General Comments:
Bought this car for its low mileage - I just happened to buy it right before it's mid life maintenance period - timing belt, clutch, springs - major repairs, but worth it.
Had never owned a Ford before, good first experience.
I drove it from OH to NY 3 times in one summer without incident. (800+ miles each trip)
As most other Escort owners can tell you, the timing belt and clutch will probably need to be replaced sometime after 80,000 miles.
If you are a rough driver, as I am, be prepared to make the above repairs sooner than later, but once those major things have been replaced the car will basically be new again.
Suprisingly roomy, quiet, and fuel effecient (nearly 30 mpg even with A/C full blast.) The 1.9L SOHC engine won't win any races and the GT models feel much more powerful, but with a manual transmission the LX holds its own and combines the right mix of confidence and effiency.
Exterior is plain yet still looks fine after all this time - simple, handsome styling, not as rust prone as earlier models, and the car seems invisible and unnoticable to most.(Good for speeding past cops, bad for huge SUV's that pull out in front of you because they don't see you or don't care because the Escort is tiny.) Black trim on windows is peeling - most Escorts from this time have that same problem.
Interior is basic yet very comfortable for an older car of this class. Thoughtful lighting and convenience features make the LX seem almost posh for a subcompact class car - especially when compared to the Cavalier/Sunbird, Dodge Shadow or Nissan Sentra from the same year.
The more one reads about and asks owners about the Escort and its Mercury and Mazda counterparts, he or she will find that 100,000 miles is barely the halfway point for these cars.
6th Apr 2007, 09:04
I bought my 1993 Ford Escort wagon with 39k on it in 1997. The odometer just turned 145k. It has been an extraordinarily reliable car, bless its little teal heart. The AC -- which I run constantly in the DC area during the summer -- still works very well, and except for replacing the timing chain once, and the catalytic converter once in order to pass emissions inspection, it's been basically repair-free. Oh, and the key cylinder in the steering wheel failed once -- so now I have one key for the locks and one for the ignition. Big deal.
Minor cosmetic issues caused mostly by UV exposure -- the once black roof trim has bleached out to grey, and the black rubberized trim at the base of the driver's window has begun to chip. But very little rust -- body integrity has been exemplary.
It holds an amazing amount of stuff -- a show's worth of costumes plus at least one member of the wardrobe crew, or an IKEA load for a child's apartment.
I will be very reluctant to part with it, when the inevitable mechanical catastrophe finally happens.