MK1 Escort. One owner. One Hundred(ish) miles from new.

[DatsunTurbo]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FORD-ESCORT-MK1-O ... dZViewItem

 

 

(Link now fixed)

[pogweasel]

Pretty amazing. What did they do, seal it into some kind of controlled environment? Because even cars that aren't used get grotty eventually. Best colour IMO.

[Split_Pin]

That really is a very pretty car. I dont recall seeing many 4-door MK1's in my lifetime, I always preferred these to the other more common variants.I sincerely hope it doesnt get the tired old textbook Twin-cam/track car etc treatment, that would be a shame.Some price though

[Guest]

Hey I was with Vicsmith today (on day release for operating a dumb waiter illegally) and we spotted a bit of newspaper on the floor which had a picture of a factory fresh 2-door MK1 Escort on it. Picked it up and it was an article about things to do on a gap year, largely sod off to foreign lands etc. Skimmed through it to see why the Escort was there, turns out it was being used to illustrate the idea of going on a charity rally in a £100 car. With the prices of Escorts now, it was so far from the truth that they might as well have used a pic of a gold-plated Bentley Continental filled with diamonds.

[Guest]

Seen before in......

 

http://autoshite.commlm/forum/viewtopic.ph ... start=7830

[Pete-M]

Hey I was with Vicsmith today (on day release for operating a dumb waiter illegally) and we spotted a bit of newspaper on the floor which had a picture of a factory fresh 2-door MK1 Escort on it. Picked it up and it was an article about things to do on a gap year, largely sod off to foreign lands etc. Skimmed through it to see why the Escort was there, turns out it was being used to illustrate the idea of going on a charity rally in a £100 car. With the prices of Escorts now, it was so far from the truth that they might as well have used a pic of a gold-plated Bentley Continental filled with diamonds.

I had many, many Mk1 and Mk2 Escorts in my youth, all were two door as the four door ones are so gawky looking. I have to say, and this may upset some autoshitists, but I'd rather have a Mk2 RS2000 in perfect condition (like the one I had in '92) than probably any other car. I'm Ãœbergutted that I didn't keep hold of any of 'em.

[Guest]

Not a problem, it isn't the car's fault they're worth a ludicrous amount now, I like RS2000s.Me being me, I'd love a MK2 Escort squarelamp on dartboards but I doubt it'll ever happen now, I'm sure I could stretch to £4000 or whatever if I saved up for years, but if I was spending that much money on a car it'd have to be something that was always a bit special, probably a Quattroporte or something ludicrous.As is I'll make do with cheaper rivals: Montrose, Ital, Cavalier, etc. Probably just as good, but worth a tenth as much for reasons I'll never understand.

[Mr Lobster]

I have to say, and this may upset some autoshtists, but I'd rather have a Mk2 RS2000 in perfect condition (like the one I had in '92) than probably any other car. I'm Ãœbergutted that I didn't keep hold of any of 'em.

I'd love a MK2 RS2000, neighbour has one that looks immaculate (and standard) and its a lovely thing. Just a shame they are so expensive...

[r.welfare]

A Mk2 RS2000 is certainly on my wishlist, but I couldn't justify the £8-10k a "right" one (by that I mean no rot, no sunroof, no barry mods and say less than half-a-dozen previous owners) costs. Perhaps a BMW 2002 might hit that same "spot" for me, one day, as they seem to be about half the price in comparable condition...

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Mark 1 Escort 2 doors are lovely old things. Four doors look horrid. A Mexico, RS2000 or RS1600 (I sold mine before they became valuable ) has genuine merit but they aren't £20'000 to me. £8000 for a perfect example I can sort of understand. £20'000 buys a really lovely mid seventies 911 which when new was far more desirable than a Ford Escort of ANY kind.But Mark 2 Escorts? They were crap. By the time they arrived in 1975 the world had moved on. Fiat 128, Alfasud, Citroen GS, Chevette (a much better car). An Alfasud Ti should be worth more than any Mark 2 Escort, RS2000 included because it was a much better car and far more interesting.But they aren't. Odd how those with £10'000 for an old car have such limited horizons!

[pogweasel]

But they aren't. Odd how those with £10'000 for an old car have such limited horizons!

If you have the misfortune to visit the odious 'oldskoolford' forum you will note that many also have very limited vocabularies, social skills and intelligence quotas.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

But they aren't. Odd how those with £10'000 for an old car have such limited horizons!

If you have the misfortune to visit the odious 'oldskoolford' forum you will note that many also have very limited vocabularies, social skills and intelligence quotas.

No, but I've been to a Ford RS Owners Club meeting and witnessed the grunting and dubious sportswear at first hand. Quote of the evening had to be "Yeah, I got an Escort innit an' I wanna RS it up an' that" The missing link can often be found at Blue Oval gatherings, but the Vauxhall show at Billing Aquadrome is equally frightening. Darwin was born in the wrong decade for sure!

[55bloke]

That really is the sort of thing I dream of finding, but what would you actually do with it, assuming you could afford to buy it? Daily driver? hardly, it'd be ruined in a couple of years. Vacuum seal it and store it away? Seems a waste! I suppose it's gotta be a few days a year show car, and that seems a waste too! Oh well, not a quandary I'm ever likely to be faced with!

[pogweasel]

But they aren't. Odd how those with £10'000 for an old car have such limited horizons!

If you have the misfortune to visit the odious 'oldskoolford' forum you will note that many also have very limited vocabularies, social skills and intelligence quotas.

No, but I've been to a Ford RS Owners Club meeting and witnessed the grunting and dubious sportswear at first hand. Quote of the evening had to be "Yeah, I got an Escort innit an' I wanna RS it up an' that" The missing link can often be found at Blue Oval gatherings, but the Vauxhall show at Billing Aquadrome is equally frightening. Darwin was born in the wrong decade for sure!

Dim-wittedness and downright stupidity is evident at pretty much every sort of car show. Even at the ones for tartan red CWW MG's, you get the odd knuckle-dragging interloper turning up.

[reallyloud]

If you have the misfortune to visit the odious 'oldskoolford' forum you will note that many also have very limited vocabularies, social skills and intelligence quotas.

No, but I've been to a Ford RS Owners Club meeting and witnessed the grunting and dubious sportswear at first hand. Quote of the evening had to be "Yeah, I got an Escort innit an' I wanna RS it up an' that" ShockedThe missing link can often be found at Blue Oval gatherings, but the Vauxhall show at Billing Aquadrome is equally frightening. Darwin was born in the wrong decade for sure!

There is also some of this at the Bromley paegent - very close to the traditional Ford Heartland, but the turnout and quality of cars is usually very good and I don't feel as indifferent to a Ford than I do to say a MG or Morris Minor. There is a massive respect that goes with owning a mint Mexico or RS2000. What does bother me is their occasional inability to appriciate a car without a blue oval badge - I suppose its not just Ford owners, I imagine its pretty widespread with other marques.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

. There is a massive respect that goes with owning a mint Mexico or RS2000. What does bother me is their occasional inability to appriciate a car without a blue oval badge - I suppose its not just Ford owners, I imagine its pretty widespread with other marques.

Yep. I knew a guy who had a stunning Avenger Tiger. He and his RS2000 owning Brother went to a Ford RSOC meet and had some hostility. "Is not a fukkin' RS innit?"The only Ford show worth going to is the AVO club national day at Stanford Hall. Generally these guys are slightly older, knuckle dragger free and many have owned the cars for a long time - often since the seventies. The sight of a field full of stunning Mark 1 Escorts is one to behold. We had a Mexico new in 1973 and I'm still very fond of them.This year there were small stands for Avenger Tigers and HS Chevettes. Which was nice.

[Mash]

A chap I know (who also still owns my FB Victor incidentally) has a Mk1 Escort identical to that with around 25000 miles on the clock. It's a lovely little car and himself knocking on in years is inclined keep it totally standard. Being the 1300 XL it's actually quite nice inside too.I do actually like old Fords but never owned one because there's always been something else with a higher priority to get. Most of the 70s models would do me and I did consider a Mk2 Escort Ghia as a daily some years ago before the prices rocketed. The later Granadas and Cortinas seem to have nicer quality interiors than some of their rivals and a Mk5 Crusader is always on my lottery list. I'm enjoying seeing the 80s stuff come into fashion too to remind me of my schooldays!I agree that Fords always tended to lag behind in the technology stakes but of course that was their selling point I suppose. I go along with everyone who like me can't fathom the inflated values though. All I can think is that nostalgia must be the biggest influence. There are certainly better and rarer cars out there but I suppose most dads didn't have a Beta on the drive! This same reasoning could be applied to the price/survivor ratio of Morris Minors too and MGBs. It's what is most easily recognisable. We ought to be grateful values of the "good" cars are low because as aficianados and cognoscenti we can snap up the bargains and leave the proles to their "Four doors and a board" as my dad says!The unwillingness to acknowledge and discuss other makes and models is strange though. One of the things I like about this forum is the wide range of interest we all have and this acceptance of all car makes. I've moved away from the Dolomite Club to a large extent over the last couple of years because after a while when you've seen one you've seen them all unfortunately. Now that brings us neatly to another debate:RS Escort vs. Dolomite Sprint: discuss Blimey that was quite a long post wasn't it children?

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Escort RS every time. It had a lovely chassis as standard, the Dolomite did not. Factor in far better looks (the Dolly looks stupidly narrow and top heavy from behind) and reliability. It takes an awful lot to kill a Pinto.Better than both is the 131 Supermirafiori Sport. It wasn't faster than either but had a standard of trim and refinement about it. Plus it looked far better than the Mark 2 RS2000 which to me looks faintly ridiculous.

[Mash]

Better than both is the 131 Supermirafiori Sport.

Bingo! There you have the phrase to sum up the appeal of this forum in a nutshell. Well done that man

[garycox]

I've never really seen the appeal of Dolomites, I've had a couple in an effort to convince myself but they weren't that amazing to drive and I don't like the looks either.One of my first cars was a Mk1 Escort 1300XL 4 Door, I never had it on the road but it was nice in the short distances between workshops... I sold it just before the prices went silly for about £250. I wonder if XEV 379L's still around...HB Viva FTW for me though, my ideal one would be Brabham flavour, white, black bonnet, gold coachline, rostyles. A LOT cheaper than an Escort, maybe not as nice to drive but not far off, but better looking IMO, esp. as I have a bit of a strange obsession with late 60's Vauxhalls...

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

HB Viva FTW for me though, my ideal one would be Brabham flavour, white, black bonnet, gold coachline, rostyles. A LOT cheaper than an Escort, maybe not as nice to drive but not far off, but better looking IMO, esp. as I have a bit of a strange obsession with late 60's Vauxhalls...

Hmmmm. FD Victor/Ventora. I'm looking now at a 1973 Viva 2300SL advert. Metallic green with vinyl roof and Rostyles. "The Vauxhall breed's got style" Not half!The late sixties Vauxhall adverts were great - 'The lazy fireball' Ventora.

[Rocket88]

Better than both is the 131 Supermirafiori Sport. It wasn't faster than either but had a standard of trim and refinement about it. Plus it looked far better than the Mark 2 RS2000 which to me looks faintly ridiculous.Couldn't agree more. Far better car than either the Ford or the Triumph. Comfortable, 5 speed box , reliable twin cam, nice interior, and better looking. However, the 124 coupe was even better.........

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

However, the 124 coupe was even better.........

Especially early ones.

[AnthonyG]

I would foresee a drop in silly Ford prices soon, if it's not happening already. Many of the 'old skool' crowd tend to have jobs/income derived from or connected to construction & the retail motor trade, both of which will be royally buggered by the credit crunch.However it won't affect the most desirable cars like the Rev mentioned such as documented AVO cars. More the tarted-up shite that pops up on Ebay/OSF/RR all the time.

[Pete-M]

Escort RS every time. It had a lovely chassis as standard, the Dolomite did not. Factor in far better looks (the Dolly looks stupidly narrow and top heavy from behind) and reliability. It takes an awful lot to kill a Pinto.Better than both is the 131 Supermirafiori Sport. It wasn't faster than either but had a standard of trim and refinement about it. Plus it looked far better than the Mark 2 RS2000 which to me looks faintly ridiculous.

I had a Supermirafiori Sport (TUT131X) and an Mk2 RS2000 (KHD114W) at the same time. Bought the Fiat because I was reading the CAR magazine roadtest of them both and the Fiat won. I already had an RS, so I found the 131 through the owners club and wandered off to Leicestershire to buy it. Other than having a 5 speed box (a mod I'd done to the RS anyway) I didn't think the Fiat was that good. A better engine in the Fiat, but the RS had a lot more accessible performance and handled better.I've had a few 2.0 TC Fiats, but I would never pick a 131 over an RS 2000.

[Pete-M]

I would foresee a drop in silly Ford prices soon, if it's not happening already. Many of the 'old skool' crowd tend to have jobs/income derived from or connected to construction & the retail motor trade, both of which will be royally buggered by the credit crunch.However it won't affect the most desirable cars like the Rev mentioned such as documented AVO cars. More the tarted-up shite that pops up on Ebay/OSF/RR all the time.

I can't see the prices dropping that much. People who own nice RS's tend to be in their late 30s, early 40s and they've had them for a long time. Besides, if the price of nice RS 2000 Customs drops just slightly, I'd be sorely tempted.

[CortinaDave]

the money in escorts is just ridiculous. I like them in an £500 kind of a way, but what you get for what you have to spend is just beyond a joke.Spending that sort of readies i'd be after something a lot more interesting. When i have money, I'll pay £2k for a really nice cortina/capri.. but for that it has to be a low mile, very tidy motor.Thats just where I personally value them, when the market goes higher than that, like it did when life on mars was on for mk3 cortinas, i just leave them alone.