Great car in general, and fixing major or minor issues is not costly
The only thing that has major gone wrong is replacing the clutch.
When the A/C has to be turned on, the power is very hesitant.
The car gets great gas mileage at about 32 to 38 mpg.
Did not come with cruise control.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 30th April, 2011
Endless problems, but still reliable
Loose heatshield.
Leaks antifreeze.
"Check Engine" light is constantly on.
Terrible ride quality.
Strange "pop" noise in trunk every time I right-turn a corner.
I bought this car for $2,500 with 46,000 miles. Ever since the day I bought it, there were problems.
The check engine light came on about 5 minutes after I was driving it home from the dealer. I got everything fixed, but then even more problems occurred.
The brakes started to go, and antifreeze fluid was leaking.
This car is a chain reaction of problems, but they are extremely cheap to fix. But it's not worth all the time.
The inside is very roomy and comfortable though, and the car is reliable, and always starts and runs fine. Don't spend any more than $1,500 on a Ford Escort. I will stick to GM products for life.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 27th October, 2010
Lemon!!!
Flat tire 2 weeks after I bought it.
74,562 miles; engine overheated, and the mechanic and my Dad said there was nothing wrong with the car, it just overheated because I drove it too hard, which was weird because I never drove it fast or nothing; I like to conserve gas.
74,790 miles; the engine literally started smoking white smoke and coolant got into my engine oil. Upon getting home, after I had to stop constantly due to overheating, the engine seized up in my yard.
Later I found out my thermostat was closed shut! I knew that mechanic was stupid.
I originally bought this car to save gas, but it didn't even make it past 2 months of simple and easy driving. FORDS SUCK! I will never buy another one. This car reminds me of a little Taurus LOL!!!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 25th September, 2008
A car just doesn't overheat from overuse. Did you check out this car well before you bought it? I would not have Dad or the mechanic check my next one.
Oh, no worries. I bought a Pontiac Fiero after that car, and it was a good car and my dad said it was crap, but I actually got this one and checked it myself. I change my own oil, and tune my own cars up. Only professionals can do serious engine or trans work.
You included flat tire? People get those all of the time. Road debris or bad roads in general. As for the thermostat going bad, that happens to GM, Mopar, Toyota, Hyundai etc.
You didn't get a faulty car, just a faulty mechanic. Anyone who knows crap about cars, or even tractors for that matter, would have had you check the thermo.
This car has been well worth the money
Brakes seem to need tweaking pretty often
Suspension has made some noise here and there.
I love my car.
I have had to put money into it recently but it is old.
I have driven to Florida from Ohio and back.
I have driven to Montana and back to LA.
I have driven from LA to Ohio.
I have towed it from Ohio to LA.
Tires last forever.
Electrics been great.
Good stereo.
Very comfortable basically, quiet, good car.
Nice engine has a lot of pep.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 20th August, 2008
A good choice in an economy car
When I first bought it there was quite a bit I had to replace. It was used after all. The first and most major was a heater core ($800). I tested the car in July so, stupid me, I didn't check the heat. I had the water pump and timing belt replaced as well. Some of the more "wear and tear" items included tires, ball joints, brakes, rotors, and tie rods. After that the car was very reliable. It never broke down or left me stranded. I should also note it was a tank in the snow.
I should mention I have the sedan model. Well, this car is just your basic commuter car. It was very bland looking on the outside, although the alloys and spoiler did help.
The interior, while functional, is nothing special but it gets the job done. Performance is almost non-existant since the car had an 88 HP motor hooked to an automatic transmission. It was a step down from my old V6 Cavalier which had plenty of power. The upside to this was it had awsome fuel economy. If I took it easy, I could get close to 40 MPG. Beware on the highways since trucks blow this thing around pretty good.
It came with a very rare factory alarm system. When I say rare, I mean that I personally have not seen another so equipped. It was more annoying than anything else since it only armed the system and didn't actually unlock the doors. Also even if you didn't arm it, you had to push the disarm button to be able to start the car. It had a really nice Pioneer CD player that came with it when I bought it. They didn't bother upgrading the speakers which were all pretty much shot. Since I was a college student at the time, all I could afford was crappy Roadmaster (think Walmart) speakers. Stuff that never worked when I had it was the AC, driver's seatbelt motor and rear defroster. I never understood the allure of using motorized seatbelts.
The only reason I'm not driving this car now is because it was totalled in an accident. I recommend this car for people who want a reliable and economical commuter car. If it's performance you want, look somewhere else. I have never driven a GT or LX-E version, which has a more powerful motor, so I can't comment on them.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 22nd July, 2008
28th Oct 2010, 04:14
I wouldn't even pay $500 for one of these in good shape... like you said, stick to GM, much better ride quality.
Ford makes a decent pickup, that's about it.