I have 2 98 models on has 386,000 miles and still runs great. getting a bit rusty but fun with the 5 speed. also a deluxe sport model with 170,000 auto shift and the AC still works, like to find another lower miles version, I paid 1100 a piece for these 10 years ago, now worth a bit more.
I've always liked the Ford Escort. Cheap and reliable little cars that get the job done. My dad had a black one with a manuel and it was a great little car
I know, right?! This vintage of Escorts were selling for less than that in the early 2000s! I know we need to factor in inflation, but still. I guess people are willing to pay that these days.
My '97 LX had the 5-speed manual - when I test-drove the automatic, I was "yeaa-NO" - I waited 2 months for the dealership to find me a 5-speed! Great car, no problems, I missed for 10 years after I traded it in!
they are very handsome cars, the third crack of the curvy 1990s ford design language. 1996 taurus and the contour were the first two. this is a nice gentle curvy car with excellent window sizes, and soft curves.
Zack P., if you don't mind, I would like to help you by giving the reasons for the 98 Ford Escort appeal. The Escort is Ford's affordable, reliable, good gas mileage, and good value economy car. Japanese or Korean car makers are overrated for reliability. Besides that, there is some stigma that just because it was made in America it might disappoint. Ford Escorts are in line with Ford's motto, "Built Ford Tough".
I just inherited my mamaws 98 zx2 sports model with all the bells and whistles. She's not running right now but I'm going to work on getting her up and running. Maybe even go for a full restore. I learned to drive in this car and it's honestly my favorite. If anyone has suggestions I'm all ears.
Yep, these are pretty good cars! I had three of them, in the station wagon version. They dropped in value pretty quickly, which made them very reasonably priced used cars, that gave a lot of service for the money.
@@zythr9999 reliable cars that were cheap enough for regular people to buy that were slightly interesting for their time but nothing special except they worked and worked well for the money as used
My great aunt has a 99 with under 80k miles in a shade of 90s beige. It’s still in amazing shape and I compare every other Ford Escort on the road to hers because of how well kept it is.
Thanks for the review. I'm acquiring a 98 Escort LX with 37K miles from the original owner, and I wanted to get a little more info. Thanks again... enjoyed the review. (and I'm originally from Chicago ... so the Naperville aspect was fun too).
I had a green 99, it was a great car! Was just thinking of it recently because the new Mercedes EQE and EQShave similar tail lights LOL. Ford was ahead of its time. 😂
I've had three escorts so far, and grew up in my dad's 2 escorts, my grandma's escort, and my aunt's. There are four of us siblings, and we all had escorts as our first cars. We are an escort family. Mine were a 1998 se like this one that was totalled by an SUV running a red light (and it looked totalled too. People were shocked I was fine.) Second was a 2002 Zx2, which I ended up giving to my dad after buying its twin with leather seats and a sun roof. I love it when we end up going the same place with our matching escorts. I'm hoping to get a third Zx2 to use for bits for both of our cars, buuuut I'm pretty sure I'm destined to be poor forever. I really like how they drive, and how much control that I feel like I have while driving them. The size is great, and you aren't kidding about how light they are. I've been known to take corners fast, something I felt was normal until I drove a heavier car. It's downright scary in a heavy car, when it feels so natural in an Escort. I also REALLY like the appearance, especially of the 2 doors. It's just so sporty :D
I always loved Escorts,European ones & North American ones...they were such common cars all over Europe,North America & even furthur afield! EVERYONE at least knew someone who had one,or has driven one,even if they never owned one! 😍😍
I love them because I used to drive them for work. I remember our fleet all had to be fitted with tinted windows and they all had the plastic wheel covers. I started admiring them because the company forced us to take them to the carwash daily. To me they looked so cool coming out of the carwash with those tints they looked like mini police cars. Inside we basically ate, drank, smoked and farted all day long and those engines were rarely turned off. In the brutal NY winters we took em all over the TRI STATE AREA and they were sent for oil changes every two weeks, We would take 4 cars and return all 4 fat men in ONE tiny car and they were great!! AMERICA"S ANSWER TO THE COROLLA!!! NOT
I have a 4 door 2002 Kia Rio with a 1.5 L Mazda engine driving a Ford automatic transmission that I've owned since 2004. My Rio seems to be very similar to the 1998 Ford Escort shown in the video. I'm wondering if the two cars are basically the same since Ford, Mazda, and Kia have had a long business relationship. I might add that my Rio has been an excellent, economical car with no costly maintenance issues. I still drive it daily. My only wish is that my Rio had a two door hatchback body like the Ford Festiva.
In 2023, there was a woman who bought a 1998 Ford Escort for $289 per month for 84 months! She will have to put Amsoil lubricants and do major services on that car for 7 years! That's insanely crazy! You can get that kind of a lease for a newer car!
That car will fall apart before that happens. The lady was too broke to buy a car in the first place. How is she going to cover all the maintenance, gas, and sky-high insurance all on her own?
I drove a gold 1999 Escort LX throughout my junior year of high school and the first half of my senior year. But it was my Dad's car for years prior to that. It really didn't have many problems mechanically, but overall, it just felt like a piece of junk, given how cheap of a car it was, and it had a rebuilt salvage title. So obviously, since it was the LX, it wasn't as nice as the SE in this video. It had an automatic and hand crank windows like this car, but didn't have things like power locks or cruise control. We always had the original stereo system, which included a cassette player that quit working eventually, so I could only listen to the radio and not even use the cassette player to play an iPod through. It had a button in the driver's footwell you could pop the trunk open with, and that eventually quit working, and the light in the trunk quit working rather early on I believe. Some wires in the trunk had been cut from something we put in there, but we're not sure if they were for the button, the light or what.
The transmission is actually a JATCO unit. I capitalized the name because it is an acronym. (Japan Automatic Transmission Company). Jatco and Mazda developed this transmission (4EAT) to be used in Mazda products. Ford Escorts from 1991 to 2003 (last year of production) were based on the Mazda Protégé. The transmission it replaced in the pre 1991 Escorts was a 3 speed mushbox. Ford's ATX. The 4EAT was a decent transmission. However, they do not tolerate abuse. Neutral drops will destroy them.
These had the Mazda motor if I'm not mistaken, but not in a 90's Mazda body so no obscene rust. My uncle drove the wagon version forever and it was a chill lil car
@Jonathan A I'm not sure about the 2 liter, but the 91 and later 1.9 was both Ford and Mazda. Mazda did some work on the engine to cut back on it's harshness and roughness. This makes sense, since it could not compete with Honda and even Toyota in this area.
@Jonathan A I know it wasn't 🙂, but Ford asked Mazda to see what they could do to improve the engine, which is why the 91 and later are smoother and better. I believe Mazda took care of the mechanical while Ford did the body. The success of the GM/Toyota collaboration probably encouraged Ford to try the same.
Wow! I see the $5000 price on the windshield... for an economy car that's nearly a quarter of a century old and with 114,000 miles. They're holding their value well. I know most used cars are, especially in these Covid times,. When I traded in my clean, well maintained 1999 Escort SE 4 door sedan in 2006, I'm pretty sure I got a very little for it (probably about $3000), and the Toyota dealer put it on their lot for under $5000, and it sold pretty quickly, and it was only a seven year old car at the time, with about 70,000 miles (112,000 km).
I think I got mine from a Ford lot for $2500, and that's after they fixed some damage for me. Though, I think it was about to go off to auction? This was 3 years ago, I think.
Great car great story. Looks great in red. For me the appeal is the ovals. Its bubbly and cute and cars are all mean lookin now. Baby bubbly mini-taurus
Owned a 1998 ZX2 (two door) in a manual. Funny that it had a power lock…yes! One power lock for the driver sided but not the passenger side. How much could it have cost Ford to offer it on both sides??!! My dates would think I was a gentleman by opening up their door with the key, then give me a strange look when I would hit the power lock on the key fob.
Yea never got to own a zx2(the Coupe) but when I test drove one, damn is it alot more fun to drive and is faster than the sedan. 0-60 is around 7.5 seconds on good days. Which for a car with 130hp it was fast. Compared to the sedan with 110hp that took 11 seconds. The sedan is reliable till the cooling system fails, the ccrm goes bad or when the 4th valve seat breaks destroying the motor. I've had the zetec in a contour, gets better gas mileage than the sohc, was bulletproof till it came time to change the timing in which it has the hardest timing set up I've ever seen.
I miss the Econobox cars from the late 90s . Escorts, Corollas, tercels, Lanos, civics, Geo's, protege's etc... They were much more reliable compared the the junk econobox cars from the early 2000s offered by most car brands.
I like the four door. Better reliability especially with the five speed. The 2-door is ok. Engine is amazing but the automatic in them are junk. I owned a ZX2 Escort and in less than a month, the automatic took a vacation. I swore to never own another escort and I haven't. Great review. Nice car, wrong color. 😊
*edit* also it annoys me that you loved the escort, but shat on the ford contour svt. Which is league's better. This car would not make a good track car.(sedan not the zx2) its a turd, if u drive it hard it will overheat, and its slow. It tends to misfire sometimes randomly, then ofc we have the notorious 4th valve seat failure. Not a great car, but is a decent commuter.
I have always loved the Ford Escort, especially the 2nd Gen. Idk why, but I've always gravitated towards them. I've had a few and I would buy one again right now if i could find one in great condition.
12 years ago I bought two used cars for my daughters to go to school in - a 1999 Ford Escort SE auto (40k miles) and a 1999 Honda Civic EX auto (140k miles). One died (beside being a general POS - a valve seat dropped) but I still have one of them and it runs perfectly, AC works, etc...anyone want to guess which one? Spolier - the Honda.
It's a cute and quirky little car that gives you SO much more than what you bargain for out of an economy car. Trunk space is insane, and with the rear seats folded down, you can fit a full size mountain bike in the car with the handles repositioned 90 degrees. In my youthful years, I was able to stuff my entire one bedroom apartment (minus the bed) in the car and still had the front passenger seat available. Without cruise control, these little cars are quite fun to cruise on the highways, and give you some really good gas mileage comparable to today's modern gas direct injection motors. Hands down, I would buy more of these Escorts with the single overhead cam 2.0L four pots because those motors will not die unlike modern engines. Bent a valve? No problem. Just open up the valve cover, extract the bent valve, install a new one, reset the timing of the motor, and fire it up. That is Ford ingenuity at work for building some tough motors. On the other hand, you'd laugh with glee as you feel this little car walk up a hill with your foot pressed on the throttle as others struggle to keep up with you. Best thing about this car is the small fuel tank that goes a long way (12.8 Gallons).
My late cousin Jimmy had a '94 Escort wagon, green, 5 speed. Uncle Ed and I were using it going to and from a project house in East Meadow, NY, at the end of 2006. One day he told me that it was maxed out on the way over. ( I correctly figured it that he was unaware that it had a 5th gear.) On the way back, he had it in 4th at one point and said, "Sounds like I need to shift up again." Me- "Well, you can." Him-" Really? There's another gear?" He found 5th, and the motor settled down.
The only Escort to get a Zetec was the ZX2. The Split Port you are driving was a huge step down from the 1.9 it was based on. I had a few Escorts BITD. I had a 1993 Escort GT. I also had a 1996 Mercury Tracer with the 1.9. That car was totaled when we were hit by a drunk driver. We replaced it with a 1998 Escort like the one you are driving here. All of mine had manual transmissions and all were bought new. The 1998 was the biggest turd. The Tracer Trio was the gem of the group. The GT was fun... but the MPG was pathetic never getting to 30 MPG. Tracer always got over 40 MPG! The 1998 Escort only got about 32 MPG.
I have a escort 99 station wagon still running , paid $ 1500 dollars 17 years ago , the best way to avoid problems is buy genuine parts especially relay modules, sensors , (cheap aftermarket parts is garbage), here im the states no dealer sells genuine parts for this car , I order from mexico DC.
I still have mine it's a 1998 Ford Escort it has 55,000 miles but something did happen to wear if I like at a stop light the car would start overheating I don't know what possibly could be but the mechanic says it's fine they fixed but I'm not sure. Any thoughts ?
Water pump, radiator fan, clogged radiator or thermostat should be an easy fix. Overheating is an escorts worst enemy you will distort you engine and it will lead to valve seat failure. I would get familiar with the car yourself, most mechanics don't know how to work on these older cars and will often read codes and throw parts at the issue.
I used to own a 2000 Ford Escort SE 2.0liter SPI with the 4speed F4EAT transmission. With gas at $2.00-$2.60 per gallon in late 2018 it took me about $75.00 to go 1000 miles with luggage. The cover for the ignition switch kept coming loose making hard to start the car with out taking the trim off of the steering column and fixing it. I should used a lock washer because it caught fire and I think this was the reason why or a wire I had bumped into while tightening the screw. I have some videos on the car on UA-cam. If you have to replace the torque converter seal double it up or you'll be sorry because it will leak.
I love mine too, i got one 98 for $1800 on 2020, i put around $4500 to fix it cause i blown the motor putting to much oil weekly so motor was replaced, timing belt, 4 struts, muffler, radiator, water pump, ignition march, battery, some hoses, steering wheel pump,the car was in complete decay, i still have to replace the the headlights and paint it completely, i was pissed off at first doing all of this in less than 9 months, but i agree, i love it to, after all this money invested im going to keep it for a long time, may be i will get a new car later, but this ford escort design and aesthetics is just simply gorgeous, ride is smooth and easy to repair, it is compact and fast. I really loved the car when i was teenager, now im 39 and i love it more, i was behind a nissan frontier top equipment 2010 LE before, so big change here.
When I was in high school my friend's mom bought bought a brand new 98 escort sport withEvery option. It had the the worst front seats where where the seat itself eat itself ended in the middle of your back and the headbreasts offered no no whiplash whip lash protection or comfort
My sister used to have a 1997 Ford Escort ZX2 in black. It was a cute little car. I almost did get a 1999 Ford Escort sedan in a dark blue color. I ended up with a 1998 Ford Contour SE in light denim blue in the late 90’s. I don’t have that car anymore. Now I drive a 2020 Ford Escape SE in black.
I grew up in this car, same year but silver. My parents had this car forever until the transmission gave out. I was born in 2001, we had it until I was 11.
These third gen Escorts are among the cutest 90s cars ever made. I had a 99 for my first car and I really really miss it.
I inherited my great grandmas 98 escort last year when she passed due to Covid. It has 70,000 miles 😮I love this car so much great on MPG!
I drove one with a manual and it was a comfortable commuter. Nothing more nothing less.
I'm get 45 mpg in mine. Great commuter car.
When I think of Ford Escort I think of this little red car.
I have 2 98 models on has 386,000 miles and still runs great. getting a bit rusty but fun with the 5 speed. also a deluxe sport model with 170,000 auto shift and the AC still works, like to find another lower miles version, I paid 1100 a piece for these 10 years ago, now worth a bit more.
Fun fact. The F4EAT transmission that is in the escort is the same one in the Kia Rio that you drove back a couple years ago
Just bought one for $500, with 65000 original miles!
Wow I'm jealous I bought a 99 for $1200 147mk
No way
Actually a steal of a deal
I've always liked the Ford Escort. Cheap and reliable little cars that get the job done. My dad had a black one with a manuel and it was a great little car
Damn, $5000???
I guess that's Illinois used car dealers for ya. I wouldn't wanna pay a penny over $2000 for this lol
I know, right?! This vintage of Escorts were selling for less than that in the early 2000s! I know we need to factor in inflation, but still. I guess people are willing to pay that these days.
My '97 LX had the 5-speed manual - when I test-drove the automatic, I was "yeaa-NO" - I waited 2 months for the dealership to find me a 5-speed!
Great car, no problems, I missed for 10 years after I traded it in!
It looks like a little ford Taurus
The front end looks more Ford Mondeo/Contour to me!
they are very handsome cars, the third crack of the curvy 1990s ford design language. 1996 taurus and the contour were the first two. this is a nice gentle curvy car with excellent window sizes, and soft curves.
$5000, really?
Like someone else commented, I also enjoy these old econoboxes reviews than a car I can't afford. I am done with all those expensive car reviews.
Zack P., if you don't mind, I would like to help you by giving the reasons for the 98 Ford Escort appeal. The Escort is Ford's affordable, reliable, good gas mileage, and good value economy car. Japanese or Korean car makers are overrated for reliability. Besides that, there is some stigma that just because it was made in America it might disappoint. Ford Escorts are in line with Ford's motto, "Built Ford Tough".
I also love this gen of escort! I live in Russia, and here usually only escort's from europe, but I hate it. And love american escort!
I just inherited my mamaws 98 zx2 sports model with all the bells and whistles. She's not running right now but I'm going to work on getting her up and running. Maybe even go for a full restore. I learned to drive in this car and it's honestly my favorite. If anyone has suggestions I'm all ears.
Yep, these are pretty good cars! I had three of them, in the station wagon version. They dropped in value pretty quickly, which made them very reasonably priced used cars, that gave a lot of service for the money.
lol
I feel like those types of cars are the unsung heroes of society
@@zadman49 In what way?
@@zythr9999 reliable cars that were cheap enough for regular people to buy that were slightly interesting for their time but nothing special except they worked and worked well for the money as used
Might be kinda late here but I'm looking at a 99 wagon manual right now. Any major problems?
So many of these and related Mazdas sitting in junk yards because of that 4-speed automatic transmission
My great aunt has a 99 with under 80k miles in a shade of 90s beige. It’s still in amazing shape and I compare every other Ford Escort on the road to hers because of how well kept it is.
Thanks for the review. I'm acquiring a 98 Escort LX with 37K miles from the original owner, and I wanted to get a little more info. Thanks again... enjoyed the review. (and I'm originally from Chicago ... so the Naperville aspect was fun too).
This car was so Ugly Brand New but now it actually looks Timeless🤯🤯🤯
LOL
I had a green 99, it was a great car! Was just thinking of it recently because the new Mercedes EQE and EQShave similar tail lights LOL. Ford was ahead of its time. 😂
I've had three escorts so far, and grew up in my dad's 2 escorts, my grandma's escort, and my aunt's. There are four of us siblings, and we all had escorts as our first cars. We are an escort family. Mine were a 1998 se like this one that was totalled by an SUV running a red light (and it looked totalled too. People were shocked I was fine.) Second was a 2002 Zx2, which I ended up giving to my dad after buying its twin with leather seats and a sun roof. I love it when we end up going the same place with our matching escorts. I'm hoping to get a third Zx2 to use for bits for both of our cars, buuuut I'm pretty sure I'm destined to be poor forever. I really like how they drive, and how much control that I feel like I have while driving them. The size is great, and you aren't kidding about how light they are. I've been known to take corners fast, something I felt was normal until I drove a heavier car. It's downright scary in a heavy car, when it feels so natural in an Escort. I also REALLY like the appearance, especially of the 2 doors. It's just so sporty :D
Yet the loud engine isn't LOL
Hey! My first csr was a 1997 escort lx sedan !
I always loved Escorts,European ones & North American ones...they were such common cars all over Europe,North America & even furthur afield! EVERYONE at least knew someone who had one,or has driven one,even if they never owned one! 😍😍
I love them because I used to drive them for work. I remember our fleet all had to be fitted with tinted windows and they all had the plastic wheel covers. I started admiring them because the company forced us to take them to the carwash daily. To me they looked so cool coming out of the carwash with those tints they looked like mini police cars. Inside we basically ate, drank, smoked and farted all day long and those engines were rarely turned off. In the brutal NY winters we took em all over the TRI STATE AREA and they were sent for oil changes every two weeks, We would take 4 cars and return all 4 fat men in ONE tiny car and they were great!! AMERICA"S ANSWER TO THE COROLLA!!! NOT
I have a 4 door 2002 Kia Rio with a 1.5 L Mazda engine driving a Ford automatic transmission that I've owned since 2004. My Rio seems to be very similar to the 1998 Ford Escort shown in the video. I'm wondering if the two cars are basically the same since Ford, Mazda, and Kia have had a long business relationship. I might add that my Rio has been an excellent, economical car with no costly maintenance issues. I still drive it daily. My only wish is that my Rio had a two door hatchback body like the Ford Festiva.
Extremely flickable cars, decent balance make for a fun winter beater
Not bad for its age.
In 2023, there was a woman who bought a 1998 Ford Escort for $289 per month for 84 months! She will have to put Amsoil lubricants and do major services on that car for 7 years! That's insanely crazy! You can get that kind of a lease for a newer car!
That car will fall apart before that happens. The lady was too broke to buy a car in the first place. How is she going to cover all the maintenance, gas, and sky-high insurance all on her own?
I think that photo was fake
Aww!!! So Close! I hope you get the chance to drive a 1998 Ford Taurus with the front bench seats!
Cool to hear of this car though.
wtf this is optioned exactly my dad's escort
I drove a gold 1999 Escort LX throughout my junior year of high school and the first half of my senior year. But it was my Dad's car for years prior to that. It really didn't have many problems mechanically, but overall, it just felt like a piece of junk, given how cheap of a car it was, and it had a rebuilt salvage title. So obviously, since it was the LX, it wasn't as nice as the SE in this video. It had an automatic and hand crank windows like this car, but didn't have things like power locks or cruise control. We always had the original stereo system, which included a cassette player that quit working eventually, so I could only listen to the radio and not even use the cassette player to play an iPod through. It had a button in the driver's footwell you could pop the trunk open with, and that eventually quit working, and the light in the trunk quit working rather early on I believe. Some wires in the trunk had been cut from something we put in there, but we're not sure if they were for the button, the light or what.
Omg this was my first car I ever bought after high school and I was working. tfs
My dad had like 2 or 3 escorts back in the 80s, one of them was an xr3, he absolutely loved them
The transmission is actually a JATCO unit. I capitalized the name because it is an acronym. (Japan Automatic Transmission Company). Jatco and Mazda developed this transmission (4EAT) to be used in Mazda products. Ford Escorts from 1991 to 2003 (last year of production) were based on the Mazda Protégé. The transmission it replaced in the pre 1991 Escorts was a 3 speed mushbox. Ford's ATX. The 4EAT was a decent transmission. However, they do not tolerate abuse. Neutral drops will destroy them.
A cheap car to solve all of your problems
It looks like a rebadged Hyundai Accent to me... the Euro version Escort was so much more handsome than this
Automatic transmission is the big downfall of this car mines blew at 100k miles highly recommend watching out for that!
These had the Mazda motor if I'm not mistaken, but not in a 90's Mazda body so no obscene rust. My uncle drove the wagon version forever and it was a chill lil car
You're mistaken. They had the Mazda motor as an option up until the 97 redesign, from then on it was the CVH Ford engine.
@Jonathan A I'm not sure about the 2 liter, but the 91 and later 1.9 was both Ford and Mazda. Mazda did some work on the engine to cut back on it's harshness and roughness. This makes sense, since it could not compete with Honda and even Toyota in this area.
@Jonathan A I know it wasn't 🙂, but Ford asked Mazda to see what they could do to improve the engine, which is why the 91 and later are smoother and better. I believe Mazda took care of the mechanical while Ford did the body.
The success of the GM/Toyota collaboration probably encouraged Ford to try the same.
Wow! I see the $5000 price on the windshield... for an economy car that's nearly a quarter of a century old and with 114,000 miles. They're holding their value well. I know most used cars are, especially in these Covid times,. When I traded in my clean, well maintained 1999 Escort SE 4 door sedan in 2006, I'm pretty sure I got a very little for it (probably about $3000), and the Toyota dealer put it on their lot for under $5000, and it sold pretty quickly, and it was only a seven year old car at the time, with about 70,000 miles (112,000 km).
LOL
I think I got mine from a Ford lot for $2500, and that's after they fixed some damage for me. Though, I think it was about to go off to auction? This was 3 years ago, I think.
They're not "holding their value" the used car market's just fucked
where's my ZX2 gang?
My Escort died after 100,000 miles. The Head Gasket blew. Somebody however bought it from me and fixed the engine.
you should review a ZX2!
Great car great story. Looks great in red. For me the appeal is the ovals. Its bubbly and cute and cars are all mean lookin now. Baby bubbly mini-taurus
My grandpa had a green 1997 escort european version until 2015
Edit: it had the ghia logo
Owned a 1998 ZX2 (two door) in a manual. Funny that it had a power lock…yes! One power lock for the driver sided but not the passenger side. How much could it have cost Ford to offer it on both sides??!! My dates would think I was a gentleman by opening up their door with the key, then give me a strange look when I would hit the power lock on the key fob.
Yea never got to own a zx2(the Coupe) but when I test drove one, damn is it alot more fun to drive and is faster than the sedan. 0-60 is around 7.5 seconds on good days. Which for a car with 130hp it was fast. Compared to the sedan with 110hp that took 11 seconds. The sedan is reliable till the cooling system fails, the ccrm goes bad or when the 4th valve seat breaks destroying the motor. I've had the zetec in a contour, gets better gas mileage than the sohc, was bulletproof till it came time to change the timing in which it has the hardest timing set up I've ever seen.
I miss the Econobox cars from the late 90s . Escorts, Corollas, tercels, Lanos, civics, Geo's, protege's etc... They were much more reliable compared the the junk econobox cars from the early 2000s offered by most car brands.
I delivered pizzas in college with a 97 Escort 5 speed
I have just this model with the alloy wheels... body is timeless.
Oh the joy of rolling down your window. Good times! Love these reviews.
I like the four door. Better reliability especially with the five speed. The 2-door is ok. Engine is amazing but the automatic in them are junk. I owned a ZX2 Escort and in less than a month, the automatic took a vacation. I swore to never own another escort and I haven't. Great review. Nice car, wrong color. 😊
Bruh
Ive got the 1999 with a 5-speed. Can get over 37 mph.
Seats are in great shape for their age.
My Escort had a rear spoiler on the back and it was white.
*edit* also it annoys me that you loved the escort, but shat on the ford contour svt. Which is league's better.
This car would not make a good track car.(sedan not the zx2) its a turd, if u drive it hard it will overheat, and its slow. It tends to misfire sometimes randomly, then ofc we have the notorious 4th valve seat failure. Not a great car, but is a decent commuter.
gettin me anxious rn
Brings back memories.
I have always loved the Ford Escort, especially the 2nd Gen. Idk why, but I've always gravitated towards them. I've had a few and I would buy one again right now if i could find one in great condition.
these were good cars and there are still many on the road.
12 years ago I bought two used cars for my daughters to go to school in - a 1999 Ford Escort SE auto (40k miles) and a 1999 Honda Civic EX auto (140k miles). One died (beside being a general POS - a valve seat dropped) but I still have one of them and it runs perfectly, AC works, etc...anyone want to guess which one? Spolier - the Honda.
The valve seat thing is a common issue on specific engines only found in later models. It seems to occur more often in colder climates
It's a cute and quirky little car that gives you SO much more than what you bargain for out of an economy car. Trunk space is insane, and with the rear seats folded down, you can fit a full size mountain bike in the car with the handles repositioned 90 degrees. In my youthful years, I was able to stuff my entire one bedroom apartment (minus the bed) in the car and still had the front passenger seat available. Without cruise control, these little cars are quite fun to cruise on the highways, and give you some really good gas mileage comparable to today's modern gas direct injection motors. Hands down, I would buy more of these Escorts with the single overhead cam 2.0L four pots because those motors will not die unlike modern engines. Bent a valve? No problem. Just open up the valve cover, extract the bent valve, install a new one, reset the timing of the motor, and fire it up. That is Ford ingenuity at work for building some tough motors. On the other hand, you'd laugh with glee as you feel this little car walk up a hill with your foot pressed on the throttle as others struggle to keep up with you. Best thing about this car is the small fuel tank that goes a long way (12.8 Gallons).
is this car still available for sale ?
Nice I have the LX..40mpg on the freeway!
My late cousin Jimmy had a '94 Escort wagon, green, 5 speed. Uncle Ed and I were using it going to and from a project house in East Meadow, NY, at the end of 2006. One day he told me that it was maxed out on the way over. ( I correctly figured it that he was unaware that it had a 5th gear.) On the way back, he had it in 4th at one point and said, "Sounds like I need to shift up again." Me- "Well, you can." Him-" Really? There's another gear?" He found 5th, and the motor settled down.
90's camera effects a few times!! I like!!
The only Escort to get a Zetec was the ZX2. The Split Port you are driving was a huge step down from the 1.9 it was based on. I had a few Escorts BITD. I had a 1993 Escort GT. I also had a 1996 Mercury Tracer with the 1.9. That car was totaled when we were hit by a drunk driver. We replaced it with a 1998 Escort like the one you are driving here. All of mine had manual transmissions and all were bought new. The 1998 was the biggest turd. The Tracer Trio was the gem of the group. The GT was fun... but the MPG was pathetic never getting to 30 MPG. Tracer always got over 40 MPG! The 1998 Escort only got about 32 MPG.
I have a escort 99 station wagon still running , paid $ 1500 dollars 17 years ago , the best way to avoid problems is buy genuine parts especially relay modules, sensors , (cheap aftermarket parts is garbage), here im the states no dealer sells genuine parts for this car , I order from mexico DC.
unless its window motors and regulators chinese ebay options are fine and 1/3 the price
Mom had one... super dependable.
For me they remind me of Flounder, both character and species.
My brother has a 1999 zx2 with 200,000 miles and that thing still is zippy and runs like a dream
5000 dollars for a 98 with over 100,000 miles on it?!! Yea, they're not bad little cars, but 5000 seems a little steep, my friend. 😏
Still love these cars my 99 is about to hit 200k
When i want a Ford Escort, id' think about getting a Mazda Protege.."
My grandma had this car 2 years ago.
I still have mine it's a 1998 Ford Escort it has 55,000 miles but something did happen to wear if I like at a stop light the car would start overheating I don't know what possibly could be but the mechanic says it's fine they fixed but I'm not sure. Any thoughts ?
Water pump, and get a new radiator
Water pump, radiator fan, clogged radiator or thermostat should be an easy fix. Overheating is an escorts worst enemy you will distort you engine and it will lead to valve seat failure. I would get familiar with the car yourself, most mechanics don't know how to work on these older cars and will often read codes and throw parts at the issue.
I love the 90s radio
They were asking $5k for that. Sheesh! They are fun little cars but more like $3500
I'd much rather have cruise control as I use it all the time. I hardly ever lower the windows.
My grandmother had the exact same red escort! Me and my sister would always play with the wind up windows 24/7
Wowww at 11 years old I remember my mother bought one brand new in April of ‘99 .
i own a red 98 escort also. It is beat up (25 years old) and has fairly recent issues. But they are easy to work on and very durible.
My wife had a 98 escort when we first met. It got repoed so we had to everywhere in my beat up ranger pickup lol
They could have at least cleaned up the interior of the car for you. Especially if it's for sale.
My 88 GT had power mirrors, CC and a/c. Weird how they optioned those Escorts
my FIRST car was a 1998 ford escort sedan as my college car
My 98 Tracer has manual windows and no cruise control
My grandma has one of these, its a beige wagon though. Just a blast from the past
Oye vato a cuanto me lo vendes o que, ya la neta tengo 100 bolas como la vez????
I got a 95 ford laser simular car love this from Australia
I had one as my second car!
have a 97 wagon, love it , my mechanic says they go forever
Was the timing belt done at 60k as required ?
I love the round shape of 90s cars.
I used to own a 2000 Ford Escort SE 2.0liter SPI with the 4speed F4EAT transmission. With gas at $2.00-$2.60 per gallon in late 2018 it took me about $75.00 to go 1000 miles with luggage. The cover for the ignition switch kept coming loose making hard to start the car with out taking the trim off of the steering column and fixing it. I should used a lock washer because it caught fire and I think this was the reason why or a wire I had bumped into while tightening the screw. I have some videos on the car on UA-cam. If you have to replace the torque converter seal double it up or you'll be sorry because it will leak.
I love mine too, i got one 98 for $1800 on 2020, i put around $4500 to fix it cause i blown the motor putting to much oil weekly so motor was replaced, timing belt, 4 struts, muffler, radiator, water pump, ignition march, battery, some hoses, steering wheel pump,the car was in complete decay, i still have to replace the the headlights and paint it completely, i was pissed off at first doing all of this in less than 9 months, but i agree, i love it to, after all this money invested im going to keep it for a long time, may be i will get a new car later, but this ford escort design and aesthetics is just simply gorgeous, ride is smooth and easy to repair, it is compact and fast. I really loved the car when i was teenager, now im 39 and i love it more, i was behind a nissan frontier top equipment 2010 LE before, so big change here.
When I was in high school my friend's mom bought bought a brand new 98 escort sport withEvery option. It had the the worst front seats where where the seat itself eat itself ended in the middle of your back and the headbreasts offered no no whiplash whip lash protection or comfort
My sister used to have a 1997 Ford Escort ZX2 in black. It was a cute little car. I almost did get a 1999 Ford Escort sedan in a dark blue color. I ended up with a 1998 Ford Contour SE in light denim blue in the late 90’s. I don’t have that car anymore. Now I drive a 2020 Ford Escape SE in black.
I grew up in this car, same year but silver. My parents had this car forever until the transmission gave out. I was born in 2001, we had it until I was 11.