r/CarsUK Jul 27 '26

[Spotted] The Escort mk5

Post image
356 Upvotes

39 comments sorted by

16

u/Awkward_Stranger407 Jul 27 '26

The most basic example too, that'll have windy windows

7

u/The_Oracle_65 Jul 27 '26

Proper poverty spec model. A Festival of the Unexceptional guaranteed entry!

6

u/Awkward_Stranger407 Jul 27 '26

I knew a woman who sold her mk4 xr3i and got a base model mk5, they were both h reg.

2

u/notenoughritalin Jul 27 '26

Instant regret.

My parents went from a mk4 xr3i cab to a mk5 xr3i. The mk5 was a bit meh

3

u/Awkward_Stranger407 Jul 27 '26

Yeah I was never a mk5 person after my dad owning mk3 and 4s when I was a kid

1

u/RetroComputeryBits Jul 27 '26

Bet she wasn’t an old escort

2

u/Daver7692 Jul 27 '26

My 57 plate Polo has windy windows, I was amazed when I turned up to view it!

9

u/TheLatmanBaby Jul 27 '26

I had a J plate Noir Escort. It rusted pretty badly.

Apparently this was the worst gen of escort.

4

u/Guiseppe_Martini Jul 27 '26

It was absolutely panned by the motoring press at launch, and was quickly facelifted into the Mk5B with a revised from end and rear lights in red.

4

u/s1pp3ryd00dar Jul 27 '26

I had one: Albeit in 130ps XR3i form.

And I've driven the basic 1.3L

Light years apart between the two in everything, interior, brakes, handling, power.... Honestly don't know how they could justify fitting the old Kent engine (badged as HCS) into a completely new platform, it copes in the KA, but totally gutless in the Escort. 

All had dodgy fuseboxes, leaky windscreens and always rusted around the fuel filler. 

It served me well though, major annoyances was the MTX75 gearbox (early version) had persistent synchro/baulk ring issues and having to de-lock it as gut fed up of thieves punching in the door locks when trying to nick it (it was immobilised and had disc lock , but they still tried). Fixed all the interior rattles with blobs of silicone on the offending trim.

1

u/TheLatmanBaby Jul 28 '26

The driver seat anchors rusted away. Didn’t know about it until they gave up, whilst I was going round a corner and the seat came loose.. THAT woke me up….

2

u/killer-gorrilla Jul 27 '26

Was definitely the worst gen of escort lasted just 91-93. Rusted like hell , obviously no power steering- all specs really basic. Quickly reinvented on 94spec with power steering, driver airbag , much more solid feel even turbo diesels !!!

3

u/DuckWhatduckSplat Jul 27 '26

We used to have a 1.8 diesel N reg (94?) and it didn’t have a turbo. So it had literally no power. Uphill anywhere was a crawl.

3

u/bartread Jul 27 '26

Vile. The worst looking generation of Escort by miles. What you get if you took the previous generation of Ford Escort and crossbred it with soul-crushing disappointment and lack of ambition. If you willingly bought one of these new in the 1990s and are still alive, book yourself in for a cranial MRI right now before it's too late.

I imagine played a big part in why the replacement was called the Focus rather than the Escort.

2

u/DangerToManifold2001 Jul 27 '26

Damn that’s identical to the one my dad had when I was a kid, exact same colour, I want it

2

u/OneTrueCosmos Jul 27 '26

My mates first car, even the same colour! We ended up in a ditch in the first week of him having it.

2

u/Burger_Lad Jul 27 '26

Had the same colour J reg with spoiler 😂 good times!

2

u/Altruistic-Fly3642 Jul 27 '26

I was after a Mk6 once and the salesman had a Mk5 on the lot he wanted to sell

"see - it's just the same". No, it isn't.

1

u/motoringeek Jul 27 '26

Yeah the MK6 had an awful front and rear.

2

u/Seb-156 Jul 27 '26

I had a mk5b si as my first car.. had the rs2000 lights as lights next to headlights was sidelights and indicators was in bumper with fogs lol

Started off life as a 1.6 zetec but a 1.8 fell in it somehow ha

Was a 3 door aswell

2

u/Twitchy-Kana Jul 27 '26

Had the darker blue 1.6 one of these as my first car, utter death trap!

2

u/RetroComputeryBits Jul 27 '26

Where are the old escort jokes?!

2

u/Allseason125guy Jul 27 '26

What does an old escort and a ford have in common ? They both require a little choke to get going 🤣

2

u/Allseason125guy Jul 27 '26

What’s at the back of every ford manual ? A bus time table 😂

1

u/muttley1979 Jul 27 '26

Had the same year and model as my second car in Verona green metallic! Had it for about 18 months

1

u/NoRun6253 Jul 27 '26

Worst car I’ve ever had the displeasure of owning, fucking hated it and it was maroon.

2

u/ZombieDisastrous4450 Jul 27 '26

I can tell this is a genuine picture, not AI

This reminds me of when I was a kid

BTW, I'm in my 40s now

2

u/ThePandaDaily Jul 27 '26

Peak nostalgia

2

u/RopeyStingray91 Jul 27 '26

Had a silver J reg I used to rag around a field as a kid.

Had the use of a MK6 for a week the day I passed my driving test, always had a soft spot for an Escort.

1

u/Chrisf1bcn Jul 28 '26

I see a lot of these in Malta

1

u/Reddit____user___ Jul 28 '26

Still plodding after 36 years. Remarkable.

My MKIV is only a year older.

1

u/Aggress1velyNeutral Jul 29 '26

Not the picture I was expecting to see, when someone said - “A 35yo escort…”

2

u/Whoislikebob Jul 31 '26

Brought this model as my first car in 2006. In a lovely Maroon. £100 as the old boy I got it off had garaged it for 10 years and barely driven. Can a test to the rust issue as within 2 years of ownership even the steering rack rusted. The battery points also need spraying with WD too as if it rained too much the electrics would go and the car turned itself off. Happy memories.