Find or Sell Used Cars, Trucks, and SUVs in USA

1997 Ford Escort Lx Sedan 4-door 2.0l "rusty But Trusty" on 2040-cars

US $600.00
Year:1997 Mileage:281000 Color: Red /
 Tan
Location:

Casnovia, Michigan, United States

Casnovia, Michigan, United States
Transmission:Manual
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
VIN: 1FALP13P3VW247935 Year: 1997
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
Condition: Used: A vehicle is considered used if it has been registered and issued a title. Used vehicles have had at least one previous owner. The condition of the exterior, interior and engine can vary depending on the vehicle's history. See the seller's listing for full details and description of any imperfections. ... 

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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Auto blog

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Mon, Jul 3 2017

General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV posted declines in US new vehicle sales for June on Monday, while major Japanese automakers reported stronger figures. Once again, demand for pickup trucks and crossovers offset a decline in sedan sales. Automakers' shares rose as overall industry sales still came in above Wall Street expectations. The US auto industry is bracing for a downturn after hitting a record 17.55 million new vehicles sold in 2016. Analysts had predicted that overall, US vehicle sales would fall in June for the fourth consecutive month. As the market has shown signs of cooling, automakers have hiked discounts and loosened lending terms. Car shopping website Edmunds said on Monday the average length of a car loan reached an all-time high of 69.3 months in June. "It's financially risky, leaving borrowers exposed to being upside down on their vehicles for a large chunk of their loans," said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds' executive director of industry analysis. GM said its sales fell about 5 percent versus June 2016, but that the industry would see stronger sales in the second half of 2017 versus the first half. "Under the current economic conditions, we anticipate US retail vehicle sales will remain strong for the foreseeable future." GM shares were up 2.4 percent in morning trading, while Ford rose 3.3 percent and FCA shares jumped 6 percent. "US total sales are moderating due to an industry-wide pullback in daily rental sales, but key US economic fundamentals clearly remain positive," said GM chief economist Mustafa Mohatarem. "Under the current economic conditions, we anticipate US retail vehicle sales will remain strong for the foreseeable future." Ford said its sales for June were hit by lower fleet sales to rental agencies, businesses, and government entities, which fell 13.9 percent, while sales to consumers were flat. But it sold a record 406,464 SUVs in the first half of the year, with Explorer sales increasing 23 percent in June. And sales of the F-150 had their strongest June since 2001. On a media call, Ford executives said an initial read of automakers' sales figures indicated a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of around 17 million new vehicles for the month, which would be better than 16.6 million units analysts had predicted. FCA said June sales decreased 7 percent versus the same month a year earlier.

Mustang GT350 reveal coming Nov 17?

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Ford looks to have something really big planned for the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show. The Blue Oval has released the first of five teaser videos on the brand's performance heritage, and aside from some great images of racers over the years, the video includes a series of teaser images, the last of which points to November 17, 2014.
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That'd be news in and of itself, but based on the images shown in Ford's teaser video - which include an Alcantara steering wheel, a "Powered by Ford" valve cover, aluminum pedals, sticky tires, a big, round exhaust tip, a honeycomb grille and a serious set of wheels - it seems very likely that Ford will be showing something performance oriented.

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Few upcoming debuts have been as eagerly anticipated as the all-new Ford Mustang that's expected to debut shortly as the Mustang's 50th anniversary year approaches. Well, Car and Driver magazine would have us wait no longer as it claims to be leaking Ford's new global pony car early.
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