Head/ head gasket issues not evident at the time of purchase. Car ran great for a week. Then it suddenly began idling rough upon start up and would steam out the tail pipe, but would never run hot. However I had to add a quart of coolant a week. But there was no coolant mixing with the oil, but the radiator would bubble.
My mechanic said it was probably a blown head gasket or cracked head, so I traded it in.
I think it would be a good car if not for the head/ gasket issues. It had plenty of power, good brakes and it got good gas mileage. Great handling too.
I'm surprised you traded it in. This car is otherwise very reliable and I routinely see this gen Escort/Tracer with >150,000 miles on the clock.
I agree these are good cars. My previous car, a 1993 Mercury Tracer had 282,000 before the engine gave out. My mechanic informed me if it was a cracked head it would be very expensive to fix, so I was afraid to chance it so I traded it in. My husband had already replaced the intake gasket. That gasket was indeed bad, but that did not solve the problem. Still, I would recommend these Escorts/ Tracers.
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