stylish body, no "out-of-date" look to it, this car looks as good as a car that someone is making monthly payments on. 4 doors make it so much easier to access the backseats. great economic family car. did i mention i love my car?

if i had to think of something i would be nit-picking.

this is an awesome car! i am in love with my wonderful car. it has been most dependable and enjoyable. it just now is turning 170,000 miles and running strong. She is worth showing off since she is in great condition, this is an attractive car. like any car, if you drive it nice and check your fluids it will run for a long time.

Similar Products Used:

1986 nissan sentra
1993 geo storm

good gas mileage

heater core apparently causing overheating.

My car was used to begin with and had over 100,000 miles on it due to it being a rental car in Florida in the past and it had at least one other owner before me (according to a CarFax report). The past owners didn't keep it up very well. It needed considerable work when I bought it. (Yes, I realize I overpaid for it. I was a little too desperate for a car at the time.) After driving it for about a year I noticed it was overheating and when pressure tested it showed no leaks and the mechanic said the head gasket didn't seem to be the problem so we replaced the thermostat and cleaned out the radiator, which was clogged from the overheating, and that still didn't fix it. Now they are in the process of replacing the water pump which I wouldn't have had them do after reading the reviews on this Website just now. Now I would bet it's heater core causing the drop in coolant like those other two reviewers' cars. I don't think I will put any more money in this car after this based on other things I've read on here. Such as the engine head possibly cracking from all of the overheating and people experiencing it falling apart after 10 years of age. Also it sounds like it will inevitably start shaking eventually. Luckily my mechanic said that if replacing the water pump doesn't do the trick that he will not charge me the labor. I don't think I could try to sell it to anyone and keep a clear conscience. I guess I'll just use it as a trade in.

Similar Products Used:

'98 Plymouth Neon

Good first car, few repairs until car was 9 or 10 years old. Decent gas mileage - around 24-25 MPG. Small, easy to fit in tight spaces.

Fell apart at the 10 year mark! Heater core broke, fuel leak, brakes, cracked engine head due to overheat
Very small

I got this car in high school and it was a great car for driving around town. Small, easy on gas, and easy to drive. It was 5 years old when I got the car and I had to do very few repairs on it until the car was about 9 years old. A fan broke and my car overheated and cracked the head on the engine. $1200 later my car was fine. The car was okay for about 9 months. The car was 10 years old and suddenly it was problem after problem. I had two brake jobs and my brakes STILL squeal. Then I had a fuel leak. My coolant light came on so I checked my coolant levels - full. Light went off so I figured it was a fluke. Light came on a few weeks later and my coolant was pretty low. I refilled it only to have the level drop again within days. Took it to my mechanic to have a pressure test - no leak found. They said it may be the thermostat so I had that replaced. The problem STILL wasn't fixed and only got worse. Sizzling sound from hood and eventually steam from defrost vents!!!! Turns out it was my heater core - pretty cheap part, but ridiculous labor cost since the entire dahsboard must be removed. Also, car now jerks at certain speeds. Clear coat started flaking off almost as soon as I got it.

Similar Products Used:

2000 Toyota Camry
1993 Ford Explorer

Affordable, Great gas mileage, nice looking

small back seats, uncomfortable for large people, some what loud.

First car,Very, very good little car, is a salvage car. Stared in the cold Iowa winters, good for a little car in snow.
Great for teens.N

Similar Products Used:

Family had 1997 Tracer 1997-2001

41 mpg highway, virtually indestructable. This car is run to drive, corners very well with it's rack and pinon steering, and is very quick from 1-3 gear.

lack of passing power at highway speeds. Base model has no frills. Brake rotors are part of wheel hub and make for expensive repairs.

This car was my first new car. It now has 345,00 miles on it and I am putting some more money into it to make it my daily driver again due to high gas prices. The motor has never had any work done on it, and only burns a quart/1500 miles. The oem aluminum core radiator was junk, replaced with steel core, when overheating became a problem. Clutch spring broke at 170k, replaced whole clutch. This car has survived two deer strikes (one took out AC), being backed into by big 4x4 truck, and a 16 year old driver. Rather than sell it for scrap, I am going to drive it until it falls apart.

Similar Products Used:

99 Ford Escort ZX2

It was a trooper up until now. I really hope I can get a new car before I hit 100K because I think it will just fall apart.

A lot of very important parts for a car. Transmission, exhaust, wheel bearings... and I am too scared to ask my mechanic about anything else.

When I first bought this car, I was unsure of how I felt about it and I should have went with my gut. At first my car wasn't bad and I took it from OH to AL and back once. I had routine brake, tire and oil replacements and my car seemed great. Recently I just got to 94k miles and my car is about to fall apart. A couple weeks ago I had to drop $1400 for a new transmission and was informed that my front wheel bearings need to be replaced. Recently something happened to my exhaust and now it sounds like a race car. I can never tell if it's my car making noise or if I am driving next to a diesel. I am so mad and I can't wait to get rid of my car. My 89 cavalier was a tank compared to this piece of trash. I don't even want to drive it because I am too tempted to drive it off a cliff. I am pretty sure that mercury tracers are just leftover escort parts that ford didn't want to throw away

Similar Products Used:

89 Cavalier 99 Taurus

Fantastic gas mileage and reliability, good handling in any kind of weather, for a 2 liter engine it had a lot of get up and go.

Only two things: the seats could have been more comfortable and the automatic transmission sometimes shifted a little rough from 1st to 2nd gear, which I was told was an inherent problem with these cars. Other than that, NOTHING.

I don't have this car anymore because I traded it in on a newer vehicle (which I regret). If I could locate this car, I would buy it back in a minute. I absolutely loved this car. I had this car for six years and enjoyed every minute of it.

Similar Products Used:

1994 Mercury Tracer (manual transmission)

Reliable, good MPG, comfortable, durable interior (love the leather wrapped steering wheel), attractive tan interior, curvy exterior, smooth ride, smooth shifting

Never wanted to own an Escort and this looks just like one, badly placed antenna, doesn't have power windows, doesn't have LATCH

We bought our Tracer new in Sep of '99. It was the last one on the lot for that year and they wanted to get rid of it. (Price above includes TTL.) In the four years we've had it we have never had to take it in for repairs. Regular maintenance and new tires is all we've done. Just recently we noticed a rattle in the back left. It turns out to be the fender above the back left tire is loose because the screw has come loose. We tightened the screw, but it loosens again. Not a big deal, its not even a loud rattle and only happens when idling. We added a CD changer to the trunk. If you do this, don't mount it in the middle at the top of the trunk opening. The dumb installer did this with ours and it makes it a real pain in the butt to get large items in and out. Speaking of the trunk, it is quite large for the size of car. I can fit our bulky travel system stroller in it and still have room for groceries. I do wish it had the latch system for the baby's carseat, but that didn't come out until 2000 I don't think. We just paid our Tracer off and my husband is going to keep it as our second car since it has been so reliable. (We're in the middle of ordering an SUV...the Tracer wasn't exactly a beast in the snow!) One thing I don't like is the antenna that comes out above the door. Looks cheesy plus I caught it on our garage door so now its all bent to hell. (oopsy) Overall I really liked driving the Tracer, it was comfy and reliable. But its time to move on!

Similar Products Used:

'93 Grand Am, '95 Neon

Very reliable even with 100K miles. Excellent paint and trim quality. Mine is the tracer sport-wagon with 15 inch wheels. 30MPG average highway/city.

It is not a race car, freeway on-ramps can be a challenge to get up to speed. No real weaknesses, going to hate to give up this car.

Why did Ford quit making this car? It has over 100k miles and has never had a recall or been back to the dealership for repairs. I have owned lots of cars/trucks but none compare to this one. Oil changes and brakes are all it has needed since I bought it 4 years ago.

Similar Products Used:

Grand Marquis, Olds98, Chevy s-10, Plymouth Reliant, Jeep.

good gas millage,strong hasn't stalled yet

needs shocks, slow up hills

It is a good little car seems to attrack women, good gas millage and looks sweet when a little money is used to soup it up

Similar Products Used:

1988 plymoth van, Ford F-150 pickup truck.