Ford Escort GTi

...So if you thought Ford Escorts were past their best these days, or a little bit boring, or just not your thing, you could well be pleasantly surprised with this model.
I know I was!
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--------UPDATE-------
Okay, I have recently started having some more problems with my escort, so will need to update this review.

Over the past three months or so I have noticed that the car was overheating a bit, and there has been a smell of coolant coming into the car through the air vents, so had it investigated before the last MOT in January. The garage I took it to, my local Arnold Clarks, told me that the coolant hoses had been leaking and that the fan switch was needing replaced, so had this done as I thought that this would sort out the problem.

But last week it overheated badly, and in fact I had to call out the AA as the gauge was well into the red and I was getting worried that the car might be unsafe to drive.

After having a quick inspection, the AA guy told me that this was the case, and the engine was still extremely hot, even though it had been sitting in the shade for over half an hour. So I got towed back to the garage, and it is still there, needing work done to it again. This time they claim that it is the fan switch yet again, and that there are varios other problems with the coolant system that need fixed before the car will be roadworthy.

I still love this model of car, but the one I have seems to be prone to problems.

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UPDATE......Was asked a question about insurance and thought I would just add some more info, and while I'm at it just generally tidy up the whole review.

Hopefully will be easier to read now,
Enjoy,
Kenny.
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After reading the first review on this model of car I thought that I would just add my own experiences of it. I own one, and have been driving it for around 6 months now, and loving it.

Managed to get hold of one for only £1370 from a garge in St Helens through ebay, and after getting it checked by DEKRA, decided to go and have a look myself. It was well worth the 400+ mile round trip to pick it up.

INSURANCE

Due to being a young driver with not too great a no claims bonus yet, and it being an insurance group 10 car, was always gonna be on the expensive side getting it insured though. I got several quotes of well over a grand, before finding a great deal of only £640 fully comprehensive,(through Norwich Union) but would obviously be far lower for a more mature driver with good no claims discount. In my experience, is more than worth the hassle doing a fair bit of shopping around for insurance on a car like this.I was amazed at the range of prices quoted! (one company quoted nearly £1500 fully comp!!?)
Think it was either confused.com, or moneysupermarket.co.uk that came up with the lowest in the end. And I highly recommend keepin it in a driveway if you can, or in a garage if you have one.

LOOKS

This really is a smart looking car for being so little above the average family hatchback. And there are only two discreet GTi badges that give it away that it is actually a GTi. So it's not a look at me, I own a great car sort of ride, but it whispers style and has the performance to back it up.

PERFORMANCE

Developing 115bhp (in nearly new condition, but maybe only 105-110 in any of the slightly higher mileage ones.)
from a 1.8l Zetec engine, you really notice the acceleration difference from an average escort. Even though it is far out performed by it's big brothers in the Escort range, it still holds its own against similarly specced cars. And with it being a Ford, and therefore easyish to keep in good condition, it should be possible to find well maintained examples, or slightly tuned ones that can actually outperform similar cars.

POSSIBLE PROBLEMS?

They can be hard to track down, as they were reasonably rare cars, but should be possible to find a few great examples of well kept, low mileage gti's.
One of the possible drawbacks with a car like this, unfortunately can be the locks, with the central locking on mine being slightly tempramental. Being a Ford, they do have a tendancy to be quite poor. Although, in my experience a few times it was impossible to get it to unlock from the outside, so the car was still always secure.
aaanother drawback is that for short, low speed journeys, it can be a little thirsy for fuel, but excellent economy on the motorway. I covered over 220 miles bringing it home and only used just under half a tank, so can't complain.

WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL?

Some of my favourite things about the car, other than in the performance area, are the sheer amount of extras you get with it. It has electric front windows, a sunroof, power steering, ABS brakes, heated FRONT, and rear windows, electric mirrors, body coloured bodykit, spoiler, mirrors and trim. Also has foglights(front and back) as well. All smoothly put together and nicely finished. It also has half leather seats, which are a nice luxurious touch. And there is plenty of legroom in the back.

EXTRA INFO

It is available in both 3 door and 5 door versions, and is not uncommon to find one tastefully modded by enthusiasts.
I have been very happy with mine on the whole apart from a few niggly problems, mainly with the locks as i mentioned before, but apart from that nothing major. But I recommend checking all the electrical functions while you are looking at the car you want to buy.

The reliability seems quite good, and have only had minor problems getting it started, even on the coldest days of the winter so far. But does start every time.

Its a very easy to handle car, and a breeze to park. But as a young driver my main problem with it has been keeping to the speed limits. And I find that roundabouts and similar junctions can be a little bit trickier than you might imagine.With it in gear with the handbrake off and the clutch around the biting point it can be far too easy to move off a little quicker than expected. Especially in second gear. So you need to be careful.

But it stops even faster than it accelerates, so is quite a safe car to drive, and has a drivers airbag.

Not sure exactly of the top speed, but I know for a fact that it can go well over 110mph... although of course I wouldn't know this from personal experience... *cough* lol.

CONCLUSION

If you are looking for a fun car that costs surprisingly little and looks stunning for the just above average car, then you could do a lot worse than this. And I would suggest that you consider one.

Would make for a fun everyday car, or even a practical, if slightly extravagant, family car.

So if you thought Ford Escorts were past their best these days, or a little bit boring, or just not your thing, you could well be pleasantly surprised with this model.
I know I was!
 

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