Escort Vans... I know :(

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Been offered an R reg Escort Van, good condition. 1.8D. Tax and Tested till middle of the year for £400. Firstly im not too bothered about asking if its worth it, but my question is what are they like to live with. Will be my work car and for taking my bike around. How slow are they?
 

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Soldato
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Dump her ass,

(sorry wrong escort thread)


not all that bad, good workhorses(aunties got one on a V plate that i see when something breaks or it needs serviced,


Do the belts asap they have a tendency to go straight after purchase.


there not the slowest thing in the world and you will get 95 out of one if you push it
 
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A friend has one. It is THE slowest thing i've ever had to drive, just pretty nasty all round really, I really feel for people who have to spend all day in them.
 
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They are horribly lethargic slugs that sound like a cement mixer full of marbles. They are also fairly solid workhorses that can take a lot of abuse, but unless you are desperate then best avoided for any kind of serious commuting or pleasure trips!

Also make sure you can get insurance if you get it, many companies do not like insuring commercial vehicles for private use.

EDIT: Parkers says 17.1 seconds 0-60 for the hatchack, the van will be a little quicker due to lighter weight, but not much!
 
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Also make sure you can get insurance if you get it, many companies do not like insuring commercial vehicles for private use.

Evan are brilliant for this, they insured my brother for 500 quid on a 1.8d escort van funnily enough.(6 points no ncb) which was way cheaper than any other quote on a normal car
 
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Had a feeling people would come in saying they're slow. Well no ****.

It's a van, designed for hauling stuff and getting to places reliably and economically. Not to go to Nurburgring in. :p

If you're happy with the lack of "performance" it'll be fine.

Personally I'd recommend an Estate though. Something like a Passat.
 
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I'd own one again, after all with all the traffic on the road you can't exactly go that fast the majority of the time.

Make sure it has pas as without it it's heavy, give it a good canning and then remove the expansion cap, it should hiss lightly, if it spews water everyway then the head might be cracked/hgf (which the latter doesn't happen often as they have a cast iron block and head).

Also when it's warm leave it running and pull the dipstick out, hopefully you shouldn't see any blow by gases/crank case compression due to blocked breather pipes, worn piston rings.

It should do ~45mpg and hit 95mph if you're lucky, rust is the killer of these vans, i swear they leave the factory with no to little undersealant causing V reg vans to be rusting already.

a lot of people on here will tell you they're crap and slow, yes they aren't going to beat many things of the lights (milk float, tractor ), but everyone has different views and standards, best thing is to go test drive it.
 
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I'd own one again, after all with all the traffic on the road you can't exactly go that fast the majority of the time.

The top speed isn't the problem, it acceleration. If you come up behind something really slow, then you are basicly stuck if you have Escort van performance unless you are lucky enough to get a huge long straight with nothing comming the other way.

a lot of people on here will tell you they're crap and slow, yes they aren't going to beat many things of the lights (milk float, tractor ), but everyone has different views and standards, best thing is to go test drive it.

Thing is a cheap Mondeo hatch (or equivalent) would be more than big enough to put a bike (assuming push bike) in, yet a vastly more pleasant drive.
 
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Looked at estates, but they just aint as easy for cleaning out. My bike gets covered in mud so i cant be having seats covered in wet dirty muddy water smelling it out. Plus taking the wheels off my bike is a right pain.
 

4T5

4T5

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In car terms there is nothing worse than a normally aspirated diesel.


Yes there is. A normally aspirated diesel Escort Van :p
Honestly mate i have had Loads of Escort vans & i mean Loads. I stopped using them when they switched the lump to that Endurade lump they have in them, Pure Crap, So slow it hurts, can't take the miles like the old one they really are crap. Bin or Burn it but Don't buy it.
 
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i used to have one as a company van struggled at 60 on motorway hills. did about 75 on flat i think, terrible brakes and handling. mind you they do about 50+ mpg and for £400 as said it will be a good work horse
 
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