I drove a 309 for about 3 years, and have (almost) nothing bad to
say about it. It was very reliable, fairly easy to fix - certainly
much easier than my Mi16 - and preformed well on the road. There are
obviously many different versions of the 309, from a 1.2 l engine up
to a 2.0 (I think - it could be just a 1.9l), with different trim
levels. I had a 1.6l GL, and while it was no GTI, it was still fine to
drive on the highways. The only recurrent problems that I had were a
carburettor that needed cleaning yearly, and a rear hatch that would
sometimes leak in heavy rain. Apart from that, all I did was change
the oil and sparkplugs, and once the distributor cap.
Which Ford Escort are you referring to? The American one, which
from what I know of it is one to stay away from, or the European one?
These are completely different cars. If you are referring to the
European Ford Escort Cosworth, well that one wins hands down over the
309, no question about it. ;-}
cheers... charles
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Charles Leggett DoD# 963 | "Unto each man is given the key that
| will open the door to Heaven. The same
leggett@mhpdaq.physics.lsa.umich.edu | key unlocks the gates of Hell."
University of Michigan at CERN | - ancient Buddhist proverb
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