A fresh MOT is needed
Now that the Ford Focus has definitively disappeared from the showroom, it sounds tempting to present a first-generation Focus in this section. But it is not rare enough yet, which is why we are now focusing on this last generation Escort from 1997.
The Escort was a popular car during its career, but it had a tough time towards the end. The last generation Escort underwent a fairly radical facelift in 1995 and that was sorely needed, because it could hardly keep up with close competitors such as the Opel Astra and Volkswagen Golf. Ford brought the exterior in line with the rest of the model range at the time. Like previous generations, it was available as a three- and five-door hatchback, sedan, station wagon and as a convertible. The sedan was no longer called Orion and the station wagon also abandoned the term Clipper.
In terms of engines, everything remained reasonably the same. The 1.4 petrol engine gained four horsepower. A 1.8 turbodiesel with 69 hp filled the gap between the already available non-turbo 1.8 diesel with 60 hp and the turbodiesel with 90 hp. Virtually nothing also changed to the equipment levels.
The gray five-door hatchback that we are bringing to your attention today is well-equipped. It is a 1.8 Ghia, the most luxurious combination of engine and equipment that was available. Anyone who wanted to drive a sporty Escort could go for a GT or RS for the same price as the Ghia, or save up for the RS2000. We can see that it is a Ghia from, among other things, a chrome grille and license plate holder at the rear and wood trim in the interior. The doors are finished with fabric and velor upholstery is also included. As well as a sliding/tilting roof, optionally electrically operated. We are also warm on the heated front seats. The heated windshield and exterior mirrors are also useful for the winter.
Usually rare cars in a nice version are pricey, but that is not the case in this case. That probably has its reasons, because the MOT expired last September. In addition, the seller mentions an electronic fault. This Escort Ghia with 143,080 kilometers on the five-digit odometer (that could also be a ton more) came to our country at the end of 2022 and is for sale in Lunteren. It should yield €2,000. Who cherishes him and leads him through the inspection?
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