1998 Ford Escort Estate review from Norway
"Worst car ever - total letdown"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
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.
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| Would recommend to anyone looking for a reliable, well made car in it's class |
|
| Reliable, sensible, economical and with basic creature comforts; BUY IT if you are on a budget :-) |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 1998 |
| Year of manufacture | 1998 |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2007 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.4 Manual |
| Performance marks | 4 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 5 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 4 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 2 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 40000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 115000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Ford Sierra |
| Date of Entry | 11th May, 2007 |