Faults:

The sliding seat belt on driver side stopped working (but not a pain to just unclip).

I had an issue one morning with it starting at a gas station, checked cables on battery worked.

I had to replace front and back struts at 150,000+ miles drives good now.

General Comments:

Great Gas Mileage

Cheap to maintain

Great amount of space

Easy to work on

Cheap insurance.

Faults:

Other than routine maintenance, not much.

I put in a new clutch at 98k (cheap part, expensive labor), new tires when I purchased it, and new brake pads.

Steering was a little hard to keep aligned, needed to redo the rack and pinion bushings shortly after purchase as well. At 103,000 miles the alternator went, but at about 80 dollars (an easy self install) that wasn't a big deal. The air conditioner needed some recharging with refrigerant, ran for a year with the recharge until I sold it. A mechanic couldn't find a leak.

General Comments:

I bought the car from a reapo agency after another driver's insurance (from an accident where they were at fault) paid top dollar for my totaled 1983 Toyota Tercel Wagon. A short time later, the shifter bushings wore out, causing the gearshift to have a loose feel, but that wouldn't have cost too much to fix had I cared. I guess I bought the car at a point where it needed some consumable parts replaced: clutch, tires, brakes, etc. so that's to be expected. The car also came with some electrical quirks; the previous owner had screwed with the wiring, messed up the engine kill switch and rigged the engine fan to run full time. Also, by the time I sold it the motor and/or transmission mounts felt like they could do with a check up; a quick start into first gear caused the engine to jump up, literally, maybe a cm or two. but careful clutchwork made that easily avoidable.

All put together, I'd still have the car except I'm starting college and figured I could do without the hassle and expense of insurance and inevitable repairs. My only real complaint- the car could've used more power. Above 70 mph, fourth gear revved the engine too high and acceleration in 5th felt dangerously slow. Not a car to pass trucks on rainy interstates with. But that's the trade-off for 33+ mpg on the highway. An overall good experience, but I wouldn't trust it to last 20 years and 250,000 miles like my tercel!

Faults:

Timing belt went out, nothing unusual at 108,000 (they are recommended to be replaced every 60,000 or so)

4 new tires, both front had uneven tread wear. Got 4 new tires, and alignment fixed, tread wear normal.

General Comments:

The Escort with the 1.9L engine is not very fast, nor is it comfortable on the inside over long distances.

However, mine does not leak a drop of oil, is very reliable so far.

The manual transmission has a tendency to grind more than any other manual I have driven.

Road noise isn't too bad, but lots of highway driving wouldn't be much fun, due to not much power in 5th gear.

Great winter car as well, even without anti-lock brakes.

Overall, a good car. But I would much rather have an Escort GT with the Mazda 1.8L engine.

Faults:

The suspension of the Ford Escort has required maintenance in the past three years. I needed to replace the front and rear coils and struts. The right inner/outer tie-rods were replaced. Recently, I needed to replace the left wheel bearing and have an extension outer tie-rod fitted. I probably should also have new camber bolts fitted as well as the steering still pulls a little.

I have also worked on the brakes. I have replaced the rotors twice. Around 120,000 miles, I needed to replace the front brake calipers.

Other items that I have replaced or repaired include the thermostat, permanent crankcase ventilation valve (PCV), timing belt, fuel filter, and left front passenger speaker wiring.

The exhaust system has leaks and has light to medium rust on it. Part of the three way catalytic converter is corroded. The flexible pipe as also disintegrating.

The windshield is heavily pitted and probably should have been replaced years ago. However, it has never been broken from flying debris and rocks.

There is also a strange smell coming the the heater. I am not sure if this is burning plastic or maybe exhaust.

Last, the radiator sprung a small leak recently.

The automatic transmission also leaks a little (more of an ooze), and is occasionally "quirky"

All of the problems listed above occurred after 125,000 miles. The most recent problems the exhaust and steering occurred after 155,000 miles, and the radiator after 168,000 miles.

General Comments:

Despite the above comments, I have been very satisfied with my Ford Escort Wagon. The car, contrary to other opinions, is a generally reliable vehicle if well-maintained. When I purchased the vehicle I fully expected that parts such as the exhaust and suspension would deteriorate after 100,000 miles and they did. However, the vehicle has performed up to its designers expectation and mine for a vehicle in its price range.

The car is very utilitarian and fuel efficient. It is not a pocket-rocket, but I would consider purchasing a late model to replace it as they reliable, easy to repair, and parts are a dime a dozen.