I just thought you might like to hear my story.  I own a red
1987 Ford Escort GT with about 90,000 miles on it.  I bought
it last August for $2500 with 83,000 miles.  In the seven
months in which I have owned it, my Escort has been in the
shop four times.

The first time was only three weeks after I bought it.
While driving one day, the RPM's just dropped and the car
stalled.  It wouldn't start again, so I hiked to a phone and
arranged for a tow.  It turned out the engine was getting a
weak spark from a bad ignition coil.  Cost to repair: $60
parts, $160 labor, $40 towing.

The second time I had to take it in was after the RPM's
started falling unexpectedly any time I pushed down the
clutch.  A strange rattle came from the underside of the car.
Back to the mechanic again...repair cost of $120.

The next problem was electrical.  One night when driving I
switched on my high beams.  When I flipped them off, all my
lights went off.  For good.  The culprit was found to be the
switch in the steering column.  The electronics were melted
and completely fried.  The repairs set me back $250.

And finally, just yesterday, my Escort stalled on a major
highway near my house in New Jersey.  I managed to coast
into a parking lot (without power steering or brakes) where
I opened the hood to discover steam pouring out.  It looks
like a cracked something-or-other caused all the coolant to
leak out.  The repair cost is yet unknown, and could be
quite serious.

In addition to these problems, my car has the wonderful
tendency to leak through the clock in the ceiling, the
driver's side window lets in air even when fully shut, and
the rear defroster does not work. My parking brake won't
keep my car from rolling out of the garage when fully engaged
and the speedometer has the wonderful tendency of "skipping"
numbers.

It seems the answer to "Have you driven a Ford lately?" can
be answered by, "No, because it's in the shop!"

I hope you enjoyed my story.  I enjoyed reading yours.

Sincerely,