1993 Ford Ford Econobox LX-E (4 door GT) - KY - $500 - Mine

I picked this thing up a couple of months back thinking that I'd throw some Ground Controls on it and dominate the motorsports world, but automotive ADD is kicking hard lately and I don't need this thing sitting around. 

It runs, drives, stops, and doesn't seem to smoke.

It lived its entire life in Ohio so its much rustier than I have any interest in messing with. It is the only LX-E that I've ever seen in person, let alone owned. It would make an EXCELLENT donor car to swap a Protege DX or non-GT Escort (including a wagon...) to the dual cam/5spd/better seats/4 wheel discs/LX-E alloys. Everything that makes this car special is still there. It has no radio, but who cares when you can listen to a Mazda BP on the rev limiter! The car will come with a clear OH title signed by the previous owner because I'm a terrible undecisive person and the PO didn't seem to care. The power windows, locks, and sunroof all work, and the PO supposedly had the front brakes replaced not long before I bought it.

Here are some photos of a damp rusty Escort:

Dangit, if I had $500 to spare I'd be on my way there already.

Wow, I thought the Escort GT was the only Escort to get the BP engine. These must be pretty rare.

The rust is a bummer. It does look like its ready to donate its good bits to a clean wagon although there’s not many of those around anymore either.

BlueInGreen - Jon said:

Wow, I thought the Escort GT was the only Escort to get the BP engine. These must be pretty rare.

Yep. See also: Mercury Tracer LT-S and '90-'94 Mazda Protege LX. I really enjoy the BG chassis in general.

I'm both glad and saddened  tha tmy own automotive ADD just made me pick up something weird this past week because this car at this price is firmly in F IT, WHY NOT territory. Cool freakin car man!

ebelements said:

I'm both glad and saddened  tha tmy own automotive ADD just made me pick up something weird this past week because this car at this price is firmly in F IT, WHY NOT territory. Cool freakin car man!

Just give in to the little devil sitting on your shoulder... I usually do. 

RAD

In reply to Powar :

DANGIT, I am seriously going to get yelled at if I buy another car.

And I'm broke right now.

If nobody buys it before winter...I will buy it. And then hide it somewhere so I don't get yelled at.

slowbird said:

In reply to Powar :

DANGIT, I am seriously going to get yelled at if I buy another car.

And I'm broke right now.

If nobody buys it before winter...I will buy it. And then hide it somewhere so I don't get yelled at.

My plan is to throw it back in the woods on my property under a cover if no one grabs it. It can sit back there and rust more while I try to get some other things done and look for a proper recipient of the excellent drivetrain/brakes/interior... But there's no telling how long it would be before I'd get to it, hence the ad. This is the only place I wanted to post it.

In reply to Powar :

Understood. My weird obsession over rare garbage makes me want to restore it, or at least save the unique parts and badges etc. to move to a clean shell after rallycrossing the car into a rust-induced total suspension failure. 

slowbird said:

In reply to Powar :

Understood. My weird obsession over rare garbage makes me want to restore it, or at least save the unique parts and badges etc. to move to a clean shell after rallycrossing the car into a rust-induced total suspension failure. 

That's the exact fate this car deserves. 

They do exist!

Jordan Rimpela said:

They do exist!

Barely.

Some details I forgot but was reminded of when I drove it around the property today:

- The previous owner replaced the front tires fairly recently. I checked the date codes and they were late '18. They're near full tread. The rears are crap.

- Power windows and sunroof work perfectly.

- Amazingly, the power seat belts are fully functional. Amazingly.

- The car has 157k miles on it.

Man, I love weird old crap as much as anyone but I'm not seeing the appeal on this one.  Buut, a friend of mine is building a FSP Protege (I know, gross right?) and I think he needs a newer trans.  I'll share it in his direction and see if there is any want.  And we're local 

If only this was closer.  I had a 95' LX wagon for a DD for 10 years, and I dreamed of a GT  powertrain to swap into it.

KyAllroad (Jeremy) said:

Buut, a friend of mine is building a FSP Protege (I know, gross right?) and I think he needs a newer trans.  I'll share it in his direction and see if there is any want.  And we're local 

Josh somethingorother with the ITBs that runs in CKR? That car tickles my no-nos. I've not met him, but I've followed some of his progress on social media and the car is excellent. Thanks for passing it along.

Matt Moore is the ITB guy but Josh is his buddy and they co-drove it Sunday.   That car is hilarious and gets a ton of attention.

And yeah, Josh apparently wants the Escort.

In reply to KyAllroad (Jeremy) :

Very cool. I'll send you a PM with my phone number. I really appreciate you passing this along.

To whoever buys this… if you’re using it for racecar parts I’d be interested in some things like the wheels, seats, badging, etc. for my BP swapped ’94 wagon.  Shoot me an email!

Still here. Someone needs this thing before it gets planted in the back 40.

Haven’t stopped thinking about it. I really want to buy this, drive it to work all winter while the Neon “racecar” stays snuggly in the garage, and then make an BP powered wagon next summer.

It runs and drives, right? So technically it wouldn’t violate my self-imposed, “No more than one broken car at a time,” rule?

BlueInGreen - Jon said:

It runs and drives, right? So technically it wouldn’t violate my self-imposed, “No more than one broken car at a time,” rule?

It does. I'd probably want to throw at least a pair of tires at it before trying a longer trip, but it drives. I've put 40 miles or so on it.

I’m in the market for sub-$1k cars right now. I’m reluctant to go this old — what’s the big appeal on the motor that everyone else seems to understand?

It’s a Mazda twin cam with performance comparable to the later 2.0 Zetec in the ZX2. So, it’s not really that impressive but the appeal is relative to the sub 100hp sohc lump that got put in most of this generation Escort.