The 2nd Generation Ford Escort - The Options & Trim Levels

[@hdrangers]

In 1990, I ordered a black GT. All options except for the automatic. Still drive it occasionally. Lots of fun for $12,000.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That's awesome that you still have it! Thanks for watching!

[@RDEnduro]

Make a video not many people still have theirs

[@hdrangers]

@@RDEnduro I would but I'm not real tech savvy. One of my other cars (Mustang II Mach1) has a Philco-Ford 8-track. Still works.

[@nlpnt]

So sweet! If I'd had the money instead of being a 16-year-old looking at $500 beaters I'd have done exactly the same but probably would've gone for teal.

[@hdrangers]

​@@nlpnt I think that color was Cayman, came out mid-year 1991. I read, when Ford was engineering the pre-production Escorts, they decided to use the Mazda Hiroshima assembly plant, not Ford's pilot plant in Dearborn. Line employees, engineers and executives were flown to Japan along with parts. Mazda plant security refused them entry. Also, right before signing off on the '91 Escort, Ford interior personnel looked at the Mazda designed door armrests a final time and realized they did not look substantial. The armrests were redesigned.

[@my1vice]

I was selling Fords in 1990. The GT Escort was a great little car.

[@tonyInPA]

After graduating from university and taking a job involving a LOT of driving I realized the 10 year old VW I had wasn't up to the task. So I bought a 1993 Escort LX WAGON as my first new car for the princely sum of $9999...and bargained down a bit at the end of the year as the '94s (with airbag) came on the scene. Drove that little car 217k miles in a little over 4 years (I drove a LOT). 5 speed, added cruise control, but it did everything I asked of it in upstate NY state through all kinds of weather. And it taught me the value of good tires- with a set of Nokian tires that little FWD car embarrassed a bunch of AWD vehicles as AWD SUVs started to rule world. Of the 40 cars I've owned that little red 5 spd LX wagon is #1 for reliability and just getting the job done. Every day.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for watching and for sharing your experience with this car. It's appreciated from another Tony in PA ;)

[@s99614]

These were good cars. It sucks that you can't even buy a car like this now in the US.

[@scottbrown7415]

@@s99614 we have not been able to buy anything like that for over twenty years

[@stoneylonesome4062]

You can thank the federal govt for regulations which turned cars into computers on wheels, and enthusiast magazines like “Car & Driver” & “MotorTrend” for shaming manufacturers into making every economy car feel like you’re driving a BMW.

[@bl3343]

Adjusted for inflation, the Toyota Corolla today is about the same price, but isn't available with a manual.😢

[@Scott-NCC1701]

Another great Commentary on a popular car. Thanks for your efforts and attention to detail in your descriptions of the year to year model changes and features. Lots of work on your part. So appreciated! Thanks!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you very much! From one Starfleet Academy grad to another!

[@michaeldemarco9950]

Great video. Fun fact: upon release, the 2nd generation Escort was offered in a 2-dr hatch, a 4-dr hatch built in Wayne, MI, and a 4-dr wagon built in Mexico. At the same time, the Mercury Tracer was offered in a 4-dr sedan and 4-dr wagon, both built in Mexico. For the 1991 model year, the Ford Escort sold like hotcakes, and the Wayne, MI assembly plant working at maximum capacity to keep the 2-dr and 4-dr hatchbacks in stock. Meanwhile, the Mercury 4-dr sedans and 4-dr wagons were languishing on the sales floor, with only the Escort 4-dr wagon keeping the Mexico plant from closing its doors from lack of sales. Then someone at Ford had a brilliant idea: take the Mercury Tracer 4-dr sedan, replace the fake light bar from between the headlights with a standard grille panel, remove the laser stripes from the taillights, and rebrand it as a Ford. And, imagine that; the Ford Escort 4-dr sedan became the most popular model in the lineup, saving the Mexico plant, and balancing out the Escort assembly load.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Great story! Thanks for the insight!

[@gm12551]

The escort had never been a sedan up to that point. Hard to imagine that today. Also hard to convey to a young person that they could buy one car model in different body styles.

[@handyman9298]

I had a 1987 Lynx xr3 and a 94 tracer

[@rhekman]

I had the badge stablemate to the Escort Sedan, a hand-me-down '91 Mercury Tracer LTS in college in the early 2000s. It had power everything, 1.8L Mazda B engine, 5 spd, power moonroof. It was truly a wonderful car. Super fun to drive, very practical, cheap to operate, and fairly comfortable. The only repairs I recall doing to that car were transaxle seals, a motor mount, and cracked intake tubing. Other than oil changes, tires, and brakes, that car lasted over 240,000 miles, but sadly had a rough life after my brother used it for his high school car. Every panel was dented, the motor had some serious blow-by, and it had suffered multiple smash and grab stolen radios by the time we sold it to the salvage yard. My only real complaint was the mandatory motorized shoulder belts which plagued many early 90s cars. They often ceased to work due to dirt or cold weather, so I always disabled them and manually buckled both belts.

[@John-kx3ng]

I had. 94 Escort GT that was red and loved it! Most people don’t know but the 1. 8 liter engine in it was Mazda sourced. The engine had lots of power and incredible! Got great highway mileage with it also!

[@Skyhawk1987Turbo]

I had a new 94 GT black 5 speed as far as power it was good back then

[@lowkeydiegoduran4724]

It was actually the same BP motor they used in the mazda miata :)

[@BCBaron]

I owned a blue '91 Escort GT for a few years before finally giving it to my brother. Things could get a little noisy on the highway, but it handled really well in the turns. Great on gas and extremely dependable with a lot of cargo room. Even with just the standard all season Goodyear tires, it was completely unstoppable in the snow. Got through the worst New England winters without any problems. Our family kept it for just over sixteen years and went well over 200k miles with it by the time my brother traded it in on a Hyundai Accent.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for watching and for sharing your experience!

[@joemazzola7387]

I have never seen a 4 door lxe escort I had a 97 escort wagon and I loved it it went through snow storms like a tank

[@pgtmr2713]

I've wanted to Mazda KL V6 swap one of these for years. Those GT 2 doors look great, even the wagon isn't offensive to the eye.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Couldn't agree more! Thanks for watching!

[@bradkrekelberg8624]

I loved my '91 and '93 Escort GTs. They were the perfect car for me when I was a young driver. Fun, but not so much power that it got me into trouble. I bought a Focus ST many years later because FINALLY we got all that European goodness.

[@knots12345678]

I bought a 1988 Mercury Tracer. It was my first new car. It was really a Mazda 323. In the US, this generation of Escort also carried the Tracer name under the Mercury badge.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I will doing a tracer video at some point in the near future.

[@jrbpit1]

The main competition then, Civic and Corolla, were super great cars, tough to compete. Ford kind of had the right idea with the Focus as a modern day replacement but absolutely shot themselves in the foot with their crappy DCT. If you were smart enough to get a manual when available, those cars were pretty solid.

[@michaelsimko7694]

These Escorts were all over the place when I was a kid in the 90s. Somebody who lives in a house not far from where I currently live has a 4-door sedan that still looks nice. The GT trim on this gen of the Escort had a very attractive sporty and aggressive exterior. The rear spoiler looked perfect on the car.

[@admiralrustyshackleford119]

I miss my Escorts. Had a '94 LX wagon with the 1.9 and a 5 speed in the early 00s. I replaced it with a '99 ZX2 (2.0/5 speed) that I drove until 2021 when it was rear ended by a drunk in 1 ton gmc van. They were good little cars, both had 200,000+ miles when I got rid of them. They rarely needed anything other then basic maintenance, they got amazing fuel mileage, insurance was cheap on em, parts were cheap, used to get those dinky 14 inch tires for like 35 bucks each brand new. I doubt we'll ever see brand new "basic" cars anymore... Isn't any profit to be had in something that costs $10,000 brand new and then proceeds to run for 15 or 20 years on $1000 worth of maintenance.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for watching and i hope we see something from Ford with this line of thinking in the near future. It wouldn't surprise me. It won't be $12K but today $20K would be considered inexpensive.

[@FordFan-nr2uu]

5 Speed Zx2's are an absolute blast to drive. My dad has had a couple and they were almost as much fun as my 08 Mustang GT.

[@RonnN-gf8tm]

Right On Tony!! Mom had a 1982' Mercury Lynx two-tone blue automatic..drove it from 87'-91'

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you!

[@juliangarbaccio826]

Tony, the ford Maverick fits the bill (in today's world) for those three asks at the end.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I would agree however Ford has been raised the price of the base model a couple of times already. They are not as cheap as they once were.

[@georgeburns7251]

I don’t think any Ford fits anything today. Plastic oil pans, rubber belt friends oil pumps, internal water pumps, CVT transmissions, all spell junk. They will never get back to having a top selling car again.

[@yankeetraveler1118]

Another great video Tony, and another vehicle I owned...well my wife purchased before we were married. I don't really have anything to add except I had to remove the dash to change the heater core. This was an amazingly simple job actually, done with basic hand tools and a Chilton's in the driveway. I bought the Chilton's because earlier that year I dropped the fuel tank to change the fuel pump only to discover there was a trap door underneath the rear seat that gave access to the fuel pump from above. It was a very simple cat to work on. I ended up putting the most mileage on it as my wife drove my air conditioned SHO to work while I drove her non AC car to work heavy construction all day in the Virginia sun. I really miss that car. No, not the Racescort, the SHO.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for your kind words and for sharing your experience!

[@michaeldemarco9950]

I bought two Escorts on the same day in the spring of 1993: We intended to buy a 4-dr wagon for my wife, and a 4-dr hatch for me. When we got there, there were only two wagons on the lot, a red automatic and a gold 5-speed. And they had no 4-dr hatchbacks. My wife didn’t want the 5-speed wagon, so that was out. But they DID have a right-off-the-truck 4-dr sedan. She took that one. Failing to find a 4-dr hatchback for myself, I bought the 4-dr wagon 5-speed. That turned out to be a great car.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@tomcat630]

I had a '91 Tracer LTS, the twin of the LX-E, handled well, took corners with ease. Mazda Protege/323 was a good base to start.

[@cardwellave2]

Can’t wait for the third gen video, one of my most favorite cars that I know way too much about.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That's one of those cars I need to learn about :). Thanks for watching!

[@autochatter]

Easily my favorite gen of Escorts. I saw these still on the road long after the Focus took over. Great vid!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching!

[@thatscottishengineerguy9606]

I’ve had many cars in my life, but the 1991 Escort LX 2-door 5-speed hatchback that I purchased new in the winter of 1990 ranks as one of the best I’ve ever owned. What a great car. Simple. Economical. Fun to drive. I miss that car.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for watching and for sharing your experience

[@owlnswan4016]

Excellent, as usual. Thank you, Tony.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for the kind words and for watching!

[@richardhamilton9936]

I had a 1994 Escort station wagon I bought used. Drove it for 12 years. I miss that car.

[@rjbiker66]

Australia got this shape as the Ford Laser as sedan, 5 door hatch and 3 door hatch tx3. Built in australia. Engines and transmissions were all mazda. 1.6 16v SOHC carb, 1.8 16v SOHC (105hp) injection and 1.8 16v DOHC injection for the TX3 hatch. Our dash from the start (1990) looked like your later model dash but without airbags. One variant we got was the TX3 Turbo AWD. Turbo 1.8 16V DOHC and AWD.

[@ianjay5301]

I had a 92 LX wagon. I put GT wheels, and GT rocker covers, grill and a matching rear painted bumper. It looked sharp. I wish I had kept it. I never liked the re-style.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing!

[@nickn815]

I had 2 1991 escorts, 1 was an LX and the other was a GT and had fond memories of both of them

[@scottybrowndotca]

I literally passed one of these on the highway yesterday .. Black, partially rusted, somewhat beat up, but still running .. Always thought they were a neat little car

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Most were driven into the ground however they were tough little cars. Thanks for sharing!

[@scottybrowndotca]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs if I had a nickel for every time me or one of my friends drove an eighties or nineties car to its death I’d have enough money to buy one of those sweet rides .. lol

[@etiennegregoire3091]

We bought a 91 brand new for a bargain. My friend owned a Ford dealership and he had volume wholesale discounts. This car was awesome in the snow and so stable on icy roads. Also at SAAC in Watkins Glen early 90s my wife was lucky enough to go on track in a Cosworth Escort with a Ford rep. I took great pics

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for watching and for sharing your experience!

[@b3stanga697]

I bought a new 1993 Escort GT in bright red. For the most part it was a great car, fast, economical, well made, and sharp looking. It was basically a Mazda Protege with better clothes. The GT had the twin cam Mazda engine. I had 217K miles on it when my wife totaled it. The engine still ran strong, but many of the Ford supplied parts and components broke, ie sunroof, auto seatbelts, gas tank leaked. When it was cold the emergency brakes would not release.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

It sounds like you got your $$ worth out of the car. Thanks for watching and sharing your experience.

[@wesd2845]

Great video Tony! I had 2 first gen's and they were great cars for the price. Good gas mileage and great in the snow. Only defect from the factory was the thumb size fuel filter that kept stopping up because it was so small. I had to ended up having to splice the fuel line under the passenger seat and installing a larger one.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks Wes and thanks for sharing your experience.

[@nlpnt]

Just to add; -The 4-door sedan was part of the Mercury Tracer line from launch in early calendar 1990. The only other bodystyle was the wagon. - Escort hatchbacks and wagons had amber rear turn signals. Tracers always had red rear signals - built in with the brake lights on sedans, a red lens where Escorts had amber on wagons. Escort sedans had Tracer-style rear lights at first but gained nonfunctional amber strips in '93 or '94. - Canadian-spec cars had conventional front seatbelts for the entire run and gained dual airbags at the same time as US ones. - The "one price" option pack in the "stuff" commercial could also be had on a manual-transmission car. Note that at 7:07 the 2-door has alloy wheels and spoiler while the others have plastic wheelcovers; the cheapest body style included those extras to bring the price/value of the option pack in line. - Lastly, this Mazda-based car (also built and sold in Australia as Ford Laser) got MUCH better reviews than the bread-and-butter and mildly sporty versions of the Euro Escort (the Cosworth was a rarity and a pricey one).

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for watching and for your comment. I plan to do a Tracer video at some point in the future. The passive restraint belts found on U.S. cars were a stop gap measure to meet government regulations. Automakers were told it was either that or airbags and airbags were much more expensive out of the gate. I have a hard time finding information on Australian cars but I have covered one and I'm sure more are to come.

[@bl3343]

As a kid, my Mom had an Escort Pony, and I always assumed it was the second best trim level because Pony sounds like Mustang. I was genuinely surprised to find out in this video that it was the standard trim.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

The Pony trim level first appeared in 87 and then had no options whatsoever

[@truckercowboyed2638]

These were everywhere especially in the gray color in the early 90s ....

[@gde1989]

This was also known as the Ford Laser on the Australian/Asian markets and had other generations based on the Mazda 323 before and after this model. Were very popular in Australia

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for sharing!

[@scottbrown7415]

I have owned several Gen two Escorts, mostly twin cam GT’s. They were okay but as they aged I can only describe them as “brittle “ when compared to the Gen one Escort. I sold my last Gen two GT in 2019 and went hunting for a 86 Escort GT. I just liked the later Gen one GT better than the earlier Gen two GT because it was more robustly engineered than the newer GT.

[@gilabear11]

As stated in your gen 1 Escort vid, I had a gen 3, and it was a great car. I agree with your opinion that there is a need for cars like this. Cost of ownership is much lower.

[@AngelinaJolie734]

About the European Ford Escort Cosworth : it was the street legal version of the rally car. For the performance, you can compare it to a Toyota Celica GT-Four. It wasn't build on a standard Ford Escort platform, but on the Sierra Cosworth platform that it was replacing. In consequence, this Escort is a little longer than the standard one. When I was a child, I used to see one often parked near the Ford dealer of my town. It was probably owned by one of the employees.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for the insight and I would have loved to have had one of those cars. There were several performance Escorts that Europe got and the those in the U.S. never got a chance to see let alone own.

[@RDEnduro]

I have so many memories in both gens, like my ex-girlfriends escort locking the tires on an off ramp in light snow and it stalled ha! It was an automatic.

[@JamesThomas-dn6ee]

Bought the pony brand new in 91 it was like 8 grand it was great i put a nice stereo in it and nice wheels drove the hell out of it.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing

[@michaelcoonce6694]

I had several of them Great little cars

[@cardwellave2]

There is still an Escort in China, and to me it looks great. I wish we could get something like that over here.

[@EffequalsMA]

Yeah, waiting for this one! 95 Escort LX Sport in my case. Wife's car.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for watching!

[@Wooley689]

127 hp for a car that light was nothing to sneeze at.

[@b3stanga697]

They were quite fast for their time.

[@CAROLDDISCOVER-2025]

Okay I must admit, I will not look at the escort the same way after seeing this episode.

[@nlpnt]

Missed opportunity would've been to combine the AWD system Mazda offered on the Protege with the DOHC engine in the wagon body.

[@michaelwilliams4410]

The second generation Ford Escort was definitely better than the first generation! My sister Deborah had a 1981 Mercury Lynx (her first car), and she had her share of issues with that car! She bought it in 1984, and she traded it two years later for a 1986 Mitsubishi Mirage!

[@vicp8772]

Whoever brings rides like thus back, woulr b smart Honda fit

[@jimlafreeda43]

Its funny that although it waa the #1 car in America for years very few even exist anymore. These cars ran good and were fairly easy to work on while driving pretty nicely. Great starter cars for newer drivers / young people needing an inexpensive car to operate.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for watching and for your comment. The explanation as to why that is in your comment. Great starter cars are typically run and run hard until they run no more no matter how many of them are built they get used up and discarded by a large majority of their owners. A car like a 1st generation Thunderbird which is neither a starter car or a great daily driver is pampered, stored, and cared after. There were much less of those cars built however there are plenty of those cars around today. They were not used hard and they were stored inside not driven in the winter. It comes down to the care that a majority owners gave a car and how much or how little it was used.

[@jimlafreeda43]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs that does make sense. I have to think more like the average person and not someone who understands that a car is a machine that needs care.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@jimlafreeda43 The average person looks at car as many of us would look a shovel. To them it's tool. It's to be used to get them from A to B. That is almost always the case with in expensive cars.

[@Greatdome99]

I could NEVER figure out why car mfrs had to make their small cars intentionally UGLY! Can you imagine a cheap car that looked like an Aston Martin? They'd sell a zillion!

[@MariaAnáliaferreiraCabralAnali]

Eu amo o Escort tenho um aqui no Brasil

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Isso é incrível, obrigado por assistir!

[@neilhartigan7456]

I had a 95 escort lx 1.9L with a five speed I put 300,000 miles on it but the floors and the front subframe rusted out. New York State roads. And salt. 😂

[@admiralrustyshackleford119]

Iowa road salt did its number on my 94 lx wagon. Went over a bumpy railroad crossing I'd gone over a mile times before and the passenger side rear strut punched through the strut tower... that back corner of the car was just laying on top of the tire after that. I jacked it up and wedged a piece of wood in there and limped it to the junkyard. I'd bought the car for $500 in the early 00s and used it as a beater for a few years, I more then got my money out of it, had 260,000ish miles and was literally half rust when it died.

[@Bluedreamflying]

I miss compact wagons with manual transmissions.

[@jeffhurckes190]

Here's to hoping that you decide to do a 3rd Gen video.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@jeffhurckes190 I’m sure I will just hang in there.

[@datsun210]

I like your videos but when you include vintage tv ads, please don’t alter the aspect ratio to make them fit the screen, they look unnatural and wrong. Much better to show them in the original aspect ratios. Thank you

[@upbeattvraw-hiphop8242]

Did you edit this video with Adobe Premier Pro?

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

No that costs $$ :) I use Shotcut. This is a hobby so I try to keep costs down where I can. Thanks for watching!

[@upbeattvraw-hiphop8242]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs ok, just asking because you always do a wonderful job on the editing!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@upbeattvraw-hiphop8242 Thank you very much! I really had no idea what I was doing when I started a couple of years ago. I try to learn something during each and every video hopefully that's getting results.

[@andymaurice7693]

Bought my first GT in 89 and my second a 91 GT...I still have my 89... Does that tell you anything????

[@MariaAnáliaferreiraCabralAnali]

Saudacoes aqui do Brasil

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Obrigado!

[@Butchcub75]

I liked these cars, I still see them running around, never owned one. Did own a 90 Mazda Protegé so ... I had a bunch of first gens. DID not like the third melted genertion

[@83rsturbo]

Have you heard of the ses trim

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Are speaking to the special color trim on the Escort GT?

[@83rsturbo]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs no it was a 2 door with a wing above the back window

[@truckercowboyed2638]

Wow imagine no power steering and no a/c in the pony trim which would be like a base trim im guessing.....

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

non A/C cars were not uncommon back then and you really didn't need power steering. I sold several 1st gen Pony Escorts back in 87-88

[@jacoballred]

Well. I had owned a 1st generation 4 cylinder Ford Escort. It blowed a head gasket after 100,000 miles. Just It's not good, as the other models of Ford Escort.

[@truckercowboyed2638]

Knowing ford they'll bring back the Escort name and slap it on some kind of EV SUV....

[@Mustgtcs07]

Unfortunately Ford is NO longer in the business of making affordable or reliable vehicles. Take their BEST selling F150. For the past 4 years, they have been crushed by recalls and terrible workmanship. Yes, I own a 21 F150 King Ranch and I really love my truck, but, at $74,900 sticker, why in the hell do I have 7 recalls and a electric power steering failure (with only 16,500 miles on it). That is just NOT acceptable. So far, for 2024, the F150 have other recalls too. This is just not acceptable Ford. Get your act together or go under. Thank God my 19 Mustang GT is just fine...for now!!!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I agree and sorry to hear about your truck. That's rough.

[@tomayres4237]

Ford Needs a cheaper car money wise in the USA. A Modern version of the Model T but faster!!!!!!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Agreed.

[@georgeburns7251]

Hard to imagine Ford could build a car. Especially a best selling car. Just shows how far they have degenerated.

[@JamesThomas-dn6ee]

They still have best selling vehicles like f150s and I do believe the explorer is best selling in its class as well as the mustang. The maverick is also best selling in its class

[@clemnewton9007]

Now ford makes no cars other mustang now it just overpriced trucks suvs

[@zapcity8992]

Ford/GM really can't make affordable small cars here in the US anymore because they wouldn't be profitable mostly due to UAW labor costs.

[@j.w.4514]

absolutely. it's definitely the greedy workers fault.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Toyota found a way to do it and despite what many think Ford is very profitable company right even with the EV losses.

[@j.w.4514]

@TonysFordsandMustangs I think Ford was similar to Toyota, with a conservative approach to making cars using tried and true mechanicals. Ford has really lost their way. you are 100% right they need to make a reasonably priced practical, reliable car like the Escort. I want to thank you for your excellent content here.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@j.w.4514 Jim Farley has been speaking about downsizing American Cars recently. We shall see what that amounts to in the coming years and thank you for watching my videos it is appreciated.

[@zapcity8992]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs but Toyota and the other transplants dont have UAW contracts in their US plants....at least not yet.