Hopefully picking this up tomorrow.....

[retrogeezer]

A bit more that I wanted to spend, not as shite as I really wanted, further away than I want it to be.....but it looks so nice I couldn't resist and the brown/beige interior just kept calling me.

 

Hope I'm doing the right thing.

 

 

 

[Guest]

lovely! I'd have a 2-pedal one though. :)Battery tray ok?

[Mad Cyril]

That's gorgeous.Would've been my dream car in '85.(Although I was only 13 and my mother had just taken delivery of a brand new sunburst red 1.1 base model.)

[bigstraight6]

WOW! that looks tidy

[Mr Lobster]

Very nice indeed! I'm feeling a lot more love for '80's Fords as I get older!

[25v6turbo]

Thats lovely,can you confirm its as clean as it looks!!!And ROUGHLY how much was it??Great car.

[shite_meister]

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm that leaves a warm wet feeling in my pants and 'tis a Ghia too. Bloody lovely, you must be well pleased. I suppose you'll have to look after it though else it'll go the same way as all the others.May we ask how much or does a lady never reveal how much she pays for shite?

[retrogeezer]

I haven't seen it in the metal ....got loads of other photos though taken last weekend though.Went straight through a fresh MOT yesterday too so I'm really hoping it is as nice as it looks. It has a full service history up to 42,000 (now done 44,000) and has always been garaged so everything is crossed.I wouldn't usually be so keen on something I haven't actually seen (and 90 miles away) but the photos I have show any imperfections and they don't look to be too much.If it's as clean as it looks - I'll let you know what I paid tomorrow.

[binhoker668]

Tape. Holder. With. Buttons.Awesome. I remember looking at these in the CARS mag and thinking how fully modern and stylish they were! Twas all about those buttons y'know? Kids know important detail when they see it. And what do Ford offer now? A FECKIN PEN HOLDER BY THE GEARSTICK.Sheesh! It's enough ta make ye buy Vauxhall!

[mouseflakes]

These are growing on me too - looks smashing!

[reallyloud]

Yeah these have grown on me too, especially the Ghia version. Odd that it doesn't have alloys, but I think a set of proper Ghia alloys will set this car off perfectly. If you're going to buy one you might as well pay a little over the odds and get a good one. Being a Ford there's no reason why you should get every penny back if you need to get rid of.

[retrogeezer]

AFAIK - these didn't come with alloys....only the XR3i had alloys.

[Dukestar25]

 

Way too good to be on this forum , I dare say a nice set of 'pie-dish' wheels would complete the look just nicely

 

I too would like to know the price of this noble steed...

[reallyloud]

Ah yes. you're quite right! The XR3i wheels are a bit of an aquired choice - look great on the original item but but crap on anything else. I was thinking of these:

 

 

Which are obviously not standard on the escort, but look great.

[retrogeezer]

I prefer the look of the earlier Ghia (and GL) wheels with chrome centres and trim rings....never been a lover of plastic wheel trims:

 

Also like the 3 stripes underneath the door moulding - thats an easyone to do though!

 

 

Wish me luck on my collection mission!

[shite_meister]

Good luck on your collection mission!

[Guest]

I think these would look lovely on the Escort Ghia.

[VWPowered]

That's gorgeous.Would've been my dream car in '85.

+1looks the bomb..

[AXrescuer]

I think these would look lovely on the Escort Ghia.

No good without a link.

[mk1_4dr]

I know this mk3, its spotless

 

Its been to a couple of the RR redbeck meets, and Ive convoyed up to scotch corner with it. The chap, steve, is quite fastidious with his cars. He's got a mint mk2 escort 4dr - 1300 auto. And he either did, or does, have a stripped out 2.8special mk3 cappa

 

mk2 -

 

 

D

[r.welfare]

I say keep it as-is - but I would Those placca trims (which are the proper jobs IIRC) are probably quite rare...although if you got the earlier trim-ringed wheels with tyres and kept the originals in your shed, that would be the best compromise.Did they have the plastic wood on the door trims from launch, or is that an '84MY revision thing (along with the wheels, rear badging etc)?

[Spottedlaurel]

Good luck, looks a fine thing! Amusing that even a Ghia in '84 didn't get electric windows.

[retrogeezer]

Well, after a long day...left at 10.30 and got home at 6pm this car is now sat on my driveway.It's not quite as mint/original as I was hoping, the n/s has had some paint but done to a very high standard. The drivers side has a few scabs on the lower part of the drivers door and on the outer sill. Nothing drastic but needs sorting asap and there are a few bits underneath where the factory underseal has dried up/come away and the water has got underneath so these areas need wire brushing and re-sealing to stop any spread of rust.The exhaust appears to have been patched up a bit too....not by Steve though I'm sure but by the previous owner that obviously got it the car pretty cheap and sold it for a nice profit. It does look lovely though, the interior is spotless and a very nice place to be. It drove really well on the motorway, very quite and smooth although the suspension is rather soft (not helped by the high winds on the M62!)And it's a genuine 45,000 miler.....has a service book and about 10 old MOT's to back it up.So now I have this and the uber-reliable but slightly boring spazda 323. I'm gonna bung the 323 through the MOT to see if it needs much and go from there.Oh, and the scene tax Ford price.....I paid £800 with a years MOT and 6 months Tax so £700 for the car in real terms. A bit too much maybe but you don't see them looking like this too often.RW - I think the door cappings were on the Mk3 ghia from launch and I'll check tomorrow but I think it might be 'proper' wood.

[Owain-328i]

Marvelous! A mk3 Escort with a 1600 CVH. Ive had a few CVH's, only thing i'l say is regular oil changes is a must in these as they clog up real easy and get very rattly/tappety if not maintained. Another thing to bear in mind is that its quite a modern lump in some respects, so it doesnt want/like thick oil. 10w40 semi synth all the way!Loving it, my grandad had a similar one, but a Y reg i belive and it was a 1.3 GL in light green. Good cars.

[Mash]

You know, I really don't think that's over the odds at all for such a lovely example. It'd be well over twice that at one of the cla**ic dealers such as Percivals or somewhere. In my current (long term) 80s nostalgia-fest, Fords are also featuring pretty highly on my approval list, especially in this orginal state.Looks a damn fine buy to me. I love the wheeltrims; I remember them coming out. Wonder if ther are any Lasers left in this sort of condition. They were a similar spec weren't they?

[Spottedlaurel]

I agree, sounds a good price. Effectively £700 as you say, then an MoT is £50. Even on a Ford, where parts are cheaper than what I'm used to, you're not going to get a £250-odd cheapo up to that sort of condition.Makes an interesting comparo with the Mk2 Ghia that Ratdat's just bought.

[retrogeezer]

Makes an interesting comparo with the Mk2 Ghia that Ratdat's just bought.

I missed that one...was there a thread?

[Mash]

Makes an interesting comparo with the Mk2 Ghia that Ratdat's just bought.

I missed that one...was there a thread?

Yep:http://www.autoshite.com/forum/viewtopi ... c&start=15scroll down a bit for the Ezz

[r.welfare]

Even on a Ford, where parts are cheaper than what I'm used to, you're not going to get a £250-odd cheapo up to that sort of condition.

Absolutely. That seems pretty good for 800 sheets, personally; if you're a perfectionist it's always better to start with a decent base, and this one looks worth the extra.

[andrew e]

Worth all the money