Ford Escort - America’s favorite car in the 1980’s

[@TheREALOC1972]

My childhood friend bought a 1990 Escort GT brand new with his enlistment bonus. Right after High School I went in the Army and Richard went into the Marines, and he bought it as a left over year when he got to his first duty at Camp Pendelton. After his 4 years in the Marines he moved back home and became a Police Officer with our hometown PD while I stayed in Army. In 96 he was killed by a drunk driver while he was performing a traffic stop, His wife ended up moving back to San Diego where she was from a couple years later and his Escort was his daughters first car when she turned 16, I still talk to his wife and daughter a couple times a month and in Janaury his son and law called me and told me that they were rebuilding the Escort for their daughter to have as a first car and asked me if I would come to San Diego and paint it for her. I live in Northwest Arizona now and Memorial day weekend I'm going to drive down there and shoot the paint on it.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for sharing your story. It's truly unfortunate the number of law enforcement officers who loose their life doing their duty. I have been a supporter of C.O.P.S. (they work with families of fallen officers) for several years now and they do a job I wish wasn't required.

[@TheREALOC1972]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs Right on bro, thank you for that. My older brother, who was carreer Navy and stationed in San Diego and I became defacto "Uncles" of Ayranna and looked out for her, although 5 years after Rich's death his wife met and married an AMAZING guy who raised her as his own.

[@phantom0456]

It’s good of you to look out for the family of your fallen friend. I’m sure he’s looking down and is grateful to have such a faithful friend, even all these years later.

[@TheREALOC1972]

@@phantom0456 Well we grew in a town of 10,000 people and have known each other since pre-school, more than 45 years, it's really a little more than friendship plus my brother and I were right there while the rest of his family and our friends were halfway across the country back in Missouri, that's a "have to" type of thing.

[@maxr4448]

I'm so sorry to read this. I hope the Escort will be revived. I had one myself. THEY WERE AWESOME CARS AT THE TIME. I'm listening to America, the Band>>> I need you, the song. Seems I was drawn here. It is late, late here. I just want to say I hate you dad was killed. Death is bad. I wish the best for all of you. I miss my sister deeply. She will have passed 20 years ago. She was my BEST friend. What I'm sayin is the HURT never goes away. So I'm sorry for your pain. I find peace listening to to the Band >>> America>>> the song .... I need You I hope you get the same feeling. Be Blessed. Sorry

[@dmandman9]

Fun fact: the they’d originally planned to make the base engine a 1.3 engine. But when it was equipped with emissions and tested, Ford realized it couldn’t keep up with traffic. So they decided not to ever install it in production units. The 1981 Chilton repair manual listed the 1.3 engine since it was produced before the cars were actually released.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for the information. I learn something everyday!

[@surreallife777]

Just found your Channel. It's great. I've been into Fords since the late 1970s specifically high performance fords. Currently I own Ford Cosworth 4 cylinder turbo cars from the UK. I wrote a letter to Bill and Edsel Ford about 10 years ago and both of them responded back to me personally. These are both busy people high ups in the Ford organization and they took the time to write back to me which says something how about their character. Ford has an amazing history in terms of high performance cars and racing as well as a wide range of very impressive engines. The Ford engines from the 1960s can compete with modern engines today.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you very much for the kind words and for sharing your experience. It is appreciated.

[@timothyforce1949]

I had a white '89 Escort GT. Drove it for 7 years, 186k miles. Never had any troubles. I never had any overheating issues, nor any oil sludge like some people had. Changing oil every 3k miles back them was a must. It was a great little car.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for watching and for sharing your experience.

[@michaeldemarco9950]

A red 1981 Escort GL 4-speed was my first car.

[@phantom0456]

That’s awesome 🙂

[@bryanmchugh1307]

I remember these things! Used to be everywhere. They were actually good cars.

[@jcuprisi]

I replaced hundreds of head gaskets in the 80’s. Later when they start getting miles on them they broke timing belts. 1.6 and early 1.9 were interference engines. Replaced a lot of heads in those days and a few engines when they let go at highway speeds. Thanks for the memories.

[@MustangsTrainsMowers]

The Napa I worked at had a machine shop in one section and receiving Escort cylinder heads to check for cracks was common. Finally an independent company began selling replacement Escort aluminum cylinder heads that they guaranteed not to crack.

[@dmandman9]

If I’m not mistaken, only the 1981-1983 1.6 engines were interference engines. The 1984 up 1.6 and all 1.9 were non interference. I don’t remember replacing any 1984+ bent valves. But I do remember replacing a lot of cracked heads when they overheated.

[@jcuprisi]

@@dmandman9 You are correct. It has been a long time.

[@martymiller4300]

The early ones were interference and had water pumps that failed and broke the timing belt. Included valve angle made valve to piston contact push the valve guides through the head, total destruction. All model years, interference or not would drop valve guides, repair was expensive and iffy. For a car that was industry sales leader the varied and frequency of engine failures was dismal. Now let’s talk about that automatic transmission……..😢

[@heartlandfarmer2720]

@@dmandman9 I believe you are correct. When shopping for a used car, I purchased an 84 for that reason and stayed away from the earlier ones. It also had 5 speed manual which the early ones didn't offer.

[@eugenegilleno9344]

The European XR3’s and Escort RS’s were much different vehicles......I’ve had a few ! 😁 .....had several Fiestas, and the Euro Granada was miles ahead of the American ‘Granada’.

[@unitedcity_mc4421]

@@eugenegilleno9344 nope. The American Granada was 10,000 kilometres ahead of the Euro 'Granada'.

[@mtrgv]

I really miss my Escort GT, I should've never traded it in for an Escort wagon, ugh!!

[@s99614]

What were you thinking?

[@mtrgv]

@@s99614 Stupid ex-wife didn't know and didn't want to learn how to drive a manual transmission. She's gone now, so that makes me very happy.

[@johnsaunders1435]

I hear you! I had a 90 gt I put 250,000 miles on it and parked it due to a bearing going out in the trans. I had every intention of repairing it but time kept slipping by and it sat and sat. I even had it towed to our current address and parked it still. I married my wife in that car at a drive thru wedding chapel in Vegas in that car. I was terribly emotionaly attached to that car. I eventually had it rowed to a junk yard as rodents moved into the engine compartment and repairs were becoming too many and I had to let it go. It still lives on in my memory and I have moved on to toyotas now.

[@EffequalsMA]

My second wife bought a 1995 Escort LX with the 1.9, at my recommendation. Incredibly dependable car That drove well, even with the rather gutless 1.9. 250K when she sold it for a Gen 1 Mazda 3. I did quite like that thing.

[@highwayman1218]

Oh man.... As a 16 year old new driver, I absolutely drooled over the new gen Escort GT in 86... I later had a girlfriend in 90 that owned a 88 Escort GT. Underpowered and hated the era auto belts, but it was cool to drive. It still has a place in my heart seeing it today.

[@John-kx3ng]

I had an 86 Mercury XR3 and absolutely loved it! A very rare car for sure!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing!

[@dougkabler3032]

Yes, they are. I had one of the very few around here and seldom saw any others.

[@PorkyHontas]

Got my mom's former boss's 1982 Escort when I was 16 years old in '86 for helping him move to San Francisco. Had over 250K miles on it when I traded it off for a new '93 Escort. Put about 200k on that one until I bought a an Escort GT from my brother. Got my last Escort, which was a 2000. In short, I loved the Escort. Btw, never knew of head gasket issues on the 1.6L, but their wasn't any valve interference in the head thus bending valves if the timing belt broke. Was supposed to be changed at 60,000 miles, and if that was done the little engine was very reliable. Heck, I even towed my uncle's '79 Ford F-150 home after he blew his engine up with my '82 Escort with its 4 speed manual transmission.

[@gilabear11]

I had a 1998 Escort. It lasted until 2013 with over 239,000 miles when it finally dropped a valve seat. Great car!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Sounds like you got your $$ worth. Thanks for watching!

[@roberta2540]

I also had a 98, but mine was the ZX2 coupe. Bought it in 2003 and got rid of it in 2017. Had 200,000 miles, but I just needed something larger.

[@radioguy1620]

I have two a 98 5 speed and an auto , the 5 speeder has 395,000 miles and runs smoother than the auto with 180,000, guess my next cars will be the focus.

[@jamesmcintire3800]

My dad had an 88 or 89 Escort GT 5-speed that he bought as wreck around 93 or so. He managed a body shop at the time so was able to have it repaired fairly cheap. It was a lot of fun to drive. My sisters first new car was a 95 Escort LX 2-door hatch. It was a really good car for her and lasted up until her first daughter was born and then suddenly became too small. I drove it many times myself and it was a good handling car! The Escort as a model may have had some faults but overall they were decent cars.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Agreed and thank you for sharing your experience!

[@b3stanga697]

I had 3 Escorts, a 85 1/2 4 door, a 88 Escort GT, and a 93 Escort GT. The 85 1/2 and the 88 were poorly made junk, but the 93, which was basically a Mazda Protégé was a great car. Unfortunately all the Ford supplied parts on the 93 were failing over time. That car did made it to 212K before my wife totaled it. The Mazda engine still ran strong.

[@RoadRunnergarage8570]

I have built a 1/32 scale 82 Escort Racer kit and an 1/32 EXP kit ..

[@chuckselvage3157]

I'm from Australia my dad owned a 1970 Escort. He gave it to me and I learnt to drive on it ,took it paddock bashing had heaps of fun in it. One person here put a blown 351 in one. Lol.

[@truckercowboyed2638]

I remember those Escorts in that gray color being everywhere in my town.....they were so popular and also usually good cars for new drivers in highschool...

[@eticket70]

What flash from the past…my first car was a 1988 Escort GT, black! Drove it for 9 straight years…great memories in my GT!!

[@DanTheMailman330]

Thanks for all the throwback commercials, 1980s gold!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Glad you like them!

[@AdamSVT]

I had an 87 Escort GT in college... loved that car.. a Mustang wanna be

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

They were half the price as well. :)

[@jimlafreeda43]

Another hone run video! While in college at Penn State Berks I became friends with a guy who had a white 1988/89 Escort GT. He drove the hell out of that car! I have never gone faster in a car, he pegged that thing on a lunch break run from the former ski slope near Bernville back to PSB... the doors were shaking !! Well over 100 mph I am sure. But that car was bullet proof and never let him down and somehow he never got a ticket....

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you and berks county always had a police presence. I’m not sure how he pulled that off either.

[@joeturbo7406]

My wife had a 1990 Escort GT. It was a fun little car, not fast by any means but definitely fun in the corners. Another great video Tony! Keep 'em coming!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you Joe!

[@CoastalAutoReactionCAR]

Seriously Tony keep it up. Your presentation is excellent. I have no interest in the Ford escort like zero yet I watched every second of this video strictly because of how it was presented and I was interested lol cheers bud would love to see you do one on Ford trucks from the 70s Like camper specials, trailer specials, etc. I’m hoping you have a video like this about Shelby mustangs. I’m about to go look again well done.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you very much for kind words! I do have a Shelby Mustang video on the channel detailing the 07's through 14's. More to come in the future!

[@lincolnls0416]

Miss my 87 Escort Gt. It was so underrated on horsepower. I dino it and was surprised and shocked. 1.9 EFI was well over 91 horsepower. Got 456k all original miles.

[@lostbutfound]

Mister, you nocked it out of the park! A+ ! So we'll done . Thanks

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you kindly!

[@emeyer6963]

Had a bunch of EXP's and Escorts in the 80's and early 90's.Favorite was the 89' Escort GT.Bought that one when I was selling Ford's down in Florida.Thanks for the memories.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for watching it is appreciated!

[@keithartworker]

The arrival of flush mounted headlights couldn't happen fast enough. As a high schooler in the mid 80's , flush headlights felt like the difference between first world and third world cars.

[@shannonwittman950]

I knew a guy back then who drove an '86 Escort GT done all off-white gloss and 8-spoke alloys. A real stunner. He was a family man, no suburban racer. But he sure relished hopping in that thing and zipping off to his job at the office, then zipping home each night. Revving and rowing through the gears, rain or shine (or snow), it never let him down.

[@iEnofadov]

Great clip! It's always interesting seeing what other markets received! Even though the Third generation Euro Ford Escort and First generation North American Ford Escorts were considered 'World Cars' by Ford in 1981, they weren't sold in many parts of the world, including where I'm from, Australia. In our part of the world, Ford Australia had been working with Mazda in Japan and developed the First generation Ford Laser (Mazda 323/GLC) which was released in early 1981. In most markets in our region (Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South East Asia and Pacific Nations, the Ford Laser replaced the Second generation Euro Ford Escort at the end of 1980. It was also sold in some select markets in Europe in low volume like Malta, Greece and Cyprus and in a few markets in South America and the Carribean. The Ford Laser was also built and sold in Mexico! The Ford Laser would go on to be sold throughout Asia and some parts of Africa, mainly South Africa and Zimbabwe. The Second generation Ford Laser would go on to be sold in the US and Canada as the Mercury Tracer, while the Third generation Ford Laser would be shared with Ford of North America as the Second generation Ford Escort and Mercury Tracer twins. I guess you could say Ford had two 'World Small Cars' at the time, the Ford Escort and Ford Laser.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I have a video coming up in a few weeks on the first generation Ford Festiva. Which was a world car and not really a Ford at all. Thank you for sharing the rest of world's information it is appreciated and something I need to dig into at some point.

[@iEnofadov]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs I'll be looking forward to that one too then! And no worries at all with regards to adding more information in. I know you're being specific to the North American market, but just thought I'd add some back round information in other regions for fun! :) In Australia, we received the Ford Festiva first as the Mazda 121 in 1987, before being discontinued by Mazda Australia in 1991 and then started being sold by Ford Australia as the Ford Festiva. Even though the Mazda 121 was built in Japan, it wasn't sold as a Mazda, instead it had only ever been sold as the Ford Festiva. Kia in South Korea also built the car under license from Mazda and Ford as the Kia Pride, which is when Ford Australia started importing them from South Korea. While the Festiva was sold as 3dr and 5dr hatch only in Australia, there was also a 4dr sedan and a 5dr wagon, which a few select markets received like the South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Even though Ford in the US dropped the Festiva name in favour of the Aspire name with the second generation, it was still sold in Australia as the Ford Festiva up until 2000. Again there was a sedan version of this Festiva/Aspire, but only sold in a few select Asian markets. There was also one more Festiva after the second generation, but that one was only sold in Japan and was basically a rebadged Mazda 121 Metro/Demio, the Ford Festiva Mini Wagon! Sorry mate, there I go again! :)

[@judgedread-q4t]

I've read that the fwd Escort and Laser shared the same Mazda gearbox, I'm not sure about that but having driven both back in the 80's they were awful compared to the Mk 2 Escort.

[@michaelmartin2276]

My first wife and I bought a 1989 Escort GT. It was a fun car and we kept it for several years til the kids came and bought a Dodge Mini Van.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I think that was the story of a majority of young american families in the 90"s. Thanks for watching!

[@s99614]

Those early Escort GT's were rare because of the cost. Mine was $10,000 in 1985 when a normal Escort was like $7500. That I think was the drive away price, but you get the idea.

[@dougkabler3032]

It seemed like everyone around here had a GT. I did. I would not mind having another one, but I think they are all gone now. I have only seen one in the last decade or so.

[@yankeetraveler1118]

Thanks Tony. My wife had a 1991 Escort, GL I believe. It was the first new car she ever bought. At the time I had my Previously mentioned 1993 Taurus SHO. As she worked in a dental office and I worked heavy construction, she essentially drove my SHO for work commute and I drove her "Racescort" as we called it. It kept my SHO clean and her air conditioned, while I got 4-70 AC. I don't miss that car or taking the dash out to change the heater core!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Not all memories about old cars are good ones. The oil filter being at the back of the engine was a pain for sure.

[@yankeetraveler1118]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs Haa!! My RX-7 had the oil filter on top of the engine. There was no way to not get some oil on the Wankel, and if you didn't buy filters with a drainback valve, you got A LOT of oil on the Wankel!

[@ultraviolettp3446]

I have owned three Escorts - my first new car was a black 1987 3 door LX with red interior; then I saw the first 1988 1/2 GT model in the back of the dealer's lot and fell in love and idiotically traded my dependable 1987 for this car. Let me say that this GT was a problem all through its first 60k miles. Fuel pump went after 12k miles. It kept wearing out front suspension parts about every 24k miles. The head light switch would burn out about the same time. I loved the car but it was a real headache. Then I was transferred in my job and had to use another Ford dealer to once again fix the suspension parts and headlight issue and drove onto that dealer's lot at 60,001 miles (not kidding). The warranty was good for 60k miles. I figured I was going to be screwed. The dealer had pulled the car's service records and saw its history and found the following: The car had a bent front passenger side strut that was causing premature wear on the suspension/steering parts; they replaced BOTH front struts and replaced the worn suspension parts. The car had a kink/pinch in the main harness through the firewall due to bad assembly and the dealer replaced that harness and the headlight switch. AT NOOOOOOOOOOOO COST! After that the car never gave me any problems until it was involved in an accident years later. My last Escort brought me back to simplicity - it was a 1997 Escort 4 door - white with GREEN interior (loved it) - it was one of those cars that dealers would sell at a low price to get you in the door and to buy something more expensive. It was $9,990. The salesman did everything to show me cars that WERE NOT what I asked about and made the mistake of taking me into the showroom where the car was located. I told the salesman that is the car I wanted. Bought it and kept that wonderfully dependable car for 22 years and 180,000 miles before it started to have original part failures one right after the other. I would have bought another Ford car but Ford cowardly stopped building them and that was the end of me ever buying a Ford again.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for sharing your experience! I guess they are not built all the same and not all dealers have great techs. Luckily you found one that did eventually. We had a great 88 Escort GT that the wife bought before we were married. Once we had our first daughter we sold it to her brother who drove it till it clocked 180K. The only thing I hated about the car was the location of the oil filter.

[@thebionicbassplayer]

Well done documentary. I hope to share this with a friend who owned an 87 Escort GT. He also worked at Ford Wixom and I believe he'll enjoy this.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@thebionicbassplayer thank you very much. It is appreciated!

[@dzim8822]

I had a 1988 four door hatchback Ford Escort, which was given to me by my parents in 1997. They bought it new in '88. This takes me back. I kinda miss that car. It was built like a tank.

[@PatrickDunn13078]

I learned to drive on my Dads 86 Escort. Nice car

[@Templar50401]

At the 9:43 mark you show a dark red GT with gray body line cladding. Had that exact car in 1987. Fantastic car except in the snow. Bought snow tires on junkyard steel wheels after the first snow. It was my first new car I bought with my money.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

They did do well in the snow IF you changed out the performance tires either Firestones or Goodyears.

[@ramrodson5461]

Best looking years Escort GT 1986-1987, kinda looked like a baby Foxbody Mustang. Great video as always Tony.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you sir!

[@heartlandfarmer2720]

Thanks Tony for another interesting video. You mentioned the head gasket problems on early models. And if I remember correctly, the 81, 82, and 83 models had interference engines. That's why I stayed away from those and found a used 84 with the two options I cared about most: 5 speed manual and A/C. It got 33 MPG in highway driving with the 1.6 carbureted engine. While the MPG wasn't all that bad, I expected a little better. I later traded it for a new 90 Escort LX with the passive restraints, (which I didn't mind but some people hated them) shown in this video. The engine was a larger 1.9 liter EFI with 5 speed manual and A/C plus nice wheels, stereo, and wild strawberry metallic paint. That engine was so much smoother and more powerful and the highway MPG jumped to 41.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I had several Escort GT’s as demonstration cars in 87 & 88 and owned an 89 for a few years. The 1.9 was a nice engine

[@kylej8135]

Love the Escort. I have two 2002 ZX2s. One with premium trim (leather seats, sunroof). It has a rusted frame, but my plan is to one day swap all the good stuff into 2nd base model ZX2 with manual transmission. The 2.0L Zetec with variable exhaust timing is very finicky to replace timing belt on. Between this and the Contour I’ve done four timing jobs on the Zetec. Cool channel. Subscribed

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you very much for the kind words, for watching, and subscribing!

[@petertornabeni602]

Hello Tony, I remember in 1991 Ford produced a fun to drive Escort GT… I remember thinking - wow.. this car handles well and is comfortable and smooth. Ford also had Probe and Thunderbird, the Crown Victoria…. The entire truck line was excellent and those econoline vans (the old body). Ford couldn’t miss. But man, that Escort GT was an excellent car for the price …. Was a home run !

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing your experience and for watching Peter!

[@wallacegrommet9343]

The 1974 Capri! I had one! Cornered like a cat, strangely roomy in the back seat for a coupe, huge trunk, and VDO gauges!

[@komradkolonel]

A neighbor of mine down the street from me in the mid 80s had an Escort GT Turbo. To this day it's the only one I've ever seen. I bet there might be no more than 100 of them still in existence. At first Ford intended to offer a Ford of Germany built 1.3 liter 4 cylinder that was hyped at getting about 60 mpg. It made about 55 bhp and was described as being frighteningly underpowered so Ford never offered it for sale in the U.S. I wonder what the GT would have been like in 1987/88 if Ford had built a turbocharged version of the 1.9 that was to make about 140 bhp? We'll never know.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for the info and for watching!

[@RonnN-gf8tm]

My mom bought a 82' Mercury Lynx which is basically the same car..she drove it 5 yrs..cool video..great memories..thanks Tony!!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching!

[@RonnN-gf8tm]

​@@TonysFordsandMustangs just subbed to your channel. This is good stuff!!

[@whynotagain3639]

In the UK a series one Escort RS Turbo can go for £50,000+ an Escort RS Cosworth over £100,000.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That is serious cash!

[@whynotagain3639]

The Cosworth Escort technically isn't even an Escort, it's a Sierra. Next level shit!

[@skipast75]

My mom had a Tan 1987 Escort Pony with the sporty pinstripes.. it was the first car I ever drove. I was 12 and she let me drive it in the yard at our house in Michigan. It was reliable from what I remember. I also remember our entire house smelled like rotten eggs every night when she parked it in the attached garage… Ford used cheap catalytic converters that gave off heavy sulfur fumes. I also remember driving up the long hill on the freeway in Duluth MN at 30mph because the car was so underpowered. I want to add…. Automotive musical jingles in the 80s are so terrible it’s amazing anyone bought anything. Haha

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

A lot of the catalytic converters put off that odor back. As the lack of power well that sounds about right. Thanks for watching!

[@Beth9228]

I did wanted a 1999 Ford Escort in blue 4 door sedan. My mother had 2 Ford Escort station wagons. One was a 1980 one and one in the mid 90’s. My sister had one that was a 1991 and ZX2 in 1997. In the late 90’s that I ended up with a 1998 Ford Contour as my 1st car. In the early 90’s that I liked the GT trim level. I did changed my mind on the cars that I liked in the early 90’s.

[@RajaReign78]

My 3rd car was a white 1989 ford escort that looked like a G.T. with the extra spoilers and G.T. rims. I absolutely adored that car. My parents even bought me a Kenwood tape desk stereo with a removable face cuz the original radio wasn’t working. I kept that car until a rod started knocking in the engine and it blew up. I miss that car so much it was a great little car. I wish you could still find a 2 two coupe on the market. Everything now is an SUV or sedan; hell you can’t even find a 2 door pickup truck anymore. 💔

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I too wish you could buy a 2 door coupe anything really. Thanks for watching and for sharing.

[@jasonrogers8754]

I remember my mom bought a brand new 87 Ford escort with a 4-speed manual transmission but I just learned by watching this that they had five speeds 3 years prior to that. Kind of odd that they would go from a 5-speed to a 4-speed 3 years later. She liked it so much that she bought a 92 model brand new with a 5-speed which became my first car after I turn 16 and got my license and then wrapped around a tree a year later but it's still ran and drove with a 10 inch indention on the driver's side a pillar from a tree. Great car! 😆

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

She may have gotten an Escort Pony? They were stripped down car Ford built as a loss leader. It allowed dealer to advertise a very inexpensive Escort with the hopes of upselling most customers.

[@jasonrogers8754]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs yeah that's basically what it was but I always thought once the 5-speed was implemented in a vehicle of any particular brand that there wasn't any going back from that. Turns out I thought wrong.

[@michaelsimko7694]

I was born in 1982 and I still remember seeing these Escorts all over the place. My mom had an Escort wagon that I think was a 1984 model. It had a manual transmission. I remember the steering wheel design being a rubber T-shaped 3 spoke. The interior ignition buzzer had a loud, nasal, bee-like buzzing sound. The horn made a nasal buzzing honk sound.

[@andregonsalvez9244]

Great show 😊 ! Growing up in the 80s I would see these Escourts and Lynx everywhere Growing up in T.O .

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you!

[@owlnswan4016]

Well done, Tony.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you sir!

[@johneldorado]

They really seemed to disappear quickly considering what a popular car they were. Growing up as a teen in the 90's, I rarely saw this generation on the road.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

They were cheap transportation and used as such. Not many were cared for all that much and so most have moved on.

[@zythr9999]

Rust got to many in salt states.

[@sensumcommunem4364]

1982 blue 2 door, loved it. Ford should bring back the Escort

[@frankmata1812]

I still have the one my parents bought straight from the dealer when it was brand-new back in 1988.

[@Butchcub75]

had an 83 Escort GT a few years ago that I painted to mimic the 79 Mustang pace car, was a fun car. Had like 2 87 Escort GTs, an 88 GT, and 84 Escort L 4 door, and Im sure a few more. in there. I still have an 86 Escort EXP Sport

[@stiveemiller6980]

Escort, this is the Ford model I own most. The Escort was launched in Brazil in 1984, being identical to the European model, with the exception of the engine which was an old engine inherited from Willis Overland, but a Renault project from the 60s. However, this engine was not bad, being very economical and durable, I had a 1985 with this engine. In 1989, Ford formed an association with VW and the Escort started to adopt the VW AP 1600 and 1800 cc engine, I had three of these models. Finally, Ford adopted the Zetec 1800 cc engine in 1997. I have a 1998 SW model bought new and which today has 600,000 km on the clock without engine rebuild.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks again for the information!

[@RDeanOdell]

These commercials are great! The brochures look great too, your research is really well done.

[@mtrgv]

Yep, they were very, very popular. A whole lot of 1986 thru 1989 Escort GT's were sold due to the commercials I think.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you very much for the kind words and for watching!

[@marioh5144]

Great video my first car

[@Timico1000]

It is quite funny that it looked quite similar to the european Escort yet they were completely different cars.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Agreed. Thanks for watching!

[@MartinMcelhaney]

My sister had an escort when we were in highs school. There was a time she asked me to change her oil or I justed wanted to change it. Then a year or two went by and the escorts engine blew. I asked her when was the last time she changed the oil. You can guess what she said. =) Yep she never changed the since I had done it.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That will kill pretty much any car. I think many Escorts were treated that way unfortunately. Thanks for watching!

[@markhealey9409]

Ford USA also imported English Ford Anglias & Ford Cortinas in the 1960s,before Capris & Fiestas.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

They did but not in large numbers. They also only went to those two markets. Thanks for your input and for watching.

[@billnorris3305]

Two of my cousins had 1985 diesels with manual transmissions. You had to plan ahead when pulling out into traffic. They were slooooww. But they averaged 52 mpg in mixed driving.

[@charlesgallagher1376]

My mother pulled a u turn at the bottom of an overpass on a curve. She got t-boned by a Jeep. The Jeep hit square on the firewall and mom walked away with some bruises. That was a tough little car.

[@elizabethhopkins3826]

I had a 1989 Ford Escort for 9 years until a tree fell on it during a thunderstorm. It was totaled. I loved that car!! My father wouldn't let me have air conditioning in the car because he said it would have added $850 to the price of the car. I suffered for nine years without A/C!!! I wanted to get another Escort but the newer models were too small and I felt like the engine was sitting on my lap!! I ended up getting a 1997 Ford Contour which was a gas guzzler and I HATED that car!!! I donated it after the timing belt broke and it ran on three and half cylinders instead of four because the service shop didn't do a compression test!!! My father gifted me his 2003 Ford Focus which I had for 10 years before getting my current car, 2013 Ford Focus. I am in the market for another car soon.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. It tough finding a decent Ford car today as Ford stopped making them in 2018. Best of luck with your search and thanks for watching!

[@2006gtobob]

My very first car was a brand new 1989 Ford Escort LX 2 door with a 5 speed, dark blue. My dad wouldn't let me have a "fast" car. So, being a teenager in the 1980s, what mattered was replacing the sound system and upgrading it all. It was reliable, it was slow. But, at least the music sounded good. It didn't take long for me to replace it with a Honda Civic Si. I didn't bother with sound system in that car, I was having far too much fun actually driving!

[@saleen367]

Owned 3 of these gems. A new 86 GT, just like the red one in the video and 2 beaters I used as DD when I wasn't driving the Mustangs. Super cheap and dependable transportation so long as you changed the timing belt around 110k miles. Ask me how I know. 😅

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Interference engines require timing belt service. :)

[@davidschleyhahn1610]

I had an 86 Blue 2 door. I got it in 89. I liked it alot at first but it completely fell apart. ti-rods, waterpumps, cv joints. It was shooting oil in the carburetor @ 60,000 miles. It was paid for but it was cheaper to trade it for 3 year old Grand AM which honesly was a much better and reliable car. Last Ford I have owned

[@JTKels]

My mom had three of them and 84 which lasted till about 80,000 miles a 1999 that got to 70,000 with no issues and a 2001 that had factory transmission issues that Ford would only cover one repair. That’s when we went to Toyota and never had a single car issue again.!

[@radioguy1620]

I have a 98 with the Sport package which is kind of cool , revised back seats , tack chrome exhaust tip and a sticker, wonder if any other changes ?

[@JoelHacker]

I had an '83, '90, '92, and later an '84 Escort. Then, I had a 2003 & 2005 Focus. My son STILL drives the 2005.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@JoelHacker that’s awesome! Thanks for sharing

[@DaewooFestiva23]

I love the first generation escorts, I never knew they sold such massive amounts in the later years, i never see them anymore.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

You never see them because they were cheap transportation. Few were saved from daily driver duty. In short they were used up.

[@Comfortzone99]

That is interesting. I didn't know it sold in those numbers in the US. I thought it would have been regarded as a bit of a joke to a country used to driving huge 5 liter V8s.I remember watching a US TV detective show called Cannon (he had a Lincoln Continental I think) and thinking they would never accept a humble Escort over there.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for watching and never believe what see on TV especially American TV. ;)

[@theplayernkc]

Ford should have kept the offset grille on the GT, made it meaner looking and more distinguishable. My GF at the time bought a brand new 1987 Mercury Lynx XR3 which was the same as the Escort GT. It was a fun little car to drive and she bought in the same color as my car, Medium Canyon Red. I had a Mustang SVO, so we went out in that on the weekends.

[@phantom0456]

Seeing the pics of these old Escorts, I’m surprised by how sharp they appear to me. They were good looking little cars. It’s a shame you don’t really see them around anymore.

[@nlpnt]

My Aunt Betty traded a '76 Chrysler Town & Country on a new '83 Escort wagon. Owner of the gas station she always used told her he had to let a guy go, she was buying so much less gas. Later on I took Driver's Ed in an '89 Escort 5 door, red inside and out.

[@thenoliftshift855]

Hey Tony Awesome video, had a 84 wagon 5spd as family hauler many years ago It served me well , I swapped out the 1.6 for a 86 1.9 when it got tired. Rust finally finished it off. Next up how about the Tempo/Topaz? Cheers

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I will need to get to the Tempo Topaz at some point down the road. Thanks for sharing your experience and for watching!

[@JonnyHolms]

My mother had one and it was one of the most reliable cars 🚗 that she ever owned, she sold it and regretted it instantly when she took possession of a new car 🚗 that was complete garbage 🗑 right from the beginning.....😊 EDIT: Meant to say Thank you as this was excellent and makes me want to go back to the 80ies...

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Sorry to hear that. My in-laws did the same thing. They bought a Saturn and that would shut down completely for no reason.

[@JonnyHolms]

@TonysFordsandMustangs it was a 2004 Kia that she bought, the 10 year 100 hundred thousand mile warranty sold her on it and that turned out to be a huge scam because they fought her every inch of the way on any repairs, I actually think that they didn't ever cover anything and she paid out of pocket for everything that should of been covered.. it actually was the biggest lemon 🍋 piece of junk ever..

[@jamesmccourt1419]

I always wondered why the automatic seatbelts were a thing. They seemed like a major annoyance to me. Makes sense that they were mandated as an alternative to airbags.

[@TheDumpbin]

If there is something terrible on a car, it is usually there because of a government mandate :)

[@realgtasacramentodashcam7292]

I had an '82, timing belt broke and on the early ones it could crack the head. I helped my dad pull out the head and got it tested, ended up being ok. The passenger side seat frame rusted out, the rear wheel wells rusted out so we had to re-enforce them and the back seats wouldn't fit. I had another car so I used the Escort to deliver pizzas in the summer of 1990 with just a driver's seat and a piece of wood I had to put under the front wheel to replace the parking brake.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Those were inference engines so IF the Timing belt snapped you could easily bend a valve or worse. It sounds like you picked that up well used and in the rust belt. It sounds like your and your father knew how to engineer your way around some issue.

[@wesd2845]

Great video Tony! I had an 81 escort and also a late '80s (I forgot the exact year) and both were great on gas mileage and great in the snow. Appreciate the videos. BTW, where do you find these old commercials?

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for watching and subscribing to the channel. There's a lot out there if you know where to look. :)

[@mtrgv]

I bought a brand new early Black with grey interior 1988 Ford Escort GT at Red McCombs Ford in San Antonio. The rebates and discounts allowed me to afford the car. Back then I was an Airman First Class in the US Air-Force so I wasn't making a whole lot of dough back then! The car handled extremely well, just as good as the imports or even better. I did replace the Firestone tires that came with it from the factory with Toyo tires instead. The Toyo's were much quieter than the Firestones. I'm glad I purchased the extended warranty program (ESP) because the factory head gasket failed at 25,000 miles. The power/torque really came on once the car was in 2nd, third and fourth gear. 1st gear just got you rolling, and fifth was overdrive. In fifth gear the car could go 100 mph at 2400 rpm on Interstate 10.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for your service. I went through Lackland for basic, than to Chanute for tech school and finally to no hope Pope for active duty. I got out through the Palace Chase program in 87 and was selling Escorts shortly afterwards. I remember Airman basic pay being $242 bi weekly.

[@mtrgv]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs Yep. I decided to stay in 21 years. I retired in 2005. Now I have a 1992 Thunderbird Sport.

[@michaelnewjerseydiecast5535]

I think Ford should have invested instead of updating and reviving the Panther platform would have made more and instead of building the crossover wagon, I would have instead of the current Bronco to be reintroduced in 2005 or 2006. And the Taurus should have been used in a Fusion replacement for 2013 if I was in charge at Ford

[@howebrad4601]

Good video. I have an 84 ford exp turbo.. the exp uses the escort platform with 2 seat coupe bodywork. Based on how few escort turbo gt were produced, id like to know how many exp turbos were made. I prefer the styling of the first 3 or 4 years of the escort compared to the latter ones

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I have an EXP video on the channel. If I remember correctly there were very few EXP turbos produced however Ford didn’t break out the production numbers. I think it was less than 2000 in total

[@lostbutfound]

I'm looking at a 1992 escort . Was that a good year? Automatic

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

With a car that old it comes down to maintenance. If it was well taken care of it should be fine if not well it's a dice roll.

[@thatguydub_]

My very first car was a 1995 escort LS.

[@chrisjamesr77]

3:57 that is the most cheesy and most "80s" car commercial I've ever seen. I love it, lol Though, I have to wonder, what the heck is a "GR-type suspension"?

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That commercial was so 80's. The awful "rap" attempt made it a must have in the video. I couldn't tell you but if I had to guess GR Suspension was GT suspension that got lost in the rap. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@ksjlb2612]

Compared to the Tempo/Topaz, did Ford lose money on each of these like you mentioned in that video?

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I don't believe they lost money on the Escort. They didn't make much either. Ford was looking at market share then and fighting for the top spot in vehicle production. Being number one was important to stock holders so they could lose money on the Tempo and break even on the Escort as long as they made money on the Taurus, Crown Vic and of course on the F-150. Thanks for watching.

[@klmbaby6]

My 1st car was a 83 Escort with the 1.6 litre garbage engine. I went thru at least 3 engines due to head gaskets popping every time the engine even slightly overheated and warping/cracking the aluminum block. And because there was no temp gauge in those early models so you had no way of knowing the car was even running hot until it was too late...smh

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

The early Escorts had head gasket issues no doubt. Ford corrected that with the 1.9. I'm sorry to hear you had to deal with the 1.6

[@klmbaby6]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs Yeah it was my 1st car right out of high school so you live and learn. I was just happy to have my own wheels and not riding the bus. Did have some good times with it when it wasn't in the shop geting a new engine so it wasn't all bad...🙂

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@klmbaby6 I know that if my first car had a weak link I was going to find it as I didn't treat them then as I do now. ;)

[@ericbuxton]

My dad got an ‘87 wagon mid year that came with the passive belts. At the time I thought they were cool but soon realized they were terribly annoying and not safe for many who didn’t buckle lap belt.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

You have to use the lap belt for sure.

[@ericbuxton]

@ my sister also had an 85.5 Pony 4 speed-no options as you said. Brother had ‘83 or so wagon that lost its timing belt near Omaha-luckily the valves were spared.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@ericbuxton He was lucky as those were inference engines. :)

[@andymaurice7693]

I loved the GT...89..didn't like the 92 ..and now I stll have an 87 and 89 GT....

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Those were great cars! I owned an 88 GT for 4 years and never had an issue.

[@jspriver]

The little tikes cozy coupe is the all-time best selling car in the world

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That very possible but I'm not sure they are tracking production numbers and the model line up stays consistent year over year.

[@thumperjdm]

Zero-to-sixty times in the 14-15 second range. Boy, I've forgotten how good we have it today, compared to those cars. My first car was a 1989 Nissan Sentra, with a 4-speed manual gearbox, because I couldn't afford the 5-speed manual, much less the automatic. 😂

[@jeffreystark7252]

Hello have you done a review of the 80s Ford Escorts from Europe? Much cooler and faster versions were available.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

No I have not. I would agree they were better cars overall however my european audience is quite small. I love that some people from Europe tune in but when I have made a video regarding overseas vehicles very few watch. As the subscriber base gets larger I will try again. Thank you for your comment and for watching!

[@Davejust451]

Don't forget the splay valve cylinder head.

[@padrote2865]

4:10 I'm glad "this unit is fuel injected" and not "bacon injected".

[@JernejSmalc]

Before '68 Escort I, things were even worse: even withinmin Europe, Ford UK had a completely different range compared to that on the continent.

[@fortheloveofnoise]

Thinking of buying an 89 GT....will need to sell off some of my belongings.