My "New" to me fly fishing wheels......

[nighthawk]

Needed a good, low mileage, economical, reliable car with good power for work and play. The Ford dealer in Sunbury, Pa. came through for me. Here are some pics:







2001 ZX2 with everything but fog lights (I will add those myself), moon-roof and leather. No CD player but cassette with premium sound speakers. Amazingly, the wheel base is about the same, length wise, as the indigo blue Taurus sitting beside it! These were a great little pocket rocket that Ford produced until 2003! A bit cramped, but still very comfy inside, very good performance and good mileage too. That means that fuel costs should not be much of a factor in fishing trips. Like one to Ohio and perhaps some other places. Sorry no Michigan Fish-In because I cannot get leave for it.

Amy is happy too. That Taurus has low mileage, is VERY comfy, gets good mileage for a car that size and, best of all, is now hers! I take care of my better half because she takes care of me.

Eric;
I don't see much room for fly fishing gear?! Neat car!

[Joe Valencic]

Can you strap a canoe to the top of that baby?

Joe

[ohiotuber]

Trust me guys, Eric will find a way to get the gear in, & the canoe on top of that baby! Nice wheels Pal!
Mike

[DShock]

Eric,
That is a nice car! Now let's swap out that 100 hp for a Shelby 500 hp. That way you can get to the fishing hole in record time.
Doug P.S. Need any more tips, just PM me!

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

Eric , go to the local pick apart auto wrecker , get 4 air bags. Install them on the undercarrage, one on each corner of the car . The next time you go fishing you can drive right in at high speed , the rapid deceleration will activate the bags and viola . Your own drift boat.

Nice car, to nice in fact to put some smelly old fishing gear in , you will have to buy a small utility trailer for that.

[DShock]

Eric,
Now don't forget if you need any more advice, just PM GBF or me!
Thanks,
Doug

[jeffw]

I've got Mercury's version of the Escort. A 97 Tracer. Some of you I've fished with have seen me take it places I really shouldn't have been with it. It has never let me down. I put a Yakima rack on it and hauled a 'toon and canoe all over N. Idaho and Eastern WA on it. My dad gave me his Ranger PU when he finally decided to give up driving and that is now doing most of the fishing trips.

Prior to the Tracer, I had a '90 Escort that went places even the Tracer won't go. I once pulled a guy in a Subaru out of a snowbank on Pass No Pass in NE WA with it. This car is now owned by another FAOL member who bought it to race at the oval in Ephrata, but his wife got it first!

These cars are solid!! You'll be amazed at how much junk you can stuff inside. Enjoy!!

Jeff

PS We just sold a 98 Taurus that my wife had equipped with hand controls, but only because she could no longer drive. It was just as solid as the Escort.

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

Eric,
Now don't forget if you need any more advice, just PM GBF or me!
Thanks,
Doug

We're here to help!

[nighthawk]

Alright guys, here is the history of the Escort and ZX2:

http://www.escortfocus.com/html/history.html

Now lets us get a few things straight here. All canoe hauling duties have been relegated to the indigo blue 1995, low mileage, 35mpg highway, 3.0 liter V-6 Taurus that you should have been able to see in the background of photo number 1. It is now Amy's Taurus but she will, with great joy I might add, gladly swap vehicles with me when needed. You should see her drive the ZX2 and, believe me, Amy will put a lot of macho guys to shame. She knows how to handle a car! You should have seen her driving her friends 1971 Mach One Cobra Jet powered Mustang. I thought I was going to have to drag her, physically drag her, out of that muscle car.

Mike saw me haul his canoe out to him on top of my 1997 Escort sedan. Across interstate 80 at 70 to 80 mph (70 mph when the smokies were around) and got 40 mpg. Jeff has hit the nail right on the head in regards to the power, reliability and safety of these great little cars. There are none better in their class and few better in higher classes. I ought to know because I have owned three other Escorts (1991, 1992, and 1997). 1991 transmission gave up at about 230,000 miles, 1992 crashed on a snowy road. Bounced off of guard rail, head on, then concrete median and still drove it for a week till it was scraped. 1997 just traded in and still running fine at 129,000 miles.

If I ever need any more than the 11.8 cubic feet of trunk space, I just fold the back seat down to more than double that volume. If I need more than that, I am carrying too much junk! A 9ft rod in it's tube will fit nicely into the trunk without folding the seats down. Whatever the case is, the stiffer chassis, heavier GT suspension, 15 inch wheels and tires and insurance purposes rated 130 hp engine can handle the job.

This concludes Escorts 101 for the day. Should you need any further information, tips or advice, please fell free to contact me as I am THE Expert!

By the way, Mike can tell you that as far as smart alecks go I am one of the very best!

The facts are correct, the rest is firmly tongue in cheek. Keeps me from biting it with my teeth.