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Looking at buying an Escort for Daily Driver

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    #1

    Looking at buying an Escort for Daily Driver

    Just looking for some pointers on what I'm looking for. Friend is selling his 1995 LX 2 door and I'm curious about buying it. I have 2 cars at the moment, 1995 Miata and a 2006 Mazdaspeed 6. The miata is a turbo project car that I've been working on and don't want to drive / can't afford downtime. The Mazdaspeed has 13k miles on it, and I want to keep it low for a very long time.

    Basically I need a reliable mode of transportation (basically, beater) for work and I've been looking for an E-GT with very little luck. Reason for the extreme interest in the GT is I know the 1.8BP inside and out and plan on some small modifications in the future to squeeze a little more power out of the car.. Plus the 1.9 liter is like what, all of 88 horsepower where the 1.8BP is like 120...

    Heres the sticky:

    1995 Escort 1.9 LX
    185,xxx Miles
    Body mostly good (needs ANOTHER drivers side door...)
    New exhaust
    suspension / steering very sloppy
    Might need new motor mounts (irrelevant)
    Going to need a clutch soon
    Very clean interior
    Glass is all good
    Recently passed inspection (so what, I live in non-emissions nazi state)
    Tons of LX/GT/ProtegeLX doners in the local pick-n-pull. (The shortblock in my miata now is from a 1993 E-GT..)






    What my plan is, run out to the pick-n-pull and gut yet, another E-GT of its drivetrain, electrical, and any other little body goodies I can rip off it and slap that in my car. Basically wondering what I'm looking at is worth, if he wants too much for the work involved, etc. Fabrication, skill level, etc are not a problem. I have access to tools and some pretty good fab/mechanical skills. Currently asking $1000 for the car, but I was thinking about maybe offering him $750.00 but I'm afraid to feel like I'm screwing him or something..

    Thanks for the advice!!
    Tags: None
    #2
    not worth it at all. escort lx's are a dime a dozen in better shape with less problems and lower miles than that for the same price.
    sigpic

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      #3
      ^ what he said - not worth it.

      Comment

        #4
        I paid $750 for my perfectly running rust free 95 LX with a straight body and only 120,000 miles on it.
        Not the sports page Not a magazine

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          #5
          Why buy a new car and not drive it?
          Cars,for the most part, arent an investment.
          Your mazdaspeed six isnt going to resell for anything close to what you bought it for even if it had 10 miles on it.

          Just drive that.
          Beater=/= Sleeper

          Originally posted by kozzman555
          kitty, you are a hilarious woman
          Originally posted by HopelessCow
          there is one thing i dunno what is that call,a thing look like a gun, u press the button and stick to the metal and it makes firework, do i need that thing?and what s the philip head screw drivers?
          Using Linux for anything serious besides server or software dev is like using a tin can and a string for telecommunications.

          Comment

            #6
            Originally posted by Kitty View Post
            Why buy a new car and not drive it?
            Cars,for the most part, arent an investment.
            Your mazdaspeed six isnt going to resell for anything close to what you bought it for even if it had 10 miles on it.

            Just drive that.
            I beg to differ. Paid $18,900 a year ago brand new from a dealership, drove it off the showroom floor. Recently I took it to a dealership and had it appraised for $24,000 and has 8600 miles on it. With my job I'll be putting about 50,000 miles on my car during a years time.. It requires a lot of driving. That'll kill my warranty in no time and I'm not going to have that. Not sure if you're familiar with the cost of speed6 replacement parts.. A transmission is around 10,000$ to have mazda replace and install it. You won't find that transmission in a salvage yard. The engine shortblock is about 5000.

            My company is willing to reimburse me fully for gas, and pay me about 5000$ a year for use of my personal vehicle. Why would I go destroy my brand new car for work? My car will be my office, and I'll be hauling my tools around in the trunk.

            You might be in a financial state where you could buy a 30k$ sedan every year but I certainly am not... which is why I want a vehicle for work. Not to mention the cost of insurance... I checked, insurance for an escort is going to cost me about 20$ a month, the Mazdaspeed has full coverage. You have to tell your insurance company that you're planning on using it for business purposes, which carries a higher insurance premium. I'm over 25, never had an accident, and perfect driving record and full coverage on that car is still 100$ a month. Thanks for the advice.
            Last edited by Guest; 02-08-2008, 06:39 PM.

            Comment

              #7
              You got the same price I was quoted for a speed6 out the door.

              If I had to drive a car day in and out for work I would still chose a nicer car than an old beat up Escort lx.Espicaly an overpriced one.

              I would actualy look for an old bmw 3 series. The lower trim models can be found pretty cheap and you don't need to raid junkyards to make it a decent car. The replacement parts may be kinda high. But Just set aside $1k from the money you're getting payed from your company for replacment parts.

              I mean if you're not paying for gas why not drive a beamer. The insurance that horrible either.
              Beater=/= Sleeper

              Originally posted by kozzman555
              kitty, you are a hilarious woman
              Originally posted by HopelessCow
              there is one thing i dunno what is that call,a thing look like a gun, u press the button and stick to the metal and it makes firework, do i need that thing?and what s the philip head screw drivers?
              Using Linux for anything serious besides server or software dev is like using a tin can and a string for telecommunications.

              Comment

                #8
                you guys and your US insurance are funny. I pay $130 a month for my Escort and that is on the very low side with a perfect driving record for 7 years (35% discount)

                Now, if I had a 2000 or newer car it would easily be over 200 a month + our 4-5 $/gallon fuel. You guys still have it good in the US.

                Just hunt for a better deal though - that escort looks to be in rough shape or like it was mentioned drive your nice car and just enjoy it.

                Comment

                  #9
                  here in Calgary any POS that runs is worth $500 but that looks pretty rough for 750. I agree with the guy that says buy an E36. So-so power good milage, lots of options.
                  Import one from the States if you have the time and save yourself 2-3K tho.
                  If you're set on a Ford and plan on doing a swap anyway why not look for a shell? Blown engine trans etc?

                  Comment

                    #10
                    not to mention putting a bp into a ELX isnt exactly plug and play
                    '91 Cayman EGT
                    17" BBS RX2s
                    In desperate need of some BPT love

                    www.cardomain.com/id/shiningescort

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