1982 Ford Escort review from North America

Cylinder head cracked at 91,000 miles.

Bought it for $2000 with 30K miles and ran it up to 90K with minimal repairs. It gave 25 mpg and was peppier than the Chevette that preceded it. So far, so good.

But - despite regular oil changes and maintenance, the engine head cracked at 91K miles.

And unlike other small cars, the Escort was never much fun to drive. The suspension was tuned for a soft ride, but it ended up feeling wobbly - it bottomed constantly and had lots of "bump steer" on rocky pavement. The power steering was numb, the unassisted brakes were weak, and the automatic shifted abruptly enough to raise passengers' eyebrows.

Being the base Escort - below even the "L" - its front seats didn't recline. The steering wheel was a thin plastic ring with no horn button (it was on the turn signal stalk), and the dash had no center vents.

All told, 60K miles of mostly trouble-free driving redeemed the Escort, even after it died prematurely. But it didn't make us want to go get another Ford.