(see all about me) The sites lookin good n things have changed eh, good to be back in england. I sti...
(see all about me) The sites lookin good n things have changed eh, good to be back in england. I still dont get much time on ere despite our challenges and time in Southern Iraq so just want to say thanks 4 all the msgs and see you all about! Jamie X
Member since:04.02.2002
Reviews:93
Members who trust:70
The Escort is an honest member of any family, and I hear you say why?
Well, its a drug to the young tuners, it’s a seat for the older learners and it’s a car for the high-earners!
With my Corsa sold, and my Seat off the road, I used my dad’s car to drive to Leicester and back the other weekend! It was a costly experience, believe me, but unique.
FRIDAY NIGHT: ============ Friday night I asked my Dad if I could use his Escort to get to Leicester and back as he can use his 4x4!
Reluctantly he said yes! and in a way I was saying NO! I couldn’t use my brothers because he’s away, so this was my last idea! and anyway, I’ve always been on his insurance so I’m pretty safe!
So he gave me the keys and off I went, I took it out for a quick spin to get a feel for the handling and car, so that Saturday morning I were accident free! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
So I got comfortable in the seat and turned the banged up key. The engine
starts really well, it has a certain ‘whommpppp’ to it. It’s a Mark5 Escort L-plate and is a RS Turbo!
The exhaust is the original and it does half beat out a mean sound! So I took the car out to town via the causeway which is like a dual carriageway, then I went to town.
Now being about 8pm at night, things were kind of hectic, the roads were fairly busy and I had to get back to go out.
So it’s Mission Impossible, can I make it back from town within 40minutes??? I have no comment for mention of speeding, it’s something you do or don’t, or you just speed when there’s need!
The Causeway was quite empty and I took a little advantage. Now listen up! This car is a worthy race-car!
It’s shifts like a mans eye when his misses catches him looking at another woman, it’s that fast! It shifts really well, from gear 1-2 and 2-3, then 3-4 and then finally 5, the mid-range is exceptional, and the gap between each gear is tightly cut!
That is one huge advantage that my the Ford has! But...... Steering?
The Car handles fairly well, I’ve been in worse, but what lets the handling down is the amount of weight the car has on a corner. I mean that when turning a corner, the car doesn’t lean that much, but it’s dead heavy on the wheel.
The tyres take a burn from the heavy steering, turning corners at 40-50mph can even be enough to attack your nose with the smell of burning tyres. -----------------------------------------------------
So yes, I got back and I went out that night.... so night for now...... Zzzzzz! Zzzzzz!
I wake up and see that the sun is already awake, it looks like it’s gonna be a good day! With a good 200 miles ahead, my thoughts were good, my stomach was sickly and my head was pounding...a previous Friday night!
Now 6am turns and I’m just about to make a move. I gets in the car brought news by the dash saying only a quarter of a tank left!
So off to Tesco’s I go, and I fill the rest of my tank for a mind baffling £40. Has my Seat’s smaller, I’m use to paying less, so this was a bit of a shock!
So I head for the M27. They’ve just done this, so road noise was sound silent as you’d expect, but road noise in this car can be fairly bad, so make sure you’ve got a good stereo.
It was really empty, especially on the Newbury bypass and going past Oxford. This is where the amazing mid-range speed offers the best in performance.
Even at low speeds as for parking at a motorway station, the car gives an amazing performance at a 5mph speed!
Now Brakes...... brakes are also fairly good, actually really good! I can be say travelling at 70mph (70+) on the motorway and suddenly see a speed camera ahead, now I didn’t very brake sharp because that’s wrong, but I put my foot down firmly on the brake and the car near enough came to an instant halt!
Saying that though, my Dad did just replace the pads, so whether this had something to do with it I’m not sure, though he did say there good!
Anyway got to Leicester, not a problem! __________________________________________________
I puts in my new CD, in the lovely Panasonic CD Stereo and drive happily along.
-Me and my other half get into a slight argument, I take a wrong turn, I get mad, I go to Shell to fill up, I pay loads, I’m skint!, I’m more mad!-
Basically, I took a wrong turn that took me back towards Northampton! Then to make things worse, I hit congestion at junction 20 on the M40! This car gave me all the ‘good’ luck..........supposedly!
So yeah, I ended up paying a hell of a lot more on dam petrol, and in this car it’s not cheap, it drinks it up really fast and then you have to pay loads to fill her back up again!
At about 45p per mile, your sure to need about a thousand packed heavy wallets with ya to pay for the bloody petrol!
I enjoyed driving the car, a lot. It’s just that I was really shocked by the amount of money it cost me to get to Leicester in back in an average size car!
It has it’s bad points and it has it’s good. Thing is, where it lacks, other than petrol i.e.: heavy steering and bad road noise, it can be improved by buying better gripping tyres and sharper wheels, whereas with the advantages, their dream ones which really make having the car worthwhile!
My Dad’s selling it now, and I can’t blame him as it’s costly, but he’ll miss the car for sure, the way it moves and powerful performance it gives!
My advice is, if you have spare cash and you have time to improve not just the cars looks but the cars performance then this will be a car for you.
Thanks for reading!
Chunka!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Great review, I have a Rover Tomcat Turbo, highly tuned 160 moh top end and 0-60mph in 4.8, have always had a love for my Fords ever since I owned my first cossie, still waiting to find a cossie to keep up with the Tomcat though!! Great review lots of good work gone in to it!
Chadderz 23.08.2002 01:38
Now that was a fun read. Great OP.
PeterFarrell 12.08.2002 22:19
Hiya mate! Great review! £40 to fill up! Mine's nearer £20 and that'll last me over 450 miles if I don't have a heavy right foot! Sounds like a beautiful but expensive car. Pete.
Advantages: You can burn off a Porsche 911, or load it up for a summer camping trip, either way a very useable car! Disadvantages: Some problems on some models are possible, eg Turbocharger can suffer from severe driving.
andy5000 15.07.2001 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
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