Faults:

Connection snapped off of alternator.

Battery needed replacing.

Wishbone needed replacing.

CV boot needed replacing.

Wheel bearings wear very quickly.

Lights on dashboard stopped working (fan controllers).

General Comments:

The escort has been the best car I have ever owned. I owned a Fiesta previously and it was very unreliable.

The zetec engine is marvellous. It needs regular servicing for it to be at it's best performance, but I think the same can be said for all cars.

For a big car, it is quite nippy.

It looks sporty and takes well to modifications.

The driver's seat tilts and slides, and is really comfortable.

It gets 100 miles to £10 of petrol, and is really good for cruising along the motorway or dual carriageway.

Faults:

I have dealt with the same problems as the GTI model (Gearbox diffs, Arm bushes, Clutch etc..). It is recommended to buy a sports clutch which is better quality, long-term, and only £90 more.

The differentials noise within the gear box was noticeable at 65,000 miles.

The tracking will need to be re-aligned every year to prevent uneven tyre wear.

General Comments:

I have the 94' Si 16v model and have never experienced engine problems. It is essential to give the Zetec engine oil & filter changes every 6-7 months. With the 'Magnatec' oil you will notice the difference after the second oil change!

Other things to watch out for are, small rust areas, faulty boot key barrel (Use in-car boot button), and most importantly the main fuse-box. These are known to partially fail from damp in the air over time. You will know when the 'Air Blower' fails to work.

This car is 'slick' when lowered and drives superb for a 1.6 manual. This car is better than my last Peugeot 306 1.4 1998 model!

Faults:

I have had 3 new batteries, the first one was when the car was only 13 months old, the battery is only under warranty for 12 months when purchased with a new car.

I have had a new alternator fitted.

The car is put in the garage every night and cleaned every week yet there is rust along both sills and both rear wheel arches.

With only 33,000 miles, I have had to have a new clutch, Ford wanted to charge £250, I got the job done at a small garage for £100 were they told me low mileage clutch replacement on this model is not unusual.

General Comments:

The only good thing I have to say is "it looks a nice car"

Faults:

Typical dashboard lights/electric problems, these seem just to affect any Ford on the planet.

New fusebox on Friday (I have been told that this is a v. common problem with mkV Escorts.)

Factory fitted alarm has packed up.

The car is rusting BADLY around the wheel arches.

General Comments:

The O.E. stereo is of very high quality.

The dash is very boring, mine hasn't even got a ciggy lighter :- (

Faults:

I don't know where to start with this car because it was the biggest mistake I made in my life.

The car was great looking because it had a sporty look.

It was an Orion with an Escort badge which was very unusual.

We only had our car months before it broke down.

After that our car must have broken down about 10 times.

After the last time it broke down we took it to our local Ford dealer for an explanation to why our car was being pushed rather than driven, they told us that the car needed a new engine which would cost us £1,000, we could not afford this so we traded it in for a brand new Escort.

The Ford dealers were very unhelpful and they were very ignorant towards us.

I don't know why we ever traded it in for another Escort, but we did anyway, the car received was excellent, very reliable and great looking.

General Comments:

The car was the worst car we ever bought and we have bought so many new cars.

If you ever see a Ford Orion with an Escort badge, then my advice to you is don't buy it, you don't know what you could be letting yourself in for.