need advice quick - buying a 93 escort, again

my 93 is rusting through, and i want to get a car i can trust to last a while longer.

i just found a private seller with a 93 mercury tracer, 180k. its in good aesthetic condition. pretty much no rust at all. engine compartment clean. i have no history on it, though.

there is a flapping sound turning corners. im told it needs a new CV boot, and that it will be done for free. anything i should check for here? anything i should know about? how do i know if the joint itself is damaged?

also, it is noisier over potholes than my car. the ride feels fine, anything i shoudl check for? the bounce test feels fine. the shock's rubber boots have broken down, like every other escort ive ever seen in my life, but no obvious problems.

third, and most importantly to me, i dont know what mpg it gets. my 5spd 93 averages 40 on the highway. i am a sedate driver, and this may contribute. can i expect this car to do the same? is there any way to get an idea about how good the mileage is without actually burning a whole tank of gas? i really dont want a car that gets less than 35 on the highway. does my car do that well becuase it is a freak, or becuase all escorts driven sedately get great mileage?

also, kelley blue book value, according to their website, is 1100 for this car. do private sellers usually sell for more or less than blue book?

many many thanks. im in a rush, becuase there are no other similar cars around here and another buyer is looking.

thanks,
anthony

my 93 is rusting through, and i want to get a car i can trust to last a while longer.

i just found a private seller with a 93 mercury tracer, 180k. its in good aesthetic condition. pretty much no rust at all. engine compartment clean. i have no history on it, though.

there is a flapping sound turning corners. im told it needs a new CV boot, and that it will be done for free. anything i should check for here? anything i should know about? how do i know if the joint itself is damaged?

also, it is noisier over potholes than my car. the ride feels fine, anything i shoudl check for? the bounce test feels fine. the shock's rubber boots have broken down, like every other escort ive ever seen in my life, but no obvious problems.

third, and most importantly to me, i dont know what mpg it gets. my 5spd 93 averages 40 on the highway. i am a sedate driver, and this may contribute. can i expect this car to do the same? is there any way to get an idea about how good the mileage is without actually burning a whole tank of gas? i really dont want a car that gets less than 35 on the highway. does my car do that well becuase it is a freak, or becuase all escorts driven sedately get great mileage?

also, kelley blue book value, according to their website, is 1100 for this car. do private sellers usually sell for more or less than blue book?

many many thanks. im in a rush, becuase there are no other similar cars around here and another buyer is looking.

thanks,
anthony

as far as the cv joint if the boot is torn if there is grease all over the shaft from coming out of the tear the joint is proerbly no good clunking around corners is a good indication of such problem. also that joint alone can effect handling and ride. As far as price anything is only worth what someone else is willing to pay. blue book is a guide in a perfict world. It even tells you to take things off for paint rust manual tranny and things of that nature. one final tip if you dont know what to do take it to minekee or a place like that most give free esitmates you could take that esitmate and haggle price and to see how far gone the car is.

as far as the cv joint if the boot is torn if there is grease all over the shaft from coming out of the tear the joint is proerbly no good clunking around corners is a good indication of such problem. also that joint alone can effect handling and ride.

so how do i know when there has been actual damage to the joint? i didnt look at the boot itself, but ive been told it needs replacing. if it is replaced and the noise goes away and there are no discernable handling/ride problems, then is the job done?


As far as price anything is only worth what someone else is willing to pay. blue book is a guide in a perfict world. It even tells you to take things off for paint rust manual tranny and things of that nature. one final tip if you dont know what to do take it to minekee or a place like that most give free esitmates you could take that esitmate and haggle price and to see how far gone the car is.

good points. does that mean that generally people pay *less* than the blue book quote?

thanks,
anthony

one more thing for you pros-

under the hood, everything looks clean and well conditioned. however, there is a film of oil over everything, just enough to make all the parts look glossy. is this normal? does it mean there is a leak?

thanks,
anthony

one more thing for you pros-

under the hood, everything looks clean and well conditioned. however, there is a film of oil over everything, just enough to make all the parts look glossy. is this normal? does it mean there is a leak?

thanks,
anthony

hard to say without seeing the pics of the leakage. could be something minor as a valve cover leaking. I has been my experiance that if the boot is ripped torn 99% of them the joint also have been bad.

Most Escorts are good on gas.Unless there are mechanical problems.