Mk6 Escorts

[Split_Pin]

As you're on Flickr Hendry, best place to find one is there I reckon. Do you follow Alan Gold? He turns up some right crackers every other day and a locally registered Escort is exactly the sort of car he would take time to photograph. Although he is East of Scotland so an Edinburgh registered one might be more likely there.

[Sir Snipes]

its a bit pointless me going out and buying a car I dont want just because its not rusty though, no?

 

The other thing is "some" rust wouldnt bother me, rust can be cut out and replaced with fresh metal, a cars history, background, provenance cant be changed however. Call me crazy or whatever you like but If someone offered me a rust free Manchester or London Escort, or a Glasgow one with some rust, the Glasgow one would be the one id buy. 

 

Way I see it aswell is even a tidy Escort is going to be a bit grotty, fresh new metal can only be a good thing surely? as long as its not fucking rotten to the point of needing a brand new nos shell. 

 

A dealer putting some stickers on a plain car to try and get it out the door has nothing to do with provenance!

[Cavcraft]

 

 

Genuine* Glasgow reg

 

 

 

Stance. 

 

What a turd. 

 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Escort-rd-cosworth-replica-/232451204393

 

Louie Spence has let himself go a bit.

[Hendry]

As you're on Flickr Hendry, best place to find one is there I reckon. Do you follow Alan Gold? He turns up some right crackers every other day and a locally registered Escort is exactly the sort of car he would take time to photograph. Although he is East of Scotland so an Edinburgh registered one might be more likely there.

 

Yeah I do follow Alan actually Iain. he has turned up quite a few, as you say mostly East ones, but he did turn up an S reg Clanford supplied one over that direction. Theres another guy I follow who is Glasgow based, Ed McGarvey who has turned up oodles of Escorts in the past, sadly none for a while recently, same with an Ayrshire contact Mark who has spotted some Ayrshire ones.

 

I suppose its all about having the cahoonas when one turns up on flickr to track it down and go knocking doors trying to get it, although this could cost big money trying to buy a car thats not advertised for sale, a lot of people would think "he must really want this car, I can get more than its worth here"

 

A dealer putting some stickers on a plain car to try and get it out the door has nothing to do with provenance!

 

You sorta miss the point, its not about it having the stickers, the stickers are just a good indicator where the cars come from, where its spent its days, then I can trace the history of the car hopefully, I spent my life born and raised in Glasgow area and I want a mk6 Escort that has done the same, a lot of people might find that very strange, but this is autoshite, I thought if anyone was likely to understand, it would be you guys. How it was bought brand new in say 1998/99, was someones pride and joy, worked their arses off to pay for it, took their kids to school in it, went family jaunts at the weekend, how well looked after it was, all that kind of cherished care its had. Ive always been interested in the history of the cars ive owned, not just what work theyve had done, what stamps were in the service book, but where its spent time, how its been treated, what sort of "abuse" its had. What sort of people have owned it. Helps build a picture of its life, and this matters to me because I was never going to be in a position to have my own brand new one so knowing the full history of the car and that it lived locally is the closest thing im going to get to having it from new myself. 

 

Ive never ever cared or been fussed about brand new cars, for some reason though, yes a shitty rusty old 90s Escort is the one thing I longed to own that was brand new, and Ive no idea why, I know there are better cars, I know these are pretty crap, were well past their sell by date, but theres just something about them for me, in the same way theres something about Lada Rivas, Talbot Tagoras, Citroen BXs, Capris, Peugeot 205s, Vauxhall Novas, Volvo 740s, Yugo Sanas, for other members on here. You like what you like and you cant help it, we all have a weakness for something and mk6 Escorts are mine. 

 

I suppose I shouldve bought one 11years ago when I first passed my test when there were loads about and I couldve had my pick of local ones, but tbh I knew nothing about cars then so would likely have ended up with an utter wreck, there were that many about then owning to the newest ones not even being 6years old yet and there couldve been loads of sheds, now I know what im looking out for, a bit more clued up, and surely any that have lasted at least 17years must be decent to have lasted that long?

 

Cavcraft - cheers mate! Im glad someone gets where Im coming from with this. 

[Lacquer Peel]

I'm not sure if most Motability customers were that arsed about them.

[Felly Magic]

Oh dear Hendry, Scotland is the last place that you want to be looking for one, seriously, these rust for shits and giggles, and in your budget, all you will find is cars on their final MOT before James Brown time. The 16v engine must be run on 5w30, otherwise it gets fucked very quickly, sadly most survivors will have been run on the cheapest oil around, and not looked after at all. Piston rings start to give trouble at around 100k, lower if not run on the correct oil, rocker and sump gaskets piss out oil for laughs too. Then we get to the rust, every survivor will have seen sparky stick action, remember the newest examples are 19 years old now, and these cars were built down to a price, which is why you don't really see them about now. (thankfully)

 

Mobility cars, well, base model Encore spec was the choice in Yorkshire, that meant power steering and a 2 speaker stereo, and that was it, and many were massively abused, as the giffers would put grandkids on as 'named drivers', and these were thrashed mercilessly, they all seemed to be either brown or doom blue too, survivors are near zero for obvious reasons, as by 3 years old they were hanging, many needing new clutches, and seats where giffers had slid over the bolsters, I remember West Yorkshire Motors being flooded with 3 year old Escort Encores which had been fitted with cheap pop up sunroofs, and boot spoilers, and cheapo graphics on as dealer 'special price bargains'. I pittied any poor sod who actually bought them. Even the basic saloon had stuff deleted from spec, such as electric windows, which had been standard since 1992. 

 

The south of England is where the tidiest examples are found, less salt on the roads in winter, plus the likelihood of giffers buying for retirement, who are now at the age where the DVLA says NO, Scotland, with it's harsher winters and more road salt, you are just going to find moneypits needing new sills, inner and outer arches, floors, wings, doors, bootlids, but a tidy one will set you back nearer the grand mark, anything less really you will be lucky to get a year out, before an MOT man tells you to FRO, yes OSF scenetax is starting to hit these, tidy mk1 Focii will soon start to fetch daft money too

[Hendry]

Oh dear Hendry, Scotland is the last place that you want to be looking for one, seriously, these rust for shits and giggles, and in your budget, all you will find is cars on their final MOT before James Brown time. The 16v engine must be run on 5w30, otherwise it gets fucked very quickly, sadly most survivors will have been run on the cheapest oil around, and not looked after at all. Piston rings start to give trouble at around 100k, lower if not run on the correct oil, rocker and sump gaskets piss out oil for laughs too. Then we get to the rust, every survivor will have seen sparky stick action, remember the newest examples are 19 years old now, and these cars were built down to a price, which is why you don't really see them about now. (thankfully)

 

Mobility cars, well, base model Encore spec was the choice in Yorkshire, that meant power steering and a 2 speaker stereo, and that was it, and many were massively abused, as the giffers would put grandkids on as 'named drivers', and these were thrashed mercilessly, they all seemed to be either brown or doom blue too, survivors are near zero for obvious reasons, as by 3 years old they were hanging, many needing new clutches, and seats where giffers had slid over the bolsters, I remember West Yorkshire Motors being flooded with 3 year old Escort Encores which had been fitted with cheap pop up sunroofs, and boot spoilers, and cheapo graphics on as dealer 'special price bargains'. I pittied any poor sod who actually bought them. Even the basic saloon had stuff deleted from spec, such as electric windows, which had been standard since 1992. 

 

The south of England is where the tidiest examples are found, less salt on the roads in winter, plus the likelihood of giffers buying for retirement, who are now at the age where the DVLA says NO, Scotland, with it's harsher winters and more road salt, you are just going to find moneypits needing new sills, inner and outer arches, floors, wings, doors, bootlids, but a tidy one will set you back nearer the grand mark, anything less really you will be lucky to get a year out, before an MOT man tells you to FRO, yes OSF scenetax is starting to hit these, tidy mk1 Focii will soon start to fetch daft money too

 

Am I wrong to think a car which had such a propensity to rust such as a mk6 Escort, if one has lasted this long must be half decent surely?

 

As Ive said time and again, my mate picked up a local 98 R 1.6 Finesse registered in Ayr near the sea, sure its had new outer sills in 2012 and has a couple of scabs but having been over it, its very very clean and tidy rust wise. So these do exist and not all are rusty up here. I guess its maybe him finding a local, non rusty one which sparked my interest again because I assumed there would be no tidy local ones left. 

 

19 years ago is 1998, didnt the newest Escorts last to 2001 on the X plate. so newest ones would be 16? 

 

Since I dont want an Encore anyway Im not really fussed about them being motability from new and thrased mercilessly from day 1. Want something with more spec, Finesse, LX, Si, GTi, Ghia Ghia X, definitely not a special edition except Finesse, or a low spec one. 

 

What do you mean about base saloons having stuff deleted from the spec like electric windows which were standard from 1992? do you mean motability versions specifically had features removed? because I doubt that, they will have came with whatever spec was standard on that trim.

 

If any saloons had spec deleted it will be because the Orion name was discontinued which always started at a higher spec than the Escort, so was always better equipped because you never got any Lead-In, Popular, Popular Plus, etc. the lowest spec on the post 1990 Orion was LX, but I guess when the Orion suddenly became the Escort saloon they wouldve started producing lower spec versions just like hatchback Escorts hence the lack of extras. 

[sierraman]

Can you weld?

 

I ask cause you'll be looking at the thick end of £500 a side to have the sills done properly. Replacement arches are probably only £40-50 or so, but then another hundred or so to have them welded on, assuming you prep the welds and blend it in then another say £5-600 to have it sprayed and blended in.

 

What I'm saying is there's a world of difference between something that's dodged the scrapyard for the last 5-6 years and something that's rot free (or almost). I'm not giving any anti-Scotland sentiment here but in all honesty a lot of the better rust free stuff you'll find in places like Somerset and Devon. Milder winters, a lot of elderly folks giving up driving that might have garages it from new...

[oldcars]

Yeah I do follow Alan actually Iain. he has turned up quite a few, as you say mostly East ones, but he did turn up an S reg Clanford supplied one over that direction. Theres another guy I follow who is Glasgow based, Ed McGarvey who has turned up oodles of Escorts in the past, sadly none for a while recently, same with an Ayrshire contact Mark who has spotted some Ayrshire ones.

 

I suppose its all about having the cahoonas when one turns up on flickr to track it down and go knocking doors trying to get it, although this could cost big money trying to buy a car thats not advertised for sale, a lot of people would think "he must really want this car, I can get more than its worth here"

 

 

You sorta miss the point, its not about it having the stickers, the stickers are just a good indicator where the cars come from, where its spent its days, then I can trace the history of the car hopefully, I spent my life born and raised in Glasgow area and I want a mk6 Escort that has done the same, a lot of people might find that very strange, but this is autoshite, I thought if anyone was likely to understand, it would be you guys. How it was bought brand new in say 1998/99, was someones pride and joy, worked their arses off to pay for it, took their kids to school in it, went family jaunts at the weekend, how well looked after it was, all that kind of cherished care its had. Ive always been interested in the history of the cars ive owned, not just what work theyve had done, what stamps were in the service book, but where its spent time, how its been treated, what sort of "abuse" its had. What sort of people have owned it. Helps build a picture of its life, and this matters to me because I was never going to be in a position to have my own brand new one so knowing the full history of the car and that it lived locally is the closest thing im going to get to having it from new myself. 

 

Ive never ever cared or been fussed about brand new cars, for some reason though, yes a shitty rusty old 90s Escort is the one thing I longed to own that was brand new, and Ive no idea why, I know there are better cars, I know these are pretty crap, were well past their sell by date, but theres just something about them for me, in the same way theres something about Lada Rivas, Talbot Tagoras, Citroen BXs, Capris, Peugeot 205s, Vauxhall Novas, Volvo 740s, Yugo Sanas, for other members on here. You like what you like and you cant help it, we all have a weakness for something and mk6 Escorts are mine. 

 

I suppose I shouldve bought one 11years ago when I first passed my test when there were loads about and I couldve had my pick of local ones, but tbh I knew nothing about cars then so would likely have ended up with an utter wreck, there were that many about then owning to the newest ones not even being 6years old yet and there couldve been loads of sheds, now I know what im looking out for, a bit more clued up, and surely any that have lasted at least 17years must be decent to have lasted that long?

 

Cavcraft - cheers mate! Im glad someone gets where Im coming from with this. 

I feel i need to own up now. I took the dealer sticker off my Kia when i got it from my grandmother 11 years ago. Gutted now, it was in the line of the rear view mirror. I need to get another one made up. I should have taken a photo of it or something.

[Captain Furious]

Gotta be honest I don't really get the obsession with where its come from or where it 'grew up' - but whatever tickles your fancy.  What I can tell you is that just because it has lasted this long is no indicator of 'half decent'

 

I owned a Mk6 GTi from around a year old, it was meticulously maintained, polished and fettled (I was 21 so I was still excited about washing and polishing) it ended up going to my mum when I got a new car because, in my dads words, it was too good to just practically give it away to someone - she had it for about another 5 years. It still looked immaculate inside and out and I'd have invited any inspection, so I was quite surprised when on its next MOT it needed welding.  A small patch in the floor and some patches on the sills (which were hidden behind the sideskirts) So the work was done and it got another ticket.  By now it is approx. 10 years old and the speed of decline in the following 12 months was breathtaking - it was dissolving before your eyes.  By the time next MOT came round it was spears or reapers.

 

I had one more recently, a W reg Finesse, it was the most solid Escort I'd seen for a long time, even the rear arches were immaculate.  A real freak of nature, I sold it to a friend and within 12 months the chassis rails at the back have started to go and last MOT it needed welding on the sill. 

 

Once they start to go, their demise is rapid and unstoppable.

[sierraman]

The rear legs are double skinned, by the time it's rotted through it's a much bigger repair than anticipated.

 

If you are set on one I'd pay a few hundred more and get one that's rot free cause £200 won't pay for the chassis legs welding up properly.

[bramz7]

I get the fact you want a local car, but if buying multiple old cars in a short timespan has taught me anything, stuff that's locally registered very rarely comes up for sale, and most of the time it's moved somewhere else. 

For example, my AX was sold by Sands of Burnham, which is about 20 miles from me, has a Reading plate etc, but I had to go to Peterborough to get it. 

And this is from the south of England, where older stuff tends to be easier to get. DWs Proton has a Reading plate but it was in north Wales! 

 

If you want a local one, that's been owned by an OAP, start to scan supermarket car parks for something and then leave your details. They may bin it right away, but they may not. No OAPs grandkids are going to want a late 90s Escort anytime soon, unless they're nuts.  

 

 

On the flip side, you might miss out on a really decent car holding out for one that never appears. Maybe going to view one and actually sitting in it might help? 

[Split_Pin]

I hate the Reading 'LBL' plate on my Corsa so one day I'm going to change it for one that says 'LLS', e.g K555LLS. The initials will mean something because the first two are my son's initials and the 'S' will indicate ownership when I give the plate (not the car!) to him whenever he decided he wants and can own a car. Its also a local Falkirk/Stirling mark.

 

So I totally get why you want a Glasgow registered one, its just that its a very tall order!

[sierraman]

I've had banger age Fords for years now, so I can say from experience, once the ends of the arches have gone it's a slippery slope, usually by this point the inner sills will want patching.

 

I bought a Sierra years ago, it was rot free, bearing in mind at the time it was 10 years old, all the ones up here were rusty as fuck. Bought it in Penzance, which despite being coastal, all the cars seemed less rusty than the ones in South Yorkshire.

[Lacquer Peel]

I'd prefer my Berlingo with a local plate, I get it, but I can live with it. Also two digits make up for a lot.

 

[andy18s]

On the flip side, you might miss out on a really decent car holding out for one that never appears. Maybe going to view one and actually sitting in it might help?

That Northants 41k car that i posted up had had 100 knocked off already

Go look with 500 in your pocket and I doubt he'll say no....

edit..post seems to have disappeared.......

[sierraman]

I think in your position you'd be better with a rust free one at £700 than something wanting arches welding on and various other shit at £500. £200 doesn't go far with welding.

 

Although it's a nice idea restoring a mk6 escort, financially it's a waste of money.

[andy18s]

New ad

[sierraman]

That sounds like something decent, previous MOT suggests it's had some welding. If it's done right that's not a problem.

 

Sounds like it's had the arches replaced already, by the looks of it properly.

 

If you can I'd say find one that needs mechanical work over one that needs welding.

[Split_Pin]

If it were my money, I'd just get some plates made up on ebay with logos to 'suggest' it was sold as a used car in the Glasgow area.

 

My Vectra had a London LD mark but had Gillespie of Lenzie plates, in the old style font with Vauxhall logos et al. I still have them.

[egg]

Why not buy the cheapest you can with MOT, drive it, enjoy* it and when it fails take the best bits off it and weigh it in?

 

You may find you've then scratched the itch and can move on.

 

Or, you've got some useful spares for a keeper.

[sierraman]

I'd definitely have a drive of one before committing...

[angle]

I get the fact you want a local car, but if buying multiple old cars in a short timespan has taught me anything, stuff that's locally registered very rarely comes up for sale, and most of the time it's moved somewhere else. 

For example, my AX was sold by Sands of Burnham, which is about 20 miles from me, has a Reading plate etc, but I had to go to Peterborough to get it. 

And this is from the south of England, where older stuff tends to be easier to get. DWs Proton has a Reading plate but it was in north Wales!

 

I have to admit that I do quite like the fact that my Laguna still has its 'Tates of Newhaven' plates and sticker, given it's where I grew up and where my family's first ever new car came from. Thing is, I bought it off SiC, who's a few miles away from where I live now but 150 miles from Newhaven. He bought it from London...

[Hendry]

I get the fact you want a local car, but if buying multiple old cars in a short timespan has taught me anything, stuff that's locally registered very rarely comes up for sale, and most of the time it's moved somewhere else. 

For example, my AX was sold by Sands of Burnham, which is about 20 miles from me, has a Reading plate etc, but I had to go to Peterborough to get it. 

And this is from the south of England, where older stuff tends to be easier to get. DWs Proton has a Reading plate but it was in north Wales! 

 

If you want a local one, that's been owned by an OAP, start to scan supermarket car parks for something and then leave your details. They may bin it right away, but they may not. No OAPs grandkids are going to want a late 90s Escort anytime soon, unless they're nuts.  

 

 

On the flip side, you might miss out on a really decent car holding out for one that never appears. Maybe going to view one and actually sitting in it might help? 

 

To be honest I have noticed that, Ive discovered the registration of say a local registered Escort and checked the sequence of registrations in that batch, generally usually 150 cars in a batch of consecutive registrations, on Cazana to see if they are still on the road, and of that batch of 150 theres maybe half a dozen will bring up a description including pics and a for sale ad from a year or 2 back and usually they are miles away. Sometimes the other end of the country. 

 

Im already on the scouring supermarket car parks for them. Dumfries area seems to be the best place, a lot of old cars down there, regularly see stuff driving about down there that its almost common when you hardly ever see it further north in Glasgow where I am. 

 

I hate the Reading 'LBL' plate on my Corsa so one day I'm going to change it for one that says 'LLS', e.g K555LLS. The initials will mean something because the first two are my son's initials and the 'S' will indicate ownership when I give the plate (not the car!) to him whenever he decided he wants and can own a car. Its also a local Falkirk/Stirling mark.

 

So I totally get why you want a Glasgow registered one, its just that its a very tall order!

 

Yeah its not just about the plate having a Glasgow mark on it like BDS, EGA, LGB, JGD or whatever, its the fact it signifies this car originated in Glasgow, at least started its life here, was bought new here, whether it then when it was 10 years old spent its life in Yorkshire or Wales or wherever doesnt matter, it just needs to have started life in Glasgow.

 

If I simply wanted the car to have a Glasgow "looking" reg id just buy the most decent one I could find and buy a private plate that looks like a Glasgow plate. But thats not the only reason I want a Glasgow one. 

 

I notice in your post further down about sticking plates on it to make it look like it was sold used up here, I dont really want to do that because it hasnt been sold used up here so its a bit "false" and I want it to be plated for a particular dealer because thats where it came from, Id also want it to have been new in Glasgow. Otherwise thatd just make me like those Ford guys who stick Dalblair of Ayr plates on a Merseyside or Greater Manchester registered mk2 Escort, Sapphire Cosworth or whatever which has never ever seen the inside of Dalblairs or been anywhere near it let alone through their hands.

 

A good example is my mate found a mk2 Mondeo on ebay recently, a late one on an X plate, reg was X861KCS, which we know to be sold brand new by Strathford of Kilmarnock because Andy CMS206 off here found a Fiesta Courier on X852KCS in a breakers with original Strathford plates, so he was interested in it, even though it had obviously been sold when less than a year old by a Ford dealer down south because it had their plates in a pre-2001 font. In the end the Mondeo was fucked, I dont mean rotten or rusty, had just been absolutely abused and treated like a builders van, never washed or cleaned, more hits than the beetles, rattled into things on a regularl basis by the looks of it. An Escort like this would be fine too, with a similar background. 

[Lacquer Peel]

https://www.aspergerstestsite.com/aq-test/

 

Sent from my VTR-L09 using Tapatalk

[Vince70]

Just get this one bought with a genuine 24000 on it for under £400, it going to be plate raped (an expensive private plate is always a good sign it belonged to someone who had a bit of money to throw at the thing) so register it a local registration office if it hasn't been shut down.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222612283762

But personally I wouldn't give a monkeys what year or plate it had just buy on condition as its a ford so it will rust so get the best you can afford.

[Captain Furious]

GIB ^

[Sir Snipes]

Spec isn't so hot with that one; no rev counter or front fogs. Are the rear arches grotty? Hard to see on my phone.

[sierraman]

If it's got plenty of MOT run it till it drops. Tidemark of underseal!

[Hendry]

If it were my money, I'd just get some plates made up on ebay with logos to 'suggest' it was sold as a used car in the Glasgow area.

 

My Vectra had a London LD mark but had Gillespie of Lenzie plates, in the old style font with Vauxhall logos et al. I still have them.

 

Meant to pick up on this earlier. Gillespies of Lenzie plates, mega rare, they must not have sold a lot of cars because you hardly ever saw them, especially after 1995 when Tomkins took them over (never changed the name though until Arnie bought Tomkins in its entirety in 2005)

 

Last one i saw was maybe 4 years ago, a genuine minted K reg caribic blue mk3 Astra saloon with proper old school "John Gillespie Motor Engineers" plates on it.