1989 Ford Escort LX review from North America
"An excellent first car"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
My engine head cracked at 80,000 miles. I had it replaced really cheap from a junk yard.
My starter died when I was teaching someone to drive my manual transmission. I learned the hard way, don't operate your starter for more than 15 seconds in a two minute interval. It cost about $40 to get a new one.
My rear quarter panel window got broken by a flying stone from a lawn mower. It cost a fortune if you try to get a new one. I got a replacement for about $49 at a junk yard and had it installed for about $35.
My accessories belt got worn at 82000 miles. Real cheap and easy to replace.
The driver side automatic seat belt stopped working for some reason recently. It was still easy to pull it over my head when I enter the car though. That's far easier than having to buckle seat belts every time I enter the car though.
One of my muffler braces broke at about 82000 miles. It cost about $6 to replace though. A real pain to install though.
The horn on the car sounds like it is really a old car. I need to replace it with one that sounds normal.
The trunk support braces got weak due to age. It's a real pain to have to hold up the trunk.
General comments?
I love my first car. My car is painted in a cool baby-blue body color and a navy-blue low profile body kit with matching navy-blue cloth top.
I also have some cool after market additions to my car:
-Sunroof
-Radar detector
-Car alarm (cool to walk towards my Escort and disarm my alarm)
-Steel pedals
-Compact disk player
-Spoiler
-Cool running read light on dash board, just for fasion
-Chrome mag rims
-Chrome skirting
-Extremely clean interior.
This car makes a very nice college car.
Recommended reviews
| Not made for service beyond three years |
| Perhaps one of the best cars Ford has ever built |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1989 |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.9 Manual |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 10 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 80000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 83000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 5th February, 2002 |