1995 Ford Escort LX 1.9

Summary:

This car has been fantastic

Faults:

The only real problem I have had is a water pump failure.

The other piece that broke was the seat belt clip on the drivers side. So what.

General Comments:

The maintenance schedule has been followed almost to the letter.

Oil changes have been done at 5000 mile intervals with tire rotation at 10K. It has not used any oil since day one.

The car was totaled once when an Explorer hit me doing 45 while I was stopped. Despite the damage even the rear window did not break!

It is in the shop now because it has started to leak a few drops of transmission fluid. No complaint though I have over 250K miles on it!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th October, 2002

1995 Ford Escort LX

Summary:

A reliable bargain and a great starter car

Faults:

My rear defroster button does not stay in, and needs to be held in by either the passenger or a piece of paper wedged in there somehow.

Recently the hood latch has become temperamental and the hood refused to open due to blockage. However, it was able to be fixed.

General Comments:

This car is reliable and no major problems have occurred.

The interior is comfortable.

The temperature controls are simple to use and very efficient and make the car very comfortable. The defroster is quick to clear the windshield as well.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th October, 2002

1995 Ford Escort LX 1.9L SOHC MFI

Summary:

Good up to 50000 miles!

Faults:

Replaced clutch 3 times within 70000 miles of driving. Dealer told me not to "ride the clutch." If you drive in a big, congested, stop-and-go city, how do you avoid this?

Body pan bent inward at correct Ford-specified jacking points. Mechanic told me to use the base of the steering knuckles for jacking, which works. Like all cars today, even the metal under the body is so thin you can almost see through it.

Engine and body vibrates with lots of noise at 2500+ rpm. Road noise and tire noise add to this and make it impossible to conduct a conversation with a passenger.

Engine now has a mysterious misfire that is increasing to cover the entire rpm range. Ford dealer cannot find the cause, and charged me $100 to look at it.

General Comments:

My 1995 Ford Escort LX has been well maintained all of its life. The body and paint are really nice, and even the driver's seat is tear-free. The custom alloy wheels are beautiful. The oil was changed every 3000 miles. But, I cannot sell it to anyone because of the incurable misfire problem. Two used car dealers offered me $200-250 for it. One dealer said the engine was too "rough" to make an offer. This Escort is ready for the junk yard.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 18th October, 2002

30th Aug 2004, 00:35

Before you spend a lot on diagnosis, replace the spark plugs, if that doesn't fix it, then the spark plug wires.

Also, in some cases, a worn clutch can feel like a misfire... but that isn't likely in your case as the clutch is fairly new.

As far as not wearing out the cluch... the best thing to do is to sign up for a driving school that specializes in driving with a manual transmission. One school that comes to mind is 'Shifters'

12th Aug 2012, 18:39

Time consuming clutch replacement under warranty was costing auto makers too much on the cheap front wheel drive passenger cars. The solution was to decrease the amount of new shifter cars sold, and increase the number of new automatic transmission cars sold. This plan was so successfully implemented, that many younger drivers do not know how to drive manual shifting cars.

I owned a 90's 5 speed Escort, and was informed by a mechanic that when the clutch assembly is changed, the FLYWHEEL needs to be resurfaced or replaced. This is NOT what dealer shops do under warranty service, because it adds too much additional costs. Don't do this, and the second or third clutch can go in succession within 100K miles easily.