Love my 03 escape, got some vids of my 4 12"s setup in my build log (link in my sig).
I have an 03 XLT (V6), and I enjoy it. My parents bought it new and i finished paying it off after they got another car, and i'm very happy with it. It's just over 100,000 miles @ the moment (102,xxx i think) and its never really had any problems. I know where its been and its been well taken care of though. Seems to handle the weight of the system decently also. Going on the ~ 4.5hr drive from home to college (mostly highway) i averaged ~ 22-23mpg with my stereo in (4 12" AQs, 8ft^3 box, 2 powermaster d3100s in back, easily 300+lbs).