1993 Ford Escort LX Wagon review from North America
"This car has some Japanese (read Mazda) quality, but exhibits Ford propensity for making a cheap car"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Timing belt broke at 149,500. Water pump seized and caused premature belt failure. Transmission self destructed, actually broke the case and rendered it un-rebuildable, at 145,000.
I have to replace the plugs about every 12,000km.
Front springs require replacement now (185,000k).
Car delivers excellent fuel economy even when driven hard.
Poor heater core, does not deliver much heat, I considered replacing the core, but due to a poor design, the entire dash must be removed and the air conditioning discharged/recharged to accomplish the heater core replacement!
Most recent woes, the number one cylinder dropped its valve seat, requires a replacement of the head as the seats are pressed into the aluminum block. It should be noted, I average 400 kilometres per day, the vehicle is used as a delivery vehicle.
General comments?
A great car for someone who would use it as a daily commuter/grocery getter.
Recommended reviews
| Easily the best wagon ever built, but suffers a bad rap just the same |
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| High performance family car |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1993 |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.9 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 5 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 120000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 185000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Chevrolet Metro |
| Date of Entry | 26th February, 2002 |