Response to Darren Cassey: Defending the US Market Escort GT

My first car, the one that caused me the most troubles, but the one I would have back in a heartbeat if I had the chance, was a 1994 Ford Escort GT. I got my license as soon as possible, which means at the ripe age of 16 I was able to drive myself around; however, unlike a lot of kids at my school, I was not about to get my first car while still attending high school. When I finally graduated and made plans to begin my post secondary education, that is when I began to look through Kijiji for my first car. Of course, being 18 at the time I wasn’t necessarily thinking the clearest when I was looking for cars, I wanted something fast and sporty, a 300zx or turbo AWD celica were a couple options that caught my eye, but they were a little out of my budget. So I began to look at some different options, but I was still trying for something out of the norm that was also a little sporty, and that’s when I found it, the above pictured Escort GT.

As soon as I seen it I asked my mother if I could call about, because yes, she was buying my first car. It was a graduating gift, she was helping to ease the costs of University, plus she wanted me to come home often so she was more than happy to supply the transportation. I called the owner and set up a time to go see it and afterwards decided on the price, $400! The reason for this is because it had almost no floor, needed brake work, and hadn’t been driven in a couple years. These were of minor concern as my father was a mechanic and body man, so for a sportyish car with only 114,000km, I was pretty happy!

When I got it home there was no time to waste, we began working on it, replacing the rusted floor, going to the junkyard for parts, and getting the brakes sorted out. I had the car for almost 2 months, working on it most evenings and on the weekends preparing to get it ready for when I heading off to school. 2 weeks before I had to leave it was ready and I got it on the road. I was the happiest kid in town and you couldn’t wipe the smile off my face, atleast until later that day when the car died because the alternator wasn’t charging. Oh well, my father knew what he was doing and the next day it was back running again!

Unfortunately that wasn’t the only problem I had with the car, and after only owning it for a year and a half we parted ways, I guess this is what happens when you leave a car sit for several years, things are going to fail. But needless to say, I enjoyed it, and even though I may be a little biased, I think that I have a good argument on why it wasn’t all bad, and why people shouldn’t be scared of purchasing one.

1) It was a Great First Car

For a first car it was pretty great, it had 125 horsepower, which meant triple digits, but that’s not really enough to get myself into trouble. It was two doors (or 3, depending on if you count the hatch) which automatically meant sporty, or you know, so I thought. It surprisingly had a roomy backseat so I was able to drive friends to and from school without too much complaint. It was a hatchback which meant plenty of room for all my stuff moving up and back, even with a 12 inch sub in the back. And it was old, so easy to work on if I was ever in a jam!

2) It was Sporty for what it is

For a 1994 little ford hatchback, it was clearly oriented towards being ‘sporty’. The 1.8 DOHC engine had 125 horsepower when new, but was happy to be revved and much better than the lower versions’ 1.9 SOHC engine. It had all around disc brakes which weren’t overly common for little cars of this era. The fog lights and sun roof added a little touch of sporty appearance, and the upgraded 15 inch alloys were much nicer than the 14 inch alloys or steelies the base versions came with. Plus with a few little touches like a dual tip exhaust and the added boost of painting the calipers, I thought it looked great!

3) It was Uncommon

Since I got this car I’ve seen less than a handful in my travels, and I’ve struggled to find any for sale within 1000km. This meant a lot of people were curious as to what it was. One of the things I did was bought a license plate that said GT for the front. It added a little something to the front, which I felt was a little empty, and at the same time it raised more questions. I still remember walking out of work once behind a group of younger kids who seen the car, took note of the license plate, and exclaimed “GT, GT what?” Although I know they were making fun of the car more than admiring it, I was still proud that my car was not easily recognized.
One other story that sticks out is through another car website where you would put your car in a garage and be able to comment on others and receive upvotes. You could filter by location and often I would look in just Canada or even just Nova Scotia. On the site my Escort was ranked #1 in Nova Scotia, but I often looked at others, and after I sold mine I seen a green one that I liked, I commented on it and came to find out it was actually my old car. I had sold it after the transmission went and I replaced it. Turned out the guy who owned it now did the same thing, blowing the transmission trying to do burnouts, mine went driving down the highway. It was interesting to talk to the present owner, but at the same time it made me want her back.

4) It was a Looker

Some people may not be a fan of the boxy look, or the hatchback styling, or the insane wheel gap, but I thought it was great. The boxy styling is something you don’t get anymore today, obviously for more reasons than just one, but it works. Clearly the designers at Ford were going for a theme as the Fox Body Mustang has a similar look, especially the hatchback version. I loved it and I feel as though it took a mean photo as well! As for the wheel gap, there aren’t a lot of options for this car, but I was planning on getting lowering springs before things went sour.

5) 90s Cars are just Great

I loved driving around in this thing, even in my 98 Accord that I drive now, it doesn’t feel like a 90s car, but this thing was. Look at that Escort GT badge, if that doesn’t scream 90s, I don’t know what does. It was literally a sticker covered in plastic so that it wouldn’t get wet and peel off. Or maybe it was weight savings? Who knows. The shift boot was a huge rubber chunky thing, no nice leather boot like in today’s cars. The engine was just that, an engine. No plastic, no fake intake noises, what you see is what you get. The cluster lights were green and orange. This list could go on, but when I was in this car, it was not hard to tell what decade it came from, and that made me feel nostalgic, even though when this car was released I was only 2, but I guess it’s something only 90s kids would remember!

This car caused me some troubles, but it was easy to work on, and fun to drive. I loved it and plan on having another to work on, and I hope that the negatives people may say about these don’t scare you away from getting one if you have the chance because they’re dying off and it would be sad to see them go!

Thanks for reading, I know it’s long, but it’s my take on it. And if it was too long and you didn’t read, that is understandable.
Have a great day!