I purchased the Ford Escort Wagon in 1997 to use as a delivery vehicle for a publishing company.

This escort wagon would be loaded with 500-700 pounds of published material, and then driven to 100-150 locations, along a 200 - 350 mile route, all in one day. This was repeated 15 days a month.

In the evenings, I used the vehicle to commute to various boy scouting meetings within 100 miles one way travel. On the weekends it was used for travel to campouts, personal trips, and church meetings.

It was also the primary vehicle for family vacation, scout camp, and canoe trips.

I really should have bought an SUV, but that wasn't option then.

The car currently has 178,000 miles. Oil changes and maintenance is performed regularly.

To date, the following major repairs have been made:

55,000 miles: Heater/AC wiring harness faulty - replaced.
78,000 miles: Heater/AC wiring harness faulty - repaired.
78,000 miles: Strut replaced for overloading vehicle.
175,000 miles: First clutch replacement.
178,000 miles: Fuel pump, serpentine belt, and front ball joints.

At every scheduled maintenance, I ask my mechanic to go over the vehicle to look for damage and safety concerns. They are repaired before they cause a break down.

I am very pleased with this vehicle, and while I have heard from others that the Ford Escort Wagons are unreliable, my experience has been further from the truth.

My only problem that has been troubling is the wiring harness. By faulty design, the car vents remain open except when the vehicle's AC is turned to Max AC, which closes the vents. If this is not done before a major rainstorm or when washing the car, you risk water getting down the vent and then shorting out the harness.

My mechanic has had to replace almost every harness from every 1997 Escort that has entered his shop because they had all shorted out, and the AC wouldn't work. It's an expensive part, that I opted to repair and he replaced when the warranty wouldn't cover it any longer. It has since again become defective, which leaves the vehicle with only two fan settings.

I've contacted Ford about the harness problem, and they are in no hurry to replace or repair it since the warranty has expired, even though the problem initially began before the warranty was up. So, I'm in no hurry to buy a new one either, I've had to make due for so long without it, I've grown accustomed to it.

All said, I'll get another 100,000 out of this vehicle. You can't use most 4 cylinder compact vehicles the way I have described and get anywhere near 200,000 miles. This has been a reliable car.

Amount Paid (US$): 13950
Condition: New
Model Year: 1997
Model and Options: Wagon