Ford Escort 1.3 > Car Reviews

Advantages: Cheap to run and good engines
Disadvantages: Can develop major costly faults

...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 ... Read review

Advantages: Really cheap to buy and fairly reliable
Disadvantages: Certain areas are prown to heavy rusting.

...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 years. ... Read review

Advantages: Extras
Disadvantages: Power, electric window switches

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 ... Read review

Advantages: Cheap to buy, run, repair and a reliable ford??
Disadvantages: usual build quality questions, basic usual ford really.

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 ... Read review

Advantages: Great car to drive, easy to park, very reliable
Disadvantages: Drivers seat upholstery tends to wear badly due to design of seat

...regretted purchasing it and wish Ford had continued to upgrade and produce the Escort. ... Read review

Advantages: cheap to buy plus insurance
Disadvantages: slow

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 ... Read review

Advantages: vast choice
Disadvantages: some dodgy sellers

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 ... Read review

Advantages: Parts are cheap, and the different types of engine seem endless.
Disadvantages: Geting on a bit now and you may have trouble when it comes to your M.O.T

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 ... Read review

Advantages: great family car
Disadvantages: the price is to high

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 ... Read review

Advantages: Very comfortable
Disadvantages: But does not move very well

...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 ... Read review

Advantages: Economical, easy to drive
Disadvantages: No mod cons

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 <head scratch>. 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 ... Read review

Advantages: nice enough looking, nippy, cheap insurance
Disadvantages: very common, some bland styling

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 ... Read review