Faults:

Nothing major as of yet.

The brakes have a tendency of squeaking, which can be quite irritating.

Driver's seat is starting to wear slightly. Will most probably need repairing soon-ish. Other than that, I can't complain.

General Comments:

I haven't owned this car for particularly long, so problems are still to come, without a doubt - it's a Ford, but I have to say the early signs are good.

I purchased the car from a car auction near to me for £1700, which is an absolute bargain considering the mileage and the age of the car. It needed some body work doing to it, the front panel needed replacing and some other bits and bobs, costing a total of £320.

My old beloved Escort got wrote off by some crazy woman who thumped into the back of me. I was expecting big changes to the handling, performance, ride etc when I bought this - and I got it. So I was well impressed.

I'm only 18, so at my age I'm lucky to have a car this new. The car sounds good when revved, keeps up with quite a surprising amount of cars on the road, mainly annoying reps.

The 1.6 Zetec engine is a sweet unit, maybe underpowered for the size of the engine, but neither the petrol consumption or the insurance reflect it to having a 1.6 engine. It is a refined, reliable car with pretty good handling, a pleasant interior and driving position. I think I may have struggled to find something as good as this for the money I paid.

I would recommend this model Escort to anyone if the price is right. Avoid rip-off forecourts for average efforts fetching hundreds more than a normal private sale.

If you've got £2500 to spend on something like this I recommend it. Go to an auction and find a real cheap one.

Faults:

Power steering pump failure happened when overtaking on the motorway.

Engine keeps overheating.

Worn 2nd gear and part time reverse.

Rear of the driver's seat broke.

Electric switch for opening the tailgate is faulty.

Central locking faulty, the doors sometimes unlock and lock by themselves.

Engine idles erratically and occasionally revs itself, Ford don't seem to be interested in why this happens, they're more interested in taking my money for doing a shoddy job.

Rusty rear arches and the car is only 5 years old, and well waxed and polished.

Rusty undercarriage which Ford is also not interested in repairing, even though they say they've got an excellent body shop.

General Comments:

The comfort is good.

The performance is average for the size of the engine.

Nice looking car inside and out, just a pity they weren't made to a better quality.

The value goes down quickly on even a really good one.