Much like the death of the small pickup, the small wagon is a dinosaur on the automotive landscape – the extinct kind. The combination of a highly efficient and maneuverable compact car with loads of space just made too much sense for consumers hell-bent on buying SUVs and a replacement waiting in the wings – the Ford Focus – sealed the fate of Ford’s venerable econobox. The Ford Escort and its twin, the Mercury Tracer, were familiar sights on local roads until a few years ago, and now cars like this 1995 Mercury Tracer wagon here on craigslist are a rare find.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Mitchell G. for the find. Related to this, I have a guilty pleasure which is the Ford Escort GT from the same generation, with its body-color grill and front valence, period-correct “blade”-style alloy wheels, and the spirited DOHC 1.8L engine shared with the same-era Mazda MX-5 Miata. It’s one of those cars I would love to own but it makes so little sense to buy in either project or preserved form; as a project, you’ll spend too much restoring it, and in time-warp condition, the asking price will always be too high. Still, if you love 90s-era cars like I do, a second-generation Escort GT is tempting. This Tracer wagon is less sporting, equipped with a fairly basic automatic transmission, but looking quite tidy inside.
Typically, the 4-speed automatic means a Tracer like this one is equipped with the standard-issue “CVH” 1.9L inline-four, which generates a throbbing 88 b.h.p. However, the seller confirms that the Tracer will motor along happily at 50-80 MPH on the highway. I had an upholstery guy in Rhode Island who found a third-generation Escort wagon in a garage in Maine with under 20,000 original miles on it, and he confirmed that despite the low output, it made a fine highway cruiser between his cabin and home. Plus, you’ll likely see well into the 30s for miles per gallon. The seller notes his Tracer doesn’t leak a drop of oil.
Despite being in New Hampshire, the bodywork appears largely sound, and it does have the optional alloy wheels as opposed to steel wheels and hubcaps. He notes the Tracer came from the south and that he’s the second owner, so hopefully anyone looking for one of these will keep it from being exposed to any northeastern winters, as there simply aren’t many left and plenty more have gone to the boneyard due to body rot. While it’s the most exciting car on the road, there’s a lot to be said for basic transportation with plenty of utility, a vehicle segment that the automakers seem universally committed to never offering again.
A guy at my college had one of these in turquoise/teal at my small private college just a few years ago during COVID times. He got a bottle of Jack Daniel’s for letting a campus sorority’s officers take photos in it for their fall recruitment posters (their colors were teal and gray). The girls marveled at “that ancient thing,” and the automatic seatbelts, not connecting the dots that it was the same age as their older siblings.
Boy does this bring back memories. The first new car my wife and I bought was a ’94 Escort LX sedan in electric blue. 1.9 5 speed. It was a great car. And dont let the 88 hp fool you. The car was geared great and made the best use of it. We actually got a high of 39 MPG a few times on long trips. And we never had any difficulty keeping up with traffic. It was a good car and served our family, and then our extended family for many years without missing a beat. You could get the sedan, 5 door hatch back, 2 door hatchback or wagon for the same price. Unfortunately rust was what did it in. Badly. But it still ran like a champ. Great find here, and like Jeff said, not many small wagons ( or pickups) around anymore.
My wife and I bought our first new car from Ford. It was a 1991 Ford Escort LX five door hatch with an automatic. It was a very good car and served us well. It did everything it was expected to do economically and efficiently. Took it in many interstate trips without missing a beat. We realized it was an economy car and never expected Mustang performance from it. Thus, we were never disappointed.
5sp econoboxes are a lot of fun Driveinstile. Especially in the city.
Nice find…$3,000 would be more tempting. Hopefully the seller, since in New Hampshire, doesn’t think South is South Boston, South Bronx or South Philly.
We have our absurd CAFE regulatory scheme to blame for the disappearance of compact wagons and pickups from the US market.
It’s not so much that buyers suddenly started “wanting” SUVs/CUVs but, rather, mfrs. simply stopped making/selling compact wagons here, because they couldn’t meet the ever-increasing MPG target for their CAFE-defined “footprint” size while still offering performance and equipment levels that buyers demanded.
But take that compact sedan-based wagon of yore, rotate the rear cargo volume from horizontal to vertical to reduce rear overhang, give it a suspension lift and minimize front overhang along with severe-overbite bumper designs, and suddenly it’s a “crossover/CUV” with enough ground clearance, approach and departure angles to qualify as a “light truck” subject to a laxer MPG target for its CAFE footprint.
Just saw the hatchback version of this car at a local yonke last weekend. I had to stop and check it out because it had been so long since I’d seen one. I agree with Jeff – I always wanted the Escort GT of this generation too.
Right after i bought my used 83 mustang GT turbo as a project car i found an 87 escort GT as a winter car and what a blast? The escorts were great cars and if the rear shock towners hadnt rotted out, a known problem with the body design. Id probably still be driving it.
A good friend of mine has a Tracer wagon parked in his driveway. It was his Dad’s who passed away over 10 years ago. It hasn’t moved since.
I do like the color of it – an orangey bronze is the best way to describe it.
We had a “Ford” version of this car with the 5 speed gearbox. We beat the crap out of this car for 2 years driving it every day and every where at speeds in the 70 to 80 .mph range. (open Nevada highways) and never failed. Bought the car cheap because of the 200,000 miles and sold it at close to 300,000 miles. It was still as solid as a rock and returned great fuel economy. I loved that little wagon. But needed a truck. Sold the car at a profit and always looking at one when I see one. This is one of those “I should have never sold it cars”!