1994 Ford Escort LX from North America - Comments

Thermostat gasket, ignition switch and CV joint.

I have had my Escort for 5 months now, and have put on 7k miles. I really like it as it gets nearly 25 mpg in the city, and is super easy to park. The wagon can hold more things than you would think at first glance.

Things to be aware of would include the fact that it has an 88 hp 4 cylinder engine and will not speed thru mountain rangesm such as those in southern Oregon or northern California (I have tried!).

So far I have replaced a thermostat gasket, a CV joint and an ignition switch. I bought it for $900 and it had 116k on it.

These are very reliable cars if taken care of, and you can routinely see them with 200k miles on the engine. I read about one guy who was still driving his 1994 Escort with just over 375k miles.

Things to look out for are the rear tail lights. They have a gap between the body and tail light plastic, and sometimes water gets inside and corrodes the assembly. This is a well known problem, and it eventually causes the light not to work. Make sure you patch that gap up.

The front door seat belts (which are automatic) sometimes break in that they do not rotate when the door opens and closes. Make sure they stay oiled.

This engine is non interference, which means that if the timing belt breaks, it will not destroy the engine.

I am 6'3", and find it to be amazingly roomy and comfortable. No tilt wheel, and I don't need it either. This is way easier for me to sit in and feel comfortable than say a Ford Mustang. One thing I miss is no cruise control on my model.

After driving Jeep Cherokees and SUVs for years, this car is really a pleasure, especially when it comes to mpgs (32 on the highway) and parking.

And as there are so many around, you can easily get parts super cheap in a junk yard. I replaced some seat belts on mine (from a junkyard) and also put in new spark plugs.

One thing to keep in mind is this is such a low car, you will not flip it on an off ramp at 50 mph, but it is also difficult to get under to work on. You will probably need ramps from time to time for the do it yourselfer.

Also the engine has very little wasted space, so don't think this is like working on a pick up truck when it comes to repairs.

The heater works really well on mine, and would be far too hot to maintain even on the medium setting. Even on low it gets hot.

The radio it came with is OK, but if you are like me, you will want to install a CD player anyway.

I am 42 and have owned way too many cars over the years, but this is one of the best, if not the best I have had, cause it is so functional in many ways.

With good tires it is quiet on the highway also.

Thanks for review, was Googleing the tail light assembly problem holding water. Now I know my Escort Wagon isn't the only one with his issue.. But other than that it's an awesome car to drive year round even in the snow here in Ohio!!

Cast-iron push-rod engine (even a mere four cylinder) equals reliability and durability. Bye bye!