Had both a mark 2 and then the mark 3 (A reg) sunburst red 1.6L - with XR3 numbers and spats at the front - loved it, leaked like a sieve mind you and had a very disconcerting steering wheel wobble at around 65 mph - great memories
Thank you so much for reviewing my car and i think it was a very fair assessment. From an era when you could thrash a car through all the gears, not break the speed limit and have great fun in the process. To people who have watched this video, I have only had the car 6 months and there are some cosmetic areas to sort like the poorly repainted front wing, trim bits, badges etc; most of the work I have done has been mechanical so far, including de-sludging that rough old CVH unit...
Hi Calum, thanks for letting me take it out, it was just like old times driving it, in fact it was nicer than at least one of mine back in the 90s! The car is amazing as a survivor and I hope you thought it was a fair review of it
Great car calum, ive got 2, not sure i would been happy with the way he drives it, no need to rev the tits off it, and the mk3 base model, was called the Base, popular did not arrive until the mk4. Great car, not keen on the reviewer
@@MrRetro- I am more than happy with the way it was driven, I sometimes go into the higher rev range myself as I do with all my classics; they were designed to go through the rev range without issues and I enjoy driving them the way the manufacturer intended. Each to their own however.
Always baffled me, these cars. People would buy them. They would spend their entire ownership of the car breaking down, getting it repaired, getting it welded, slapping filler on the wheel arches etc.. And when the car finally bit the dust, they would buy another one! Looking at them now, though, I can see the charm and tremendous space and practicality. Loving the excellent visibility, too, of these 80s vehicles. Thank you for another excellent review :-)
The British bought Ford, Vauxhall and Austin Rover cars in the 1980s because parts and servicing were cheap compared to Japanese cars, but given the breakdowns you mention that was probably a false economy and something from Nissan or Toyota might have been cheaper in the long run.
These and most other British cars of the 70’s and 80’s were the same, prone to rust and breakdowns, then along came the Japanese with reliability and rust. Until the advent of galvanised steel and better manufacturing did matters improve. I’ve been a car owner from the early 70’s so I speak with some knowledge.
The thing is, Fords were very easy to buy. There was a Ford dealer in almost every town and they did very good finance deals and the like. Ford rarely offered uch in the way of technical innovation either in the '70s & '80s. Whereas BL were offering O/D manuals (Triumphs), 4 valves/cylinder (Dolly Sprint), all-alloy engines (Jag V12, Rover V8) Ford just sold basic, well proven technology in an easy-on-the-eye package that was mostly practical.
@@WayneSpillett Very true! I remember very well growing up in our street in the 80s and hearing the sound of frustrated people trying to start their Austin Princesses, Maestros and Escorts on a cold morning. Those who'd been sensible enough to fork out a bit extra and go German or Japanese would smugly trundle off to work without a care in the world!
This brings back so many memories. Back in the early 90s, while living in Uruguay, my dad had 2 of these. The first one was a 1984 Brazilian market 1.3L 3 door with the Renault engine I believe and a 4 speed. That was a great little car. The second one was a 1985 German built 1.6 GL 3 door 5 speed. I remember the father of an ex friend of mine had a shop and was going to adapt a universal alternator because the original was so expensive. He took the car from my house to his and on his way I guess he decided to floor it and destroyed the engine (connecting rod thru block). I ended up buying an engine from this guy who imported European ones for race cars but made a mistake and got a 1.3 instead of a 1.6. It looked identical to the one in my car except the CC difference. To not make this any longer, the engine bolted right up to my escort. Nice little car also except for that problem. Thanks again for bringing back memories.
Mr Furious Driving , my dad had a 1985 Escort 1.3L in 1990, replacing an unspeakably reliable but equally rusty Fiat 131 that only broke down once in 5 years. The Escort was far from reliable and lasted 3 years, and from what I can remember is the noise and the smell of petrol! In 1996 I spent £250 on a base spec 1.1 3 door Escort resplendent in OAP beige, with a black wing and blue bonnet! It was 11 years old at the time, it’s engine was rebuilt as it had been round the clock displaying 52000 miles (152,000 miles), and was capable of 96 mph, and was smooth as a sewing machine as the guy I bought it off had it from new, and done all his own work. Bodywork evidently wasn’t his strength, evident in it’s 3 tone colouring, but it was rock solid where it counted, and as I was 21, it was all I could afford! When I sold it, it drove on for another few years, and I would spot it regularly! Thanks for the memories chaps, great vid as always!!
I was 21 when I bought a Mk3 A reg XR3i only had it 3 months as the insurance crippled me financially, sold it to my sister and it got nicked a few months later. Oh the 1990s.
Technically speaking, that Escort has true hubcaps, as they cover the actual hubs. Larger versions are “wheel covers”. At least the way it worked on the US before modern times when every car comes with alloy wheels.
We had 6 Escorts over all the years, all through the range from Mk1 to the final Mk6 and never had any serious trouble with them. Happy memories from growing up with them, going to school and going on holidays and very much part of my childhood!
Identical to my first car in 1991, except that was Coral beige with a brown interior. I loved it despite the understeer issue, and i still look back fondly on it despite owning over 200 cars since
5-speed gearbox on mine made touring about a lot better, i think. Y-reg. Mate put a troll doll on his right hand shelf, in his A-reg blue one. No rear belts. 1.3 CVH was like ball bearings in a biscuit tin, design fault caused it to eat cyl-4 tappets, auto choke was terrible when i was 17 and had no clue how to activate it..
My first and favourite ever car! It was 3 days older than me, and cost £0 from my neighbours' son after his dad died. Was a 1.3 3-door in bluey-green, with one wheel arch painted with the same gloss green paint as the window frames of the old boy's house after he had a coming together with a wall. I added XR2 wheels and seats, a loud exhaust, spot lights, cd player 6x9 speakers and a square front number plate mounted off centre just like a Mitsubishi Evo! I then wrapped it around a tree... Good times!
Hello Drivers. These were also my first two cars. 83 1.1l three-door in beige with basic equipment. Never ran well with its variable venturi carburettor and the awkwardly installed ignition. 90 after facelift 1.4l three-door metallic dark blue. Great car, but after a few years I exchanged it for a Hyundai with automatic transmission and better equipment, which was unfortunately not available in the MK4. Thanks for this blast from the past.
Wow, love it. This video really takes me back to when I first learned to drive. My 1st, second and third cars were MK3's (all 1.3L). I had the worst accident in the third Escort, with a combined impact speed of 120mph - every panel ended up bent, but I'm still here, that's some testomy of these cars.
Exactly the same here. My first car in 1997 as a 1.3 Popular Plus. Had a head on accident on a country Lane. The wings crumpled and one fell off, but I still managed to drive it home!
Great nostalgia trip for me! This is positively loaded compared with the C reg 1.1 Popular that my dad so kindly found for me, nearly new in 1987. It was painted in that hideous shade of pale blue seen on Panda cars at the time. Was meant to be my first “proper” car to replace my Dyane. What a truly horrible car... watching your one struggling uphill reminded me how I used to dread hauling mine up Bluebell Hill in your neck of the woods, getting to the top with the engine pinking terribly was a sense of achievement.
I think Quentin Willson described the CVH as sounding "like a wounded rhino". At the time it may have been regarded as harsh but through modern eyes (and ears) the CVH has an agricultural charm. It can now be excused as classic and of its time and the fact that it was never a well regarded engine can be ignored. About 15 years ago a local garage was selling one of these for £395. I thought they were having a laugh. Damn. And I love the whirring sound old Fords make on acceleration. Oh the Ford ad you mentioned was for the MK3 Granada in late '84 / early '85.
I had the joy of learning to drive in a 1986 Escort 1.6 diesel it was also the L specification, seem to recall it being easy to drive but was amazingly slow
Although I wasn't alive when these things were new I remember there was still a few of them on the roads in the early 2000s most of then falling to pieces with considerable amount of rot it's crazy to thing that back then these things were as old as mk1 focuses are now
Great drive! I remember these cars being so popular over here in the Netherlands back then. My parents made a test drive in an Orion back then but didn't buy one in the end. But a lot of these cars around in our neighbourhood. Even the 1.1 3 door Lasers were very popular.
My Grandmother had a MK3. I remember playing with those ash trays in the rear. The 40 year old in me agrees on the speaker fade control; the 10 year old knows you're wrong because it's AWESOME
Brings back so many memories, had a 84 1.6. I put a manual choke kit on because the automatic was useless. One thing that really got on my nerves was the rear seat back. It would hit the handles on the back doors. Meaning you had to open the doors to get the seat flat.
Grate video, you have to love the mk3 escorts they are so iconic and just a great drive. I’m happy to see that there’s still a few kicking around especially the L trim level as I have never seen another mk3L in person other than my own 1.1 mk3L(I was at Fotu this year) it’s sad that so many of these just got scraped or disintegrated in peoples driveways and I glad that at least some are getting the love they deserve.
It was indeed the first production car to feature ABS as standard. The system available on the Escort was a more primitive, slower acting antilock braking system.
In 1986 CAR magazine ran a Mk4 Escort the length of England in Scotland back and forth for a week till it covered 5000 miles. It was a 1.4 with anti lock brakes fitted and one of the driving crews came face to face with an animal in the road at night. They commented that the standard ABS averted a certain accident very competently.
I liked your remark about the optimistic speedo, in my experience a Ford feature for a long time that may have been good for sales. I had a very early 1.3GL 3 door only 70000 Kms paid £50 for it because it was LHD. That`s all the lady was offered px against a new P reg Skoda Felicia. I remember it being really nice to drive & pleasant to be in but a bit thirsty. Thanks for the great video, brought back memories.
Oh wow, my first car. I had a 1.6 Ghia in baltic blue. Still have the RS steering wheel in my basement. Still miss it but had to scrap it in 2000 due to a lot of rust in many places.
I've been driving a late '82 XR3 for last couple of years. When I bought it, I actually hadn't seen a mk3 on the road for at least 10 years. It also is one of those low mileage survivors with about 74000km on the clock. When I bought it, it actually was still on the original set of Pirelli P6 tyres dated 1982. Coming from a modern car to the Escort you can really feel it's age in the way it drives and handles. Option wise the XR3 really is a quite some distance apart from the L-spec, it even has some options late '90s cars didn't get.
The memories of the first cars I remember my dad owning. He had a red X-reg XR3 when I was very young, replaced by a black Y-reg XR3 with RS bits (which spontaneously combusted not long after my dad sold it). I've a soft spot for the mk3 escort because of those early memories. I wish I bought an S1 RS Turbo 10 years ago 😒
My Bluebird from the same era ( D plate) was miles ahead of this. Early 2000s you could get a working copy of these Escorts for around £250. they were everywhere.
This brings back memories. My second ever car was a red 1982 Mk3 that I bought off my neighbour. I don't think it lasted that long and was replaced with a Mk4 soon after.
Yeah, OK, it's a car, just. I see it has the obligatory crinckley screen pillar trim. I've never seen one without that feature . My most vivid memory of Escortery is due to my ex French brother in law. He had a very well used 1.6GL in which he took us all to the Carmargue for a day. Amazing, place by the way. On the way back, he decided to try and light a cigarette with one hand while using the other to have a nice chat on the CB, remember them? He seemed oblivious to the fact that we were travelling at an indicated 120KPH on a lumpy road in a car with very questionable suspension and steering integrity. I spent the next few minutes doing my best to keep this death trap out of the marsh and on the black stuff while my wife, her sister, and her young daughter were screaming some very explicit French insults interspersed with desperate praying. All the time, the wonderful Phillipe was laughing and making no effort to avoid disaster. The rest of the journey home was very quiet. I'm not a violent person at all but Phillipe's continued existence is entirely down to my wife convincing me that it was not worth spending the next fifty years in a French prison to strangle him. This probably hasn't exactly helped the Escort's reputation as far as I am concerned. Good video though. Thanks for the memories.
Constantly getting stopped by the traffic police for having disco lights at the back every time you indicated.lost count of how many light clusters I went through😂
I drove a few of these back in the 1980's and the facelifted version that came later. I found them quite smooth and easy to drive. Nice gearbox and the heaters seemed to be better than the one in my car now!
Wow, Ford really up their game in the 80s. I had an X reg mk3 Escort 1.3L. It didn't have a clock or centre console or mirror adjuster. It came with an AM radio and one speaker, plasticy/vinyl type headrests and the interior trim was not as nice as that one. It did have an auto choke that was soon converted to manual.
My dad had a 3-door 1.1L - licence plate B480 DFE! Same colour. Wide doors great for me at 6'3" except in car parks! Engine was underpowered, but reliable.
Re: manual choke: I owned a rapidly dissolving mark 4 1.4 GL from 1986 and that too had a one. I think Ford went onto auto chokes on the Escort and Onion from 1989.
We die like men! 😂 I was never a big fan of the styling of these even though just a boy at the time. Great to see an in depth analysis. Such a common sight once, I cannot remember seeing one in the metal for years now.
The MK.3 was easy to work on, cheap to maintain, reliable. Had lots of space for passengers, very large boot. A great gearbox, comfortable seats. And sadly, an under powered engine. Great all-rounder, better than every other car on sale at the time.
The 80s when Ford was king! In 1983, bought a brand new XR3i in Sunburst red. Fantastic car (except for the brakes). Was going to replace it with a Mk2 XR3i in 86 but plumped for a Golf GTi instead. More refined, but didn't look as good and less fun to drive. Had some reliability issues too. Wish I'd stayed loyal to Ford...
My first car. Maybe I was lucky but my white 1.3 served me for 9 years during which time I drove the wheels off it. Mine had an auto-choke that I hated and it broke due to a rubbish design. Also had to replace the clutch and the alternator. I added my own speakers to the hatch parcel shelf which resulted in the failure of the gas strut which I discovered when the hatch closed on my hand (ouch). Went to a pub once with friends...when we came out I walked over to what I thought was my Escort put the key in the door sat in the drivers seat reached over to open the passenger door and thought "I don't have speakers in the door"......somebody elses Escort and apparently there were only something like 5 different keys to all Escorts. All in all it was very cheap motoring but I really wish I could have had an XR3i.
Had the XR3i in 1984, got stopped by the police 6 times in 6 months for no apparent reason, never prosecuted for anything. Soon sold it, I got fed up with being bothered by the plod.
My only memory of these is friends having snapped cambelts and very expensive bills! Oh and one friend broke the key to lockable filler cap when we were going on the petrol fumes, learnt a few new words there!
Although I don't drive, the Mk3 was always one of my favorite cars, I loved the shape (particularly the 2 door version), I always thought the ridged rear lights were really cool too.
I can remember the days when these Escorts used to be absolutely on every street corner. Bit of a shame now many Eaither just rusted away or got driven onto the Ground. The thing that always fascinates me about Fords of this time has to be the Mile counter. Always Have a 5 digit mile counter. What does that tell you about Ford in General, Did they not have faith in their cars hitting 100k or something? 😂 What a Superb Review, Really enjoyed this 👍
My first car was a W reg 3 door 1.3L, mine didn’t even come with a basic radio as standard and I ended up fitting one. It also just had a speedo and fuel/temp gauge on the instrument binnacle, but I retro fitted the one with a clock at some point. I also had a 1.6 Ghia a few years later which was totally unreliable and me being in my early 20’s at the time it was crippling on insurance, it was replaced with a Montego when the engine siezed up.
I had a Ford Escort 1.3L mk2 1980V then traded it in for an Escort 1.3L mk3 in blue. I got an Orion 1.6GL mk2 87D very unreliable so traded it in for a Nissan Bluebird 1.6LX 89F which had all the bells&whistles.
The wee ducks were quacking , " Look Lads. A Mk3 Escort. They could never sneak up on you like a Nissan Leaf." Always liked the solid ding of the back doors on these Escorts. Remember the skinny tyres too,though they made the steering light. The downshift to help the brakes was like the 1981 Fiesta I learnt to drive in, the brakes were not great. As far as the L trim was concerned, plenty of people optioned the 1.6 and that was quite a special car in Mk3 and Mk4. Nice colour for 1985 too.
I remember learning to drive in one of these, a 1.1 version so even less power than this so hill starts were always a laugh. Great video as always and i like the stereo thats fitted here, i remember those from back then.
i would imagine the suspension is a bit tired after all these years i remember them handling quite well in their youth. Probably needs bushes springs and shocks all round. Even if it is low mileage
Thanks for this nostalgia fest. Strange how it is so sluggish yet they didn't seem so back in the 80's. I had a brother in law who was a sales rep who was always supplied with an Escort estate, base model 1.3 (there was no Popular version of the estate). His car always seemed fast because he drove everywhere with the pedal to the metal all the time; I remember seeing over 100 on the motorway with a slight downhill gradient. I had a short drive in a 1.1 Popular myself and I remember the awful, low geared steering, long travel pedals and general thrashiness of the thing.
My Dad had one late 80s.. L poverty spec too. Think was L reg Mondeo LX after that. The plastic pig as I dubbed it haha "top" gear, and manual choke. Thanks for the vids.
23:55 to 24:10 Metallic Nimbus Grey paint was something like £150. Not sure if this car still has it, but quite a few late big bumper mk1 Fiestas and mk3 Capris had electric aerials from GL upwards. Rear speakers were dealer fit. R19 16V did you say? You must find it.
Oh, I'm surprised you forgot to mention that you needed to stump up for the L model if you wanted the vinyl A-post covering that went wrinkly within a few hours. The Popular just had exposed sheet metal in that area, but then, so has a certain silver Volvo that's been on your channel (and Joseph Lloyd's) a lot recently. Fantastic video. You were so excited about this car that if it was maybe a GL or a 5-speed, you would have jumped out through the windscreen!
I have a genuine NOS Ford electric aerial which I am going to fit this weekend; always worry about someone breaking off the manual one as it will not retract!
my mate rolled one in front of me in the late 80s,he undone the window and jumped out saying its gonna blow,i laughed got out of my car and with some help we put it back on all four wheels,we left it for a few mins to let the oil settle and he drove it home....
Yep, my mk3 Fiesta from 1990 had the manual choke, 1.1 litre HCS, later to be a 1.3 from a mk4 escort van. Auto chokes didn't appear on the mk3 fiesta until around 1993 or so. They used an SPI carb.
You forgot the Popular Plus in the line-up, which would have added luxuries like a LW/MW radio (but no cassette) and a parcel shelf to the basic Popular! By the way, it was the Granada that demonstrated ABS by nipping around a tractor, the first car in the UK to have them, but even then only on Ghia and Scorpio models!
@@furiousdriving Ford's Fiesta and Escort Popular and Popular Plus models were in direct competition with Austin's Metro and Maestro City and City X and were fairly well-matched in lack of specification. They stayed in the range into the MK3 period, not sure if all the way to the end though.
