1989 Ford Escort Wagon LX review from North America

I have had to replace both the starter and the alternator, as well as a ignition module. All this was replaced over the last three years (2004-2007).

When I first bought the car I replaced the timing belt, some hoses, spark plugs, distributer cap, starter, alternator and the brakes.

Blown Speakers and bad radio.

Windshield wiper fluid container was cracked; never could get the system to work right.

The problems that I could not fix was there was either a small oil leak in the car, or it burned oil; I had to put oil in it every 800-1000 miles. Also the tachometer did not work (an easy fix I'm sure).

The other thing was it started hard. The engine usually had to turn over a few times before it would start. There was probally something worn out. Nonetheless it started every time.

This was my first car, and I am very pleased with it. It almost never let me down. When it did, it was because something that's expected to wear out did (ie the starter).

The radio was trash when I bought the car, so I got a new one. Also the rear speakers were blown. A trip to the junk yard fixed that.

The interior was roomy enough. Not nearly as large as some of the later Escorts, but it was adequate. The wagon part was excellent for moving stuff. I put stuff in the rear section that I never thought could go in.

The cruise works, and so did the heat and A/C. The transmission worked fine.

The body was pretty straight; there were a few rust spots and some dents. The rear left bumper got hit at some point, and was cracked.

The only bad thing was it didn't accelerate very quickly, but I guess I can't expect too much from a 1.9.