Ford Escort Mk3 Buying Guide - A Classic Ford Investment

[@meepmeep7844]

Got one for free by my neighbour who has owned it since new and now i’m here to learn about them

[@Rob1Rich]

My MK3 Escort pop was a rust box in 1989. Sills and wheel arches in particular. Then it got an odd leak from the bulkhead behind the battery into the passenger footwell that required lots of awkward metalwork. Mine also had the awful early automatic choke which soon got replaced for a manual. It was in the beautiful and understated Ford 'Dove Grey' or as was more appropriate, 'Final Primer'.

[@WidleyWesident]

Loved my W registered 1.3 Popular Mk3 Escort. Dark blue, 3 door, 4 speed gearbox and the steering wheel on the wrong side for the UK. It just kept starting and running. 4 years of motoring enjoyment for about £400. Result! 😀👍

[@yesimhuman]

Hey man, just writing this to thank you. this video has a lot of helpful information, that helped me buy my Mk3 Escort. cheers from Sweden

[@ClassicsWorldUK]

Congratulations on your car! Glad our advice helped

[@stephenport4768]

Cambelt change intervals were 25,000 miles as belt technology wasn't as advanced back then my first car absolutely have great memories of my mk3

[@CortinasAndClassics]

Excellent video. I almost got run over by one of these in the early 80's

[@ClassicsWorldUK]

EVERYONE's got an Escort memory, it seems!

[@thami031]

no dislike in the video, shows how good it is

[@johno4521]

I bought a mk111 escort in 1985; dark red 1.6L on a 'C' plate; my first new car. August 1 I went to pick it up, the salesman says 'Just one slight problem'. The whole of the rear valance under the bumper was still in white primer having somehow been missed in the paint spraying process and somehow going unnoticed till it reached the dealer!! I had to wait till the 1st service to get it done. Fast forward 2 years and I'm back trading it in for a 1.6LX in metallic red. The salesman informs me there's only 2 in my spec in the country and the nearest is at Liverpool docks. Not to worry though; they'll get it delivered. August 1st I roll up to collect my new car and the salesman says; 'Yes, I went down to pick it up myself. I tell you what; it's fast, mind!' And there's me thinking they'd put it on a transporter! Sure enough my new car has almost 200 miles on the clock. I could have hit the roof. Don't know if it was coincidence or not but that car had a smoky exhaust under acceleration all the time I owned it.

[@vspencer9764]

That now makes me feel very old. Mine was a W plate XR3 and sounded lovely with its twin choke Weber and it was converted to 5 speed and to get the box to fit on the early car you need to give the chassis a tap with a hammer. The later cars really suffered from rot and the earlier cars were built of better quality steel I found.

[@blubb7711]

My 1.6CVH had 1cm oilcoal on the valvecover.

[@Bates.N1]

Mk 3 Escorts were my favourite only with the Sierra style steering wheel

[@stephenport4768]

Battery tray is a we'll known rot spot on the left hand side

[@grahamcruickshank4572]

They were top selling cars in their day, they did everything well without being exceptional, the XR3s were and still are very sought after with prices to match. All in though, the MK3 Escort did the job they were made for.

[@hermanmunster3358]

Yep, I had problems with the auto choke on cold starts. Swapped it out for a manual one, problem solved. The 1.1 engines were horrible. But the 1.6 that I had was lovely. Gear change was a bit sloppy, but I got used to it quick enough. That Ghia interior was exactly the same as mine, same colour too

[@colintait7139]

I had a 1.3 l as my first car it had a manual choke with a twin choke dellorto carburettor I think I really enjoyed that car I was sad to see it go ......👍

[@thavashgovender4345]

Very popular here in South Africa in the 80s

[@Goldenwolfteeth]

Are they still in one piece there in South Africa in 2020??

[@thavashgovender4345]

@@Goldenwolfteeth Dont see many now. I see plenty of Cortinas from the 80s , as I guess people liked them more and make the effort to restore them.

[@-abacchus]

I think I had about nine of these throughout my Barry-Boy days. My last one saved my life in a head on collision (combined speed of 130mph).

[@DeGlennen]

I think I struck the jackpot 2 years ago, as I was able to find a near mint carburetor version XR3 with an original 5-speed gearbox. Only had 1 owner from new and 45000 miles/68000 km on the clock. I had done a proper check of the car before buying and found it to be completely free of rust. I can attest that the automatic choke on these really is a pig. It never seems to start properly, or actually do the job the choke needs to do. Might look into changing it to manual choke.

[@ClassicsWorldUK]

Nice work finding a clean XR3! Worth holding on to

[@Goldenwolfteeth]

The manual choke is part of the fun! Heel and toeing down the box with the choke fully out whilst still cold and stalling was how I drove to College most mornings! No wonder no-one knows how to drive properly these days! Just a shame mine crumpled up into a tree, otherwise I'd be about £2000 better off than I am now!!!

[@Goldenwolfteeth]

How much do you think a 3 door 1.3 base model of one of these would be worth these these days? Just curious as to how much I wasted wrapping it around a tree back in 2003!?! Incidentally, if you're buying one of these, buy a roll cage if you want to avoid serious injury!!!!

[@carsyourdaddrove]

Depends on the mileage but if low mileage, low ownership and lots of history, around £2k

[@Goldenwolfteeth]

Mine was 60ishK and prob 3 owners, with no rust. I was expecting more tbh. Whenever I've looked there's only really 5 doors left. All the 3 doors that weren't rotten seem to have gone on re-shelling RS Turbos.

[@_tr46_]

Hey guys thanks for this video! any idea where i can find one of those unleaded heads? No LPG on my 1.3 unfortunately

[@hermanmunster3358]

KGF Classic Cars had an RS1600i for sale recently, with just over 20k miles, for £59k 🤯 Yeah, Crazy!

[@prokoerkoerfeuuififune8936]

what idot would pay that kind of money for an old ford

[@Voltmander]

found one with the Brazilian engine imported from Sweden for cheap cash, so i'm crossing my fingers that i can buy it soon :D

[@MANSIKKARAHKA-jx5cm]

ONE OF MY DREAMCARS

[@SITRUUNAUTZFY]

i wishd id had 2 mk3 escorts 81 to 83 and 81-83

[@aidans9010]

No way! You're the Seicento guy right? Or am I making this up! Haha

[@MillerCorner]

It is indeed me! :D

[@aidans9010]

@@MillerCorner Absolutely amazing to see you progress the way you have mate. You display a well-balanced mix of entertaining, informative and relatable presenting, hope this channel realizes you're an excellent asset! Being a likable presenter that stands out in the automotive world is a hard thing to achieve, and you smashed it out of the park! Really enjoyed the video.

[@omenapiirakka-eq3fh]

i like mk1 escorts toi mk3-mk4

[@СергейБернякович-з9м]

Super AUTO!

[@briansaiditsoitmustbetrue4206]

This car was a step BACKWARDS from the rear-wheel-drive MK2 version... I have owned BOTH (Back in the day..Many moons ago) so I am in a position to judge... The MK 3 Ford Escort excelled at ...Errr NOTHING! at least the rear-wheel-drive was a hoot to drive when the roads were dry and the gear change was slick. The word "Classic" is overused in the car industry The E-Type Jaguar series one is a CLASSIC car...This Ford Escort is just a car that somehow managed to avoid the scrapyard after its built-in planned obsoletion of around 12 Years. The CVH engines were "Soft" and only good for 100,000 Miles MAXIMUM ..The ride quality on this car was awful and the reliability was poor.. Fuel consumption was at best "Average" The boxy design dated VERY quickly. QUESTION???? What does this car excel at...What makes it a "Stand out" car??? EXACTLY! 11:55 Which is "Crazy fast" ..Now I know you are on drugs.

[@jaomwtoptd]

Please talk to us! Trying to get as much information out in the shortest time quickly becomes a noise and robs your voice of timbre and vocal range..

[@matthewcoupeofficial]

It’s a ford there are never going to be an investment, only the “back in my day” brigade who drool over them will buy these, a car collector knows these or any 70’s 80’s ford is not collectable, an enthusiast might be silly and part a big chunk though.

[@Roadwarrior92]

What planet are you on?

[@robdixon3953]

And I know 30 years ago the same was said about mk1 and mk2 escorts .... if I knew what I know now I would have bought every £200 escort i could find and shoved them in a barn.

[@Goldenwolfteeth]

@@robdixon3953 Too late now, they're already a small fortune for a 3-door rust free model.

[@davarosmith1334]

Is that why I keep seeing MK1 and MK2 Escorts going for £5000 - £40,000 on eBay?!

[@robhines4537]

Ford's are pure nostalgia, nearly everyone loves a Ford, highly collectible whatever condition, they're easy to work on , parts always available and plenty of owners clubs.