Mk6 Escorts

[Split_Pin]

That's a bit rotten! I have the 1991 Ford Cars brochure and I'm sure the GLX Escort is in the green you are talking about!

[Hendry]

The so called higher spec bumpers was fitted to TD and automatic models to give increased cooling.

 

Cranking one of those for 60 seconds on a cold morning before bursting into life and clagging fuck out the whole street is a pipe dream of mine, if a little ironic.

 

Ironic how? lol

 

Besides you really need a smiley Transit 2.5 DI Banana engine for doing shit like that. 

 

The special editions were often done by region - I remember 3 or 4 pages brochure/hand-outs for things like 'Cabaret' and 'Acapulco' with Ford Wales and West stamped on them when I worked for a Aberystwyth main dealers. They were all based on CLs (which was equivalent of 'L' on the Mk6) and LX's.

 

I would humbly suggest if you're looking for a specific spec model purchased from the right dealer for a not very durable car that was last made 17 years ago, you'll be looking for quite a while.

 

I don't mind Escorts, I drove quite a few Mk5s and 6's back in the day and they were fine. I'd have one over something like a Proton or Sunny any day. I would avoid the early ones (H and J with the non-oval grille) though, the Zetec engine made quite a difference.

 

Think some special editions were region specific like the Osprey one I mentioned, its almost guaranteed that if you spot one of these it will be Scottish registered. Others like the Cabaret were definitely nationwide because I remember Scottish registered versions of these as well. 

 

As for not finding a not very durable car last made 17 years ago from the correct dealer and looking for a while, its possible I will be but one will turn up eventually, after all my mate unearthed a 1998 Escort with 56,000 miles, tidy condition (and not just for an Escort/90s Ford, but in general it puts my 2009 VAG shite to shame rust wise) its a local car, was sold new by his nearest dealer and still wears their plates and sticker. 

 

As evidenced by Flickr there are loads of local Escorts still about anyway, no surprise really when they outsold the Focus about 4-1 here when they were sold alongside each other, its just waiting till one comes up for sale at the right time. Cazana has shown there have been loads of low mileage ones locally registered sold in the last year or 2 from long term ownership spanning 10-15 years, low mileage, and soon, as in less than a year, after changing owners, they are suddenly without tax or mot, i.e. scrapped. 

 

The thing I find weird is I had assumed anything scrapped and had a CoD issued after the system went computerised would suddenly vanish if you put in its reg, with no vehicle found or vehicle doesnt exist coming up, unlike older cars which got scrapped years and years ago just showing expired tax and mot, these recent scrapped cars show MOT and tax as unavailable rather than expired but havent been wiped from the DVLA where these companies get their info from like cars with a CoD issued should do. 

 

I actually think, were it not for the fact it might annoy a fair few, that there could be a whole thread dedicated to shite Ford Special* Editons 1990 to 1999.

 

Lets do it, thats a great idea, im genuinely interested and intrigued by Ford special editions just for the useless knowledge of it. 

 

In 1991, my ma was due a new lease car.

Naturally 12 year old me sat down with all the brochures and "helped" her choose an Escort GLX in light metallic green.

 

Weeks later I clocked a letter to the fleet manager she'd written to order said Escort. It was sat there, on the table. "I would like to confirm my order for blah blah blah Escort GLX blah blah green blah"

 

We finally went to take back her MK4 Escort and pick up the new one.... To be met with an Astra GL! In flippin' Appliance White! She'd changed her mind, seen an awful review of the Escort but instead of telling me she led me on. That letter? Fake! She wrote it and left it lying around just to trick me!

 

In fairness, if it was a mk3 Astra she got, then she probably picked well because the mk3 was a better car than the mk5 Escort, my old man had a 1991 H plate Orion, then a 1997 R mk3 Astra, and considering both cars were pitched at the same market, direct competition/rivals to each other, introduced at the same time and the mk3 Astra by 97 on a facelift/phase 2 was even less updated than the 95 mk6 Escort compared to the mk5/b, The 97 Astra had the same interior, dash, door panels, infact the interior wasnt changed at all on them, and outside it was a new grille, a black boot panel, tinted tail lights, new mirrors, clear indicators and still it was a far superior car to the 1991 Orion in every way.

 

The Escorts just hold a nostalgia and character for me that the Vauxhalls never had, but I could totally see why a non car person who picked a car based on logic and sensible factors would pick an Astra, they mustve been one of if not the best medium sized hatch back then, far better than these newer ones not just in reputation then compared with now but in real terms too, whether Vauxhalls have become even more shite, other stuff has improved or a combination of both ive no idea. But the Escort definitely was bought new by Ford fans, people whod always liked Fords or always had them, and people who had an affection for them, or bought because it was a Ford/for the badge on it, anyone else knew a mk3 Astra or a 306 was the car to buy. Luckily for Ford hundreds of thousands of people fell into the former category. Me myself I know Escorts are shite, I know there are better cars, ive never claimed otherwise, i just like them for some reason and thus I want one. 

[Hendry]

I would heart this particular car:

 

1998 Ford Escort Finesse 16v by Alan Gold, on Flickr

[SiC]

One thing that can't be denied or disliked is that it has a very happy expression on its front. It's a stark contrast to all the very angry looking cars you see nowadays.

 

I've never driven one but it's one car that I've never liked or cared for them ever. I just see them as disposable pieces of 4 wheeled garbage that when something goes wrong you just bin it and buy another. Might just also be that they were rusty, unreliable, shit bangers even back when I learning to drive around 2003.

 

But of course it's not what I like, it's what you like!

 

Cheap enough to buy and then frag it when the honeymoon period wears off. Frag it because I'd be surprised if anyone would want to buy it. They're in the same territory as the Megane I nowadays.

[Hendry]

Or any of these:

 

1996 FORD ESCORT MASQUERADE by Ed McGarvey, on Flickr

 

1998 FORD ESCORT SI by Ed McGarvey, on Flickr

 

1997 FORD ESCORT ENCORE by Ed McGarvey, on Flickr

 

1999 FORD ESCORT FINESSE by Ed McGarvey, on Flickr

 

1998 Ford Escort 1.6 CL by kie123, on Flickr

 

Dalblair of Ayr Ford by kie123, on Flickr

 

1995 Ford Escort LX by David Kedens, on Flickr

 

1996 Ford Escort Encore Estate by Cailean Shields, on Flickr

 

2001 Ford Escort Finesse (2) by Cailean Shields, on Flickr

 

2001 Ford Escort Finesse by Cailean Shields, on Flickr

 

N74 PHS by Andy Campbell, on Flickr

 

Clanford of Paisley by Andy Campbell, on Flickr

 

Strathford by Andy Campbell, on Flickr

 

https://flic.kr/p/D5vSKc

 

Dalblair of Ayr - 1998 by CUL197Vinnie, on Flickr

 

1998 Dalblair of Ayr dealer sticker! by CUL197Vinnie, on Flickr

 

First Ford tax disc holder by CUL197Vinnie, on Flickr

 

2000 AA Tax disc wallet from Clark of Kilbirnie Escort by CUL197Vinnie, on Flickr

 

2000 Ford Escort Finesse, W242 ACS by CUL197Vinnie, on Flickr

 

Strathford "Simply the best!" - 1999 by CUL197Vinnie, on Flickr

 

Peoples of Paisley dealer sticker by CUL197Vinnie, on Flickr

 

Clanford of Paisley dealer sticker by CUL197Vinnie, on Flickr

 

Strathford dealer sticker 1999 / 2000 by CUL197Vinnie, on Flickr

 

First Ford by Andy Campbell, on Flickr

 

Clark of Kilbirnie by Andy Campbell, on Flickr

 

Peoples: Committed to You by Andy Campbell, on Flickr

 

First Ford by Andy Campbell, on Flickr

 

First Ford by Andy Campbell, on Flickr

 

There is even a spectacularly fucked R reg local plated Escort Silhouette sitting up by my local train station and has sat there for about 5 years, was parked outside a block of flats across the road for a while before that, and was used before that but unfortunately its so rotten I wouldnt think it was saveable.

 

This is it actually, Andy CMS206 has taken a photo of it, still sitting in the same spot even more rusty than in the pic:

 

R624 SCS by Andy Campbell, on Flickr

 

The more I think of it the more I think I might want an Escort because of the dealers, the plates, stickers and so on, the memories and reminders growing up, being in and seeing and passing those dealerships and always seeing mk6 Escorts. 

[Shep Shepherd]

I used to implore anyone I knew who bought one of these back in the day to make their Job #1 getting a copious amount of rustproofer in and around the rear wheelarches. Was my advice taken up by any of them? Was it f*ck 

 

Personally, I don't have any strong positive or negative feelings towards the last Escorts. Different strokes for different folks.

[Split_Pin]

Love those plates man!

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Christ, I'd forgotten how depressing these were. Escort 1.6 Black Dog limited edition. Very limited.

 

The 3 door Si looks sort of alright, 4 doors, Estates and Onions just reek of poverty, misery and fat blokes in football shirts. 

[Craig the Princess]

Just seen this on Facebook, I know it's not a mk6 but it looks cool and is a fwd escort.

[oldcars]

Old dealer plates are so much nicer, its like a bit of thought has gone into them.

[Split_Pin]

I've got a Serck plate from a MK3 Escort, A997HLS with a small People's sticker applied over the original Laidlaw script. Must dig it out.

[sierraman]

My father borrowed a 1.6D Escort 3 door when I was a kid, wasn't impressed.

 

Have you found an Escort yet Hendry?

[Datsuncog]

This was my Mk6 Escort. Reversed into a wall six months after buying it; and owned it for another four years looking like a train had hit it. Originally on an N plate, re-registered in Northern Ireland as RBZ 1510 (non-transferable plate, for some reason). Never let me down, and the Zetec was lively enough. Did me six house moves in that time, including from Brighton back to Belfast (pulling a trailer). Sold it for £180 with two month's MOT, and no chance of passing another due to rust.

[Hendry]

Old dealer plates are so much nicer, its like a bit of thought has gone into them.

 

Yeah a lot of places just stopped bothering. The other thing was with the demise of a lot of small independents and the increase in places like Evans Halshaw and Arnold Clark and Parks they just had a unified plate design, even when Arnold Clark was a tiny wee company in the 70s they still just had the Arnold Clark script logo and thats it. There would be some exceptions occaisionally, probably influenced by the manufacturers, new Toyotas and VWs from AC usually have a proper dealer sticker and not the yellow AC one. 

 

Arnold Clark Helensburgh when it was Ford never ever used the generic AC plates, and other times like with Mazdas, VWs and Nissans the AC logo would be blue with a manufacturer logo beside but still bland as fuck. 

 

Rules and regs totally killed it though when they said nothing was allowed on plates after 2008 other than the BSAU145D mark in the corner and the name and postcode of the plate maker, so dealers could no longer put manufacturer logos, phone numbers or slogans on the plates. 

 

I've got a Serck plate from a MK3 Escort, A997HLS with a small People's sticker applied over the original Laidlaw script. Must dig it out.

 

Peoples were really bad for this. Remember a time when every dealer did it rather than fit new plates? After they all stopped Peoples carried on, my uncle had a G plate Orion 1.4 LX bought from Peoples in Rutherglen in 92/93 and it had a Peoples sticker over the original name, and around 99/2000 a guy my mum and dad worked with who lived round the corner bought a 98 R Escort 1.6 LX from them and it was still the same. Only it didnt really work on that cars original plates because it was an Alexanders car from new so at either corner of the plate the little A with the prancing lion was visible. But yet my cousin had an L reg Escort 1.4 iL from them in 99 as well and theyd bothered to change the plates. 

 

The other telltale if a car was sold new by Peoples or not was the Peoples tailgate badge, all the stuff they sold new seemed to have it, like that R280DGB Escort in one of the pics I posted, but stuff they sold 2nd hand didnt even if it was sold at the same time as the brand new stuff. Dunno the logic behind that, either fit everything with one or dont bother. 

 

This was my Mk6 Escort. Reversed into a wall six months after buying it; and owned it for another four years looking like a train had hit it. Originally on an N plate, re-registered in Northern Ireland as RBZ 1510 (non-transferable plate, for some reason). Never let me down, and the Zetec was lively enough. Did me six house moves in that time, including from Brighton back to Belfast (pulling a trailer). Sold it for £180 with two month's MOT, and no chance of passing another due to rust.

 

1996 Ford Escort 1.6 LX.jpg

 

It must be a thing with cars with private plates, I had an Astra that was new as DV05EKY, when it was about 8/9 months old it went onto N9TJF, then when the previous owner traded it in and transferred his plate off it, the DVLA gave it back DV05EKY, but there was a special note on the V5 saying non transferable registration mark. 

 

The ones which are even weirder is when they go from a normal plate to a private plate and then back to a normal plate again and dont get issued with their original mark again even though its available, usually they get the original plate back but sometimes they dont, when I worked for Arnie Clark we sold a few Scottish reg Fiats obviously, then were then private plated, traded back in and the reg would go from like SM07ZBE its original plate, to stuff like CU07KOW. 

[Pillock]

 

 

 

In fairness, if it was a mk3 Astra she got, then she probably picked well because the mk3 was a better car than the mk5 Escort, my old man had a 1991 H plate Orion, then a 1997 R mk3 Astra, and considering both cars were pitched at the same market, direct competition/rivals to each other, introduced at the same time and the mk3 Astra by 97 on a facelift/phase 2 was even less updated than the 95 mk6 Escort compared to the mk5/b, The 97 Astra had the same interior, dash, door panels, infact the interior wasnt changed at all on them, and outside it was a new grille, a black boot panel, tinted tail lights, new mirrors, clear indicators and still it was a far superior car to the 1991 Orion in every way.

 

 

Naaaah, MK3 Astras didn't come in until 1992 and they swapped to LS/GLS in the range rather than L/LX/GL of the Mk2 so the first Mk5 Escorts were head to head with the MK2 Astra which is what she got (H112XRC).

 

The Escort would have been better, the MK2 Astra was well old by that point and it showed. Dash design was poor, it was rattly and bare inside. But, I don't think she was that smitten with her MK4 Escort LX so it's didn't take much encouragement to hop the fence and try a Vauxhall

[Shep Shepherd]

Just seen this on Facebook, I know it's not a mk6 but it looks cool and is a fwd escort.

FB_IMG_1502190187134.jpg

 

My horrible maternal grandparents had an Escort identical to that one. It was a retirement gift to my horrible grandfather from his firm in 1985.

[Pete-M]

Having owned a Mk3 Golf GTi and a Mk6 Escort GTi I feel qualified to state that - they really don't.

 

Can't speak for the Mk4.

I currently drive a 16 yr old Golf V6. It drives 1000 times better than any Mk6 Escort did when new.

[Pillock]

Just seen this on Facebook, I know it's not a mk6 but it looks cool and is a fwd escort.

FB_IMG_1502190187134.jpg

That is local, with an AU reg and a Class 58 both pointing to the coalfields of Nottingham.

 

In fact I can tell you that Escort was sold through the Hooleys dealer in Nottingham. If you zoom in, CSI style, you can just make out a tiny H between the numbers and letters on the reg plate. It's not a screwhole as it's in the middle, but that dealer always used to put a little H there in the early 80s. My grandparents friends down their road had an A reg Sierra with the same H

[Pete-M]

 

 

A chap here at work has a nice, honest looking MK5 RS2000 and it's great. Will try to grab a picture.

 

I had a J plate Mk5 RS2000 for 6 months. It was a huge amount better to drive than any of the other Mk5s. Ford spent massive amounts of money making the RS2000 into a decent driving hottish hatch.

 

Then, naturally, they f**ked it all up within about 18 months with the Mk6 RS2000 which was crap in comparison.

[vaughant]

I was lead to believe the very late ones (up to X reg) were made in the Jaguar plant, and were of a much better build quality. When I worked at the rental place, we had a load of X reg ones (because they were cheap) with the intercooled turbo diesel, and I remember them being a decent car. Not fantastic, but well worth a try.

 

Get one bought. What's the worst that could happen?

 

Yes pretty sure they were built at halewood but that did nothing for the quality, they were pants but they met the design brief ford set, cheap and cheerful motoring. Reliable, roomy relatively comfy and didn't look too bad. Set the world on fire? Very much doubt it but they were good steers in their day and did use to sell second hand very well.

 

 

BUT.

 

 

Now their banger money at best because there's so many better cars than them around even from that era, they were no match for the Astra mk3 back in the day and to me represent the worst ever years for ford when the bad car crime of the time meant no real exciting models bought it for years, no hot MK4 fiestas, only the very poor rs2000 to fly the flag, absolute junk.

 

Even the very worst focus will be very than one in every way, it will be a very short itch to scratch I'm sure.

 

Last one I had was just a nail to get around in, 1.4 flight or something, taken in p/X against an Alfa 156 twin spark thing.(forgot I owned an Alfa, certainly not life changing).

It had already had £7/800 spent to get it mot'ed through some government scheme to get people back to work (which when you think that the scrappage scheme was running at the same time surely makes it a bit of a juxtaposition?) and was truly dire Inn both performance and economy.

 

It did actually break down once going up a hill when the cat blocked. I ended up cutting the cat out which transformed the car, was much better on fuel and then really revvy, went ok then. Rescued my apprentice in his 5 years old Clio many times when it just refused to start in the cold.

 

Sold out when the MOT ran out for about £200 as scrap was mental at the time.

 

I always liked the vans but everyone I had failed in some way or another and without a turbo were painful on hills etc. Amazing on fuel though, made walking look expensive.

 

If I was forced to own one (shitter spec, not the obvious rs2000) it would be a late TD in Ghia/Ghia X spec then you can amaze your friends by telling them the service was faster 50-70 than an escort cosworth!!!! Because true.

[vaughant]

This was my Mk6 Escort. Reversed into a wall six months after buying it; and owned it for another four years looking like a train had hit it. Originally on an N plate, re-registered in Northern Ireland as RBZ 1510 (non-transferable plate, for some reason). Never let me down, and the Zetec was lively enough. Did me six house moves in that time, including from Brighton back to Belfast (pulling a trailer). Sold it for £180 with two month's MOT, and no chance of passing another due to rust.

 

1996 Ford Escort 1.6 LX.jpg

 

That picture alone sums up what owning a mk 6 escort is all about, a lack of care motoring, bump it? So what, as long as it keeps going. Fusebox fubared? Bypass relevant circuits using whatever wiring is available at the time OBVIOUSLY!!!

 

Add is usual on anyone that's still going now must be either mint or had a weldathon at some point in is life.

 

Get one with 12 months MOT on it and work out what to buy next.

[Sir Snipes]

Personally, I'd be very weary of an early Focus. I've seen a few in the trade that have run up big bills; usually anything that entails stripping apart that fancy suspension. I don't recall driving a new one but I doubt they're all that special to drive now they're old clunkers with tired suspension and bushes and rusty arches. I'd have a cheap Escort '6 or Astra F/G over a Focus.

[overrun]

I had a TD 5dr Mk6. It was basically matte white. Ran on cherry and chip fat and had no tumblers in the door locks.

Something that came in handy when the 'bouncing' central locking locked me out with it running, and I flagged a police Focus down and persuaded the WPC to lend me her key - complete with a drum of cherry in me boot.

 

That car went surprisingly well, but always sounded like a skeleton wanking in a filing cabinet.

 

It was also the only car of mine that anyone tried to nick!

They bent the OSF door back and used the rear wiper arm to smash the steering cowling off (when the boot was full of tools). The failed to 'black box' it and PATS saved the day!

 

When I replaced it, no one wanted to buy it. So I cashed the tax and smashed it into a few walls and ground it down some barriers, on the drive to frag it.

Shame.

 

P959 WDW (iirc). See ya! (Still have the working torch key)

[fordperv]

Here's father fps mk6 that I weighed in about 3 years ago as it had terminal rot, the chassis legs, under the rear bumper and under the fuel tank were all rotten, im sure off the top of my head it was a finesse

 

[Split_Pin]

One things for sure, Vauxhall must have been livid when Ford launched the Focus about a year after the MK4 Astra which was 198% more dull. Just compare the dashboards of each car for a start.

[sierraman]

Personally, I'd be very weary of an early Focus. I've seen a few in the trade that have run up big bills; usually anything that entails stripping apart that fancy suspension. I don't recall driving a new one but I doubt they're all that special to drive now they're old clunkers with tired suspension and bushes and rusty arches. I'd have a cheap Escort '6 or Astra F/G over a Focus.

I'd have Focus any day over the Escort, the Mk1s we've had handle like shit to a bedsheet, piece of piss to work on, do 40mpg all day long.

 

The fact there's considerably more T plate Focus' than there are T plate Escorts speaks volumes.

[BorniteIdentity]

The fact there's considerably more T plate Focus' than there are T plate Escorts speaks volumes.

 

S plates would be a much fairer comparison. 

[Sir Snipes]

I'd have Focus any day over the Escort, the Mk1s we've had handle like shit to a bedsheet, piece of piss to work on, do 40mpg all day long.

 

The fact there's considerably more T plate Focus' than there are T plate Escorts speaks volumes.

eBay has a dozen Escorts, including vans and cabys, and 2 Focus. Autotrader has one of each.

 

Try changing rear springs on an early Focus!

[Sir Snipes]

I think we can all agree anything ford has done doesn't even come close to the awesomeness of an 8v Astra H or G.

[sierraman]

I'd counter that with try finding an Escort without the rear chassis legs resembling Weetabix. Not an easy job to weld up either.