1995 Ford Escort LX review from UK and Ireland
"A lot of car for your money"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Exhaust was replaced when we bought the car, this fault was known when we bought it.
Water has leaked into the drivers door causing the central locking on this door not to work, repair would cost £130 so decided to leave it.
Drivers electric window packed up, the fault was simply caused by a bit of dirt in the switch contact.
Rear window heater some times does not work.
The discs, pads and bearings had to be replaced has the previus owner took the car to a garage that caused damage fitting breaks wrongly. This cost £280 to put right.
Cambelt and pulley was replaced which cost £160, this didn't need to be done, but was done in case the old one snapped.
Rear shock absortbers needed replacing at about 78,000 miles.
Lambda sensor needed replacing at 67,000 miles.
Exchaust needed replacing for last MOT.
Cat convertor also needed replacing.
A bit of rust on the wheel archs, but this is cosmetic and not structual.
Rocker cover was replaced at one point. The cable on the drivers door handle also snapped.
Rear noot lock dosn't work so you have to use the cable release to open the tailgate.
There was a blockage in the cooling system which caused the sensor the electronic fan not to work. The system was bleeded and it worked fine since.
In total about £1000 has been spent on servicing and repairs. Much of this is reflected in the fact the car is used mostly in the city, it rarely gets past 40mph.
General comments?
The car has a nice interior which borrows Mondeo elements. Its much improved on the 1990 model.
The car has lots of standard equipment, electric windows, central locking, power steering, sunroof, height adjustable steering wheel, imboliser, alarm etc.
The engine is willing on higher speeds, but can be a bit slow of the mark, the engine can some times be a tad jurkey perhaps due to the usual Zetec sticking valve problem. The car is great on motorways more than enough power for over taking. It can do 80-90mph without any hint of strugelling.
However the car sounds like new, it mostly runs like new, the clutch shows no signs of wear and has never been replaced in the cars history.
Handeling is not great, but the Zetec models have rear roll bars fitted which helps matter.
Overal for £1600 in 2002 we got a lot of car for the money and it was modern. A lot of things have gone wrong, but its mostly little things, the machanics are still as good as new. Much of the problems are cuased by city driving.
This car has always started first time and touch wood is extremely reliable.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model Year | 1995 |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.6 Manual |
| Performance marks | 6/10 |
| Reliability marks | 8/10 |
| Comfort marks | 7/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 62000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 83000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 15th April, 2005 |



