This question has been exhausted.....no pun intended. It's all a matter of preference. It's been my experience that you get what you pay for. Mine is custom made, but I bought it like that so I haven't the slightest what it cost . I bought a MAC dual exhaust for my Mustang that completely rotted inside out after about 3 years. I loved the sound, but durability stunk!

Magnaflow
http://www.carid.com/2001-ford-escape-exhaust-systems/magnaflow-91084.html

Gibson
http://www.carid.com/2001-ford-escape-exhaust-systems/gibson-88451.html

Here's someone that has the Magnaflow installed.
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/626477/2001-ford-escape/page-5

Walker makes OEM grade stuff. Here's their part numbers for the entire exhaust. They're usually pretty reasonable.

If you just wanna replace the stuff with basically OEM, I'd go with http://www.RockAuto.com. They are usually cheaper than everyone else and have coupons floating around that take even more off the price. Hope some of this was helpful. Good Luck.

 

I don't know how good the muffler shops are in Mass. but down here in Florida they can make a custom exhaust however you want. If you can find a shop like this I would, if I were you, have them replace the flex pipe and any other piece that was bad so you know it's all good. Here they just cut off the bad piece (muffler, resonator, even bad flex pipe) and weld in a new one for cheap. They removed and replaced a resonator for $60 and installed a Borla muffler on my friends car for $120. I think it's better than ordering a full system, these aren't tuned 800 hp race trucks. And I would recommend getting a Borla muffler if you want something that sounds a little sporty. I love mine!

 

Since you appear to live in part of the salt belt, I would pay attention to what the exhaust system you decide on is made of. Aluminized steel may be cheap, but there is a good chance that it might not last very long as i've seen countless aluminized steel exhaust systems rot out within a year or two on many different cars. Ideally, T304 is good, but will likely not be easily obtainable or cheap.

If you decide to have a shop make you an exhaust, you might want to pay attention to how they make the bends. Ideally, you want your exhaust made from a shop that uses a mandrel bender, but those are very hard to find as those are very expensive. Because most shops use crush bends, the diameter of the piping is not consistent in the bend as it often forms inconsistent kinks that can cause restriction.

 

My stock 04 exhaust is actually in really good condition except for the stainless mesh on the flex which has detached and the blown gasket at the muffler. Otherwise if you looked at my exhaust you would say it can't be more than a couple years old. I think the muffler may be rusting out from the inside. I may just fix the gasket and when the weather clears I'll do the cat back. I like the look of the Magnaflow exhast and I found it for 350.00 w/shipping. I would love to get a dual exhaust. I'm worried that it will cost me too much money for a custom set up that's mandrel bent. Shops around here tend to be very expensive.

 

My stock 04 exhaust is actually in really good condition except for the stainless mesh on the flex which has detached and the blown gasket at the muffler. Otherwise if you looked at my exhaust you would say it can't be more than a couple years old. I think the muffler may be rusting out from the inside. I may just fix the gasket and when the weather clears I'll do the cat back. I like the look of the Magnaflow exhast and I found it for 350.00 w/shipping. I would love to get a dual exhaust. I'm worried that it will cost me too much money for a custom set up that's mandrel bent. Shops around here tend to be very expensive.

If you want to do it right, mandrel bends are the way to go. The downside of course is that very few shops have a mandrel bender simply because it is so expensive. If you do a custom setup, the other thing to consider is that you don't want to lose too much backpressure if doing a custom setup. If you do, it will sacrifice torque and fuel economy. A Maganflow should serve you well since they should still be 100% stainless steel, although I don't remember what grade they use.

 

I think by keeping the stock cat it should keep most of my back pressure. The difference being the muffler. I'm leaning toward the magnaflow.

 

Dual exhaust on the 4wd Escapes is a challenge that most exhaust shops won't tackle for a cheap price. Most are concerned about clearance issues and "comebacks". I know someone on this board has had it done before just not sure who. One the other side, the direct replacement Magnaflow will give it a little more growl and be pleasing on the eyes with the polished stainless. Plus, you can take care of that in your driveway. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Here's a vid I found on YouTube with the magnaflow.

 

If you do a custom setup, the other thing to consider is that you don't want to lose too much backpressure if doing a custom setup. If you do, it will sacrifice torque and fuel economy.

I would also suggest not altering the stock diameter of the exhaust if you go custom. I don't remember, I think it's 2 1/4", any new stuff should stay this diameter or you may have the problems above. The $350 deal doesn't sound bad. I love my dual exhaust but I have 2wd so he ran the exhaust thru where the pumpkin goes on 4wd.

 

I don't have the spare tire mounted under the cargo area because it's a 04 and it's inside. I would think they could just run the second piece of exhaust across and over the driverside rear axle to mirror the stock passenger side pipes. Also it wouldn't matter if they split the exhaust after the rear axle because it's not like it would a true dual exhaust. Right?

 

Correct, you're not running true dual, one off each bank. You just want twin pipes sticking out from under the bumper. I would have it looked at breifly at a shop to get a starting quote.