Faults:

Elevating cylinders for back door wore out.

Door seals came off.

Badly rusted sills and doors.

Lights for instrument panel disappeared.

Rear view mirror came off.

Wiper arms came loose.

Tracking wrong several times.

Leaking cylinder head cover.

The Catalytic converter pulverized.

Heated seat short circuited.

Fuel tank cover destroyed.

Electric wiring for interior lighting and brake lights.

Brake pistons broke.

Spent approx £1500 on lots of faults with the front wheels/steering so far. Still problems.

Idle running unstable.

And lots more...

General Comments:

It's a bit too small for an estate.

The 1.4 litre I've got has really high running costs. Fuel consumption is unbelievable: to go 10 km its got to consume 1,1 litre. The timing belt has to be renewed every 60,000 km. I've followed the service intervals closely, still it tends to keep falling apart. To this date it hasn't had one MOT free of faults. The quality of the build is not good. It even squeaks all over when driving.

This car is the best reason for never buying a Ford again.

Faults:

Got a clogged air conditioning hose underneath the dashboard at 40,000 miles.

Struts wore out about 57,000 miles. Have yet to replace them, or get the alignment done.

Bad vibration.

General Comments:

Great car.

Car is easy to maintain and saves money on gas. I got 36 miles to the gallon on my last road trip.

I have a surprising amount of off-the-line power.

It is reliable and tough. I have done more offroading in that car than most of my friends' trucks have done. This car handles dirt roads, gravel pits and sandy beaches without problems.

Only complaint is that it's a little underpowered. I think Ford could have gotten by giving it a few more horses. It does not like hauling heavy objects or going uphill.

General Comments:

I have just bought an Escort GTi off a mate of mine in Germany. We both serve with the army.

I'm really impressed with its performance. Not only that, but I drive to the UK often via Calais to Dover and back, and I only need to fill it once.

It's a great little car, gives me power when I need it, and economy when I take it easy. It handles great too!

I did have a Sierra 2.0, and the GTi is faster and better all round. I'm not a boy racer (whatever that is), I only paid a grand for it, and it's a great little car.

If anyone has any ideas on upgrading the performance, then give me a shout on martinleatherbarrow@hotmail.com. I'm always on Messenger. Look us up please.

Faults:

I have been very lucky with this car.

I have replaced the front brakes. (No big deal)

I need to replace the stereo and speakers. (No big deal)

I need to replace the tires. (No big deal)

General Comments:

This car has been very reliable for me and my family.

I traded off a 1987 Mercury Topaz GS for this car over six years ago and I still love to drive it. It always starts (short of a dead battery), and still handles as good as the day I bought it. The only problem I see is it's small sized cabin. My father-in-law is 6' 2" and has a hard time driving it. But for the average size guy, it's got more than enough room.

We have driven this car hard. Ugly winters without washing, and plenty of hitting curbs. One year we didn't need it at all and it sat outside without shade. Once we needed it again, it fired right up as if it had just been ran. Aside from the basic wear and tear, this car still looks/runs like the day I bought it.