Used to have a MK2 Escort when I was a lad.
Best car I ever had, and I soooooo want another one.
Rear wheel drive heaven.
It had a nice twin choke webber carb and sounded great when you booted it as it had the tinniest stainless steel air filter.
The back axle was on its way out but I sounded like KITT from Knight Rider with that high pitched noise.

BTW Rally prepped preferably!!!

Thats a bit freaky how close your story resembles mine Mine was an old 80 something 4 door manual with the 1.3CVH engine. Just under 21K on the clock when I got it, didn't put a great deal of miles on it, sold for £300 in the paper before I broke something on it.

They are fun to get sideways and generally drive like an idiot for a while Wouldn't dare risk it with what I'm driving now (parents Citroen C4 mostly) but thats whats so good about a Ford, cheap as chips to buy & run.

10 people though, wow. Don't think mine would have pulled itself up a hill with 10 people in.

Quote from mrodgers :

Same here. I had a hand-me-down 83 4 door automatic. We would have a blast in that thing. We'd skip school, head out on the back roads, nail the e-brake and drive around sideways for hours. Occasionally, we'd get bored, I'd let go of the e-brake for a second, swing the back around to the opposite side and we'd drive like that for a while looking out the other window.

Ford Escorts rocked, especially with 10 people in them. One in the center, 2 on the passenger seat, 4 in back and 2 crunched up in the hatch and me driving .

Of course, about the longevity and reliability of Ford Escorts.... I aquired mine when my parents bought a new car. Had 24000 miles or something. It didn't handle my driving style past 36000 miles, hehe . To compare, my style didn't really change after I bought my first Toyota 4x4. In fact, from 4wheeling it, my style probably gave a worse beating on the Toy. Got rid of it simply because I wanted something newer at 190,000 miles. Still ran like a top too.

If I had a Ford today, I sure wouldn't admit to it, hehe. They aren't as bad as GM products though. Can you say "no feeling!" with GM.

Ahhh Ford, which we all already know stands for Fix Or Repair Daily. Nothing rattles quite like a Ford, nothing feels so ... mass produced ... then the car that practically invented mass production (although technically this was done by Adam Smith - a man with a pin fascination...)

Or indeed a Jaguar XK, the Ford Modeo with a stylised body. To somebody who'd driven a Jaguar made by Jaguar the difference is stark, it feels like the Ford that it is.

There's something just, rattly or clunky about Fords, if you've tasted refinement and you take a sip of Ford it's like driving a car that was pieced together out of stock components, it just isn't quite 'in sync'.

So no, i'd hate to own a Ford. I have far better uses of my time, like moaning at the repair bill on my Saab.

Is this another gay-thread?

Quote from thisnameistaken :

I call cars by Ford's names, regardless of whether they're a Ford or not. It makes it easier because you don't have to remember a million crap car names.The Fiat Focus is the one I like the sound of best. BMW Mondeo sounds a bit weird.

Chevrolet Mondeo

Quote from Becky Rose :

Ahhh Ford, which we all already know stands for Fix Or Repair Daily. Nothing rattles quite like a Ford, nothing feels so ... mass produced ... then the car that practically invented mass production (although technically this was done by Adam Smith - a man with a pin fascination...)

Or indeed a Jaguar XK, the Ford Modeo with a stylised body. To somebody who'd driven a Jaguar made by Jaguar the difference is stark, it feels like the Ford that it is.

There's something just, rattly or clunky about Fords, if you've tasted refinement and you take a sip of Ford it's like driving a car that was pieced together out of stock components, it just isn't quite 'in sync'.

So no, i'd hate to own a Ford. I have far better uses of my time, like moaning at the repair bill on my Saab.

IMO, you are still firmly planted in the 80's & 90's, when Ford used to be like that.

The newer Mondeos are as well screwed together as any VW/Audi/BMW and whatnot

Dan,

Ka is a lot smaller than the Fiesta

Quote :

MO, you are still firmly planted in the 80's & 90's, when Ford used to be like that.

I'm not sure the XK is that old actually . Ford may have improved, but that does not meen they have reached a standard at which I would like them. Remember the question is subjective, and the answer personal, for me modern Fords (and yes I have driven and ridden in them) feel rattly and clunky still. I am used to much nicer cars. When I test drove the Jaguar it felt instantly like something was wrong, it didn't feel like a Jaguar, and I concluded that it was because it wasn't a Jaguar. It uses a rolling Mondeo chasis after all, if this is Jaguar's build quality using a base Ford assembly, I hardly see how a full Ford competes with anything but a German luxury saloon - which is a whole different argument...

I don't have a car...
I don't have a Ford too...

My mother used to have a KA around the time I had just passed my test. They do feel fairly cheaply put together, but nothing ever went wrong with hers.
They might be slow, although the little 1.3 offers decent performance for that type of car and that insurance group (imo), but the steering! It's pretty much as good as any steering I've had the pleasure of being sat behind (in a car), so quick and direct. Those KAs handle so nicely, there's so much grip from those skinny little tyres which are stuck right in the corners of the car. I loved my mother's KA, and I would probably have bought it from her had I not just bought myself a car at the time.

Quote from Becky Rose :

Ahhh Ford, which we all already know stands for Fix Or Repair Daily. Nothing rattles quite like a Ford, nothing feels so ... mass produced ... then the car that practically invented mass production (although technically this was done by Adam Smith - a man with a pin fascination...)

Or indeed a Jaguar XK, the Ford Modeo with a stylised body. To somebody who'd driven a Jaguar made by Jaguar the difference is stark, it feels like the Ford that it is.

There's something just, rattly or clunky about Fords, if you've tasted refinement and you take a sip of Ford it's like driving a car that was pieced together out of stock components, it just isn't quite 'in sync'.

So no, i'd hate to own a Ford. I have far better uses of my time, like moaning at the repair bill on my Saab.

Bah humbug, the Fords we've had have been far more reliable then any other cars. The only Ford we've had that was on a ramp a lot was the 'narda after the engine split a cylinder and was rebuilt, it was never the same, and got scrapped when the cylinder started to go again.

Vauxhalls on the other hand, well I can't think of anything that fits in that, and GM should be renamed to GMF Grease Monkies Friend. The ammount of cash poured into the Omega, when it runs, it runs well, but when it plays up, you know about it. That said I knew my dad had blown a shock before he did, and he was driving. Which was just weird, but I felt the rear pulling away all the time, they took it for an MOT and found it was borkbork. I lol'ed.

Not any more, but I've owned more than one over the years. Never really had a problem with any of them [well actually almost all of them broke but that was because I abused them].

Below are a couple of photos of the last one I owned, which would sure as hell blow the doors of "Miss Fix or repair daily's" Saab

Quote from Smax :

Not any more, but I've owned more than one over the years. Never really had a problem with any of them [well actually almost all of them broke but that was because I abused them].

Below are a couple of photos of the last one I owned, which would sure as hell blow the doors of "Miss Fix or repair daily's" Saab

Nice mota!!!

BTW What are you driving now?

Size 12 feet....I've just graduated from uni, and I'm picking up the pieces.

Every person I've known who owned a Ford vehicle was not happy with it. American engineering is low quality. They might work well for a few years, but 10 years down the road you've got to "lift" the door to close it etc.....

I only buy Japanese or German cars. Better engineering and resale value.

speedfreak227

I've never had a ford with that problem, and the last ford we had was born the same year I was. With many older models before that one. The only real problem I can remember (ignoreing the engine going on the 'narda) was window trouble, either the motor died (we had the car for years and never got that motor fixed), or the winder came undone, so the pannels had to be removed to fix it. Other than that our Fords have been great cars. Only gone in for the normal repairs one needs every now and then, and a window changed here and there when people found it fun to break them.

Either we have good luck with our cars, or we just don't treat them like shit, then bitch when they break...

nice pics smax

ive owned 4 fords and they have been pretty damn reliable.

ive got a 2.0 mondeo (stop laughing at the back) which i had my mid life crisis with. its lowered 40mm, ST24 alloys, a full janspeed exhaust system and a K&N induction kit, so it sounds nice and shifts pretty good.

it beats the crappy GM van i drive (ford gearbox's are sweet and cant be beat IMO)

knock fords all you like, i like them, and my next ford will be an escort soft-top, AKA a skip!

Historically, I've never liked the idea of owning a Ford. I had a Sierra 2 litre Ghia thingy as a company car for a year or so, many years back, but I didn't like it at all. It smelled of dead fish from the first day. My first ever self-bought Ford was a 97 Explorer, which I have to admit was actually a pretty nice car. I traded it in for a 2000 Mitsubishi Montero Sport (Shogun Sport in the UK, I think) and I did regret that move. The Ford Explorer was a LOT better spec'd for the same price.

Now I have an old Escort, N reg (money's tight) and it is the biggest bag of spanners I've ever used. It's absolutely attrocious. It changes direction as I go over bumps, just like the old Sierra, despite changing the front suspension wishbones and pestering the garage like hell to find the problem. Their conclusion is "it's a Ford, so it's a design feature". Its one redeeming feature is that it hardly smells of dead fish at all.

I worked for a company that supplied motor companies in the UK for about 10 years, and I went to Ford at Halewood and Dagenham often, and on that basis alone I never wanted to own a Ford. But I also visited Rover frequently, and concluded the same. I visited Nissan in the NE, and would be happy to buy one of their cars. They seemed to be a sense of pride in their work that I never saw, at any level, at Ford or Rover.

Quote from speedfreak227 :

American engineering is low quality.

I didn't know the Chevy Corvtte C6R was made in japan or germany....

If I have a Volvo, but Ford bought Volvo, do I have Ford or Volvo then?

I don't care what my car is as long as I get RWD near 50/50 weight distribution and over 100hp, and currently I do

Quote from wheel4hummer :

I didn't know the Chevy Corvtte C6R was made in japan or germany....

you're picking one extreme example.

go buy 10 fords, 10 hondas, 10 VW's that are all 10 years old with 200,000 kms on them and see how they're all running.

and i'm not sure if fords that are sold outside of north america are the same or different. i've heard they're much better outside of north america.

speedfreak227

Quote from speedfreak227 :

go buy 10 fords, 10 hondas, 10 VW's that are all 10 years old with 200,000 kms on them and see how they're all running.

My dad drives a 1996 Saturn SL2, and it drives just fine. It has alot less than 200,000kms on it though. It runs fine, and has NEVER broken down. Nothing has ever broken on it. Got new tires once, got new brake pads and rotors once, and that's about it. The interior rattles around a bit, but its 10 years old! Our 2004 honda accord started rattling around within the first few months of owning it. Of course, that might have something to do with the fact that my mom cannot smoothly stop, and dabs at the brakes like 10-15 times at each stoplight.

I'm willing to bet there is a BIG difference between me driving a Ford/GM vehicle and those who state they haven't had any problems with theirs. You guys who say they are quality vehicles with no problems, give it to me for a day, just 1 day. I will return it on a trailer that evening. All I will do with it is drive it in the same manor I KNOW and HAVE driven my Toyota 4x4 on the road .

Do this test, when you surpass 100,000 miles, drain all the antifreeze/coolant out and never again do an oil change. Beat on the thing taking it to redline very very often. When you hit 200,000 miles (not km) tell me how it runs. I'll tell you, my 88 4Runner ran just fine. It never had antifreeze and I maybe changed the oil once or twice from 105k when I bought it to 190+ when I got rid of it. I only got rid of it because I wanted to go back to a pickup truck to haul stuff while I fix/remodel areas of the house. Oh yea, and that 88 4Runner was also totalled twice, once by telephone pole and once by a deer jumping out in front of me. I put it back together both times with junkyard parts as I didn't carry insurance on it. So, for the final year I owned it, it actually did have antifreeze in it. I had to dig the radiator out of the front of the motor and fan and replace it. It actually held antifreeze with the new one. And I did check the oil level in all those miles driven without changing. It never used or leaked a lick of oil. The only thing I did to that truck other than replacing tires and brakes was I changed the clutch at 150k. I of course had to test out the Centerforce II clutch system and lit the tires up in 3 gears, no problem. To prove a point to coworkers, I was the crazy guy who would say, "oh yea? Can you do this in your Chevy?" and put my foot flat down on the throttle. wwwWWHAAAAAABAABAABAABAA.... as it sat and bounced off the 7500 rpm rev limiter. Never do I fear that my Toyotas are going to leave me stranded out there on the road. Indestructible.

Over here in the states, we say, Toyotas, VWs, and Hondas aren't even broken in until 100,000 miles. Best running vehicle I ever had or driven, including brandnew off the lot vehicles, was my 89 Toyota pickup that I bought with 92000 miles. Unfortunately, I wrecked it at 136k. You couldn't even here the motor run it ran so smooth. And I did NOT baby that thing. It was thrashed in the woods, it was my ultimate camping vehicle, driven across the river, street raced, mud bogged, jumped, you name it. I even recieved $2500 over the value when it was totalled because of the shape it was in. You could have fried a steak on the manifold it was that clean at 136k.

Anything from Toyota with the 22RE motor in it is pretty much bulletproof, as in indestructible. I can't say that about the 2 Fords I've owned and destroyed with under 60k on each, or any GM I've driven with over 60k on it.

As for VW, my buddy in college, who is now my brother-in-law, had an 83 Scirocco. We raced all the time. He was worse than I was at beating on a car. The speedometer quit working when he had 190,000 miles on it. He drove it for another 3 years or so and he drove a lot of miles. The guy who bought it from him still to this day, drives it. I see him every day on my way to work. That was in 1992 when the speedometer broke with 190k on it, 14 years ago. Though for the sake of the arguement, it may now have a rebuild on the engine, I don't know yes or no.

Perhaps it's the passage of time, and the blurring of history, but so many people I know seem to think that Henry Ford invented the car.

What he actually invented was cheap mass-production, high volume, maximum return with minimum investment. It's actually the thing we, today, tend to hate most about the things we buy.

I was talking the night before last about this very topic with a friend. We don't have lemon laws in the UK, and we desperately need them. In most other aspects of consumer protection, UK and European law is excellent, but we don't have anything like lemon laws here for cars. We'd be happier to pay the $8/gallon for gas, if we had.

Didn't Ford get fined a few years back, to the tune of something like $5bn for pro-actively choosing to keep quiet and allow a serious defect to go un-recalled? They figured it would be cheaper to pay the occasional suit for loss of life than to recall the cars and fix the problem. Then there was the Explorer/Firestone abomination. I got 5 tyres out of that, but some people lost their lives. People at Ford KNEW about that before it ever started happening.

[edit] I recall GM were guilty of it long before, too.. it's not only indemic to Ford

NOT fond of Ford.

+1 mrodgers