Faults:

Nothing serious, the rear parcel shelf had a habit of popping out on its own but my Ford dealer fixed it (eventually)!

General Comments:

Definitely the best car I've had so far. My particular car has more extras than normal: electric sunroof, air con, remote central locking and CD autochanger so I'm pretty happy!

Suspension setup is excellent - holds the road well, and the steering & gear change are good. Could be a bit quicker though!

Faults:

New gear selector.

General Comments:

Good all round car with good handling. Big step up from my last car so I feel the benefits more.

Insurance was shockingly high.

Faults:

Nothing!

Actually there was a really annoying whistling from the air vent(?) when new but it went away!!

General Comments:

A fantastic car for the money. Great looks, great drive (sticks to the road like...), air con...

My only gripe is with performance. I had a 2.0 Sierra prior to this car and although the Escort is faster(?) it really needs to be pushed. I was actually quite disappointed when test driving the car (where you feel guilty going much over 4K revs :-> ).

The car does kick in after 4.5 K in most gears though (The benefit of 16V I presume).

If anyone can tell me a bit more history about the car I would appreciate it (I know it's got a different exhaust to the Si and the suspension/steering MUST be better... Anyone know the full facts?... craigp@email.com if you do

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

GTI has value for money, all the gadgets, still very quick and loads of space in the back.

Looks to die for.

Faults:

Persistant clutch judder, third clutch now in 22,000 miles (all thankfully replaced under warranty).

General Comments:

Excellent value, superbly equipped car for the price, best car I've ever had.

Faults:

Have had to replace the steering rack after 13,200 miles done under warranty. Apart from that only headlamp bulb's and windscreen wipers.

General Comments:

Generally a troublefree car to own and drive, only a few niggles.

1) Engine rev's excessivly at low speed when the clutch is depressed.

2)The handling could be a bit better.

3)The stereo is not powerful enough for my taste.

The car is responsive, being a 16v Zetec engine, most of the grunt is between 3800 and 5200 revs, but there is enough low down torque to keep me happy. The manufacturer publishes 0-60 in 9.2 sec, I have done it in 8.0 sec.

Faults:

Rust in door pillars, around hinges and on edge of boot - not bad for 6 months old, imagine what it will be like when it's 2 years old. Come on Ford!

Dealers are great until they have your money, then wait forever, then go fix it yourself type attitude.

Still waiting to hear if they will fix my rust!

04/08/1999 Further to my rust in door pillars problem reported earlier.

FORD engineer has inspected the car. FORD have point blank refused to retify the rust. They say it is not their problem. I'm in appeal with them right now. This has been on going for months now.

General Comments:

Hope the Focus doesn't end up like this wonderful rot box.

In general good car, shame about the quality.

Finally Zetec's a great engine.

04/08/1999 Don't ever buy Escort.

Don't ever buy Ford.

The quality is crap.

Their warranty is crap.

Their help line is crap.

The whole experience of buying a new Ford is crap

I'm buying Japanese next.

To hell with Ford.

Q1 is a joke. You have been warned!

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

Not the best car in its class, but acceptable all-rounder for the price.

Faults:

Nothing so far.

General Comments:

This car is a dream to drive. The steering is perfectly weighted and the car is very responsive 0-60 in 9.2sec. The engine has enough poke to get you out of trouble. Being a Ghia X it's got all the mod's and con's. The only drawback is the lack of remote central locking.