Faults:

Having only owned the car for the past month, I haven't given the car sufficient time to show any defects.

However I did encounter problems with the driver's side electric window. However this was down to dirty contacts in the center console and was easily repairable.

The front seats on my escort and also on many others that I have looked at had/have wearing on the front seats. This is annoying as it not only looks ugly, but is also sharp where the plastic protrudes.

General Comments:

As it is still early days in my experience with this car I am not really able to comment on it's reliability.

It performs well in the higher gears, but does however seem a little dead in the first three.

The interior is tidy and well laid out. I am a tall driver and decided on a escort due to the space it offers.

The insurance is a blessing. Performance wise the escort is not that far behind my old 1.7 Renault 19 and yet is three insurance groups lower. If you are a young male driver such as myself then you can't do much better than a Ford.

Faults:

There have been very few things to go wrong with the car.

Basic replacements of things that have worn down (tires and such) but otherwise nothing!

General Comments:

This car is very fun to drive, and zippy too! (The zip does slow down when you have 6 people in it...)

Faults:

Purchased car from Dealer used. Within one year developed overheating problems. Head gasket was blown and a bolt holding the head down was snapped in half. Fixed it myself, repair went well.

At 110,000 the engine was still overheating. A relay and/or the fan switch was bad. I replaced both.

At 115,000 the radiator exploded. Replaced radiator and thermostat.

At 117,000 the ignition switch went bad. It had been malfunctioning since the day we purchased the car. Broke the steering wheel trying to take it off. Ended up not using the $100 switch and getting a whole steering column from the junk yard.

At 120,000 the speedometer bounces wildly at speeds greater than 50mph.

At 128,000 the transmission has developed hard shifting between first and second as well as between second and third.

General Comments:

I really like the wagon style. It comfortably fits 4 adults and has plenty of storage area in the back.

It has a roof rack that allowed me to carry sheet rock and plywood.

We have taken it on several 1000+ mile trips and it performed well.

The seat moves back and reclines enough for me since I'm tall, as well as suits my wife who is short.

Faults:

Ignition switch had several problems when I bought the car; I purchased a new switch for $90 and have had no further fault with it.

I had a bad misfire develop which turned out to be the fault of the coil pack, I installed an aftermarket part and it now works great.

The driver's side outer CV joint boot broke which let dirt and other contaminants into the joint. By the time I know of it, it was too late. I had to replace the half shaft.

There have been many small problems due to previous owner neglect as far as cosmetic things go. All mechanical problems seem to be basic maintenance that any car of this mileage would require.

General Comments:

The Escort is really good cheap transportation, although it seems to require continuous tweaking to keep it in good shape.

The engine is somewhat underpowered and seems to run rather fast at highway speeds. At 70 miles per hour I am running at 3300 rpm, and the car feels like it is not in overdrive.

The transmission shifts are harsh (in particular first gear to second) under certain conditions like when the engine is hot and is let sit and then run again. I suspect that it needs some work, however I don't have the money to get it looked at.

Overall I like the car, it has a certain appeal to it, and although it feels underpowered on the highway, the 4-cylinder engine has quite a lot of pep, and that is really brought out on windy roads. The steering and suspension feel really close to the road and make the driver feel very connected to the road.

I like the car, but would consider buying something with a V6 and sacrifice some of that gas mileage (32 mpg) for more power.