1985 Ford Escort wagon review from North America

Nothing has really gone wrong, but it is experiencing some ring blow by. With the automatic (3 speed at that) the engine really screams at highway speeds. This has worn down the rings some. It still runs good, and does not smoke, but the oil vapors are coming out every place they can find.

This car was a one owner with low miles. The 3 speed automatic transmission is a bad choice. The combination of 1.6L and the automatic means the acceleration is old electric car like, without that pesky electric car silence. The handling is OK, and the brakes are good, but the automatic transmission should not be offered with this car. I get about 18.5 mpg in the city, but can only squeeze 24 mpg highway if I keep it under 70 mph, and at that speed the poor little engine is spinning along at 3500 RPM. Take it to 80 mph and the tach reads 3800 and the mileage drops to 19 mpg HIGHWAY. It has not been a bad car, I just prefer something with more get-up-and-go.