HelloaI've been browsing for a cheap car I might get for someone who's had a bit of a rough time. I've been looking onand also ebay, and have noticed that a Ford Escort year 1999/2000 1.6 petrol (UK model, I guess that goes without saying) seem to have generally positive comments. Perhaps attributed to the type of person buying the car in the first instance? 60k milers go on ebay for around a grand and a half.I've a nice intellectual friend who has worked at a designer at Ford for an age, who in conversation has told me the Focus - although not entirely realised - is actually just an upgraded redesign of the escort, with better styling. Having looked at a couple of old diagrams he brought to me, and after explanation, I see his point.I don't expect an Escort to be fault-free, but have noticed the infamous forum wishbone problem, and rust has been past onto the Focus of that age (T - X) anyway, and for 20,000 miles, a cheap Escort could be a good option for someone who probably can't afford to shell out on too much maintenance, except servicing and running costs for consumables. details some usual complaints in older models, but nothing seems too major. I'm sure some people in the forum here have driven an Escort some time in their lives, so know what to expect of them.The reason for my post is to basically decide if a newish "not fantastic but generally acceptably okay" lowish mileage car would be wiser to purchase than a higher mileage 1996/7ish car. I'm aware this depends on the conditions of the overall car being looked at, but would just like to get a general feel from you all ;)Ta muchly

What? Apart from the 1.8/2.0 engines, and the drum rear brakes, what partsof the Focus are the same as an Escort?I've owned several Escorts, and currently have a '99 Focus which I've ownedfrom new. The Escorts were OK-ish, never giving me major problems. TheFocus is in an entirely different league! It's better it just about everyway.It's more reliable, far more enjoyable to drive, much more comfortable, moredurable with better rust protection, much safer in an accident - you getthe picture?If I was looking for a 500 quid car, I'd consider an Escort. If you have around a grand and a half to spend, not too much more would get you an earlyFocus.WRT your question on high versus low milage cars, generally speaking if thehigher milages have been mostly done on motorways and the car has beenserviced properly it's not a reason to reject a car.Chris

Late Escorts - Good or Bad?

Apr 29, 2007 21 Replies

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Sandy Nuts 19 years ago

The auto adjusters in the pedal boxes were notorious for letting go. That's why they ditched it in the Mk6's and Mk4's respectively.

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Chris Whelan 19 years ago

Yep, that was my point. Changing the adjuster is not a roadside task! I ended up making a couple of special tools to do an Escort one. At the very least you need to remove the driver's seat.

Chris

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