Volkswagen Vs Ford

[Neaty]

I've just come over to VW's from Fords, my last being an Escort RS Turbo with a lot of mods...

I spent an obscene amount of money on that car to get it how I wanted, and could have easily spent that again to get it even better but I just came to the point where I thought "why?"

The car itself had the engine management from a Fiesta turbo, a 1.9 engine, stage 2 turbo, bigger injectors, uprated cam etc and with my own tuning efforts kicked out a solid 205bhp with scope for a lot more. I feel the only thing that lets them down engine wise is the gearbox, I managed to go through 3!! My last was again a standard one but I had it rebuilt but I always felt worried about booting it anywhere as the gearbox would just fall to pieces if I gave it too much stick...

Uprated gearboxes are the best part of £500 for a stage 1 going right up to around £800!!

I always loved the look of the Mk4 Escort and it doesn't really look that odd compared to new cars now but there's no getting away from the fact that they are getting on now. mine was 18 years old and doing ok for its age (mainly due to me getting it partly restored) but it was still showing

Different cars have their different characters, I would love an Escort Cossie but have always told myself if I want to buy one I need to have twice the amount of money I pay for it, the other being for potential repairs. Its not uncommon for even standard Cosworth engines to melt due to a slight injector wiring fault or the like

Oh and if anyone does want to have a look at my Escort I'll probably be in Fast Ford next month but I'll let you know for defo (shameless plug lol)

I have always fancies a series 1 Mark 3 RS turbo, but couldnt afford the repairs every other month! nice looking car though.

[keithyboy]

I've not owned a Ford (thank goodness) but having driven a friends Escort that was the same age as my Mk2 Golf (a D reg GL), the Golf felt so much better, well planted on the road, no wobbly dash or build quality issues.

While working for an IT firm, I drove a few company cars, including 2 Mondeos, a V6 and a TDI and both were rubbish, even the Vauxhall Vectra they had was better, and I was so glad to get back into my Mk2 after those, even though they were 10 years younger.

I'd say that Ford have produced a few good engines, but if you compare the average (ie Not a restored concourse/race car) Golf Mk2 or Mk3 to the average Ford from the same era, the Golf will have lasted much better.

Jesus your Mondeos must have been f**king rough. Our Mondeo is a decent car and the newer ones are lovelt things to drive. Every Vectra I've driven has been crap, from the first wallowy badly built ones to the later wallowy badly built ones with the added bonus of indicators you can't turn off.

This may not be a good time to admit it but I'm replacing my MKII with a late Escort. I've always wanted a MKII and do like the one I've got but for me, at the moment, it's not practical as a daily driver. It needs far to much work in order to get it to a place where I'm happy with it and I've already got another project car on the go. Why an Escort? It's a zetec so it goes OK and it was making birdie noises.

[DubFan]

The mondeos were earlier models (this being a few years ago) and had definately been thrashed because after all, they were company cars, and who wouldn't thrash a company car.

I've not liked any ford I've been in, except perhaps my brother in laws V6 Cougar, which is punchy and tight.

[illyun]

My father had Mk2 Escorts in the 80s and a Fiesta - because of this traumatic experience having to sit in one of those at the tender age of 7/8 years of age, I have been scarred for life.... I absolutely hate anything with a F**d badge on it.  Only recently have I accepted that maybe the F**d Focus is an ok car and the Focus ST half-decent (remember it is still a F**d) but I still feel  at the sight it the blue oval.
Ditto that for the following:  Vauxhall, Lada, Austin/Rover, any French car, most non-German/Jap cars...

[golf gti 16valve]

i had a mk5 escort for my first car,the noise it made from the tappets was mad,it was the old CVH engine,it felt like i was driving a oil tanker when i tried to turn a corner,and i had muscles in my arms like popeye from trying to park the thing! And to top it all off i used to be high as a kite when i started it up from the smell of petrol! apart from that it was pretty much ok to be honest.better than my 306 at the moment, but VW all the way,love em to bits gr8 cars

[bohenie]

do old Fords start in 3rd and chug on forever forgiving you for never getting it serviced? Or old VWcampervan did. I have very occasionally pulled away in 3rd or 4th with the syncro by mistake.....it too forgave me, but I do treat it with more respect! and showing it to a bod the other week, going for a spin round the bypass, there were LOADS of mk2s out and about.

[Len]

Had a Sierra as a company car. A 1.6 it was and I hated it! I tried for 3 and a half years to kill it! But it just went on and on! Like I would keep it in 4th on the motorway just so I could do 110mph, never bothered with 5th!
But they do rust!
Mondeo most depreciating car I believe!

As for engines the crossflows were easy to tune, but they never made a head with big enough valves to make em really powerful.

[Neaty]

and dont forget the pinto, a big old heavy van engine! 

[keithyboy]

yea i agree with the respect for things like Mark 1 and 2 Escorts, nothing like a bit of escort going sidways, barking through a forest. But they are blinkered and only fords will do.

Be awful if VW owners were blinkered like Ford owners are eh?

[Neaty]

yea i agree with the respect for things like Mark 1 and 2 Escorts, nothing like a bit of escort going sidways, barking through a forest. But they are blinkered and only fords will do.

Be awful if VW owners were blinkered like Ford owners are eh?

i am not blinkered at all, if you read my first posts in this thread you will find that i have admitted I like old skool fords in particular. And as a whole i think most VW owners are the same as I am but the feelings dont seem to be mutual on fords owners part