1997 Ford Escort LX 1.9

Summary:

Surprisingly adequate, but avoid the automatic

Faults:

Needed new tires and battery. That was it.

General Comments:

The late nineties was not a terribly good era for economy-sized domestics. The Cavalier was a deathtrap, and the Neon was a deathtrap that was cheaply built and came apart all over the highway. The Escort was by far the best of the three, in part because it was built on a Mazda 323 powertrain and half Japanese.

Handling is much better than usual for domestics, especially of this vintage. Steering is tight and assertive. Ride is relatively smooth.

The engine is the same one that Ford had been putting in Escorts since the eighties, so they'd refined it pretty well by 1997. It's a bit harsh, but not terrible, and perfectly adequate for the price. Decent gas mileage, especially for a domestic engine.

My main sore point is the automatic transmission. This is the best AT that Ford manufactured at the time, and that fact is incredibly sad. The AT in my Escort didn't spontaneously disintegrate or fall out of the car as with F150s and Crown Vics of this vintage, but it was incredibly chintzy and cheaply made. More importantly, it couldn't handle accelerating up a hill without dithering for several seconds, and occasionally did the same thing on the freeway, complicating high-speed maneuvers such as quick lane changes and putting me in several frustrating and dangerous situations. I'm glad I lived in a rural state at the time and there was generally no one around when the transmission decided to be stupid.

I took the car on a few short freeway trips when I first got it, and was continually surprised that it made it up to 65 at all, much less that we survived the 4 mile trip to the next exit.

At the end of the day, this is still a crappy, tiny, cheap car that feels like a deathtrap. A very reliable and well appointed deathtrap that puts the Cavalier and Neon to shame, but a deathtrap nonetheless.

With a stick shift, it could be a dependable little around-town beater for the right price, and is a good value 13 years later, considering it's basically a Mazda 323 with a Ford engine and transmission. I've known people who got 200,000+ miles out of stick Escorts of this vintage. Being sideswiped by a Toyota Camry in a parking lot will probably still send you to the hospital driving this car, but if you're hard up for cash and need cheap, reliable transportation that pays for itself and isn't too much of a hassle, you can do a lot worse. Just avoid the automatic unless you live somewhere completely flat with a low speed limit, or really want to die that much faster.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th December, 2009

16th Dec 2009, 17:36

I'm not sure I'd call ANY of the cars you mentioned "death traps". That's pretty strong. Of course ALL small cars are not safe when hit by a larger vehicle. That's just basic physics.

I have a handicapped friend that I have accompanied to buy cars for over 20 years. He bought a new 1993 Escort and LOVED it. It was an automatic and he never had any problems with it. When it was totaled in 2001 (at 114,000 miles) he had had ZERO engine repairs, not even a timing belt (which was WAY overdue for replacement). He opted to replace it with a 2001 Dodge Neon. The Neon is now 9 years old and has over 130,000 miles. It, too, has been a rock-solid, very reliable car.

1997 Ford Escort LX Wagon 2.0 SPI

Summary:

Good car if you know how to properly care for it

Faults:

EGR valve the day I bought it at a used dealer, kicked the check engine light on as I drove off the lot!!!

Hoses hoses hoses... Replace all your vacuum lines and PCV valve... this will help the car greatly and cost was less than 20 dollars.

Water pump and timing belt need to be replaced.

The wheel bearings and lower ball joints, struts, strut mounts and springs need replacement.

The bulbs for all the lights burns out easily, but replaced all of them for under 20 dollars...

What it comes down to is this... all cars need TLC or they die. This thing runs like a champ. It just needs the normal wear and tear stuff to be replaced.

General Comments:

The glass from the factory sucks. The windshield is horrible, but my insurance replaces glass for free, so I will get that done soon.

Seats could be a little more comfortable for longer trips, but nothing I can't change in the near future anyway.

Only getting 28 mpg around town as I have to fix the above mentioned stuff, and I imagine I will be in the 30+ mpg realm shortly.

I figure about 600 dollars total for all above issues and some of my weekend time to fix myself, the car will be like new again.

Easy to work on, relatively cheap to buy parts... no brain-er. A to B transportation is why I bought it, and that is what I get out of it...

Owned it 2 weeks now and put 1000 miles on it... That says enough right there.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd October, 2009