It runs. It has AC.

Engine=bad. Make a lot of repairs on it and there's plenty more to make but can't afford.

We've had issues with this car a lot. It ran pretty well the first two years but after that it went down hill. The engine completely died at 101K and had to be rebuilt. The car, at 116K stalls in reverse. The alignment goes out all the time. The brakes and tires wear down faster than the other cars we've had.

cheap to own and maintain.

Very little passing power. Not made for lots of highway travel.

We owned this car for 11 years and did VERY little to it. It was absolutely reliable. The only reason we got rid of it was because the underbody had corrosion so bad that it was not really worth fixing. The engine was fine, transmission fine, it was just the typical salt from our hard winters that caused the corrosion. We were so sad to part with this wonderfully reliable car.

35+ MPG
Plenty of power for a 4 cylender
with a 3000 mile oil change even wit high mileage i dont loose a drop Castroil gtx high mileage 10w30 is the best for that car

Timeing belt and water pum is a pricey service to do but any thing with a belt needs replace you dont wont this belt to brake other tank that nothing elce comes to mind as a weakness

I have had this car about 2 years and done nothing but normal oil changes brakes ect. and the timeing belt and water pump ( i do this every 65,000 miles) the bset car i have ever owned im 6 foot 3 and its a little tight but dose the job well and i neaver get tired of driving it 3 months ago i drove from North Michigan to florida and back to michigan and returned to florida all with in a 2 week period this car neave once made me think im going to be on the side of the road the car hat 140,000 miles and riseing fast 29,00 per year average very safe car and drives easly thorugh michigan snow storms (with good tires) going up icy hills i out run 4x4 trucks same with thick snow grate northern car also please if you have a auto transmission flush it every 30,000 miles mine is still origanal and still shifts like a dream

Similar Products Used:

Ford taurus good car poor MPG
pontiac sun fire good car ok MPG

gas milage, reliable, smooth ride

seats uncomfortable on long drives, cd changer in trunk, not alot of leg room for taller people, hard to shift into reverse at times

This escort was the second escort that I owned. I previously own a 96 2-door hatchback and wanted a little sportier car. I got that with the ZX2! It ran great and was quick to accelerate. It was a bit uncomfortable on real long drives and my husband who is 6'3" was uncomfortable in it since there wasn't enough leg room in the drivers seat. The backseat was also small and is hard to accommodate a carseat. I also found is sometimes hard to shift into reverse. But, it got great gas milage, anywhere from 30 to 34 mpg on the highway. I had a o-ring that leaked transmission fluid but Ford was quick to fix it. Other than the fluid leak I never had any problems with it. I had it for 125,000 miles until I hit a very large deer at 75 mph on the interstate. Surprisingly, for such a small car, it came through pretty well.
The only other inconvience is the 6 disc cd changer is in the trunk and there isn't a single slot in the stereo itself. Otherwise, this car is great for high school and college students and anyone who isn't too tall.

Similar Products Used:

96 2 door escort

Reliability. Gas mileage.

Integrity issues. Water leaks in trunk and both headlights. Rear coil springs found broken at 65K by my mechanic. Close to $800 to replace rear struts & springs. Back seat cramped for adults.

I've owned this car for 5 years now. It is the 2.0 sohc 110hp engine. It has never let me down. Never added a drop of oil to it.

Similar Products Used:

I previously owned bigger cars. My last small cars were Datsun 210's.

Pretty quick getting up to highway speed. You get a lot of car for the money & it was very reliable. Did have a couple of problems (see weaknesses). Very fun to drive!

Had to take it back to the dealership one week after purchase because something was wrong with the battery. Biggest problem was the ignition coil went out at 30,000 miles & left my family stranded on the highway on the way to a funeral. Not cool. Back seat is very small & does not accomodate a car seat very well.

I loved owning this car. It was very fun to drive & great on gas. This was the 3rd Escort that I had owned & much more peppy than the 2 previous ones (a 1992 & a 1997, both 4-doors). The trunk is surprisingly large & fits more than you may think. Would have kept it much longer, but we needed a larger vehicle. I would highly recommend this car, especially for college students. It has great acceleration & it was always fun to be able to zip around everyone on the freeway. The ride was pretty comfortable, but not if you are going to be in the car for more than a few hours at a stretch. Overall, though, i was really sad to let this car go. Traded for a 2005 Toyota Camry.

Similar Products Used:

1992 Escort Hatchback, 1997 Escort

-Good Gas Mileage -Good Acceleration -Hasn't Broken Down (yet)

-Gutless uphill -Common Ford issues -Sputters at low speeds -Overheating problems at low speeds

This car has done me no wrong. The previous owner of this vehicle performed so many modifactions on it, I'm not quite sure what's supposed to be there. He also had a "custom" paint job on it so I had to repaint it. Performance-wise, it's an excellent car. It sputters a little at low speeds, but I'm sure that due to the modifications performed on it. The acceleration on this is very good. I'm talking 0-60 in about 8 seconds or less. That too, is due to the mods. The car also has issues with overheating. I'm sure that can be solved with a new reservoir, radiator, and/or thermostat. The gas mileage on this car is surprisingly outstanding. In the 30's range hwy. For a ten year old car, I'm impressed. A common issue with these cars is that it can be difficult to shift into reverse. That's still true with this one. Another common issue is that the driver side seat belt retractor no longer works. Not a problem, though. It's stuck where it's supposed to be. It's really not that hard to unbuckle the belt from the retractor. I still have some work to do on this vehicle, obviously, but it's still a very fun vehicle to drive and it really is reliable.

just about everything, plenty of power, low maintenance, good on gas

seats could be softer

I own a flag car business escorting oversize loads up and down the east cost. I presently own 4 of these cars. 93 94 95 and 97. They run forever, 300,000 miles with very few problems. I run moble one synthetic oil and add slick 50 every 50,000 miles. Other than brakes, rotors, tires and normal maintnance I have very few problems. They are all stick shifts and we average around 9,000 miles a month per car. How would you like my gas bill? Thankfully they all get 30 plus mpg. I wish they still made them because I also have 2 focuses and they don't get the gas milage the escort does and have more problems.

Similar Products Used:

ford focus

Great little wagon - been reliable, runs smoothly, good fuel economy. Parts readily available and inexpensive.

If you like slicing and dicing thru highway traffic, forget it - we're the "no rush, take your time" sort, so the Escort did the job just fine - keeps up nicely at 100 kms/hr.

Got the Escort (now named Ernest), with 119,000 kms on it, for a summer beater to save our '95 4Runner for the winters. Bought a $125 '94 scrapper to go with it. Did the brakes (all of all of 'em; rotors, calipers, pads/shoes/drums/cylinders/handbrake cables), two struts, rear springs, serpentine belt, tie rod end, outer ball joint, two wheel bearings and the tramsmissiuon shift control unit - about $850Cdn. for parts I couldn't salvage from the '94 and labour. Also did the timing belt and water pump, since we planned a lot of long distance highway driving and a fair bit of well-off-the-beaten-track going. Just back from a major paddling excursion to Newfoundland's south coast - did about 2,500 kms., mostly highway, with full camping gear aboard and two kayaks up top. Ernest never missed a beat - up hills, down dales, thru rain, heat, wind, whatever - ran like the proverbial top. Everything on it works - lights, power windows/mirrors, A/C, (first time I've ever had either), rear wiper/washer, gauges, interior lights...can't believe a 10 years old North American wagon can be this good. Motor and tranny feel strong and crisp. Averaged about 35 mpg throughout the trip, which is about 20-25% better than we'd expect from our '95 4 cyl. 4Runner. When we were considering what to get for a summer beater, the reviews here really helped me decide that an Escort might fill the bill - and it does, beautifully. Hope to keep Ernest for another three or four summers, and lengthen the life of the 4R accordingly.

Similar Products Used:

Assorted Toyotas (Tercel, Corona, Corolla)(nice cars) VW Jettas (very nice cars), Chev Cavalier (HATED IT)

0-60mph in 7.5 seconds Great on gas!

After 63,000miles, one of the pulleys in the engine split, and had to replaced.

This is a great sports car! The Mazda designed engine produces a lot of Torque for only being a 2.0L 4 cylinder engine! This thing will get up and go! It is also great on gas! The fog lights look awesome and so does the grill!