Do any of you get as excited as I do about seeing a completely ordinary car show up in extraordinary shape at a dealer? This is a phenomenon I often associate with older owners or estate settlements where the car that has been driven gingerly for decades by one caring owner is suddenly kicked to the curb following the owner’s death or move to a senior care facility. The Ford Escort wagon is a surprisingly useful vehicle that disappeared from the landscape when wagons fell out of style and bare-bones economy cars were no longer considered sensible. This 1998 Ford Escort SE wagon listed here on eBay appears to be sitting in the auction lanes in Lynn, Massachusetts.
As someone who spent much of his young adult life in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, I instantly recognized the “CC” sticker on the back glass, which refers to Cape Cod. You can be certain someone in that island community recognizes this seafoam green Escort wagon, perhaps parked at a clam shack or by the beach. The lack of blemishes, rust, or even any major dings suggests years of careful ownership, and small details – like what looks to be a factory-style muffler still tucked neatly underneath the bumper – provide reassurance this Escort was serviced with factory-approved parts through. Of course, seeing in the auction lanes reminds us that most dealers want nothing to do with a car like this.
The third generation Escort continued to use some degree of Mazda-sourced engineering via the chassis design, but the image of this being a Miata with more doors and a blue oval badge was long gone. The two-door GT was dropped in favor of the odd (and poorly-received) ZX2, and corporate was already making plans to bring the “world car” Focus stateside. This outgoing model was a humble swan song to a nameplate that had served Ford and commuters well for years. The last generation model offered competent packaging, and many owners who have kept theirs in condition similar to this swear by the reliability.
The SOHC inline-four offered 110 horsepower and 125 lb.-ft. of torque, and with the standard manual transmission, it likely felt more than willing enough to keep up with traffic. The 4-speed automatic will muffle any sense of speed, but for a cheerful, cheap commuter car with the convenience of a wagon, who cares? The Escort shown here looks like a survivor car that has hardly been used to the full extent of its capabilities judging by the tidy cargo bay and would serve a college student well. The Escort is listed for $2,800 or best offer which seems more than fair to us; in fact, I bet you could snag it for $2,500.
I bought one of these wagons back in the early 2000’s as a beater for running back & fourth to work. Paid $1200 for it @ 130k. It was a great little car and got over 30 mpg. Drove it for almost 3 years @ 80 miles per day. I would have driven it longer except for one of those pesky Penna. dear.
One just sold near me, for $3000. With 23,000 miles and zero rust on it. Some one got a better deal than this one.
For some strange reason I expected the Miles to be lower, these basic wagons and sedans are what the manufacturers need to bring back. Then bring back being able to select the options you want without having to pay for options you don’t want or need just to get one that you do want. I find the information screen on my 2025 Forester to be more distracting than just picking up my phone.
Always a little sad to see these really nice older cars on the road. Knowing the first decades were easy and they survived to be an exception only to be scrap in a year. Saw a neat little 323 style Tracer wagon with 23,000 miles the other day. Flawless outside, rich unfaded paint, but dirtier than it’d ever been and a pig sty inside.
Just what I need for my niece who got her learners permit today. Something small and controllable with plenty of glass to see out of. If this were an ’80s
model, I wouldn’t even think about putting her into something
like this. The German built engines were junk and never ran
properly. I had an 86 model with
a bad engine and a repair shop that wanted $10K to replace it. Just couldn’t see owning a POS that broke down nearly every week. The engine was the last straw so I called my bank and told them to come get it. The car was a real lemon 🍋 and I had no way of hiring a lawyer to plead my case. The only consumer lawyer in the state was a real A-hole who required a $25K retainer
in cash and up front. That was Florida 35 years ago. Don’t know what it’s like today if you have been saddled with a lemon. And for the longest time, I didn’t buy a
Ford car until I bought a ’94 Taurus wagon I liked so much I bought a ’97 for my wife in 2000.
At least the Japanese 🍡 built
cars had better build quality than the European 🏰 models did. And yeah, Sis and I will help her get her first car, so if any of you
have, or know of, a dependable
small car, you can reach me here.
Thanks folks.
optimal for ‘Wagonman’ (as they call me here).
Parents put enormous milage on 1 (or 3) asa 2nd car (1 or more as ‘primary’ car). Moved from “Boston” to FL to retire in 1. Roamed around there (“trips”) for a few yrs (not just a DD) to see the new place (FL is nota sm state). THEN shipped it to england (base camp for 2 yrs) to explor the “contenent” (Greece, Italy, France, Germany, Spain). When done, rather than ship it back, sold it (every where they went folks asked to purchase) w/300K mi. on – almost at the price ofa new one.
And…. No Longer Available.