1997 Ford Escort

LX Wagon

2.0

Automatic

3FALP15P5VR120510

Clear

Gasoline

This car was a daily driver until the #1 cylinder intake valve seat came apart and got stuck in the intake valve. A Google search led me to find that this was a common problem for this engine. You can see in the picture that it tore up the head and the top of #1 piston pretty good. I rolled the crank over to check the cylinder wall of #1 and it looks OK. The engine never used oil so I think the block and rings are in good shape. I took notes when disassembling the head to keep track of what was disconnected and removed and the order it occurred. The notes are in the pictures and will be included in the auction. There is also a maintenance logbook that shows all maintenance and service the vehicle has had. It was too many pictures but will also be included. Now the car needs someone with more ambition than me to get it back on the road. To my knowledge, the car has never been in an accident. The air conditioner puts out ice cold air, the transmission was replaced in 2008 and shifts like it did when new. Cruise control works good The front brakes and calipers were replaced this spring as well as the upper and lower ball joints on both sides. We put new headlight assemblys in the car in 2011. The water pump, timing belt, serpentine belt and tie rod ends were new in 2011. The exhaust system was replaced in 2010 and has no leaks. There are no chips or cracks in the glass. The windows all work fine but the knob is broken off of the window crank on the left rear door.The tires are in various stages of wear but I don't think any are near needing replaced. The doors open and close nicely and have always been oiled periodically. The lift gate compressed gas cylinders are weak and don't hold the tailgate up in cold weather. The radio and speakers all work fine. There is rust above the left rear tire where you can see in the picture that the rear bumper is held on by plastic wire ties. Other than that one spot, rust does not seem to be a major problem for this car. The car was in a hail storm a few years ago and there are small dents over most of the upper surfaces of the car. The carpets are a total mess even though I've always had floor mats in there. There are plenty of scratches and marks like you might expect from a car of this age. When the head was removed, one of the head bolts snapped off with about 1" sticking out of the block. I have been spraying it with penetrating oil but have not tried to put vice grips on it. The dipstick also got broke taking the head off and will need to be replaced. This car is being offered "as is" with no warranty and no reserve. BUYER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SHIPPING THIS CAR. IT DOES NOT RUN!!!! The wheels are fine if you want to dolly it across the country. I have owned it since 2003 when it had 52,400 miles on it and tried to keep it well maintained. If you want to do some engine work, this would be a good running and economical car when you finish. My 100% feedback is more important to me than selling this car so if you find that anything was misrepresented or not to your satisfaction when you pick it up, you don't have to buy it. I'll give your money back. If you have questions about the car please call me at 734-819-0923. Don't make me any offers or try to end the auction early, the high bidder gets this car. Take as long as you want to pick it up but please pay for it within a week of the end of the auction.Thanks for looking and happy bidding!