Once an incredibly popular vehicle and a common sight on our roadways, the Ford Escort has transformed into a bit of a collectible in recent years, and we aren’t just talking about rare performance variants of the economical small car. Over the past couple of months, some very nice, low-mile Escorts have popped up for sale at various online auctions, including a well-preserved 1987 GT and a 28k-mile 1988.5 GT, to name just a couple. Now, those looking for a nice example of this beloved model have yet another one they can bid on – this 43k-mile 1989 Ford Escort that’s currently up for grabs at Cars & Bids.
Thanks to its low mileage total and the fact that it has lived its entire life in California, this 1989 Ford Escort still looks nearly as good as new, and it’s completely unmodified as well. The LX-trimmed model is finished in Wild Strawberry Pearl Metallic on the outside, which has the typical minor scratches and chips, along with a set of 14-inch wheels some older tires that probably need to be replaced at this point.
The red interior is in equally sanitary condition, with few frills – as was typically the case for economy cars back in this era – though it is equipped with an AM/FM cassette stereo, intermittent wipers, and a digital clock, at least. The main draw here was the Escort’s simplicity and low price tag back in its heyday, which – combined with pleasant driving dynamics – helped make it a hit with consumers.
In terms of power, this 1989 Ford Escort is packing the naturally-aspirated Ford 1.9L I-4 engine, which was originally rated to produce 90 horsepower and 106 pound-feet of torque. That isn’t much, obviously, but it does flow to the front wheels via a five-speed manual transmission, at least. Regardless, we wouldn’t be surprised to see a bidding war break out for this very nice Escort, given how popular these little cars still are today.
We’ll have more cool auction finds like this to share soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Escort news and around-the-clock Ford news coverage.
Comments
Drove my ex’s ’89 Escort LX 5 door (same exterior color as this, but grey interior and automatic) a lot through high-school. Would’ve loved a 5 speed manual lol but it was still a very good car with the FLC.
Nice!
I’ll bid $5 … anything more than that is robbery!
Fraternity brother had a red 3dr. Escort Pony. Generally a pretty mediocre little car but it was tough as a 50 cent steak. The Escort was frequently borrowed by other brothers for dates or used for the weekly road trip to the beach, usually loaded with 3-4 Igloo’s full of cheap beer and ice. The little Ford disappeared for awhile, stolen while the keys were hangling from the ignition out in front of the Frat house. It was found about 6 weeks later, generally trashed and with a few new dents and scratches but otherwise OK. Whatever abuse it sufffered wasn’t enough. The Escort never let him or anyone else sown and god knows if it ever saw any form of maintenance. Excellent transportation for those who have zero emotional attachment to their cars and even less regard for their care and feeding.
Looking back now, it’s easy to see just how far we’ve come from this piece of garbage.
Yup, we’ve come so far. It’s not like today we have any issues and I’m sure the black screen of death never happens on any of the boxes being sold now. And I’m sure the computer’s were always crashing in this little Escort too.
Of course I’m being sarcastic here, but my point is that the vehicles of today are more reliable in terms of fit and finish, engines and lasting longer. But we’ve ushered in a whole new slew of issues with everything being computerized, screens all over and transmissions with way too many gears. Personally, I’d take this old school with the basics any day over most of the junk they push today. At least this is a car and not a stupid SUV.
I concur. These were very good cars, and the GT models were almost as fun as a British roadster. They were great FOR THE MONEY they cost.
Idiot!!!
Can’t call it garbage when my wife put a 130000 on her 83 in just over 6 years with very little problems.
How to bid on cars up for auction?