1.6 L reg Ford Escort - opinions?

[DLR]

Now I've posted a whopping 5 posts and have become a 'Full Member', I thought I'd post about something other than Rovers for a change.

 

Friend of my dad has a 1994 Ford Escort he's looking to get shot of. The sort of car that has been in the family from new, used as pensioner's shopping car, household runabout and youngster's learner car. It's a Sapphire, meaning such luxuries as windy windows and a car diagram where the rev counter should be. Only luxury is Power Steering. No rust that I could see, bit there are scuffs and dents and the passenger door lock is buggered after what looks like an atempted break-in.

 

It has a 1.6 engine and has done a genuine 72,000 miles from new. Tax until June, MOT until July sometime.

 

Worth a punt? He only wants £200 for it and if it's only done 72,000 it should have a lot of life left in it. What are people's experiences of this era Escorts?

[vulgalour]

They're yet to acquire the scene tax of older Escorts, but they will eventually because they have that blue oval on the front.  Even so, £200 for a T&T car seems very cheap, I'm sure someone would be happy to relieve you of it.

 

Pictures would help with valuation.

 

I'm going to play the You're Too Far Away card and the I'm Too Skint card pre-emptively as I find these not-too-offensive but really shouldn't acquire any more vehicles.

[trigger]

As long as it's still got sills and wheel arches I can't see how you could go wrong for £200.

[catsinthewelder]

As a new car they were panned for being built down to a price and generally being dull but for £200 it's a bargain if it's not rotten.  They're starting to look quite interesting now that 99 per cent have been scrapped.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

I had one of those for a bit. But it doesn't matter what I thought of it, £200 for a taxed and tested running car is a bargain!

 

1993 Ford Escort 1.6 by cdconelrad, on Flickr

 

As it happens I really liked it. The 1.6 is a nice engine. That car would still be running today if it hadn't dumped all its coolant on the M62.

[DLR]

Bear with me, I'm trying to upload a couple of photos of it but the sheer awesomeness of a Purple Escort keeps sending the laptop into an uncontrollable fit of freezing. It's reset itself three times, how peculiar. Perhaps it prefers loading pictures of a different kind of Escort?

 

Anyway, there are many schools of thought with this - parents want to replace their Sterling with a smaller car as the 2.5 is too expensive to run (means I could have their Sterling if they had it). Or I am looking to replace my Coupe as amongst other things I dislike it, so I think it'd be a refreshing change to the last 3 and a half years of Rover ownership. Plus my sister is 17 in November, girls will drive anything if it's Purple, right?!

 

The next post should contain photographs of the aforementioned vehicle, stand by...

[DLR]

Here it is. Bit of T cut, replace a few of the broken trim bits and replace the passenger door lock and I reckon it'd be transformed into a different car.

[vulgalour]

Not to cast aspersions on your sibling, but a 17 year old girl is going to ruin that.  Those are quite possibly the least crusty arches I've seen on the back of one of these too.

[stuboy]

take battery out and check behind as water washes acid off to bulkhead and rots away!

[Cavcraft]

take battery out and flood interior with water washes, seal off bulkhead and weigh it in!

 

 

EFA.

 

I cannot stand these cars, they're proper desperate, like the very last vehicle you'd buy because there was nothing else available at that price, and even then you'd only want one to get you to work so you could save up for something better. Like a rusty BMX bike. They simply have no redeeming features whatsoever and the interior and the way they drive make will turn you into a Dignitas customer before you get to the end of your street.

 

Still, a useable car for £200 isn't to be sneezed at, assuming you could live with it.

[twosmoke300]

The acid does that cos people cba to refit the plastic battery cover .

[Split_Pin]

Looks tidy for 200 , I'd roll in that! Also, did you say STERLING? Someone/two here will ne taking note! Lord Sterling/ V.tall brad!

[Tetleysmooth]

 

 

'BUY IT NOW'.

[Vince70]

It ticks all the boxes on the autoshite checklist apart from being beige but it looks good in purple so has to be saved..

I've never seen a rust free one, if that was me I wouldn't be thinking about it at £200 it would be leaking oil all over my drive in a flash.

Go for it you know it makes sense if you don't I'm sure there will be an orderly queue waiting to take the Kevscort off your hands.

And we don't want to see a post saying that it's now been scrapped because the glovebox lid had a rattle, you have to save the Kevscort for the posterity of shite motoring and dip it in a big bath of waxoil.

It even comes with a national trust sticker in the window and a full set of ford hubcaps that alone gives the car an 11 out of 10 in my book.

[saucedoctor]

I had one of those, years ago. 1993 car, but the same inside. Went pretty well with the 1600 L1E Zeta. Fuel holding relay went tits up on it, but other than that it was a nice old thing.

For 200 bills you can hardly lose.

[lisbon_road]

Very rare survivor compared with the Astras, 306s and others of that era due to rust.  Total bargain.

 

Go for it and get the waxoyl ready.

[mercrocker]

You should indeed buy this car.  If only because it will break a link in the automotive food-chain that might just  result in one less 14-plated piece of Korean junk being purchased.  

[overrun]

I used to have an 18 TD, that took me everywhere and done everything, on a diet of cherry and chip fat.

I weighed it in because I bought something else and noone would buy it, as it sounded as though the turbo had ingested a handful of bolts and the head had a snapped cam.

 

Rubbish! She ran just fine.

 

IT ALSO HAD AN ELECTRIC SEAT OH YES

 

 

Verdict: I hope you are currently out driving in your new car

[gordonbennet]

£200, get it bought, looks a decent enough motor, treat the rust and enjoy smugly watching your mates incomes vanish via depreciation on their street cred crap.

[CortinaDave]

You can't argue at 200 notes.

 

I've had a few of these and "adequate" is how I'd describe them. Very definitely built down to a price.

 

The later ones N- X reg ones were better generally, but still a bit meh.

 

They're disappearing fast though, used to be a car you'd see umpteen of every day, I see only occasional scrotes these days.

[MrDuke]

Run away.

[gordonbennet]

The 1.6 was OK, 1.8 was superb.

 

The most dismal misery inducing version was the 1.4 lean burn, probably mk4, so dire that they were almost impossible to get on the top deck of the transporter without a run up, not recommended...the only other manual car i recall worse was that fuckin horrid 3 cylinder Corsa used in their thousands by BSM, guess which twat had to defleet thousands of those bastards, was there a more gutless heap of shit than that.

[SambaS]

I fit into the 'had one as first car brigade' who will probably have to pay £10,000 for one when I am in my 40s. I've had two actually. Would have another in a heartbeat.

[Pillock]

Not to cast aspersions on your sibling, but a 17 year old girl is going to ruin that.

I knew a 17-year old girl who ruined a purple Ford Fiesta. Them stains on the seats never did come out right.

 

(Before the police pay me a visit, I was only very slightly older)

[AnthonyG]

I wouldn't want to put you off buying what looks like a bit of a bargain, but if you are serious about your sister driving it, get an insurance quote first.

From what I've heard, new drivers plus 1.6 litre cars equals four figure quotes, even if the 1.6 litre car in question is a 20 year old Escort no one would really want to go over 65 in!

[gordonbennet]

would a new driver be allowed a classic policy?

[Lord Sterling]

Yo Dan_lad. Escorts are pretty miserable to drive tbh, if ya don't like the 2.0 820 Coupe, you'll REALLY dislike this. It's the kind of car that makes you appreciate that you've got something to drive if you had no interest in cars whatsoever.

 

I've been speaking to one of the chaps at work. He has got a Rover 416 hatchback back in England, he is looking to get shot but I can't take it on due to being abroad and possibly taking on a Rover 75. I said I'd try and sell it for him here if he e-mails me the pictures, he is returning to England mid June so it will be offered up then. The only other info I gathered from him is that it gas done 40k , has no tax/MOT, and is located in Nottingham. When the fella gets back to the UK I should have more info by then.

[In The Pit]

I really like these MKV facelift Escorts I had an M reg one ten years ago it was a TD and brilliant on fuel when me and my girlfriend at the time went on a touring/camping holiday we drove from Wales to Scotland and it went great and just sipped the diesel.  Its only really the rust thats the problem other than that they are reliable and the interiors are fairly well made.

I keep seeing a L reg one in dark metallic green with a tan interior parked in the supermarket car park a local car on original dealer plates and not a drop of rust, a man in his 40's drives it would be tempted to take it on if it was cheap.

I remember the Sapphire it was a special edition and was advertised along side the Mistral and I think Equippe, so its a bit rarer than the usual fare.  It looks more burgundy than purple to me but whatever the colour as has been said buy it, waxoil it and enjoy it.

[beko1987]

We drove to Devon once in a mates 1.6. Went well until he backed it into a mound and the boot wouldn't shut.

 

We fixed it later iirc. Met its end being driven into a telegraph pole in the Marlow rugby club car park by his fit mate who he was giving lessons to.

 

We didn't even need to cock block him after that!

 

Tempted myself, they don't look too uncomfortable inside!

[Pete-M]

Awful but cheap and easy to fix.