1996 Ford Escort RS 2000 2.0 16v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Fantastic car to own

Faults:

Front left bushes have worn, very easy to replace.

ABS sensors get dirty very quickly on the front and rear of the car causing the ABS light to come on, easily cleaned.

General Comments:

Fantastic car, I chose the 2wd over the 4wd for performance. Not a cossie killer, but can hold its own against others. The 2.0 16v I4 engine is very well built and very responsive. A real drivers car handles corners very well.

Spot on, just enough power for todays roads.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th April, 2002

20th Jan 2004, 05:37

Yes great to see these reviews for the RS2000. They are a very underrated car and never got the respect they deserved. The 150bhp engine is a lot quicker on the road than the performance figures dictate and loves to be revved hard, really comes alive at 4000rpm and will surprise many of the bigger powered cars. Although many might not believe it they are quicker than an Astra GSI. Only problem so far is eats brake pads, maybe me driving? and needs a wheel bearing, done approx 10k since owned. 2wd quicker is than 4wd, but very hard to get grip in the wet!! Great all round quick motor and would def recommend it.

16th Jul 2004, 05:49

One of the last SVE-tweaked Fords and a cracking car. Unfortunately, it was based on a car which, not to put too fine a point on it, was a pile of crap, and hence it suffers the same stigma. However, if you look at the suspension, steering and mechanical components of the RS2000, very little of it is shared with a standard Escort. Hence it's a damn good car.

Silly value at today's prices as well.

14th Jan 2010, 13:01

Hi, I have put a RS 2000 engine in a mrk5/6 cab, and gave it a nice paint job and a nice pair of 17 inch alloys. It looks the part, and it drives mint. It get the looks of people.

One thing with it though; I was driving down the road and it smashed the pulley of the power steering. I need help on what caused it?

1996 Ford Escort LX 1.6 Zetec petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Excellent for the money - quick too

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.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th November, 2001

15th Jan 2003, 22:42

I bought my escort about a month ago and the clutch is already going on it.

28th Feb 2003, 19:47

That's not Fords fault though is it... maybe you should have tested it more thoroughly before buying it or had a specialist check it over...

15th Mar 2005, 03:16

I got my Escort a few months ago and after driving a 1.1 ford fiesta for 2 years I have found this car a dream car to drive no complaints about it. Very reliable.

4th Jan 2006, 16:55

Been driving escorts for 20ish years still haven't stopped them rotting they still drive great fast good handling, but why can't ford build a car that lasts they all seem to rot and had a lot of problems with the alarm on the LX even ford couldn't fix it, but once a ford man etc etc.