15th Apr 2004, 01:20

I went out to find a replacement car for my wife to drive after she totaled her second 5.0 Mustang. I thought that the little Escort GT would be a suitable slap in the face. I griped about the car as soon as we got it. Complained that it sure wasn't a Mustang GT... I've never experienced a better car (overall) than this little Escort GT. My wife puts an easy 1000 miles on it every week. It has NEVER left either of us stranded.

The Mazda based 1.8liter DOHC is just an awesome little engine. We got the car with 100K miles, and we're going on 200K now. I've maintained it regularly myself. Replaced a waterpump, alternator, (3) timing belts (I was in there, what the hey?), all regular tune up parts several times, battery, gauge cluster (bad speedo), brake pads (twice), thermostat (twice), and misc small stuff. Generally, the parts have been quite inexpensive.

I should attend to the gas tank, as it leaks when full. The emergency brake has always been unsatisfactory. The side window defrosters are ineffective, and the side windows tend to get very dirty, very quickly, right in my line of sight. Road noise can be really loud, and I sometimes feel that a 6 speed gearbox would have been a good option for highway driving. No problems with the tranny, and as far as I know, the clutch is original. The entire exhaust is original and intact. The headlights and foglights are really crap, and I'm not saying that because I want those horrible blue headlights or anything; the foglights may as well be LEDs, and the headlights may as well be kerosene lamps. These are worse than any old set of sealed beams.

I really hate the automatic shoulder belts too. I'm 6'1", 225lbs and find that getting in and out of the car is tough, but then I regularly drive a K5. The seats are certainly not luxurious, but we found our friend's Acura Integra to be far less comfortable. The AC will keep up with the hottest days, but when it's clutch kicks in, it is apparent how many horses it takes.

This little car gets up and motivates. It's not a sports car by any means, but it is surprisingly quick. On-ramps and passing are no problem. Braking is quick and sure with the 4 discs.

If this car was a different color than teal, my wife would probably just drive it into the ground. Should have found one in white or black; something that doesn't look so dated. Anyway, we like this little Escort GT so much that we're currently shopping for a Mazda Miata which has a very similar engine, but with a great deal more appeal. We'll likely sell the Escort GT for $1000 less than we paid for it, which isn't bad for over 100,000 reliable miles.

15th Sep 2004, 18:45

We run a 1991 Ford Escort GT as a Stock Car on dirt tracks in the Midwest. It is extremely reliable and talk about fast! It will out run the boys who think Mitsubishi is the way to go. The only Mitsubishis that can beat us, are the ones getting into the motor and working on stuff. We have a few who are getting their chips changed. Our motor is completely stock.

27th Feb 2006, 16:37

My 1991 Ford Escort isn't starting up most of the time. I had replaced the distributor and got the car to run, but I get white smoke from the muffler, and it seems to smell like gas. Now the car idles funny, and it went from a full tank of gas to empty in a matter of an hour, just by leaving the car running.

My guess is it's the number 1 fuel injector, because that's the one that seems to fill up and soak my spark plug. If any one has an idea, please e-mail me at jm03976860@hotmail.com thanks. (1991 Ford Escort GT 1.8 DOHC)

20th Dec 2006, 17:56

What else would you want? I have a 1991 GT. I bought this for my sons first car. I took it to get the oil changed one day and fell in love with it. I gave my son my BMW 318i. I had to change some things to make her perfect. It is easy to get in and out of. I am 6ft 2" and 220 to boot. I like the seat belt being auto. The a/c rocks. The 91 body style is very nice too. Here are some of my changes that make my GT a Mustang and Corvette eating machine. I added 17" Wheels. Went with a 3/4 " sway bar and included a econo drop kit. Now she hanles remarkably well. Went.50 over on the pistons. I also had some cam and lifter work done so it would handle the Turbo Charger thrust. I was having trouble beating the Corvette so I added one last thing that smokes it now. This would be a dry shot of nitrogen oxide. I start laughing everytime I push the button as there eyes grow large as I pull 3 car lengths on them and they can read my license plate that says NITROGT.