A nice reliable car
Changed the duse box.
Changed the bushes.
Changed the starter.
Head gasket blew after I had it. Repaired under warranty.
Changed the clutch. Repaired under warranty.
The car is quick, and generally very good at pulling away from lights. Handles like a dream.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 16th August, 2001
More like what hasn't gone wrong with it!
Electical Faults:
-Oil pressure warning light works intermittently
-Interior lighting (centre console/heating controls) does not work, main beams come on every time you indicate (until the switch burned out 2 weeks ago).
-Rear foglights do not work
-Heated windscreen has stopped working
Engine Faults:
-Burns a lot of oil
-Engine never seems to warm up properly
Other Faults:
-Tracking always needs adjusting
-Wishbones (?) on front suspension wear out quickly
-Rear shock absorbers wear out quickly
-Drivers seat subframe snapped
-Gearbox problems, difficulty engaging 3rd gear and noisy when in neutral and engine at idle speed
Very poor fuel economy (23mpg on long runs), acceleration is poor too (due to poorly-suited gear ratios).
The seats are very uncomfortable, there is a distinct lack of headroom (I think due to the poor design of the tilt & slide sunroof housing in the roof). The heater blower is very weak (I would be lost without an electrically heated windscreen!) and the air direction controls are poorly designed so that it is impossible to direct the air exactly where you want it to go.
Basically a very poorly designed car, not a patch on my previous Escort, a 1988 1.4LX.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 21st May, 1999
Mmm, sounds exactly the same as mine.. M reg owned since new. Only got 40000 miles on the clock and it's had a new gear box and the tracking is constantly out - has always eaten tires. It's not as if it's been thrashed.
Generally these are just crap cars. The gearboxes are total rubbish.. If the speedo needle starts to flutter get rid of it quickly as it means the differential bearings have gone.
Fuel problems, early clutch failure, central locking motor burning out, painstaking to find the correct spare parts as the car was a 1991 model but the old shape. Even the Haynes manual is little help.
Despite the odd problem I have found the car very reliable and enjoyable to drive.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 21st February, 1999
Starter motor keeps failing, interior bodywork (dashboard) works loose, engine needs regular flushing out . . .
Plus, people keep nicking it!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 21st April, 1998
I've found that not only does the starter motor fail all the time but the alternator does as well.
I've encountered massive problems with the fuse box, the suspension and the cars electrics in general.
I've had to replace the tracking arms several times, and it's not due to erratic driving. I drive it sensibly.
I would be very wary of buying another one.
I've had mine just over a year now, it's reliable and fairly economical. I've only had two problems so far: Passenger side bottom suspension joint creaking and noisy fuel pump (sounded like a bee). Both of these were sorted under warranty.
My only gripe is the engine, although it performs well it doesn't seem to like cruising at around 2,000 r.p.m. It doesn't tick over very smooth either.
Yes I'd buy another, in fact I've just brought a 95 Escort 1.8i Ghia for my missus - drives a lot easier, due to power steering, but I still prefer the Orion - more of a drivers car.
14th Apr 2001, 03:09
Sounds like you bought something with 250,000 on the clock..
I have the GLX 1.4, it's J reg and as good as new, no rust, no problems, and it's got 95,000 on the clock. Starts first time everytime, and averages around 300 miles per week.