One-owner '88 Escort 1.6GL FS - to be mine? Extra pic's

[Spottedlaurel]

The daughter of the 89yo owner of this rang me this morning, to say her mother is giving up driving and the car needs a new home.

 

1988 Ford Escort 1.6GL 5dr by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

1988 Ford Escort 1.6GL 5dr by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

44,000 miles from new, purchased from the local dealers and barring the odd bit of grot and minor damage she looks to have kept it in remarkably good condition. I had a chat with the owner when I took these photos last year, she's a lovely old lady and I'd like to help her find this a deserving home. Tax end April, MoT 5th April so enough to get it home and run it around for a bit.

 

Daughter didn't know what price to ask, I suggested £400-500 and she seemed to suggest they'd be happy with less than that. Old enough to insure as a classic (the car that is), if I hadn't just bought another Camry I'd be going for it myself at about £350. It's not advertised anywhere else right now, and the daugther said she'd give me a few days before they tried to sell it elsewhere.

 

Wuvvum, is your fleet maxed out right now?

[retrogeezer]

Where is it SL??? I wouldn't mind that myself....but it's probably miles away.

[Spottedlaurel]

Attleborough, Norfolk. There's a station there (or nearby in Diss or Norwich), then you've got an easy journey back home. Don't even have to faff around with taxing it.

 

I just did the opposite, going across to Gloucester to collect something I'd never seen before. Think of it as an adventure!

[retrogeezer]

I don't suppose you can remember what the sills and rear arches were like??

 

It's all Mr B's fault you know - this Bluebird just seems to be bombproof so I'm loathe to change it!

[Spottedlaurel]

I didn't have a thorough look, I would say not perfect but a lot better than they could be.

[retro80sboy]

ooooh nice.

 

I would be well interested in that, a long way from me though sadly.

 

Im still very tempted though....

[Angrydicky]

That looks lovely. I wouldn't worry about the distance - just buy an off peak train ticket and some breakdown cover, head down there and drive it back!

 

It would be a shame to see it end up with some mouth-breather who would run it into the ground and weigh it in within the year.

[Cavcraft]

Bloody lovely. Look at the door shut and the interior trim, that's a very genuine car and GR8 value I reckon.

[Angrydicky]

Bloody lovely. Look at the door shut and the interior trim, that's a very genuine car and GR8 value I reckon.

 

Agreed. Garaged too by the look of it.

[Spottedlaurel]

I’m sure if someone’s desperate I can arrange to go and see the car again and get a few more photos. But for that money I think any serious prospective buyer would just go for it. The tax alone is worth over £50, that makes this a £300-ish car. Bargain.

[trigger]

That is a bargain, If i was in the market for a cheap runabout at the moment I'd be all over that, The 1600 CVH's in these are a pretty nippy lump from memory and you just know that this one hasn't been ragged.

[retrogeezer]

£60 for a train ticket and £40 odd quid for fuel to get back still make it pretty reasonable. Short MOT though......shall have to give this more thought.

 

Anyone Norfolk way interested in a Bluebird??

[Shep Shepherd]

Tempting!

[Guest]

I'm going to have to pass, looks well worth the money though - that 1.6 GL I had for a week was bloody great. Quite fast too.

[In The Pit]

Bargain and as its an old Ford it can only keep going up in value. I used to have a MKIV 1.4 totally reliable and a nice drive too.

[wuvvum]

Ooh, that does look rather tidy. Sadly the shite fund is rather depleted at the moment, or I'd be seriously tempted.

[andrew e]

If you want Escort Shite, there is a mark 3 XR3i on a hiab outside WN Thomas metals in Slough - its not been fragged *yet* its scabby close up, oh and the windscren and bonnet are now borked... missing its front later velvet seats too. Has teledials, and a back flash! Dunno if thet would part with it, or bits...

[andrew e]

Sorry about the long range shot, this took all my technical wizardy to post! The close up focused ones could not bee extrated off the phone half way through a 12 hour shift...

 

[andrew e]

Some slighty better shots

 

 

[Lord Sterling]

Some slighty better shots

 

 

Damn, thats a shame. I love these Escorts, particularly with those 4-pot alloys. I'd love one of those, that would be great to pretend to be a teen from early 90's with "curtains" style haircut, baggy white jeans and 2 Unlimited blasting through its speakers.

 

I was once offered a Rover 200 Coupe by some breakers as i took an interest in it whilst they were offloading it from the back of thier flatbed, alas I didnt take it due to space issues, though had it been one of them, I would have certainly made/found space.

[ProgRocker]

That looks like a nice one indeed.

 

I owned a 1.4 GL on a D reg in silica gold in the late 90s that had the optional £400 ABS.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Some slighty better shots

 

 

 

 

How utterly stupid. Even tatty that would have made 600 quid - these things have just gone now.

[retro80sboy]

 

How utterly stupid. Even tatty that would have made 600 quid - these things have just gone now.

 

well worth that for bits alone id say.

 

I hope that someone saves it.

[Richard]

Is there really a demand for these things?

[Spottedlaurel]

What the XR or the rather nice GL?

 

Don’t know about the former, but the car I’m trying to find a home for seems well worth the money to me. I’d happily spend a similar amount on something Japanese in this condition and age (indeed, I just did with my latest Camry and I knew that was in need of repair work).

[Richard]

I meant the XR3, I was just shocked that a rusty, barried, damaged and incomplete Mk3 Escort could be worth more than weigh-in money.

 

The 1.6GL is a nice old thing and well worth the asking price.

[Pete-M]

I meant the XR3, I was just shocked that a rusty, barried, damaged and incomplete Mk3 Escort could be worth more than weigh-in money.

 

The only non-original thing I can see on that other than the stripe is the stupid rear reflector thing.

 

Is that enough to get something classed as "Barried"?

[Richard]

I suppose not- but it's still incomplete, rusty and damaged. The scrappy obviously sees some value in it though, otherwise it would have been fragged by now.

[Spottedlaurel]

So, any interest? I’m hoping to go and have a look at it this week and I’ve had a chat with a local friend who does bodywork. Wonder if there’s some Doctor style potential for moving it on?

 

However, if there’s a shiter out there who wants to go for it I’d be pleased if they would.

 

On a related note, there’s a really tidy G-reg Nova 4dr just parked up outside the office – should I go and have a chat with the old lady owner of that too?...

[Spottedlaurel]

I went and saw it again yesterday and agreed a price to buy this for myself, all being well the plan is to attend to some bits on the bodywork (mainly the inevitable rear arches plus OAP parking damage) then move it on with a fresh MoT having had a few weeks use out of it. A pleasant thing to drive actually, and looking in the brochure I was surprised at the decent economy and (just) sub-10sec 0-60 they're capable of.

 

If anyone wants to step in and take it on before I add money to it, and get put down as the second owner, then please do get in touch.

 

Looks like this will be my first ever Ford by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

1988 Ford Escort 1.6GL by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

1988 Ford Escort 1.6GL by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr