1997 Ford Escort Lx Sedan 4-door 2.0l "rusty But Trusty" on 2040-cars
Casnovia, Michigan, United States
Body Type:Sedan
Vehicle Title:Clear
Engine:2.0L 1989CC 121Cu. In. l4 GAS SOHC Naturally Aspirated
Fuel Type:GAS
For Sale By:Private Seller
Model: Escort
Trim: LX Sedan 4-Door
Options: Cassette Player
Drive Type: FWD
Safety Features: Driver Airbag, Passenger Airbag
Mileage: 281,000
Power Options: Cruise Control
Exterior Color: Red
Interior Color: Tan
Number of Cylinders: 4
Warranty: Vehicle does NOT have an existing warranty
You probably know a senior citizen, someone in their mid-80s or older. You know the one I mean. . .not the guy that is in a wheelchair in the nursing home, but the one who is out playing golf, working in the garden, mowing the lawn. My father-in-law is like that. He's 95 and recently plowed his garden with his Massey-Ferguson, getting it ready for planting. Elderly, with a lot of miles, but still capable.
This 1997 Ford Escort is the automobile version of my father-in-law. Yea, it doesn't look great (not that my father-in-law doesn't look pretty good for 95) and it's got a lot of miles, but it still starts every morning, even in sub-zero temperatures and takes me to work and back.
I've owned this car since April of 2003 and I have to say, of the 25+ vehicles I've owned over the past 40 years, this has been my favorite. It has just been so dependable and economical.
Yes, it's got 281,000 miles on it. I really wanted to keep it until I hit 300,000 but I don't drive as far to work every day as I used to, and it will just take me too long. That being said, I would not hesitate to jump in this car and drive it to Florida and back with complete confidence (I have no idea why I'd want to drive to Florida and back, but you get the picture).
I came into some extra money recently and bought another car. What did I get? Another Escort! A 2002 with only 75,000 miles, the same number of miles this one had on it when I got it in 2003. This will make the fourth Escort we've had in our family.
So, here is the synopsis:
The Good
It has cruise control that works great. It didn't have it when I got it, I put Ford OEM cruise on it after I bought it as I was doing a lot of highway driving at the time.
It gets 32-35 mpg with mixed (mostly highway) driving. I actually have documentation for this (including the per gallon price paid) for the past ten years; I keep a notebook in the car.
It doesn't use or leak oil. I go 3K-5K between oil changes and it is normally still very close to the full mark when it's changed.
Tires are great, all new this past October, less than 10K miles.
Five speed manual shifts smoothly and clutch is good.
Good brakes
Upholstery is in pretty good shape for the age. No stains and only two very small "threadbare" spots on the driver's seat.
Radio with cassette player and four speakers sounds great
Good spare with jack
Fresh lube/oil/filter a couple weeks ago.
The Bad
The air conditioning doesn't work. This was actually one of the deciding factors in my getting a different car.
The radio on/off control doesn't work. I've just gotten into the habit of flipping the volume all the way down if I want it "off"
Rocker panels? We don't need no steenkin' rocker panels.
Head liner is coming down a little bit in the back by the rear window
The biggie: it could use struts all the way around. There is some clunking from the right rear. That being said, you really can't tell from the ride, it still rides and handles quite well. There is no strange tire wear evidenced. If I was going to keep it, at this point in time I wouldn't even do anything with the struts. On the other hand, it's grown old with me, so a new driver might notice more.
A couple small cracks in the dashboard.
A couple very small dents, barely noticeable. Both of these were there when I got the car.
The passenger front door won't unlock from the outside with the key, you have to open it from inside.
Hand brake doesn't work. I know exactly what's wrong with it, I've fixed it before. No parts required to fix, just a dismantle and lube at the rear wheel linkage on each side. It's an Escort thing.
Bottom line: This is still a great running and dependable vehicle. Other than the suspension there is really nothing significantly wrong with this vehicle. It would make a great first car for a kid as long as they treated it with the respect and gentleness that its geriatric nature deserves. A full tank (twelve gallons) of gas in this is good for 350+ miles. And it's still fun to drive, it's still fairly quick (or at least as quick as its 110hp every was), nimble, and easy to park.
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Rising aluminum costs cut into Ford's profit
Wed, Jan 24 2018When Ford reports fourth-quarter results on Wednesday afternoon, it is expected to fret that rising metals costs have cut into profits, even as rivals say they have the problem under control. Aluminum prices have risen 20 percent in the last year and nearly 11 percent since Dec. 11. Steel prices have risen just over 9 percent in the last year. Ford uses more aluminum in its vehicles than its rivals. Aluminum is lighter but far more expensive than steel, closing at $2,229 per tonne on Tuesday. U.S. steel futures closed at $677 per ton (0.91 metric tonnes). Republican U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is weighing whether to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, which could push prices even higher. Ford gave a disappointing earnings estimate for 2017 and 2018 last week, saying the higher costs for steel, aluminum and other metals, as well as currency volatility, could cost the company $1.6 billion in 2018. Ford shares took a dive after the announcement. Ford Chief Financial Officer Bob Shanks told analysts at a conference in Detroit last week that while the company benefited from low commodity prices in 2016, rising steel prices were now the main cause of higher costs, followed by aluminum. Shanks said the automaker at times relies on foreign currencies as a "natural hedge" for some commodities but those are now going in the opposite direction, so they are not working. A Ford spokesman added that the automaker also uses a mix of contracts, hedges and indexed buying. Industry analysts point to the spike in aluminum versus steel prices as a plausible reason for Ford's problems, especially since it uses far more of the expensive metal than other major automakers. "When you look at Ford in the context of the other automakers, aluminum drives a lot of their volume and I think that is the cause" of their rising costs, said Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of forecasting at auto consultancy LMC Automotive. Other major automakers say rising commodity costs are not much of a problem. At last week's Detroit auto show, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV's Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne reiterated its earnings guidance for 2018 and held forth on a number of topics, but did not mention metals prices. General Motors Co gave a well-received profit outlook last week and did not mention the subject. "We view changes in raw material costs as something that is manageable," a GM spokesman said in an email.
GM readying aluminum-body fullsize pickups
Wed, 19 Feb 2014Ford's extensive use of aluminum in its 2015 F-150 is a big deal. A really big deal. Big enough, in fact, that General Motors is reportedly changing its fullsize pickup strategy. According to The Wall Street Journal, The General has locked in partnerships with Alcoa Inc. and Novelis Inc. - companies that will supply aluminum for the next-generation Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks.
"Ford's introduction of the 2015 F-150 pickup truck was a game changer, and it's the first, not the last, conversion of this type," Novelis spokesperson Charles Belbin told the Journal. The switch to aluminum has allowed Ford to shave roughly 700 pounds off its fullsize truck's curb weight. And while official mileage ratings have not been announced, the weight loss should go a long way for improving efficiency, especially when combined other efficiency-minded improvements including better aerodynamics and new, turbocharged V6 engines.
Of course, aluminum-bodied cars are nothing new. But extensive use of aluminum in a major, best-selling product like the Ford F-150 is expected to kick off widespread use of this weight-saving material as availability rises and cost decreases. The WSJ reports that GM had originally explored the idea of moving to aluminum pickups back in 2008, but abandoned the idea due to cost concerns amid economic woes.
Ford recalls nearly 200,000 Expeditions and Navigators for fire risk
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