Hi,
Browsing thru car ads I see a few Ford Escort wagons. They all have just over 100K miles, for some reason.
How long will an Escort last over 100K miles? Assuming it was fairly weill maintained in its lifetime so far.
I like the escorts because of the wagon with hatchback, and also the good mpg.
Thanks.
depending on the year they have transmission issues & ignition switch issues. IMO I'd stay away from them.
The Ford Escort was made for many years, and over the years a lot of very different cars were sold under the same name. Some are okay, some are just awful.
It's true, you don't get a lot of configurations like that. Find out what the good years and the bad years of the Escort were and look for one of the good years. For God's sake don't look at any of the crap they sold under the Escort name in the eighties and early nineties. Try and get a manual transmission and try and get one with a maintenance log.
The problem with buying lower-end cars is that they tend to have been owned by people who didn't have the money to do proper maintenance, so while the car may be fine, the chances that it's been well maintained are reduced.
Whatever you do, change ALL the fluids and filters as soon as you get it unless you have absolute proof that they have been done on schedule.
--scott
Eh, they are what they are- low-end econoboxes. If the fluids look clean, and the car still feels tight, and the car is what you need for what you need to haul, you could do worse. I would not pay more than a couple of grand for one, though. Much higher than that, and you can find a Honda or Toyota wagon from the same era, if you look hard enough.
Good thing I sold my '93 ;-) Actually, it got 32 mpg and went right up some very steep grades with four humans and two big dogs with that little 1.9L engine. But I sold mine when it had only about 45,000 miles on it. I have Ford trucks with way over 200K miles and they are solid and dependable. But I would not buy a Ford car with that many miles. My guess is 100K is about all you can expect to get without replacing the engine etc.
Maybe. But if you go to cars.com and plug in Ford Escort you'll find plenty with +200 miles. You might think they are their second/third engine. I don't.
--Vic
I _think_ the 1.9L is the good one, and it's not the one that blew cylinder heads constantly. Don't quote me on that... call a junkyard and ask if they have any good heads.... if they say "we got about fifty blocks but no heads" you know it's the model you want to stay away from.
--scott
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