Faults:

Transmission front seal blew at 95,000 miles, Car has been through 2 transmissions in 3 years, thermostat went out at 123,000 miles, electrical system problems (lights flickering, stereo turning off) Constant Velocity joint boots cracked, oil pan seal blew at 110,000 miles, automatic seat belt went out at 115,000 miles (horribly expensive repair)

General Comments:

It's been a decent car, it runs really well for having 125,000 miles, it handles well for a Ford. It really lacks in horsepower with an 88hp 1.9L lawn mower engine under the hood, it's surprising it had the torque to mess up a transmission, let alone two.

Faults:

The two biggest problems I had with the car was the uneven tire wear and the brakes. No matter how good the tires were on the car they would wear out after about 30000 miles or so. The brakes also never lasted too long on it.

General Comments:

Nice first car for a college student. Very cheap on gas, oil, and maintanence. Performance is bad, but anyone that buys this car expecting good performance is an idiot. Acceppt the car for what it is, a cheap to buy cheap to own get between point A and B car. Expect anything more and you will be disappointed.

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:

Well for starters the drivers side automatic seatbelt works when it wants to, I will leave the car and two or three minutes later the belt will decide to move to the correct position.

I have had continuous problems with the brakes, when I purchased the car in 2001 I had to replace the front rotors, pads and the rear brake shoes and drums. When I replaced them, the problem didn't seem to go away. (keep losing brake pressure) The car has been in and out of the ford garage. Finally I had to have the master cylinder replaced, So far they have been fine.

General Comments:

All in all the car has been very reliable. The car is very quiet when it is running, sometimes I wonder if it is still running when stopped at a red light.

The front seats are very comfortable for a compact car, but the road noise is very pronounced. On an average score of one to ten I give this car an 8 for reliability. Excellent car for the commuter or college student!

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:

Ignition switch failed at roughly 90,000 miles.

Windshield seal leaks slightly.

General Comments:

This two door hatchback model with spoiler has been mistaken for a newer Ford Mustang before.

I am pleased with her sleek, contoured look and tight turning radius.

I recently took the car on an extended road trip that spanned just over 2,200 miles round trip and I have to say she handled the trip well. I checked the oil and coolant levels after the trip to find only a little bit of coolant and no oil needed.

The car has no problem reaching or passing the 100 miles per hour mark, but the speedometer needle does wobble a bit in speeds over 70-75.

The interior is decently designed to seat 2 people comfortably with 2 more in the backseat with limited space, but since it is usually just me in the car it works well.

I still get 30-32 miles per gallon, which is wonderful considering the original factory sticker (which I found in the glove compartment) stated 28 highway.

All together I have to say I'm very happy with my little red car and will probably have it until it reaches half a million miles or more. If Ford can fix the windshield leak and fading bumper problems I think they will have a Class A compact car here!