Nicest Left? 1985 Ford Escort L

The 1970s oil crisis forever changed the landscape of the automobile industry. Car manufacturers began downsizing to smaller wheelbases and engines not only for better fuel economy, but also to compete with the rise of Japanese imports in the late 70s and early 80s. But times were changing, and America began to embrace the small econobox, and some of these cars became top sellers in that era. Today’s find is one such example: a 1985 Ford Escort L hatchback, which, if we’re to believe the seller’s listing, has an incredible 5,000 original miles (more on this later). This Escort is currently for sale on Facebook Marketplace for $10,000 near Louisville, Ohio. Shoutout to reader Jon Stupar for this extraordinary econobox special!

Ford introduced the Escort in late 1980 as a 1981 model year, and it was their first “world car.” It did not receive a refresh until the middle of 1985, which makes our feature an early 1985 as it still retains the first-gen face before changing to the aero, flush-mounted headlights that became typical on many Fords in the latter half of the 80s. This lower-level “L” trim would have been powered by the 1.6L engine producing only 69 hp.

As is seemingly the norm for some of these Facebook listings, the photos do leave quite a bit to be desired, as most of them are from odd angles or too close up. But from what we can see, the paint looks spectacular, the interior mint, the chrome bumpers factory fresh, the wheels and tires appear original, and you even have the NY Department of Motor Vehicles and NY State safety inspection stickers pristinely in the windshield. One does wonder who had the forethought to save this, or perhaps what was the set of circumstances leading to someone stashing this away with such low mileage.

Regarding the mileage, it is interesting that the seller states the car has 5,000 original miles, when the odometer photo clearly shows 3,863. There’s always the possibility that it could have rolled over, but given the niceness of everything shown here and the fact that those registration stickers are still on the windshield, I’m very much tempted to believe that it is a true 3,800-mile specimen.

After sitting this long, factor in a major flush of all fluids and possibly replacing any rubber hoses that have gone bad. That said, for the right price, I would still jump at the chance to have some mid-80s nostalgia parked in my driveway, or better yet, in the garage, as an example worth preserving of your typical, everyday commute from the 1980s. Will you Escort this Ford home to your garage?