Comments: 1-15, 16-25
Front struts not only gave out, but started making noise around 25k miles.
Both motor mounts have given out causing the engine to rock making it hard to drive at low speeds smoothly.
Clutch chatters.
Tires have been rotated and are not wearing evenly.
Brake rotors on front are warped.
Car seems to get good mileage (30mpg) but I have been beat by Geo Metro's getting onto the freeway. This little car will not get out of it's own way at all. Mine is the ZX2 with the little fin on the rear trunk, CD changer (factory), AC and all the power goodies. No sunroof though. The car has not cost me anything in repairs, yet, but you can tell is it falling apart. I feel bad for the person who buys it from the dealer I traded it in to. It still had less than 30k miles on it, but I can bet when it hits anything over 50k miles, it will really start falling apart to the point were you just cannot drive it unless you repair it. It is not like I abused the car either, just drove it.
Can this possibly be the same car that consumer reports gives best marks for reliability?
And can this be the car that is said to be quite fast off the line, 8 seconds to sixty, that it gets beat by a metro?
What did you do to this car? I just bought my second ZX2 and I have no doubt it's the best car for the buck going. My 2000 ZX2 has 145,000 miles on it and it'll still dust cars with bigger motors. GEO Metro? Not in a million years would a GEO Metro stand a chance at the line against either of my Z's. I can't explain your troubles, but I'd bet my house both my ZX2's would clobber any 4 cylinder Chevy going in both value and at the line.
I bought my 2000 ZX2 brand new in March of 2000. In 4 years, the radio has broke, speakers broke, 6 CD changer broke, trunk release button broke, brakes went bad, and transmission had to be replaced at 27,000 miles. But the most recent is when I am in idle, the car knocks so hard, it stalls out. This is the last time I invest in a Ford.
I bought my 2000 ZX2 in November of 1999 and have had no problems so far that were not covered by my warranty. The water pump was bad when I purchased the car and the 6 cd changer went bad after about a year of constant usage, but both problems were fixed under warranty. I have 80,000 miles on the vehicle now and have not had to do anything except routine maintenance outlined in the owner's manual.
I drive 50 miles to work round trip every day, in city and interstate traffic, cruising at 80 to 85 mph on the interstate and thoroughly enjoy to quick pickup the car has
in city driving and in getting onto the interstate. The car actually seems faster now than when it was new. I feel sorry for the guy stuck with his lemon, but have no complaints at all about my ZX2 at all.
Wow!? was my response to the first engagement of the gas pedal in my'02 ZX2; The same is my retort to this review. I drive (thrash) my car an average of 120 pizza delivering miles a day and have experienced nothing remotely like said motor mount problems. The vehicle in question here may very well be yellow with the notorious sour peel, but I must inquire to the maintaining of this vehicle. I also question the"only drove it" type of comment. My ex-wife once said she had never heard of a car needing the oil changed, as her car was in tow to a soon to be wealthy mechanic. Maintenance is a must. That is if you want to keep those 0-60 times below 8 seconds. Most excellent cheap motoring, my only gripe is my beating the brake pedal makes for short-lived pads and rotors.
I bought my ZX2 used from someone else while I was in a bind. I've been suspicious of it's past (Carfax isn't reliable... my girlfriends car was in a major accident and that's not even on their report, heh).
Right now I have 70k miles on it (got it at 46) and it's a fast, sporty little car... only a few issues:
- The clutch rattles a little (it's a 5speed manual... clutches can rattle in any car).
- It idles low sometimes at night when I have the headlights going. Cleaning my air filter helped, but I think I just need to do a tuneup (spark-plugs, maybe clean the fuel injectors, replace the fuel filter).
- Engine mounts are worn. From what I hear it's just a problem with the design. I don't care much though... I'm a good driver and I don't get caught up with the rocking and shaking that happens to some people at low speeds :)
- The Ebrake cable stuck. I need to repair it myself because the people at Bell Tire didn't do a good job... it's still loose now (I blame the last owners).
- I need to replace the calipers. One of the sleeves is sticking. It's about time to do that anyway (I blame the last owners).
- The AC doesn't work. From what I can tell it's just an electrical problem (loose connector, bad relay, etc. I work for the company that designed the wireharness for the zx2, but can't find much about it. I do know there were some issues with simple wire connections at the switches and relays).
- The transmission is getting worn. The clutch is loose and the sync gears don't always work. That's just because of the metals used in the transmission. If you're going to get it replaced, inquire about replacing it with one that has stronger gears, etc. It's still got at least 60k miles till I think I need to replace the trans.
- Have had to replace the tie rods a few times. I blame my driving and Michigan roads before I blame the car.
Performance wise it's great. I can take saabs, camaro z28s, taurus, and a lot of cars. It's really quick off the line, but has trouble at 50+mph.
It handles great. I take corners really fast and they're smooth.
As for all the people who have had trans problems and such, check where the car was manufactured. That might make a big difference (sometimes just bad batches come out... check up on lemon law and see what you can do).
I really recommend the ZX2... too bad they don't make them anymore :). Go get a certified used one though.
I traded in a Geo metro for a 98 zx2. The Geo was 0 to 60 in 21.2 seconds and the ZX2 was 0 to 60 in under 8 seconds. When you put in a quality oil, and no the oils at your favorite oil change change place don't count. the engine will run for 200,000 miles +. I have 224,335 miles on mine and it burns a quarter of a quart between oil changes. This is the most reliable car I ever had.
The ZX-2 (as well as all other Ford Escorts since at least 1997) was built in Mexico, which is not noted for exceptional quality (ask any late model VW owner!)
The Escort's replacement, the Focus, is built in USA.
Hey Guys.
I bought my 2000 Ford Escort ZX2 used recently. I have had no major problems until lately. It seems that the engine hesitates when giving it juice and it idles rough when starting cold. I never really noticed it before and I am worried. Has anyone had this same problem with their Escort ZX2? If so what was the real mechanical issue with your car? My car is a stick shift and I drive it with compassion, usually. In addition, what else can I look forward to breaking on this particular year, make and model?
I had this car, a 5 speed manual version with sunroof and the factory CD changer, until about 3 months ago. The brakes worked great. the brakes on the 80's Buick behind me didn't work so great when the guy in front of me decided to stop suddenly. I really miss this car. mine had 95,000 on it when it got totaled, and all I had to do to it was replace the motor mounts and tie rod ends at 90,000 miles, which I don't consider to be excessive maintenance, especially considering how I drove it. (delivering pizzas, and my fiance's nickname for me is "speed racer") As far as the tires wearing unevenly, rotate the things and you won't have to worry about that as much. There is a little more toe-in on this car (for better cornering) than your grandma's sedan, so yes, uneven wear will show up if you don't take care of your tires. The OEM tires (which are a performance rated tire, that means softer rubber) on mine lasted till about 45,000 miles, and the second set had about half the tread left.
I don't know why the first person had such bad luck, but that was not anywhere near my experience with this car. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a sporty, fun car that gets excellent gas mileage. (my actual was 32mpg if it was all interstate, 27 to 29 if all in town)
I don't know if anyone can help, but I have a 2000 zx2. it has about 75,000 miles on it. I have had no mechanical problems at all until recently. while in park or stopped, it idles really low and eventually will stall out. but no other problems happen besides that. is it something with the idler control module? if anyone knows anything about this please let me know @ jsm00th1o@yahoo.com...any help would be great. thanks.
I have a 2000 Zx2 and the problem your having sounds like what I experienced last summer, everyone said it was the oxygen sensor so I replaced it and it still kept stalling what it ended up being was a hose (vacuum) it was shaped like an L and in the corner was the hole. I had to buy it from the dealer $20 but I only needed to use the end. I haven't had any problems since.
I just bought a used "98 ZX2 with 70K miles. My car was definitely the "base" model, I'm lucky to have AC. However, the only major things I've noticed is the unusually low highway gearing causing excessive engine speed and vibration. This car could definitely use another cog or higher final drive. And I drove it 200 miles through Arizona, and averaged 36-37 mpg at the speed limit. I was surprised given the highway RPM of the 5 speed. This car is very light and quick and very easy to modify also. Very good car so far, we'll see.
I bought a 2000 ZX2 in the Fall of 2003. The previous owner was the original and had put about 75,000 miles on it. She had replaced the transmission at around 60,000. This should have been a red flag because I replaced it once again at about 82,000 miles and it just recently went out again at 98,000 miles. The only other things I have had wrong with it is the fly wheel, the rear defrost disconnected, and it idles very hard to where it kind of shakes the car. I really loved the little size of the car and the sunroof, it was a sporty car, but I can't afford all those automatic transmissions, and I drove it and took care of it very well.
I just recently bought a 98 ZX2 with 146 thousand miles on it. I've had it for a month now and have had major electrical issues - the battery over charges to the point that it blows off vent caps. I replaced the alternator and voltage regulator, and I'm still having the problem. Any ideas?