Possible purchase, 95 Escort LX

[TilliamWe]

It's got 144,000 miles, a 5 spd manual transmission, and an actual working air conditioner! It appears to have been fairly well cared for, as it's not all dented up and the interior doesn't appear to have ever been dirty. It drove nice, no weird noises, the shocks felt good, so did the steering, and the clutch felt right, (and didn't slip when I put it in 5th gear going up a big hill, that it shouldn't have been in 5th gear.)

Other than it having a timing belt on the engine, are there any other common or known failures on these cars.?

Thanks.

 

[JB]

Re: Possible purchase, 95 Escort LX

I suspect that the most common failure is owners who neglect and abuse. Nothing I know of in the design or engineering.

 

[204 Escape]

Re: Possible purchase, 95 Escort LX

About a month ago, we bought our son a 1998 Escort ZX2 Cool. It had 103k on it. It belonged to a little old lady. It was well maintained !!!

The BIGGEST issue with them, IS the timing belt !!!! Was told by a FORD mechanic, that they need to be changed every 50k-60k miles !!! There is a website just for Escorts, that you can read alot concerning the cars. It is: www.feoa.net

I hope that posting that site isn't going to get me into trouble here. If so, I apologize.

 

[BlkY2k]

Re: Possible purchase, 95 Escort LX

They do have t belt issues but a lot of those are caused by the water pump that leaks onto the belt. Do yourself a favor and change both at the same time. Easy fix on both and relatively cheap, prob $100 for both. And that is a great site for all the info you need to do it. G/L

 

[robert graham]

Re: Possible purchase, 95 Escort LX

A lot depends on the price$$$...if the price is good for the year, model and mileage, then you can buy the car and have the belts, hoses, tires, whatever, replaced or repaired, and be good to go! If you buy the car, maybe go ahead and do the timing belt and water pump right away, unless it's been done recently. I bought an 1996 Buick Roadmaster for $5500, have replaced the A/C compressor, plugs/wires, Accuspark, tires, a few other items, and I've still got less than $10K in the car!...Much cheaper than a new car! Good Luck!

 

[204 Escape]

Re: Possible purchase, 95 Escort LX

+1^ on the water pump. I forgot to mention that. The car we bought has a 2.0 4cyl. in it. It averages 28 m.p.g.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Possible purchase, 95 Escort LX

Thanks for the info guys, I'll look at that site later. I saw a youtube video on how to change the belt, and saw how/where the water pump was in relation. Yeah, if I changed the belt, I'd change the pump too.

Price is right enough, but I didn't want to buy the car if it was known that "$1000 ignition modules go out every 25k miles" or something like that. In a perfect world, I'd get a Cavalier with no timing belt or chain, but they are a little hard to come by, at this present time, in my immediate area. Well, some are out there, but they are total junk. This Escort is actually a nice car!

 

[southkogs]

Re: Possible purchase, 95 Escort LX

I owned a '93 station wagon with a 1.9 liter and a 5 speed. Drove it to 240K miles, gave it to someone who needed a car and they drove it for another 40K before wrecking it. I don't think anything ever let go on that car besides having to replace the clutch after I moved to TN (it didn't like the hills). I only changed the belts twice on that car, and never had to replace much else besides regular maintenance. It is still one of the best cars I ever had, and I kinda' wish I had the brains not to give it up when I did. 45mpg outta' that little mug!!

 

[dolluper]

Re: Possible purchase, 95 Escort LX

Man thats almost an antique better buy it before it is lol....those go for hardly anything at auction about 200-300 bones...so private at 500 in good shape would be high enough...what are they asking just courious

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Possible purchase, 95 Escort LX

Well Dolluper, it's in better than good shape, actually. And it's at a small used car lot. They are asking $1495 for it. Which is about what the local market for Cavaliers a few years newer are going for. I don't intend to pay $1495 for it, but there is NO WAY that $500 will buy it. Heck, around here, you can get $650 at the scrap yard for a whole car if you can get it across their scale!

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Possible purchase, 95 Escort LX

Own a '97 LX sedan 5 speed that has hauled my fat a** to work for the past 3 years. Got the car from my mother with 64K, now has close to 142K. I'm getting roughly 34 MPG doing mostly highway driving.

These cars are dependable. IMHO more dependable than a Cavalier which are notorious for blown head gaskets if not maintained correctly. Only Achilles heal with the Ford CVH engine is occasionally dropping a valve seat. Other than that they just run and run and run.

As you saw, the T-belt is no big deal. Easier to do than on the ZX2 (ZX2 has the DOHC Ztec engine). Did mine for short money with water pump, and new tensioner pulley (rockauto). I wouldn't consider a T-belt car any less reliable than a chain car. If you think about it, some of the manufacturers of "the most reliable vehicles" (Toyota, Honda) were using t-belts for decades. Yes, it ads another level of maintenance every 90-100K miles. But when your vehicle has over 200K on the clock which would be the more reliable and accurate; a worn out PITA to replace chain, or a new t-belt?

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Possible purchase, 95 Escort LX

Oh Rogers, what I meant was the standard 2.2 in the Cavaliers from 1997-2005 don't have a belt or long chain, cause they aren't OHC engines! The super long timing chain is a BAD idea, especially compared to the timing belt. I just was trying to avoid the extra maintanence, entirely. But it doesn't look impossible to change, if the time comes. I only put about 5000 miles a year on my car, so unless the belt is original (I doubt it, especially the way the rest of the car looks) I'll be fine for a long time.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Possible purchase, 95 Escort LX

what I meant was the standard 2.2 in the Cavaliers from 1997-2005 don't have a belt or long chain, cause they aren't OHC engines!

Yep, they are push rod jobs... but just the same still prone to popping head gasket (I've done a fair amount of 2.2L head gaskets).

I just was trying to avoid the extra maintanence, entirely. But it doesn't look impossible to change, if the time comes.

Trust me, if you have the right tools, the old belt will be in your hands in 20 minutes... Figure in about an hour to change the WP, tensioner, clean it up, and time the new belt. Throw a new serp belt on, and your golden. If it takes you any longer, you're just milkin it

 

[dolluper]

Re: Possible purchase, 95 Escort LX

Amazing I just scrapped an old 89 chev caprice loaded with extra scrap and only got 384 bones....should be hauling a big load to the states at those prices for a little Ford....it would be worth it...sorry if you think I ruffled your feathers but thats being realistic about the costs here...I assumed they would be cheaper there...usually they are

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Possible purchase, 95 Escort LX

Nope, scrap prices in this area are still high. Aluminum was just $.70/lb two weeks ago, but it fell down to $.66/lb.

 

[rivermouse]

Re: Possible purchase, 95 Escort LX

These cars are not known to run 200k without major issues as few american made cars are. 1500 is TOP BUCK for one with that many miles on it. Before I buy a car I always go to autotrader.com and view a broad selection and prices for any model I am considering.

 

[98Shabah]

Re: Possible purchase, 95 Escort LX

Wow, that isn't just a little bit opinionated is it? lol! Let the unfounded American car bashing continue....

These cars are not known to run 200k without major issues as few american made cars are. 1500 is TOP BUCK for one with that many miles on it. Before I buy a car I always go to autotrader.com and view a broad selection and prices for any model I am considering.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Possible purchase, 95 Escort LX

Shabah, no need to defend American made cars in my thread. 144k is MANY miles away from 200k, and at less than 5k driven miles a year, I've got quite a while before I get to that magic number!

 

[ziggy]

Re: Possible purchase, 95 Escort LX

fwiw, the ign lock on that 95 escort is about or is wore out at 144k. most likely... the ign. locks are not desirable and painful to service imho..
the ign. lock is more like mazda in design than some real fords.. like f150's etc...

 

[striper2101]

Re: Possible purchase, 95 Escort LX

My brother and I both had 1992 2 door LX models. Mine was an automatic and his was a 5 speed. I sold mine after 10 years and 100k miles and my brother wrecked his with 142k miles . Both were trouble free and both were bought used. Probably the most trouble free car I ever had. If you can get the price down, I would go for it.