Got 35 mpg highway mileage.
Small size and light weight made it easy to drive and maneuver in moving traffic.
It climbs over mountains just fine.

Tendency to vibrate when stopped. Shifting into neutral put it at peace.
It hated to sit or even creep in traffic and would get hot under the collar - literally.

I bought this car from a widow who said she and hubby had dragged it on their travels behind a motorhome.
So the white exterior was dinged up from a million meteor impacts but the interior was fine.
It was entirely red inside - and love at first sight. It felt like sitting in the sultan's harem.
At 75,000 miles to start, I got 5 plus years nearly problem free driving. Then at 125,000 miles the air conditioner quit - quote $800 to replace. I was going to sweat it out... still loved the li'l car.
But at 135,000 miles the transmission went bad. Alas, with a $2,000 repair quote, I will now junk the car and say goodbye.
*sniff*
In 5 years, I had paid $75 to disconnect the back electrical cable that had become infested with ghosts that made lights and dings activate at random.
I had also paid $400 recently to replace brakes. Should've said goodbye then; it was the beginning of the end.

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my first 4 cylinder

Quick, sporty, fun to drive. Gas milege is amazing. 2.0 liter 4 cylinder engine is pretty quick in and out of traffic

Hard to get into reverse for whatever reason sometimes. Road noise. the speedometer says 120mph but tops out around 115-118ish

This car is pretty sweet. I have a loud ass exhaust on it, it helps the sporty look that the ZX2 has. GREAT gas milege. Quick fun and easy to drive. it has A LOT of miles on it but has not let down or made the slightest notion of letting me down.

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none

Great gas mileage (28-37 mpg.), very economical and cheap car, and pretty reliable.

Not a lot of leg room, but what do you expect for a compact?; brakes wear down fairly quickly; 2.0 liter engine is ok for power at best, I'd hate to see how it performs with an automatic! I have a manual and would only recommend that in an Escort; rear windows roll down on their own; and low entry.

I purchase my 1997 Ford Escort about 5 1/2 years ago when it had about 66000 miles. I replaced the clutch at about 75000 miles at a cost of $800, and have had various small repairs to make over the years. Namely both tie rod ends ($200 each), mass air flow sensor ($125), timing belt tensioner ($175),
both rear coil springs (replaced myself for $150 I think), radiator ($120), some A/C manifold ($200), and brake rotors ($20). Today it just turned 197000 miles, and I'm crossing my fingers that I'll get at least 250000 miles before it dies. I just found out that I have a bad EGR valve, but it only costs $45.

It's been an overall decent car for me. I've lived in Utah, California, and Missouri, and this car has been through it all. It's driven up mountains, been in snow, ice, dowpouring rain, 100+ degree temperatures, single digit temperatures, the dust of the deserts in Utah, and the humidity of the midwest. California doesn't do much harm to cars. I've also hit a deer and

My A/C is still cold, albeit I have to charge it every 6 months, but it still works!

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1989 Ford Ranger, 1990 Ford Bronco.

No noise problems. Great gas mileage. Very stylish and sporty. Handles great. Nothing has broken loose or fallen off and it's 7 years old. Cloth interior still looks good and has not faded(and i don't park it in a garage)

Slower shifting into lower gears (auto). After three years owning it noticed it idled a little rough, but nothing major to worry about.

I love this car. I have had it for 3.5 years now and no major problems, just normal wear. The gas mileage is great and I take it on long trips constantly. I just had the transmission looked at. Had a few repairs but nothing major and it was covered under warranty. Finally after three years, I got new tires (not too expensive but watch because there is only a few manufactures to choose from) and I had the brakes done. That's it!!!

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1989 Ford Tempo (I hear it's still going strong)

smooth ride
Good power for a small car
Cheap repairs
Good value

paint is very chipped
tranny feels a little rough when switching gears

I bought the car for $2000 about two years ago and I couldn't have made a better purchase with only $2000. I have put over 30,000 miles on it in 2 yrs and it stills runs great. I had the back springs replaced after a truck blew a tire on the highway and i ran over it. The cost was about $300, not bad. At inspection time this year, I had to replace two small sections of the exhaust at a cost of about $120, again not bad. The transmission is starting to feel a little rough, but other than that I have no complaints. i would buy another one and recommend them to anyone. Great buy!

It was red. I like red.
AC was iiiice cold.

You name it, it had it.

I've had my car less than a month, I've driven less than 500 miles on it...and I was just told by the dealership today that it's DEAD. Granted, this could be a dealership problem but I had nothing but problems from the get go.
-The fuel line popped off (I don't even know who this is possible) and dumped my gas all over the freeway
-The thermostat went out, causing my car to overheat
-the switch that activates the brake lights apparently got stuck
-Loud clanking noise that resulted in my car's death.
The car in itself would be great for a first time buyer who only has to drive 10 or so miles to school and back. I can't seem to get over how quickly this car went downhill.
I should clarify. I took it to a professional mechanic the day after I bought it and he evaluated it. Said it was ok and everything looked alright.
less than 30 days later...here we are.
Ford, you do a wonderful job on trucks and mustangs...let's keep it at that k?
oh and in case you're wanting to buy one?
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON'T!!!
Go nissan, toyota, or honda. PLEASE!!

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Ford Focus
Ford Tauras

great motor 2.0 liter SOHC is a beat motor tougher than a deisel until it blows when i am going 100 down the interstate

does not shift smooth

gotit about 4 years ago beat on it for about a year on my dirt road revving it speed shifting power shifting reverse to 1st regulary hafta use it for college now runs awesome little piston knock hasn't burned a drop of oil and i mean not one single drop!

Yesterday I said good-bye to my '94 Escort, after 180,000 miles of pretty good driving. The last year was an expensive one -- hoping to hang onto it until it rolled over 200,000 miles, I spent $2000 to fix transmission and oil leak problems in April. However, over the weekend I ran over a very hazardous train crossing and snapped the rear tie rods and did some other damage. I had been riding on shot springs for while.

Facing a $1200 bill on a car that was barely worth a full tank of gas, I bit the bullet and bought a 2006 Taurus with 14,000 miles. I hope to ride this one awhile.

But the Escort was a great car. It was great for carpooling, vacations, city driving. It got good gas mileage. The only real quibble I had, and this was to be expected, is that it took a lot longer than most other cars to get up to 55 miles on the expressway.

But I drove it 60 miles a day to and from work. I had my share of adventures on the road -- but mainly after it had crossed over the 100,000 mile mark. Spending $1000 a year or less over the last seven years on repairs and upkeep was certainly better than having a car payment.

Easy to maneuver through traffic.
Good sound system.
Good A/C.
Good gas mileage.

Constant engine problems.
Poorly manufactured inside.
Brake problems.

PIECE OF CRAP.
I will never own another zx2 as long as I live!
I originally bought the car b/c I owned a 2000 zx2 that performed great, it's only problem was lag on acceleration (but hey, it's a 4 cyl) and tight amount of room. I wanted somthing with power lock, windows, and a sunroof. It was somewhat cute (on the front side, the back side is ugly) and definetely great for zipping around town through traffic.

FYI-I never abuse my cars, I baby them like crazy.

This was your standard zx2, all automatic, with additional power lock and window feature.

With LESS than 9,000 miles on the car:
-Car would shut off without warning, one time it did it on the interstate going 65 mph- JUST SHUT OFF. Happened constantly when I tried to back out of a parking space or accelerate into traffic.
-Car frequently would slide into neutral for no reason while driving. One time it slid into low gear while driving. Gearshift would still be on drive though.
-Did not like to start. Sometimes would not start at all. Replaced alternator and battery several times.
-Inside door panel began and kept coming loose. Panel around steering column also came loose.
-Brakes were not always reliable- sometimes you had to press them several times to get them to work properly. These are not pump style brakes- they are your standard ABS Braking system.
-Sunroof would not close properly, you had to manually close it the final two inches.
-Took it to dealership, who told me Transmission was about to fall out. Replaced under warranty. This was at 8,000 miles. At 9,000 miles I took it back for the same problem. They told me, again, that my Transmission was about to fall out. For fear that this car would be what killed me in traffic and considering the ongoing transmission problem-I traded it that afternoon for a new car.

I would not recommend this car. It's cheaply built and un-reliable. On the upside, you'll average about 30 miles to the gallon.

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2000 Ford ZX2- no major problems with this car.

Desined well

Seatbelt track

Exelent car I allways drove it hard peddle to the floor even with 250k exelent on fuel room and power but dont compare the regular Escort to the GT

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Have not found a similar one