written by on 02/12/2009
These cars are great, have had 2 hard tops and 2 soft tops, they are really good to drive, and even the lack of power steering and abs doesnt put me off, its fun to just go out for a blast in the sun in a timeless classic.
They will always look cool anywehre you go. They are really easy to get hold of too, my previous and current xr3i's have never cost me more than £300, which for what they deliver is FANTASTIC!!
would strongly recommend to anyone who wants cheap thrills, you can get so many aftermarket parts for it and you can change almost anything to fit your taste.
NOW, LOOK AT SOME MORE REVIEWS AND GO BUY ONE NOW!!!!!
written by mk3067 on 11/04/2008
Lovely motor not every ones cup of tea but each to there own I have one and I love it rs turbo bodykit in red OK it has its problems but what car doesn t.
written by ADAM XR3I WILLGOSS on 13/01/2008
I love my ford escort xr3i mk4 1989 hard top in white and standard
written by DABOWES on 29/12/2007
I have owned an xr2 and an Orion Ghia,but I have had my Ford Escort XR3i for about a month now and it's great.
You can drive for miles just enjoying the roads. It looks great and it's a legend.
The engine is easy to work on as is the whole car . British icon - need I say more ?
written by BORIS23 on 09/03/2007
This is the best car I have owned so far!
I bought my Ford Escort XR2i for £3000 - what a bargain! It is very quick and very reliable!
written by LauraBrown on 21/09/2005
The Ford Escort XR3i is possibly the best car I have ever bought for £800 (5 years ago) Is it time to let go?
written by oldskoolXR3i on 24/04/2005
The Ford Escort XR3i is the best car i've ever had! My mums had her 86' 3i hatch for as long as I can remember so I bought a cheap cabriolet as my first car! Cam belt snapped the day I got it but since then its been wonderful!
Bit expensive to insure but then it is an XR3i and I was 17!
That was 2 years ago and I still got my baby and will still have her for the forseeable future! Same as my mums one shes had it ages!
Great old school looks and an all round good car plus two old school XR3i's look so cool parked outside my house.
written by elliottroberts on 09/04/2005
I was given my Ford Escort XR3i Cabriolet about 6 months ago but left it to sit on my driveway (too busy to have it taxed and use it...I know, it was sacrilege and I'm sorry ok!) Half an hour ago I put a new battery in and it started first time. I have had people knocking on my door every few days asking if I want to sell it but I haven't got a clue what it's worth. Anyone got a clue?
written by malhpm on 09/03/2005
Having owned my 19 year old C-reg mk four Ford Escort XR3i for 11 years which has covered 201000 miles (140000 by myself) its by far the best car I have ever owned and cheapest to keep going, in that time i'm on the second engine and second gearbox which was changed in favour of a turbo lump and box but apart from general running costs its been a great motor, I think i'll never let it go as it's part of the family now.
written by benjw999 on 29/10/2004
I have owned my Ford Escort XR3i since July '04.
I've owned and driven a few cars over the last few years...
Prior to the 3i I owned a 205 1.9 GTi. Ok, the GTi was twice as quick and 6 times as good around corners...
However, the XR3i is just as an 80's hot hatch was meant to be! It's no Civic Type R, Impreza Turbo...and it doesn't pretend to be one either!
I live in Manchester, where you can see a Boxter on every street, however, it's still rare that you see an 80's classic car in good condition (without the usual 'boy racer' motif's etc!)
written by xrtreeeye on 27/10/2004
I recently invested £1500.00 in a MINT F reg Ford Escort XR3i. This beauty has only ever had 3 owners and covered a mere 43000 miles in its 16 years of life and it drives like new. A much loved car with a split personality, if you want a refined Sunday drive, it will do it and they are comfortable but firm. On the flip side, if you wanna drive like your butts on fire then you are in for some serious fun. In closing, a cheap car, cheap to run yet excellent fun!!! ENJOY!!
Written on: 29/10/2004
I agree!!!
<br>I bought an '89 XR3i with one owner and 60k miles!
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<br>The car has everything you need... electric windows, mirrors, sunroof, central locking and ABS!
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<br>Try buying a car brand new now with the above?
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<br>Even ABS is an extra now, and would probably cost you more than it would cost me to buy a decent XR3i!!!
written by hazardlights441 on 23/09/2004
I have a 88 Ford Escort XR3I Cabriolet and it is mint, faster than a XR3I will do about 135mph with standard 108bhp,they will never be too old and never too slow, so what if a 106GTI or SaxoVTS beats it they are new and there engines wont last 16 years like these cars, a saxo blows up at about 6 years old and even earlier for the 106. Long live the XR3I.
written by ryan cooke on 11/07/2004
The Ford Escort XR3i is an excellent car i have a 1988 cabriolet (mfi) which only cost £500 the car was already modified. It had been lowered and has the rs turbo wheels and bodykit on and clear lenses and a rear spoiler. I have recently put clear rear lenses on. the bodywork aint that bad getting a respray in 2 months time just had a new mohair roof put on it costing £450 and have put a new starter motor on the car which runs great with a straight through system. You cant go wrong with a ford with new parts ready available stuff these nova boys come on xr!
written by lukieno1 on 02/02/2004
I managed to pick up a 1989 G reg Radiant Red Ford Escort XR3i about 2 weeks ago and I can see why everybody thrashes them because they are a dream to drive and they're fun. I picked up my first ever car for £400 in mint condition with 40,000 miles on it, couple of downsides were that where it had been sat out in the sun for a while (old man owner died over a year ago) the paint had faded and bloomed and I now owned a mint PINK car. With whole weekend with some cut-and-polish on it and a lot of elbow grease I had a Radiant Red XR3i gleaming like a Ferrari off the production line, out of all the areas the XR's are prone to go only the arches had started givin in to time but I dealt with them quick to avoid them gettin worse. The one thing I did have to replace was the wing mirrors being the only piece of plastic on the car that I couldn't get bk to original condition but no worries I just picked some up cheap(ish) from a Performance Ford Mag. Another quality I was quite chuffed about was the engine bay was as clean as the outside of the car and with a weekend spent polishing it and the engine parts I now had a car worthy of showing.
I must admit though, when I first got this car I was kinda scared of it (big mean looking thing = FIRST CAR) and i've driven a lot of vehicles but this was the first one I actually owned, was quite happily pottering along at about 60 one day and a....wait for it....NOVA tried to race me and I dropped her down a gear and put her in the part of the rev band that she was made to be in, with that the Nova shrunk in the distance and I didn't see it again. All in all a brilliant car and I would recommend it to anybody that wants to buy one but check the usual spots of rotting eg Arches, Roof Gutters etc check mileage and check for signs of it being thrashed!!!
Hope this review was of some use to anybody that wants to buy one!!
Written on: 05/02/2004
Xr3i's are, old, slow, cumbersone. Basically they should be scrapped. If you think this car is fast then you haven't driven a lot of cars. I Own a Calibra 16v, Astra Gte 16v (& I did own a few Rs-Turbos). Now any of these three cars will destroy a Xr3i. So theres no point fixing your motor up as it will never be that quick, just buy something with a bit more power. (By the way I have owned some mint Xr3i's in my time, that were chipped & supped up all the rest) So I know what im talking about.
Written on: 30/04/2004
Did I mention that i'm 17 and all my mate's are driving around in 1.1 Fiestas and Nova's, for what age category i'm in i've got one of the quickest cars I can get, I ring up insurance companies and they laugh at me, I'm looking at about 5k to insure it, think back to your first car and then ask yourself whether my 3i would kill it.
Written on: 02/03/2004
yeah but those vauxhaull 16 valvers are in the next class up from an xr3i really, arent they. for 500 - 600 quid you\'ll get a clean 3i thats been taken care of, or for the same money you could buy a 16 valve rat with more squeaks and rattles than anything.
written by G1RL R4CER on 11/12/2003
Xr3i's are the phattest cars out, ok, they might be old news by now, but at the end of the day, all ya need to do is put a decent body kit on it, a phat back-box, n some nice alloys (matrix or enigma) a nice sound system, n you got da perfect car!! my ex had a cossie replica, n since then, ive been hooked on xr3i's, RS's n Cossy's...
written by rs turbo 90 on 28/08/2003
The Ford Escort is a very nice car with the XR3i bodykit or the RS Turbo bodykit and looks dead sexy aright bird puller that still is one of the best sporty cars around.
Written on: 17/11/2003
will you be able to send me a proper picture of the xr31 rs turbo please to [email protected] thanx love an admira
written by matty. on 25/02/2003
This car is quite simply great, Ok it's image isn't the best with its spotty teenager boyracer image, but it's a great all round package. It's quite quick, acceleration is approx late 8s to early 9s, which is to be expected for the power output. The cornering of this car is quite simply superb, I drove an Astra round the same corner which wasn't a patch on the XR even a pug 306GTi6 owner was impressed. A very underestimated car, i have made a few tweaks such as competion manifold and pipercross filter plus a slightly longer duration cam, so it now embarrasses more powerful cars, love the look on the pug 309 gti drivers face as i crept past him to 70mph on a link road.
Written on: 27/03/2003
I agree, XR3i is a good lookin an good handling car. quite quick but i dont fink 0-60 in 8 or 9 seconds some how.
Written on: 22/11/2004
Fords figures from ford brochure.
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<br>Mk3 0-60 8.8 seconds 116mph
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<br>Mk4 0-60 9.3 seconds 118mph (better aerodynamics)
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<br>ignore speedos! The cars are only geared for just under 130 at 6000rpm!
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<br>Bear in mind these times are with a decent driver behind the wheel and giving the car a complete hammering.
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<br>Slower times have been recorded by car magazines that like to put 2 people and a full tank of petrol in the car.
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<br>If I was going out for a burn I wouldn't have a full tank of petrol and a passenger!!
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<br>On XR3is do the change down to fourth. they manage in fifth but they don't come alive until after about 3000-3500.
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<br>I suprise many a faster car with a bad driver by keeping the revs up. Faster cars with faster drivers usually means politely backing off for being so cheeky!
Written on: 23/07/2003
120 mph is not correct. As my dad has had 130mph at approximately 5000rpm and it does go faster as the speedo was still slowly creeping upwards but he ran out of road. The car is the baby 105 version and is completely standard. And if you don't believe me then sorry, just don't believe me.
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<br> p.s. the xr3i is proper bo.
<br> Bo Bo Bo selectaaaaa.
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Written on: 08/04/2003
0-60 for the XR3i is around 9.2 secs. Modify the engine and you'll get sub 8 sec.
Written on: 02/04/2003
Rubbish. The 3i is a well-quick car and is well within 8 secs 0-60. I've had 120 out of my car and it kicks backside.
written by boy racer. on 28/12/2002
Fast on accelaration 0-60 6.5 seconds flat, fast on top end looks good nice interior spacious boot to fit e.g subs woofers and amps what a beast car
Written on: 22/01/2003
It's an XR3I. Unless you got nitros or something like that there is no way an XR3i is going to do 0-60 in 6.5 seconds. A standard XRTree will take for ever to get to 60 i rekon about 10 seconds.
Written on: 29/10/2004
Reality has a valid point there!
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<br>I owned an '89 Peugeot 205 1.9 GTi...Nothing can match that car for speed and handling!!! Put it against a new "hot hatch" and I recon the GTi would still out run it! Just wait for the corners!!!
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<br>The only car I can compare the GTi to was a 180 TT Roadster, which held the road just the same, but not as much fun!!!
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<br>Anyway...I now own an '89 XR3i! Excellent car!!! It may not be the fastest or best handling car in the world, but I own a car that is nearly 15-years old, has every extra I need in a car (including ABS) and at the end of the day, I would rather own a car that's in A1 condition than a motor that just goes quick!!!!!!!
Written on: 03/08/2004
6.5 to 60? LOL, you fool! And it can beat a 1.4 Saxo? WOW, what a piece of kit that must be!! And a 205 GTi 1.9 will kick the ass of a standard RST in a straight line or round the twisties. And even if is was a modeified one it would need an engine rebuild before it got to the first corner anyway!
Written on: 24/11/2003
ive had two 3is before they both hit 60 in about 9s flat, one of them did it a touch quicker on a good day. 120ish top end. competition:nova gte, 205 gti 1600, etc. however its worth noting that a reasonable condition standard 3i will beat a fiesta zetec s in any gear, which is suprising as the engines are the same size but there is an age gap of 10 years odd. just for the record, a R5GTT is only faster than an RST in first, and a 205gti 1.9 is no competition in a straight line. so there.
Written on: 28/08/2003
Do not under estimate the Ford Escort XR3i they are a very quick car and could still see off alot of their younger competition and their brothers the Ford Sierra Saphire RS Cowsworth is still a great match and rival of the Subraru Imprezas.
Written on: 06/08/2003
Im 19yrs of age and on the look out for a decent nick xr3i for my second car.ive bin told that the 0-60 marks around 9 seconds by a ford mechanic and if you want faster, sorry can afford the insurance the rst mk 1s ur best bet cos they are faster that the mk 2s.ive bin quoted for an xr3i 2000 with no ncb and 1yrs or less llisence at 6000 miles per year.ive read up on them and driven 1 there easily slay std 1.4 furio saxo and nova sri no messin.
Written on: 20/05/2003
XR3i 0-60 is just over 9 secs. Yes there is alot you can do to it but it wont get you're raw power or 0-60 any better. If you're looking for performance get an RS Turbo if you have to have a mk4 Escort shell. The only advantage is they can be bought for peanuts these days leaving plenty extra to fit those lovely Max Power approved clear rear lights for the muppet masses.
Written on: 10/04/2003
Every one is right 6.5 0-60 is rubbish! But still they are very cheap, reliable, insurance is no longer too harsh on them, fast enough to see off most saxos and novas and there is loads of stuff you can do to them. I have had mine for sometime now and I would highly recommend them! (I got 122 mph out of mine well thats what the clock said)
Written on: 02/03/2003
0-60 in 6.5? With standard 108bhp? Mk3 XR3i's are quicker because they are lighter, early 9s to 60, whereas the later Mk4 takes around 10s book speed. My brother owned 1 and a couple of mates have, not a fast car by far. Better saving for the insurance on a RST if you really have to have a ford, even they aren't fast in standard trim. If your after a faster car in standard trim, get a R5 GTT or a 205 1.9GTI. Only get a R5 GTT btw if you don't mind some repair bills ;)
Written on: 25/02/2003
I must admit 6.5 seconds to 60 is a bit optimistic but these are still reasonably quick late 8s to early 9's isn't out of the question, and even by todays standards isn't unreasonable
Written on: 07/02/2003
I would agree, there is no way an xr3i could get to 60 in 6.5secs, i have put a lot of money into my Escort RS Turbo to get it to just under 6, I dont think it would be possible to get a 3i under 9 without serious work. Nice cars though, fast enough for a first car and then move on to an rs turbo!! hehe.
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Johnxr's Response to LauraBrown's Review
Written on: 05/05/2006
No don't scrap it, xr3is are very rare these days and it is well worth repairing it, if it is your pride and joy.