1998 Ford Escort SE from North America

Summary:

Wish I'd never went for "practical"!

Faults:

What hasn't gone wrong is a better question! I have replaced pretty much everything, including the entire engine less than a year after I bought it! Faulty pistons I was told after they blew up inside the cylinders. Nothing but problems; Fuel pump, water pump, computer chips for heating and coolingx2, ball joints x2, tye rods x2. The list goes on until I can type no more!

Although, when it's running, gas is a fair price.. if gas is fair at all thee days!

General Comments:

Not a very comfortable car; seats are quite hard and leg room is limited.

The lighting in the dash is quite dim, although visibility from the windshield is more than adequate.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 4th July, 2006

1st Dec 2007, 22:36

I can understand your frustration. I'm having constant problems with my low mileage '89 Chrysler Lebaron convertible that it shouldn't be having. But, I noticed you bought your car with a fair amount of mileage for an economy car and had A LOT of miles on it at the time of your review. You can expect major things to start going wrong on most cars with after 100k miles, with the exception of a select few models. If your original engine and transmission lasted over 200k miles, you should count your blessings! To have to replace the same parts more than once though would annoy the crap out of me as well. My car overheated and left me stranded 4 months ago. Just last week, it overheated and left me stranded again. I can't take this! I'm looking to buy a '97-'02 Escort as a replacement and they're sounding pretty good to me right now.

1998 Ford Escort ZX2 2.0 Zetec from North America

Summary:

So-so experience

Faults:

Where do I start...

Brakes went out (OK, normal).

Alternator.

Clutch starting to slip.

CV joint.

Tie rod.

2x O2 sensors.

1 catalytic converter (the idiots put it on the front on the down pipe...)

1 lower table.

1 mag, which cracked (not Ford's fault, rather the fault of the nice Quebec roads).

2 wheel bearings.

4 coil overs.

What else... I'm probably forgetting some stuff. that's a lot of money, eh?

General Comments:

The parts on this car are as expensive as a Bimmer, without the Bavarian charm attached to the car.

It's an OK car I guess, but it's cheaply made. The transmission differential is made out of clay, and the interior feels cheap. The engine is peppy, and the suspension makes it a fun car to drive.

Tires are rare and expensive.

Maintenance is a pain in the ass. Everything is so compact in that engine bay.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 5th May, 2006

5th May 2006, 13:59

The tires are rare and expensive? Uhhhhh...

5th May 2006, 18:14

"The parts on this car are as expensive as a Bimmer, without the Bavarian charm attached to the car."

Uhm NO! You simply cannot say something like that... My 97 Escort has almost 200kms on it, and is easily the most reliable, and trouble free, fuel efficient car I've ever had (and I've owned 2 BMW's, a Volvo, a VW and a Mazda).

"It's an OK car I guess, but it's cheaply made. The transmission differential is made out of clay, and the interior feels cheap. The engine is peppy, and the suspension makes it a fun car to drive."

If you tried changing the auto tranny fluid, you'd really discover the precise and reliable shifts of this little Mazda-built 5 speed. I changed over to some no name Wally world any ATF (what the manual calls for), and the shifts had improved tenfold!

"Tires are rare and expensive."

Uhm NO! Maybe if you're comparing them to bicycle tires! They are easily attainable at any tire shop. I got mine from CT, and after 50kms, they are still straight and true!

"Maintenance is a pain in the ass. everything is so compact in that engine bay."

Obviously you haven't worked on many FWD newer cars, loaded with as many features as mine has. Sure it's gonna be a bit difficult, but that's the price you pay with a car newer than 15 years old and FWD!!

The coils are common for breaking. I had to replace my rears, as I could not pass an out of province inspection without a new set.

The tie rods will break too, but I have greased mine with a grease gun and a needle tip... using full synthetic grease... at almost 200kms, it's still on its original ball joints as well! (and trust me, this car has had a hard life too, it spent most of its life in Sask!)

To prevent the CV boots from splitting, I have made a conscious effort to grease the boots with silicone spray grease... it'll keep the boots nice and smooth, resisting cracking, and adding thousands of kms of the life expectancy to the joints too (by not being exposed to dust and water). And in our Canadian winters, your cars need all the help they can get!

IMHO, your car is not at fault, it's your lack of maintenance that has caused many of these problems... There's a reason why Motoring 1997 called this year (generation 1997-2000) of Escort the "Car of the year for 1997"! And the other reviews raving about this car on this site, and "Consumer Reports" great reviews also help a lot too!

In reply to 5th May 2006, 18:14

19th Jan 2009, 19:43

"If you tried changing the auto tranny fluid, you'd really discover the precise and reliable shifts of this little Mazda-built 5 speed."

I think he has a "clutch" which is not an AUTO transmission. So why would he have to add "auto tranny fluid"?