This is my very first car. Not even passed my driving test yet however during my <1 year of driving I can honestly say this is the best car I have driven. With most other cars there is something wrong with driving the car however this is the ultimate driving experience.
My car is a Mk4 1987 Ford Escort Popular 1.3 Petrol. It has 4 gears + reverse and is a basic 3 door hatchback. It had done just under 30,000 miles when I got it which is practically nothing for a car that age and was in mint condition as my uncle rarely drove it.
The petrol usage is average. I can put about £10 per week and it runs well. I go out a fair bit when someone has the time to take me out.
At first I could not drive it, not because I am a terrible driver but because my dad took a spark plug out so I could not drive it before I turned 17. It took be a couple of months to get behind the wheel as I kept delaying the purchase of insurance but when I finally got behind the wheel it was great.
I just took it round the block at first and then went out more often. I particularly like the gearbox and the clutch. The cars I have driven prior to this one have had short stubby gear sticks which I find really annoying but this one has one nearly a foot long making it easier to change.
The clutch is not too high as again, most cars I have driven has a clutch which you have to move about 20cm before the car actually moves. This makes it brilliant for when you need to speed infront of someone when you are accidentally in the wrong lane.
Due to it being 20 years old it has no power steering however I find that this gives me a better feel when turning. It is, however, quite bad for parallel parking and due to there being quite a bit of turning involved, I would not recommend taking a practically driving test in this car.
One problem I found was that the the fan belt wore quickly. About a month after using this car I needed to change the fan belt and approxiomately 4 months after the change, I found it making a noise. I have not adjusted it or had a look at it yet as I rarely enough time and when I do it is too dark but it seemed to make the noise mainly when it was wet or cold.
The car has a manual choke which I find really annoying. It has trouble running when cold and you have to run it for about 5 minutes before you can put the choke back in. It has on rare occassions stalled due to the temperature.
When I first got the car it had an old radio which did not even have a tape player or FM radio. I soon got this changed with a CD player which runs brilliantly after using an adaptor. The other electricals are good too. The heater warms up relatively quickly which is useful in these winter months and the rear window heater is a lifesaver.
I would definately recommend this car to anyone who needs a cheap to run vehicle. It is perfect for a first car and good for people who appreciate the attributes of a semi-old car.
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Advantages: No timing belt (1.3 only) - cheaper to maintain, Lots of parts and garages around. Many models, colours to choose from a many different prices/ages. Disadvantages: Common, everyday car
pontyslapper 22.12.2000 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Ford Escort 1.3
Advantages: No timing belt (1.3 only) - cheaper to maintain, Lots of parts and garages around. Many models, colours to choose from a many different prices/ages. Disadvantages: Common, everyday car
pontyslapper 22.12.2000 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Ford Escort 1.3
Dec 16th, 2007
(Jan 10th, 2008)
very helpful by (67%):
helpful by (33%):
