1999 Ford Escort

zx2 Coupe

2.0L 4 Cylinder Gasoline Fuel

Manual

3fakp1136xr152125

Clear

Front Wheel Drive

Gasoline

Power Steering

For sale is a 1999 Ford Escort ZX2 with approximately 136k on the odometer. This car runs and drives well, however there are a few issues that need to be addressed before it can become reliable daily transportation. Firstly, there is a grind when shifting into 5th and reverse gears. It does not always grind when shifting into reverse, but it always grinds shifting into 5th. In addition, the speedometer does not work and I have traced the issue to the vehicle speed sensor. I would assume that the transmission needs to be replaced, but maybe it is fixable. I don't know. The remaining issues are minor, and easily fixed. One of the idler pulleys makes a noise, however a replacement comes with the car. There is a small exhaust leak somewhere at the front I have been told, but I haven't been able to locate it. The stereo head unit is not installed in the car, but it does come with it. It just needs to be plugged into the harness and locked into place (I removed it thinking I would sell the car without it and use it in my truck). There are no rear speakers installed, and they do not come with the car. Finally there are a few dings and scratches on the car, and two small dents on the front fenders, but really nothing unusual for a ten plus year old car. Over the past 2 years I have done a good amount of work to the car in maintenance. The tires have been replaced, and have a ton of life left in them. The front discs, calipers and pads have all been replaced within the last year. The brake fluid has been flushed and bled on all four corners. The emergency brake cables have been replaced as well. The valve cover gasket was replaced (it was leaking). All four struts were replaced at 90k with tokico performance struts, and the clutch was done about the same time. I will be including several parts with the sale of this car, including a spare set of stock wheels (no tires). I have a water pump, pcv valve, fuel filter, an idler pulley, and some polyurethane suspension bushings (the remainder of a complete kit, most of which are already installed on the car). On Dec-05-11 at 15:42:15 PST, seller added the following information: Revision - 12/5/11 Because I am receiving many questions regarding the vehicle condition, and whether or not it will make the trip to any number of different places, I wanted to add some info that will hopefully make things more clear. Firstly, this is not the first time that this car has had transmission issues in its life. If you know anything about the zx2 escort, you know that the transmissions are notoriously weak in the differential. The first time the transmission broke, it was the differential. I replaced the transmission with a salvage one when the car had about 80 or 90k on it. I did the suspension work and clutch at the same time. The car was perfectly fine until I lost my cool in DC traffic late last year, and I spun the tires to get around someone blocking an intersection. The tire hop seems to have been what broke the differential again, but its hard to say of course. To compound the issue the car was due for an emissions test in MD, which I had to put off. I didn't have the time to work on it over the winter, so I parked it. I picked up another salvage transmission around April, thinking that I would have the car back on the road again without issue. Unfortunately the speedometer never worked with this new transmission, and the check engine light for the faulty sensor prevents the car from passing emissions. Maryland won't even test it. I tried replacing the sensor and the wire pigtail, but neither helped. Since I am a part time student with a full time job and a wife, I just don't have the time or desire to mess with it anymore. The last time I worked on the car, or moved it a significant distance was probably June or July. I drove it around the block on Thanksgiving and let it warm up, and at that time everything seemed ok with it. I did have to charge the battery, but it started right up. The brakes work fine, although the rotors are rusty and noisy now from sitting. The tires seem ok as well. To be completely clear here, I am not a mechanic, but I see no reason why a tankful of gas wouldn't be all you would need to drive the car home. From the perspective of maintenance and repair, I have done the following on the car: - Timing belt around 60 or 70k - clutch, transmission, springs/struts (all four corners) and some poly bushings around 90k - alternator around 120k - thermostat, coolant flush at 125k - valve cover gasket at 130k - camshaft position sensor at 130k - tires, driver side tie rod, and alignment sometime last year or year before. Cant remember. - plugs, wires around 130k - Fuel filter at around 90k - front brake calipers, rotors, and pads around 130k - parking brake cables around 130k - both transmission mounts were replaced with decent looking salvage yard parts when I put the current transmission in