Despite the fact I drive a Ford Escort, I am actually only 19. I bought this car almost a year ago now, costing me only £2000.
-=Features/Specifications=-
I will not go in to major detail here, i dont want to baffle you all with annoying "techie" language, but heres a quick run down ... Read review
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Advantages: Low Insurance Group, Cheap(ish) To Run. Disadvantages: A Bit Sluggish
...the fact I drive a Ford Escort, I am actually only 19. I bought this car almost a year ago now, costing me only £2000.
-=Features/Specifications=-
I will not go in to major detail here, i dont want to baffle you all with annoying "techie" language, but heres a quick run down of my "baby"!
Ford Escort 1.4i Special Edition "N" Reg (1995)
Tourmallard Green (Very dark mettallic ... ...Fuel Injected
Power Assisted Steering
Electric Front Windows
5 Speed Manual Gearbox
5 Door Hatchback
Front Wheel Drive
-=Cost Of Running=-
One of the biggest advantages of owning this car over one with a larger engine is that it falls in to a lower insurance group, and it falls in to the lower tax band. In real terms this means that it wont cost you a great deal to insure (only ... more
Despite the fact I drive a Ford Escort, I am actually only 19. I bought this car almost a year ago now, costing me only £2000.
-=Features/Specifications=-
I will not go in to major detail here, i dont want to baffle you all with annoying "techie" language, but heres a quick run down of my "baby"! Ford Escort 1.4i Special Edition "N" Reg (1995) Tourmallard Green (Very dark mettallic green to you an me!) 1.4 Litre Engine, Electronically Fuel Injected Power Assisted Steering Electric Front Windows 5 Speed Manual Gearbox 5 Door Hatchback Front Wheel Drive
-=Cost Of Running=-
One of the biggest advantages of owning this car over one with a larger engine is that it falls in to a lower insurance group, and it falls in to the lower tax band. In real terms this means that it wont cost you a great deal to insure (only group 5 out of 20) and it only costs £55 to tax for 6 months instead of £88 if you had a 1.6 or bigger. It costs me £1500 to insure "third party, fire and theft", but thats because im only 19, and also because i had a rather nasty accident last year (oops!). In terms of petrol, i do mainly urban driving (round town), and i get around 300 miles out of £30 of petrol, which isnt amazing, but then again, the car has done nearly 150'000 miles now, so it can be excused. When I have done a lot of motorway driving, it has improoved somewhat to around 380-400 miles out of £30 of petrol, and I do tend to have a more than heavy right foot, so thats quite generous really. Servicing is cheap (I serviced it myself for about £50 of bits and pieces), and more importantly it was really easy to do. Tyres are cheap for the standard wheels (they are a very common size - 175x14x60), although I have changed them to some much larger 17" wheels. Parts are extremly cheap, as they are on most fords, so dont expect huge bills when something does go wrong.
-=Reliability=-
As i briefly mentioned before, my car had already done 137'000 miles, now nearly 150'000, so it hasnt stood still for a moment, and im only the scond owner. It had a full service history, which helps keep reliability good, and the resell value as high as possible. Since I have owned it, I have had the following replaced: Wheels (through choice only) Lower wishbones and bushes (worn out bushes) Front offside wheel bearing (worn out) New Front Pads and Discs (worn out) Minor Service after 6 months (to keep the warranty valid) Full service after 11 months Touch wood, it had never ever broken down, and has been as strong as an ox all the while I have had it. The last service I gave it really did help improve the performance, improving initial accelleration and top speed. It also improved fuel economy greatly.
-=Handling=-
As standard it was very smooth and reasonably quiet too. It has a top speed of about 115mph (although i have never driven it this quickly of course!), and a 0-60 time of about 13 seconds. it handled O.K. on corners, but not brilliantly, it tended to slip a lot, and there was a lot of body roll. Since I changed the wheels to some wider low profile ones, the handling has impoved 10 fold, feeling much more agile and stable on the corners. It's biggest fault is its real lack of acceleration at higher speeds, from say 70 to 90. you really have to push it to get it to go, but then that can be expected from a 1.4L engine.
-=Looks=-
I personally really like the look of this car (it's the very newest shape one for those of you that didnt know), and when clean it looks very nice. The design will last for at least another 6 or 7 years before starting to look out-dated.
-=Conclusion=-
I love this car, its the second one ive had, and will probably have another one (although a newer more powerful model next time!). It has served well, and considering the price, looks and still drives very very nicely.
Advantages: Cheap to run, plenty of room, 5 seats, good first car, cheap parts, widely available, large boot Disadvantages: no power steering, slow going up a steep hill
The 1.4 Ford Escort is quite a car in many ways. Featuring 5 doors, a large boot and a sun roof, this spacious car certainly has all the features. It pretty much has everything you find in a standard car, except power steering which can make moving when stationary a hard task. Being quite an old car means the Ford Escort is an ideal first car because the insurance is only around £60-£70 a month for someone aged 20-22. I was fully insured for my first ... ...it comes to petrol the Ford Escort loves the stuff. £10 will usually do about 80 miles, but I have managed to get about 90 miles out of it by driving smoothly and not accelerating too quickly. One thing I have found is that the fuel gage says you're out of petrol when you still have enough left to do about 10 more miles. Friends and family usually say, 'have you got enough petrol?' and you have to reassure them that you have as the gage is below ...
f1insidetrack 29.10.2009 (25.11.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of Ford Escort 1.4 Hatchback
Advantages: Cheap on parts, cheap on road tax, cheap and chearful Disadvantages: Poor handling, sluggish, prone to rust.
I bought this car a couple of years ago when I was in between cars, I have a van that is used for my Business during the day, but you cant realy use it for pleasure, or trips out to places.
So I bought this car .. cheap ( £100) with no MOT, and in need of a few mechanical repairs.
***First thoughts***
The escort I got had a bent rear axle, ( probably due to the poor handling !! ) and was in need of some welding. , MOT and tax later , the car was ... ...a very low view of this car , compaired to other cars I've owned, but I have to say this car was a pleasure to own, it did all that was required of it, was reliable transport, cheap on all it's running costs, and does exactly what it says on the tin.
The interior is comfortable, seats adjustable, has inbuilt security, by way of a standard alarm (sounding a horn type alarm under the bonnett) and immobilser. These are activated from a senser behind ...
cashman44 30.06.2004 (06.08.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of Ford Escort 1.4 Hatchback
Having always wanted a Ford Escort since the early days of taking my driving lessons, 9 years on after passing my test I am now the chuffed owner of one. Four weeks ago I set out to buy myself a cheap run-around as my fiancé uses our main car for work.
I sifted through all the classifieds in the free local newspapers, read postcards in newsagents windows and then with the kind assistance of my sister visited a few garages who offer reliable bargain ... ...collection.
For an F-registration Ford Escort 1.4L 3-door with a full service, years MOT and even a £5 petrol thrown in I was charged a mere £225!! With just 90,000 miles on the clock and the clean state of the car overall (considering it’s age) I was definitely impressed and my dream of owning an Escort had come true.
Despite having manual choke I have not yet had to use it when starting her up in the morning although I guess the winter ...
GraingerN 13.08.2001
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Ford Escort 1.4 Hatchback
Advantages: lots of interior space and handy compartments. Disadvantages: rather low seats for little ladies like myself!
I owned a very reliable Ford Escort for just over 6 months. It was a K reg 1.4i L and never faultered once. The only real reason that i sold it was because it was broken into and it never quite felt the same to me after that. shame really because it served me well. it was very economical on fuel, always got me from A to B without any trouble and it had the comfiest feeling seats in the world! very lush on my bum indeed. the only problem i had with ... ...had 4 cars and the ford escort has been the comfiest by far. i have never had any complaints from passengers, front and back and there is an abundance of space in all parts of the car, including the boot which is huge really!
i found the Escort a pleasure to drive - everything was to hand. its like the whole car had been designed with the drivers comfort in mind. there was a very handy shelf beneath the steering wheel, large enough to accomodate ...
graceygrace 26.12.2003
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Ford Escort 1.4 Hatchback
Advantages: Cheap insurance, reliable, quite quick Disadvantages: Uses a lot of petrol, no power steering!! :(
I've owned a 1993 Ford Escort 1.4LX (5 speed manual, single injection) for about 2 months now and to tell the truth, its no BMW but its a great drive.
Interior/Storage
The front seats are a little hard but surprisingly comfortable with plenty of legroom. The drivers seat has angle adjusters on the seat and backrest which is great because with a little messing around I've found my perfect driving position. Some people have said the passenger seat ... ...a problem!
Its difficult to say how much legroom there is in the back because I have never travelled in the back but I've never had any complaints!
One problem I do have, and this may sound a little strange, is that the steering wheel seems very big, and although the driving position is fine, I feel like I have to reach up slightly to reach the top of the wheel. You dont really notice it after a while but its worth bearing in mind.
Storage is ...
Sheepmeister 09.03.2003 (12.03.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Ford Escort 1.4 Hatchback
Value for Money
Road Handling
Comfort
Fuel consumption
Looks
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My car is a Mk4 1987 FordEscort 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.
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