Topic: The life of a 2003 VW GTI 1.8T.... 12.5 years 257k....FGC

[Fobroader]

My 1993 Escort GT used the same platform and drivetrain. It taught me a very valuable lesson: Drop throttle oversteer is much more than a rumour. 

I had an 88 Escort hatch for a couple of months in the winter.  That thing was slowest and clumsy POS I had ever driven.  The Tercel I got after was a race car compared to that thing.

The GT was a different animal....actually entertaining to drive. The regular Escort, yeah, horrid.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

My 1993 Escort GT used the same platform and drivetrain. It taught me a very valuable lesson: Drop throttle oversteer is much more than a rumour. 

I had an 88 Escort hatch for a couple of months in the winter.  That thing was slowest and clumsy POS I had ever driven.  The Tercel I got after was a race car compared to that thing.

Not related. Starting in 1991 the Escort/Tracer shared the same platform as the 323/Protege. The base Escort still retained the 88hp 1.9L CVH engine, but the GT had the 127hp 1.8L DOHC engine from the Protege ES.

[rrocket]

I had the same Escort GT, SirO.  It certainly didn't stir my soul in any way.  Was just a cheap commuter to me. 

Also, I'm not enamored with 4 bangers.

[Solstice2006]

My 1993 Escort GT used the same platform and drivetrain. It taught me a very valuable lesson: Drop throttle oversteer is much more than a rumour. 

I had an 88 Escort hatch for a couple of months in the winter.  That thing was slowest and clumsy POS I had ever driven.  The Tercel I got after was a race car compared to that thing.

Not related. Starting in 1991 the Escort/Tracer shared the same platform as the 323/Protege. The base Escort still retained the 88hp 1.9L CVH engine, but the GT had the 127hp 1.8L DOHC engine from the Protege ES.

I didn't mean to come off as them being related.  Just when you mentioned it, it brought back painful memories. 

[mixmanmash]

My 1993 Escort GT used the same platform and drivetrain. It taught me a very valuable lesson: Drop throttle oversteer is much more than a rumour. 

Yep.  My Protégé ES exhibited that, especially when I had a larger stabilizer bar at the back.  I went to the stock bar and it was much more progressive and controllable at the auto-x.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

I had the same Escort GT, SirO.  It certainly didn't stir my soul in any way.  Was just a cheap commuter to me. 

Also, I'm not enamored with 4 bangers.

Some people are just bored with common things I suppose. I'm glad I'm not one of those.

I found it to be very entertaining. It was second only to the Tercel with reliability. I had somewhere north of 300k on it by the time I sold it in 2003 or so. Eventually the body rot was just too hard to stay ahead of.

[rrocket]

I had the same Escort GT, SirO.  It certainly didn't stir my soul in any way.  Was just a cheap commuter to me. 

Also, I'm not enamored with 4 bangers.

Some people are just bored with common things I suppose. I'm glad I'm not one of those.

I found it to be very entertaining. It was second only to the Tercel with reliability. I had somewhere north of 300k on it by the time I sold it in 2003 or so. Eventually the body rot was just too hard to stay ahead of.

My car after that was a Probe GT.  I'd say that's also a common car...but it was far, far more entertaining than the Escort GT.  To me anyways.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

I had the same Escort GT, SirO.  It certainly didn't stir my soul in any way.  Was just a cheap commuter to me. 

Also, I'm not enamored with 4 bangers.

Some people are just bored with common things I suppose. I'm glad I'm not one of those.

I found it to be very entertaining. It was second only to the Tercel with reliability. I had somewhere north of 300k on it by the time I sold it in 2003 or so. Eventually the body rot was just too hard to stay ahead of.

My car after that was a Probe GT.  I'd say that's also a common car...but it was far, far more entertaining than the Escort GT.  To me anyways.

The Probes had more speed, but duller handling and a fair old bit of torque steer.

[Solstice2006]

Do I sense a theme?  Both the Ford Escort GT, and the Ford Probe used Mazda plaftforms, engines (4 cylinders), and transmissions...

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Do I sense a theme?  Both the Ford Escort GT, and the Ford Probe used Mazda plaftforms, engines (4 cylinders), and transmissions...

The Festiva was a restyled Mazda 121 assembled by Kia.

It was a pretty good relationship at the time. Mazda looked after the small cars, Ford did the larger vehicles. Ford gave Mazda a lot of help with logistics, marketing and such. Mazda helped Ford with quality control.

But Ford's big sellers were far and away the Taurus/Sable and Explorer. The Probe, Festiva and to a lesser extent Escort were niche products. The Escort was a slow seller until the sedan version was introduced.

When the Escort was finally replaced, Ford had made the decision to use in-house resources from Germany for the Focus, which turned out to be a pretty good move.

[Solstice2006]

Yes it was one of the better partnerships.  Unlike Daimler Chrysler for example. 

[johngenx]

Probe GT was essentially a Mazda MX-6 V-6 - and actually a decent car from a performance standpoint.  Especially considering the time period - anything over 140hp was getting CRAY-CRAY!!   

[OliverD]

Probe GT was essentially a Mazda MX-6 V-6 - and actually a decent car from a performance standpoint.  Especially considering the time period - anything over 140hp was getting CRAY-CRAY!!   

The Probe was a bit sportier though. I preferred the looks of the MX-6 but the Probe had bigger/wider wheels and tires and a firmer suspension.

[mixmanmash]

Probe GT was essentially a Mazda MX-6 V-6 - and actually a decent car from a performance standpoint.  Especially considering the time period - anything over 140hp was getting CRAY-CRAY!!   

The Probe was a bit sportier though. I preferred the looks of the MX-6 but the Probe had bigger/wider wheels and tires and a firmer suspension.

Yep.  I've worked on and driven both.