Do you recommend ZX2 ??

[Bootsgamer]

Im thinking about getting a Ford Escort ZX2 about a 2002 or so. Out of the ppl who own or have owned them is this a car you would recommend?

[techno_dude]

Hi
I have had my ZX2 since 2000 and it has been the best car that I have owned so far. It has a unibody construction, that has been for me, part of a double-edged sword, so to speak. While it is "built Ford tough" and has survived a rear end collision with a huge SUV and lately some clown who has decided to side swipe me while I was parked, both have rendered the car on both occasions a "total loss" by my insurance and rather than getting these things fixed, I had to settle for money. So now my othewise valued ride of roughly $4,000 blue book is now only worth $500 on paper. To me it is still worth every bit of 4 grand even though cosmetically it looks rather questionable.

Aside for this, it has been an exellent ride and I can take steep 7% grades at 90MPH blowin by all those SUV's leaving them in the dust cuz they can't pull thier own wieght uphill.

The only other things that have gone wrong with it so far have been with the idle speed due to a faulty temperature sensor and the AC had an issue with not cooling all the way, both problems minor. Overall, you would be getting a great car for the money. Mileage also great, I get average city mileage of roughly 28 (absolute worst has been 27) and on long freeway trips slighly better than 31. (once I got 32!)

Good luck hope this helps

[jamesmetairie]

on some of the other web sites the owners always say they wish it was manual transmission. some had alot of a/t problems.

[techno_dude]

Originally Posted by jamesmetairie

on some of the other web sites the owners always say they wish it was manual transmission. some had alot of a/t problems.

I have not had too many problems with my automatic transmission, only once in a great while it seems to not be responsive comming out from a dead stop. Don't really know what that is about, but luckily is does not happen all that often (once a year maybe).

I actually love my auto tranny since I do a lot of city driving. All my other cars that I have owned up until now had manual transmissions and I can't tell you how many times I wished that I did not have to keep my foot on the clutch while being in stop-and-go traffic. The car performs really well for acceleration and speed overall, so I am not really noticing too much of a degredation on power through it. That is the only advantage of a manual: the fact that you have direct mechanical connection to the drive wheels giving you better milage and performance and you can better control what gear you are in.

Since I have seen only slight diffences in both milege and performance, I say the manual is way over-rated.

Major disadvantages of a manual transmission are the above mentioned plus ALWAYS having to replace the clutch. A very costly thing in the long run, I always seem to wear through them at a rate of one every 2 years or so. For me, not worth the hassle. After wieghing in all the pros and cons of either type, I through the years of my experience probably won't want to go back to a manual ever again.

Good luck and may you choose whatever best suits you for your taste.