Originally Posted by
ihartmacz
What's wrong with a Ford Escort Zx2? They have a DOHC 2.0 2.0L Mazda engine and tranny at 130hp, it had more balls than my 95 Civic EX did. parts for the ford were cheaper too.
Not trying to start a flame war here, don't get me wrong, I loved my Civic. It was cool and they both looked were styled pretty well. Although the Ford is lacking in build quality, it doesn't lack power. It had the perfect trade off of power and fuel economy. It got 30mpg in town with the 5-speed.
IMHO: the 2.0 Zetec is one of the best engines I've ever been behind. I didn't really get to experience my Honda's VTEC because it was auto.
Again, I'm not trying to start a flame war. I'm just wondering what you guys don't like about them.
I don't like the build quality at all, and as the car gets older you will only find more and more problems. My ex-gf had one and I think by the time it hit 80k miles it was in the shop more than she was able to drive it. She finally got rid of it for next to nothing just to skip out on having to pay for the up keep on it. I also had a buddy in high school with the same problem. I have never heard anything good about them except for the 2.0 Zetec which they carried over to the focus. I would rather drive my 1987 accord than a zx2 for reliability and maint.