Used 1997 Ford Escort 5 speed 4 door sedan AIMEE - - by for sale in Bakersfield, CA

Why this is a great car and you should think about buying it:
ATTENTION- VIS A VIS PRICE CHANGE: PLEASE SEE UPDATES BELOW.
PLEASE DO KINDLY READ THIS DESCRIPTION IN ITS ENTIRETY.

You are getting ready to spend a lot of your hard earned cash on something you will keep, use and maintain for the next several years. So you owe it to yourself to take it slow and be thorough.

Note:
To the best of my knowledge, this is a fair and complete description of the car. I purchased it recently with the intent to keep it as a "beater/daily driver" but plans have changed. HONESTLY, every bit of info I possess is here. You won't find anyone else who does this. All the good, bad and everything in the middle is listed here.
I AM HIDING NOTHING.

AGAIN- NOBODY, BUT REALLY NOBODY IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WILL EVER EVER EVER GIVE THIS MUCH INFO WHEN SELLING A USED CAR. BE SURE OF IT.

That having been said, I do not know everything about the car's history.
But, from my feeling, having driven her over 1000 miles in town and on the freeway, and having made several repairs on her myself, she is a good little car with great potential.
Engine, Trans, steerage are all good.

What she DOES and will need in future is some minor work on the suspension. -》
UPDATE: As of Jan 13, 2022 Aimee has new front wheel bearings, hubs and ball joints.
Radial tires are needed just for the front.
-》 Eventually lower tie rod ends will be needed; right now they are still ok. These are very easy to replace. I did not bother just yet because there is still life left in them. (Alignment will be pending after tie-rod replacement.) Swaybar links are needed right now. Again, this is super easy.
If you can do this yourself, and I can assure you, it's easy on this car; you can save a lot. With NO prior knowledge or experience in mechanical repairs I was able to do all the above mentioned repairs EXCEPT clutch, main seal and front brake pads. It's super easy to work on this little car. Everything is on YouTube.
ALL OTHER DEFECTS and GOOD STUFF see listed down below.
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HER NAME IS AIMEE.

THESE ARE GREAT LITTLE CARS. IF YOU TAKE CARE OF HER SHE WILL RUN FOREVER. ESCORTS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO RUN FOR UPWARDS OF 1,000,000 MILES!

A body on frame constructed car will last longer than a newer unibody car.

Less computer chips. 2 liter straight 4 naturally aspirated single overhead cam engine, Fuel efficient, powerful and very easy to diagnose and work on.

Easy care. Just keep the oil changed and all the fluids topped up. Do necessary maintenance and repairs. This car will last indefinitely if you just take care of her. Keep an eye on the valve cover seal and the head gasket. After all she's going on 25 years now.
She used a bit of oil in the first 500 miles I had her and there was a slight ticking noise and some blue smoke. The emissions were off at that time; I think she was misfiring. But since the Thermostat, sensors and sparks etc were replaced she is burning fuel more efficiently and the noise is barely noticeable. She's definitely not burning any oil as there is no more blue smoke. If she uses oil after this at all it's probably going to be a seal somewhere or something simple.
Injectors can be easily rebuilt, as well, somewhere down the line. Right now they could use a good cleaning.
Air filter is ok, I won't replace it yet, but it wouldn't hurt to wash it out and let it dry.

Smooth ride. Very comfortable driving and riding. At some point there must have been a rear end collision, since the trunk closes off kilter a bit, but the frame was not damaged.

Versatility. The back seats fold so that you can transport large and long items up to 8 feet OR you can turn the trunk into your stealth camping bed.

Passed smog/emissions mid Jan of.22.
Plates good thru Feb 22.

Includes snow chains

NEW:
Clutch
Rear main seal
Thermostat housing assembly including thermostat, temperature sensor, sending unit and gasket
PCV valve and grommet
Front brake pads
Front left brake pad retention spring
Rear brake shoes
Rear brake cylinders
Fresh oil and filter @ 156.5k
Spark plugs
Spark plug wires
Front ball joints
CV axle seals
Front wheel bearings
Front wheel hubs
NEW INSIDE DOOR HANDLE ON BACK SEAT DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR (extra replacement handle in the glove box in case any more handles break)
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CODE WORD = sunrise
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IN ORDER TO BE PERFECTLY PERFECT this little car needs:
Minor body work, dings, minor dents, scuffs and scratches
Minor cracks in the plastic dash
Paint job
Rear window seal
Rear window defroster diagnosis
Clutch hydrolic needs diagnosis, definitely there is a minor leak
Left front headlight fixture, needs minor repair of the fastening/installation bracketing system
Headlamp lens refurbishing/resurfacing, (IT WOULD BE GOOD TO UPGRADE THE HEADLAMPS FOR BETTER NIGHTTIME VISIBILITY)
AC needs work
Needs headliner replaced
Airbag light diagnosis and solution
Swaybar links
2 front tires
A GOOD CLEANING
Thorough examination of rhe electrical harness, just because she spent (apparently judging by the cobwebs and hay found on the undercarriage when I first started doing the work) maybe a good few years sitting in a barn somewhere; NOTE, there don't seem to be any currently (pun intended) electrical problems but it wouldn't hurt at all to take a good look.

So basically what is going on is that you are looking for a good old car, beater/daily driver and I've already scoped one out and done a good deal of the heavy lifting for you.
And yes, the RADIO does work, haven't tested the cassette.

If you are serious, be sure to mention the code word when you PM me.

Remember: old cars need constant TLC. You might think they are nickel-diming you but get some basic tools and go on YouTube; you'll save a ton of moola (compared to monthly payments on a newer car which you cannot as easily take care of) and you'll gain infinite peace of mind, knowing that you can take care of it yourself. Parts are available online all over the place. It's definitely a learning curve but you can do it!
Need to be gentle with shifting. Whoever had it before wrecked the shifter. It's been patched up when the clutch was replaced. They must have driven her pretty hard, but this old girl is tough.

NO LOWBALL OFFERS WILL BE CONSIDERED. DON'T EVEN BOTHER. I KNOW WHAT THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE IS WORTH.