4 turbo engine. I’m just an excited mom who doesn’t know a lot about cars.

@Foster
Don’t worry, some folks here think anyone who modifies a car ruins it. The 2.0L engines are pretty dependable and less likely to have the coolant issues talked about in other threads. Mine has 130k miles and runs great. It took me through high school and I’m about to graduate college with it.

@Parker
That’s really comforting to hear! Thanks for sharing. I hope it lasts him well into young adulthood, helping him until he can get a new car whenever he’s ready. Appreciate your comment!

@Foster
As a teenager with this car, your son will have a blast doing donuts if it snows.

Nova said:
@Foster
As a teenager with this car, your son will have a blast doing donuts if it snows.

Front-wheel drive donuts are the way to go…

Tyler said:

Nova said:
@Foster
As a teenager with this car, your son will have a blast doing donuts if it snows.

Front-wheel drive donuts are the way to go…

Reverse donuts are great too.

@Foster
My concern is about the previous owner making cosmetic changes, which makes me wonder what else they might have done.

I worked as a mechanic and saw some odd things people did because they thought they knew better, so I’d keep an eye out for anything not easily seen.

@Tyler
Exactly. Many folks make poor choices when they have just a little knowledge.

Make sure it doesn’t have the coolant issue.

Adair said:
Make sure it doesn’t have the coolant issue.

I’m not sure what that means

Foster said:

Adair said:
Make sure it doesn’t have the coolant issue.

I’m not sure what that means

EcoBoost engines can have a flaw that lets coolant leak into the engine, which can lead to needing a new engine.

@Lennon
Oh no, it’s an Ecoboost. What should I look for?

Foster said:
@Lennon
Oh no, it’s an Ecoboost. What should I look for?

Low coolant with no visible leak is a sign (because it leaks into the engine), or white smoke might come from the exhaust. Note that cold weather can also cause white smoke, but that’s normal for most cars.

The main sign would be low coolant with no evidence of external leaks.

@Lennon
Thanks for that info!

Foster said:
@Lennon
Oh no, it’s an Ecoboost. What should I look for?

Low coolant usually shows first. The Ecoboost badge should be on the bumper if it has one. I think only the 2.5 is not an Ecoboost, but I could be wrong. This issue happens more often than you’d think.

@Ember
Thanks for the info! The records show it has a good service history and the database has no open recalls for that VIN, so hopefully, everything is good. The AC was working really well when I test drove it.

@Foster
There’s not much maintenance that can really prevent it. It’s just one of those odd things that can happen. I’d definitely check if it’s an Ecoboost. I’m not sure if they ever recalled all models/years with this issue.

@Ember
Got it, that’s good to know. Yes, it’s an Ecoboost.