Faults:

Automatic transmission locked in 3rd gear. Dealer couldn't find problem and wanted to replace the transmission. I discovered it was the transmission computer - got a used one for $50.

Timing belt snapped around 180 000km. I should have been proactive and replaced it earlier. Good news - no valve damage.

Air conditioning stopped working - bad relay.

C/V joint boots crack regularly and axles need replacing when they get dirty.

Bad rust around rear wheel wells - even with regular wash/wax.

Throttle cable snapped at 300 000km. Things like this are expected at that age, I guess.

General Comments:

The car has been relatively dependable if regular maintenance is kept up.

Most of the major problems have been electrical/computer related.

Not happy with the rust after about 8-10 years.

Excellent on ice and snow.

Faults:

Caught fire from Leaky Transmission fluid cooling lines (50 km after purchase)

Engine and Transmission replaced 7000 km after purchase (Transmission seals gone and Engine blowing oil)

Transmission seals gone again within 50000km and replaced transmission filling fluid with pieces of clutch.

Seals above drivers window leaking Water. Door locks on rear hatch and side doors no longer work.

Wiper transmission replaced twice and blade arm snapped off.

General Comments:

I suspect this was a lemon car.

It appears to have experienced an accident in its past and was forcibly passed onto the consumer via use of faked emissions and safety certificates.

When repaired, it was very peppy and handled well. But mine smelt of stale water and mud all its life.

In Canada. Refer to OMVIC and UVDA in Ontario when purchasing a used car and you are unhappy with your purchase.

By the Used Vehicle Info Package in advance, it will save you $$$.

Faults:

The real question should be, what didn't go wrong with this car.

The brakes went out, the motor had to be rebuilt, the transmission was replaced 7 times (no exaggeration, it had bad gas mileage, the motor never really ran right in the first place.

General Comments:

This car was the worst thing that I have ever had and I still have to pay off the loan for the motor to be rebuilt, and I don't even own the car anymore. If I could make an opinion about this car, I would say go foreign.

This car is really Fix Or Repair Daily!!

Faults:

At 120,000 km we replaced the brake lines, seat-belts, main exhaust pipe, and tires.

At 14,000 km we replaced one wheel cylinder and a tie-rod.

Changing the air filter greatly improved performance.

This vehicle has some rust due to our Canadian winters.

Soon we will replace the muffler, front pads, and rotors.

General Comments:

I bought this car for my wife to travel back and forth to College. She needed reliable transportation for one year. That year has come and gone and she loves her '91 Escort. She named it ALF.

ALF is zippy and fun to drive.

Faults:

Automatic front shoulder belt no longer functional. It would have been very expensive to fix, so I just disconnected it.

Gas gauge gave up at about 80,000 miles. Now I just use the trip reset on the odometer to know when to refuel.

Body rust is starting to become rather unsightly.

Factory sunroof has been leaking for a long time. It's now caulked shut.

Exhaust system torque tube rusted off at about 140,000 mile. New exhaust system cost about $100.

Water pump failed at 150,000 miles. The engine also was leaking oil at the front mail seal (near the water pump) so I had both fixed at the same time.

The car is about due for its second tune-up as the plug wires are arcing and the engine runs really rough in wet weather. A tune-up costs about $100-150.

Most of the serious problems I've had with the car didn't show up until well after 100,000 miles.

General Comments:

I got this car in 1994 as a college graduation present from my parents. I didn't expect to have it very long, as I planned to buy a more expensive vehicle when I started making money. Nine years and 115,000 miles later, this car is still going strong and is now my wife's everyday-to-work driver.

I have to admit that I haven't taken very good care of my Escort - neglected might be a good word. For the past several years, the Escort has been our "second" vehicle. A Mustang convertible and a Nissan Pathfinder have come and gone, but the Escort is still with us. We bought a brand new Saturn SL2 in 1998 and by 50,000 miles that car was starting to exhibit numerous creaks and thumps. Even at 12 years old, our Escort still feels as solid as a tank, even after being repaired from serious collision damage a few years ago.

The three-door hatchback has a surprising amount of cargo room when the back seat is folded down.

If the body holds together, I should be able to get another 50,000 miles out of my Escort.