Ford Escort 1.3

...Brief History: The Ford Escort has been on Britain's roads since 1968 in many guises from the nicely curved mk 1 model, through the ugly box-like mk 3 to the latest (and final) version (mk 7). The Escort has always had a reputation as a cheap and cheerful family car, and as such is one of the best selling cars EVER in the UK. Hugely bolstered by the fact that the late Lady Di owned a mk 3, sales skyrocketed in the early 1980's. This prompted Ford ...
...a comment on my review, Ford dumped the CVH engine back in 1995 and replaced it with the far superior Zetec engine. Reliability: To be honest all Fords can take a fair bit of punishment, and the 1.3 Escort is no exception. But when they go wrong, it can be spectacular. Personally my Escort made it's way to the scrapyard in the sky when one morning the cylinder head literally disintegrated dumping oil and muck all over my driveway. Almost all older ...

unnameable 04.12.2003 (28.01.2004) · Read full review
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Review of Ford Escort 1.3

...out. A call to a Ford dealer heralds the sharp intake of breath as you are told - 250 pounds for a new unit. Get hold of a competant solderer, and the job can be done in 5 minutes, for just the cost of some solder. A common fault is the old escort problem of water in the boot. Usually water ingress happens around the light units on this model. A quick squirt of a decent bathroom mastic, preferably black around the light units, will solve this. I ...
...this car. The car held up very well, and needed a new bonnet, drivers side wing and some paint. If I had been in my previous car, a 1984 Fiesta, I may have needed new legs! All in all, it has been a good car and I would recommend this model to anyone. If you are buying a car of this age, you have to expect to spend some money on maintenance, but many people fall into the trap of selling the car after spending a few hundred pounds on maintenance ...

pontyslapper 22.12.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Ford Escort 1.3

...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 ...
...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 ...

xsamix 16.12.2007 (10.01.2008) · Read full review
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Review of Ford Escort 1.3

...of a 1.3 M reg Ford Escort, I can tell you lots about the car. If you own one, you may be interested to read on, if you are looking at one, defiantly read on! A BRIEF HISTORY - Escorts have progressed nicely over the years and if you want to see proof of this, look out for the mark 1’s, which still drag at the old race tracks. The popular 80’s shape summed it all up, from the sporty XR3i to the 1.6 GLE all in model for the exec on the road (my first ...
...1. Oil leaks and problems. Ford are famous for it. Look around the sump (right underneath) and gearbox (also underneath) for fairly cheap problems to sort out. Lift up the breather cap and check for sludge. A high amount of yellow or thick dark black paste can indicate serious engine wear. Any oil on the drive shaft (side of engine) or around the seals means `engine out` and that will cost you. A seller may try to clean it off but check for major ...

Niburu 03.07.2003 · Read full review
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Review of Ford Escort 1.3

...one of these older model Ford estcorts, to repair with my friend and sell on, in the hope of making a profit. On the outside this car looked pretty good, and for a 'B' registration it's engine ran like a little sweety. The bodywork all-in-all was pretty good for a car of its age, but if you are planning on buying one of these make sure you look under the battery, the battery tray and mountings rust away and disintigrate into nothing within a few ...

colin16 31.08.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Ford Escort 1.3

I owned a Ford Escort Eclipse 1.3 (H plate) for around 2 years. I used to do 50 miles a day in it during this time and so I am in a position to comment on its reliabilty and driveablity. The pros of this car were that it was the last in that particular model that were produced so it came with electric windows, metallic paint, a sunroof, body colour bumpers and a spoiler. The cons were that due ot the window switches being in a poor position on ...
...rain etc and used to stop working. The engine was an overhead cam and so made a strange noise rather like a sewing machine. After owning the car for just over a year and washing it every weekend, the paint started to flake off. Th Overall this car was a nice run around but it lacked power and wasnt really built to a high standard. ...

Bren801 14.01.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Ford Escort 1.3

Its a 1992 on a J plate. I'm a Plumber and was looking for a 'new' second hand van 5 years ago for £1500...and this is what I ended up with. Its about had it now (the exhaust has started to blow today) and has needed some welding doing on the chasis but I think I'll stick with the Escort Van for the next one cause nothing really major has gone wrong with it in 5 Years and its got 130000K on the clock!!!!. Ok its a recon engine but its just so easy ...
...around a lifetime and is a doddle to work on. Petrol consumption seems average about 35mpg for me...thats with all my tools on the back weighing it down, so its not to bad at all really. I can get baths in the back and old setee's from home. (only the tip don't like you turning up in vans.."trade waste" they grunt, "can't dump that" even when its your own rubbish) I like the driving postion in this more than my Golf Gti... its a more comfortable ...

boooon 18.05.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Ford Escort 1.3

...news for first time buyers, but bad news for owners who would like to move on. My escort is worth far more to me than it's present forecort value would suggest. I have never regretted purchasing it and wish Ford had continued to upgrade and produce the Escort. ...

Deejayem 15.06.2003 · Read full review
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Review of Ford Escort 1.3

I have had an escort 1.3 for the last year and a half. it is a 1994 L plate ( round shape) the 1.3 is a overall nice car but due to the weight of if the 1.3 engine does not seem enough when it comes to moving the thing... mine tends to ( and my friends also say) that the 1.3 escort is rather sluggish.. especilly on hills. from my experiance the escort is a good runner and reliable but as with all fords they do tend to rust.. i suggest cheaking ...
...tend to do) if buying from second hand. another down side is that i have experianced problems with the electronics - the other week i had to replace the whole indicater switches, i have also had problems with the fuses going!, but a plus to this is that the parts are cheap as they are lots of them around,i.e you can just nip to your local scrap yard and they should be a load of them in. ( give it a year or so and mine prob will be ione too, :) ...

michael4wood 22.02.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Ford Escort 1.3

The mainstay of middle class middle of the road motoring for so many years - it would make you think this car is now an ideal secondhand runabout. It's true that at the end of its long life the Escort was a well put together family holdall with a reasonable ride and enough kit to keep most drivers satisfied. The Escort came in many variants and only an Escort expert could be certain to tell his Encore from his LX, due to the vast number out there ...
...a spoiler stuck on the tailgate could add pounds to the price you pay for what is badged as an XR but in reality is an L. Also check that the engine size on the log book matches the one in the engine bay - sounds silly but I know someone who thought they were getting a 1.3, then it was serviced where the mechanic noticed it really was a much lower valued 1.1. The Focus has pushed Escort prices to an all time low so bargains are there to be had - ...

winprizes2000 15.01.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Ford Escort 1.3

My second car was a mk3 Escort 1.3l,My thrid car was a mk3 1.4l,and my fith car was a mk3 1.6d. Yes I am that impressed by the reliability of the Escort that I went back for more. The car it's self is nothing spectacular but these days you can pick one up for a relativly small fee. The range of the Escort is seemingly endless. You have every thing from the every popular 1.3 to the XR3i range. The car it's self is not a technical marvel which means ...
...just broke down, you can do it up very well and your pocket won't be too much lighter. If you are the boy racer type as I was the selection of bits and peices for it are limitless any car shop will have every thing from big bore exhaustes to K,N filters and again because the car is so common the bits are cheap. Having said that the car is quite flexable and you should be able to make a very unique car. But if your just looking for a cheap to run ...

Slylie 29.03.2001 (23.01.2004) · Read full review
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Review of Ford Escort 1.3

i cannot belive that ford have made there last escort ever since 1968 ford have been producing this great car and how much it has changed through the years i will surely miss this car and so will many others . i might just go and buy one now just to keep as i love the car . so what is going to replace the escort hopefully somthing simlar and not another effort at a space age car come on lets keep it simple and affordable as we all know the prices ...

forestfire 24.07.2000 · Read full review
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Review of Ford Escort 1.3

...by those kind people at Ford - as well as the usual add ons that sold Fords in the 80`s/early 90`s such as a naff spoiler on the back end or a sunroof. Nice comfy seats too - shame about the naff driving position. Bit of history now - following the success of the Cortina, Capri, early Escort and anything else chucked at the British public - Ford didn`t bother to update these cars very much - after all, we were daft enough to buy them. Things changed ...
...crap - and Ford suddenly responded with the Mondeo and Focus and a Fiesta that drove OK. Anyway, the top selling 80`s Escort was a better car than the H-K reg ones due to criminal lack of thought and effort. Main culprit being the engine. Save the worst till last then. Drive the 1.3 which dated back to the year dot. Floor the throttle just to pull away. Light gearshift, all other controls sloppy. Noisy, slow, boring, tiresome: thats the 1.3 Escort. ...

SimonDolan 12.11.2003 · Read full review
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Review of Ford Escort 1.3

I have a 1996 Ford Escort 1.3 Encore. Encore means bottom end of the range so she has no mod cons. IE No power steering, No electric Windows, in fact mine doesnt even have a cigarette ligher . But I wouldnt swap her for the world. I originally bought her to run up and down the motorway to work, as a more economical option to using our 1,8 Mondeo. But I soon grew to enjoy driving her so much that now I never drive the Mondeo at all (much ...
...the steering is still very light. She starts first time and is a very reliable car. Top speed is 96 (according to him indoors who is obviously aspiring to be an aging boy racer!) but Ive never taken her over 75. Fuel consumption is economical. The interior is stylish with molded bucket seats which are very comfortable. The suspension is quite soft so its quite a bouncy drive. The only disadvantages I have found relate to the small engine size. Its ...

cafuk 28.10.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Ford Escort 1.3

I bought a 1.3 L reg escort for £800, an absolute bargain. with some minor bodywork corrosion, it never let me down. However, i promptly wrapped it round a telegraph pole. My love of esorts prompted me to by an older, but better equipped H reg LX model. Despite its age, its still a nice looking car, with outstanding performance for its relatively small engine. It doesnt catch eyes with its less than show stopping looks, but it is still a great looking ...
...handling is light, and easy for any driver to handle, but, it does ride rather high, meaning some body roll is apparent when going round roundabouts/tight corners. This could drive some people to lower thier cars to reduce this effect. All in all however, a top purchase for its money ...

sinbad182 29.08.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Ford Escort 1.3