Hey, everyone! With Phase One of my great relocation complete, I’m slipping back into the big chair here for a couple days before I kick off Phase Two. I’m pleased to report that our first trip went swimmingly, and both of our old GM trucks, with nearly 430,000 miles between them, purred like kittens the whole way. There’s a lot to be said for a cheap old car you can rely on, and today, I want to talk about two examples of another one: the Mazda BG chassis-derived Ford Escort.
Huge thanks to Matt and Thomas for holding down the fort this week. Yesterday, Thomas showed you a couple of rock-star dream machines slowly succumbing to the forces of chaos. I don’t think either one is worth the scratch they’re asking, based on how much work you’d have to do to them, but there is an ass for every seat, as the saying goes, even those nasty, moldy seats. You all preferred the Maserati to the stretch limo Rolls by a good margin, but it doesn’t sound like any of you were too happy about it.
For the sake of playing the game, I think the Rolls would be a lot more interesting to work on, though I’d rather have a regular-length Shadow. I have no idea where I’d park a leviathan like that limo, running or not. And for the record, my picks for Monday and Tuesday are the Celebrity and the Colt, respectively. Probably no surprises there.
Some automotive partnerships are like celebrity marriages: not well thought-out, brief, and tumultuous: Daimler-Chrysler, for example. Others are like those cute couples who wear matching outfits and clean everybody’s clock at Pictionary because they share a hive mind. They seem to go together so well that when they do break up, it’s a shock. Such was the case with Ford and Mazda. For decades, the two automakers shared parts and designs, badge-engineered models for each other, and between the two of them they turned out some really excellent little cars. Probably the most unsung hero of this long-term partnership was the 1991 and later US-market Ford Escort, which was built on Mazda’s BG platform. They were cheap, tough, and drove better than you would have guessed. These days, they’re getting a little thin on the ground, as old cars tend to, but you can still find decent ones. These two look pretty good to me, and while the prices aren’t as cheap as they would have been a couple years ago, they’re still not terribly expensive. Let’s check them out.
1997 Ford Escort LX Wagon – $4,000
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter OHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Columbus, OH
Odometer reading: 153,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
1997 was a big year for the little Escort. It got a restyle to match the rest of Ford’s increasingly ovoid styling, a bump in power, and a new interior which finally did away with the motorized seat belts. Unfortunately, the hatchback body styles didn’t make the jump to the new generation; the only options were a funny-looking four-door sedan, and this much more charming station wagon.
Standard model Escorts had been powered by Ford’s CVH four-cylinder engine from the very beginning, even after the switch to the Mazda chassis. For this one, Ford bumped up the displacement to 2.0 liters and added a new intake manifold, which gave the Escort 22 more horsepower, but did nothing to quell the CVH’s thrashy nature. It also developed a nasty habit of dropping valve seats. This wagon has had its engine replaced with a used unit, and I suspect that’s the reason. It currently runs and drives fine, but it has a “Serivce Engine Soon” light illuminated, which the seller seems to think is not the same thing as a “Check Engine” light. Regardless of what the light says, if you want help fixing it, remember to search for “Ford Escort service,” and not… you know.
Inside, it’s a little threadbare, but not bad at all. It doesn’t have much in the way of options on it, but that’s fine; you buy a car like this for economy and simplicity, not luxury. It might not even have air conditioning. The tan upholstery is a nice change from the industrial-looking gray these usually came with, at least.
They don’t call the region where this car lives the “Rust Belt” for nothing, but it seems to have survived more or less unscathed. I don’t see any signs of rust at all in the photos, but of course you would be wise to take a look underneath and make sure it’s solid. Something struck me as odd about this car, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. It wasn’t until I looked at photos of other Escort wagons that I figured it out: it has no roof rack like most other Escort wagons do.
2002 Ford ZX2 – $3,000
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter DOHC inline 4, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Beachwood, NJ
Odometer reading: 80,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Everyone knows that the coolest version of the Escort was the GT model, with its Mazda twin-cam engine and asymmetrical grille. But when the hatchback versions of the Escort died during the refresh, the GT died with it. It wasn’t until 1998 that a new sporty Escort arrived to fill its shoes: the ZX2. It lost the hatchback practicality, but kept the same fun-to-drive spirit.
In place of the Mazda engine, the ZX2 uses Ford’s own Zetec twin-cam four, a nice revvy engine with plenty of power for such a lightweight car. Unfortunately, this one isn’t as much fun as it could be, since it has an automatic transmission. It does run and drive well, and with only 80,000 miles on it, it should continue to do so for a long time. It has a new battery and recent tires, too.
This is the only view we get of the interior, and it’s not much to go on. The driver’s seat looks a little tired, but the passenger’s seat is immaculate – typical for a car that was used by one person for commuting. The yellow paper key tag makes me think the seller is a small-time car dealer posing as a private seller; there are a lot of them on Facebook Marketplace. It’s not a bad thing necessarily, but don’t expect them to know much about the car’s history.
It doesn’t look too bad outside, but it does have a dent in the right front fender and what looks like a possible rust spot behind the right rear wheel. But the rest of the paint is shiny. I have to confess that I have always hated the rear spoiler on these cars; it looks ridiculous, and I’m sure it doesn’t do anything aerodynamically. I’ve seen one or two ZX2s without the spoiler, and they look so much better.
Sure, you could buy a Corolla or a Civic for the same money as these, but it’ll have way more miles on it, and I’m not convinced it would be a better car. These little Escorts are troopers, give or take a few well-documented flaws, and thanks to the Mazda DNA in the chassis, they handle pretty well, too. Neither one of these is exactly the right combination of features, so you’ll have to decide what’s more important to you. Are you going for the practical wagon with the lesser engine, or the sporty fun machine with the wrong transmission?
I’m here late so won’t bother voting, but I’ve ridden in a lot of old Escorts in my youth (and driven a few) and never liked ’em that much. However, these two are among the more interesting variants of the Escort that we had in the states. The wagon is decent looking and practical, and of course I always love a small wagon be it American or Japanese. And that coupe is actually pleasant looking and sleekly modern as well, though I suspect both cars would do very poorly in an accident of any severity. The Escorts that I’ve seen hit always seem to crumple and tear pretty badly, though the same can probably be said of any small cars of that vintage.
SInce they are both Fords I would like to vote for neither of them,but that is not how we roll.
In this case it would be hard not to vote for the manual wagon.
I also had what is probably the wagon’s European cousin,it was a crap car that rusted out practically while I drove it.
Neither.
Shitty headlamps and short seat tracks—typical Ford…
Red. Wagon. Stick. Hell yes. But I voted both. If I’m doing an engine swap, that one sounds kinda fun.
Related to this: my former Sienna (like my current Sienna) had an “engine maintenance required” light that sure looked like a “service engine soon” light, but turned out to be an idiot reminder to do the scheduled maintenance, including the usual fluid inspection. I had to look it up.
A ’91 Escort GT remains one of my favorite cars I’ve ever had. (1)90,000 miles on the five digit odometer but that engine just loved to rev. Until I roasted at least one of the valves, anyway. Great shifter and predictable lift-off oversteer in the corners gave the giggles, and you could fit anything in that huge hatch. Impressively spacious interior. And it only cost $1100. Good times gone.
Anyway today I’ll say both and engine swap, just because I always wanted the extra space of the wagon with the Mazda engine swapped into it. This would be close enough.
Red manual wagon, and an embarrassment of engine swap candidates when the hemi with a cam where? dies sounds good to me.
Buying both and swapping is an idea, but where would you stick the vibrating suppository thing?
My first brand new car I purchased was a ’98 Ford Escort ZX2, it was a fun little car that I only kept for about 2 years because of the notoriously bad Mazda Auto (don’t judge, it was a commuter). I replaced it with a 2000 Oldsmobile Alero, let’s just say my first non-used car purchases were both horrible. Still voted for the ZX2 for nostalgia’s sake.
A manual wagon? I’m sold.
I had a ’96 Escort, which I bought from my mom and was also the same car I took my license exam in some 8 years prior, and then a bit later on shared ownership of a ’99 ZX2 with my then-partner. Both were mostly fine vehicles for what it’s worth, but the ZX2 blew a power steering hose and NAPA’s parts catalog at the time was wildly inaccurate; the one they sent was not even close. I recall that wasn’t the first time they screwed me over and I swore off of them for years because of it. They seem to be better now, though.
I am a bit tickled by the idea of a Zetec in a wagon. Gimme both and I’ll figure out the swap.
Casting a nostalgic vote for the wagon.
Our German 2nd (?) cousins owned a ’98 Escort wagon that they purchased while they lived in the US on a temporary work visa because they mistakenly thought they’d be able to take it back to Germany after they returned to their homeland and have a “world car” just like those other Escorts in Europe.
Of course y’all know that they two vehicles have very little if anything in common with one another. But, they soldiered on with the American wagon, and when we went to visit them, they insisted that we drive it, rather than rent a vehicle, while we completed our week-long tour to Switzerland and Austria.
And thus we had an opportunity to drive that thing at Autobahn speeds. And, it was… ok. Obviously, when you’re driving in Germany as a fairly inexperienced Yank, it goes like this:
Step one: “Whee! I can go as fast! as I would ever want to!”
Step two: “This really isn’t much fun, I think I’ll just stay to the right and maybe pass the occasional 2CV when necessary.”
Anyway, it’s a solid little hauler, and if I had to live with either vehicle in our current fleet, it can do stuff our sedans and hatchback can’t, cargo-wise.
I have a feeling driving as fast as I want is considerably slower than as fast as the people over there want.
Well, just observe lane discipline and nobody gets hurt!
I should’ve added, an Escort isn’t anyone’s idea of a bahn burner. Had I been behind the wheel of my CRX Si on those roads, I certainly would’ve tried to do (if only for a modest stretch) the 125mph legally that I’d previously done surreptitiously in the States.
We had a new ’93 Cayman Green Escort wagon and it was a well built little car! It had the 4-speed automatic (my parents owned it), but it would happily cruise at 85mph for hours on end from mid-Michigan up to The Bridge on I-75. I would imagine the stick would be even better. It gets my vote, no question, and these cars look great with some nice wheels swapped on.
The manual wagon gets my vote.
Mid-to late ’90s vehicles were weird. The manual wagon doesn’t have a tachometer, yet the automatic 2-door does.
Back in 2005-2010, I had a ’95 S-10 with a 5-speed but no tachometer – only a shift light, and the wife had a ’99 Escort LX with an automatic + a tach.
I voted for the manual wagon this time.