1995 Ford Escort LX review from North America
"Good up to 50000 miles!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Replaced clutch 3 times within 70000 miles of driving. Dealer told me not to "ride the clutch." If you drive in a big, congested, stop-and-go city, how do you avoid this?
Body pan bent inward at correct Ford-specified jacking points. Mechanic told me to use the base of the steering knuckles for jacking, which works. Like all cars today, even the metal under the body is so thin you can almost see through it.
Engine and body vibrates with lots of noise at 2500+ rpm. Road noise and tire noise add to this and make it impossible to conduct a conversation with a passenger.
Engine now has a mysterious misfire that is increasing to cover the entire rpm range. Ford dealer cannot find the cause, and charged me $100 to look at it.
General comments?
My 1995 Ford Escort LX has been well maintained all of its life. The body and paint are really nice, and even the driver's seat is tear-free. The custom alloy wheels are beautiful. The oil was changed every 3000 miles. But, I cannot sell it to anyone because of the incurable misfire problem. Two used car dealers offered me $200-250 for it. One dealer said the engine was too "rough" to make an offer. This Escort is ready for the junk yard.
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  | Wouldn't trade it for anything! |
| I like the mileage and the price was right |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| First year of ownership | 1996 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.9L SOHC MFI Manual |
| Performance marks | 2/10 |
| Reliability marks | 5/10 |
| Comfort marks | 4/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 1/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 24000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 94000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 18th October, 2002 |