Nothing!!!
We love our green jellybean. It's reliable and economical. Bought it used and has been a great car for the kids. Kids had two choices; drive this car or walk. They love driving it LOL.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 15th May, 2008
Great car until it unexpectedly exploded
Nothing went particularly wrong with this car, aside from necessary maintenance issues, until it died. Suspension is cheap on this model. Had to replace ball joints, and all the struts were almost useless when the car died. I had to replace an oxygen sensor 5000 miles after I bought it, and the previous owner had replaced it 20000 before I got it, so it seemed to burn through these. Ran fantastic until it started misfiring. Changed the spark plugs, and it seemed to run fine, but started misfiring again and blew the engine apart, stranding me in the middle of nowhere. This all happened in a 1 week span.
Started ridiculously well, even when it was -10F and the battery was half dead. Pretty cheap to run. Not a huge amount of power, but that was great for me because I just wanted a cheap ride. Worked well on the freeway at 80-85 mph. I wasn't a big fan of the cloth seats; they were a little cheap. Overall I was very pleased, but a complete and sudden engine failure at 140000 miles seems a little premature. I'm not buying another escort unless it's a dirt cheap beater.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 29th January, 2008
I had to replace the O2 sensor on mine as well, and can agree with nearly all your statements on this little workhorse - especially the cold-morning starts. I live in upstate NY and I've never had a problem with it starting up - even on the one morning I had to be out early and it was -18. I'm hoping the 140K mile explosion is an isolated incident, though as mine is at 120K.
As a vegetarian and animal rights supporter, I like the non-leather seats, though and don't see them as cheap.
I agree on the suspension. I had to replace the rear springs on my car at (I think, but am not sure) 75,000 miles. The steel spring had actually snapped on both sides. Even still, before I found out about the broken springs, my car carried a 450 to 500 lb cargo load like it was nothing.
I'd definitely buy another Escort. I love my car.
Luxury car for cheap price in used car market
Poor pickup and speed
High Spare part costs
Spare part availability issue
Dealer support not satisfactory
Frequent visits to the mechanic
Low ground clearance
Not so good road visibility.
Not a good car for performance drivers
Good mileage even with AC
Good handling
Handles well during cornering and sudden braking
Excellent leg room and boot space
Can comfortably accommodate 5 people
FORD safety features
Ideal car for good comfort for the price in the used car market
I love this car being this is my life's first car, though it has some maintenance issues, the car has never let down anywhere... perhaps ford reconsiders to upgrade the car with new engines and relaunches.. it will be a real hit... the car has that much in it...
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 27th November, 2007
Cheaply made, cheap to buy, but comfy and practical
Full exhaust system required (including catalytic converter).
Failed MOT on emissions, serious hard driving and engine flush seemed to clear this.
Headlights turned off when I was driving down a dark road - common fault with these due to a dodgy connection on the indicator stalk unit (bought a complete new unit from Ebay for £30.) Very dangerous!!
My fault - drove over a fallen tree branch at 50/60mph and ripped a rather large hole in the back bumper.
Gets very hot when sat in traffic (apparently this is normal with Escorts, but keep an eye on the temperature gauge!)
A very common sight on the roads, but very comfortable in top spec Ghia X form, with all mod cons and nice wood-effect dashboard.
Drives smoothly, soft suspension setup means that you don't ever feel like you're going quickly, and also means you really don't get much feedback on usually fun country roads. Steering feedback is virtually zero. Having said that, it's fantastically comfy and good on long trips (I took mine to the south coast of France no problem).
Very practical - I could get tonnes of stuff in the back as the seats fold fully flat.
The main reason I got rid of the car is that, although nicer inside, mechanically the Escort is many leagues below the Japanese cars I usually buy, and it really doesn't feel like it will last the distance. Also feels very dated in every aspect, and is not exactly a stylish option.
But as a cheap to buy, cheap to run, practical family car, it makes sense.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 2nd November, 2007
12th Oct 2008, 04:00
1.9 was a better engine, but they still had troubles. Like valve seats letting loose and ruining head and piston. Luckily I had a parts car; found and got a head and left piston in there.