I like lowriders, maybe more than I should probably admit here at BangShift. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to own anything with hydraulics, a trunk full of batteries or anything like that. I have no use for a hopper. Instead, I admire the craft that goes into high-quality lowriders, especially the paintwork, and I wouldn’t be upset to have a nice, airbagged late 1960s yacht with some decent rolling stock. Just like any other deal in this great hobby of ours, the end product might not be your cup of tea but you have to respect the work that went into the creation. Somebody put hours into what you’re looking at and it meant the world to them.
Ron Ward recently found this 1983 Ford Escort for sale during one of his morning Craigslist cruises and sent it to me…why, I don’t know. I’m not a huge fan of this generation Escort for many reasons, one of which involved me bouncing around inside of one, suspended by a seatbelt as it went flipping through the Pennsylvania countryside.This generation Escort was Ford’s knee-jerk reaction to the Dodge Omni, an early shot at a small, fuel-efficient front driver that wasn’t from Japan or Europe. They weren’t great, they weren’t memorable, and seeing one today is a genuine surprise…mostly because it hasn’t been turned into a toaster yet.
According to the Craigslist ad, this Escort was turned into a lowrider around 1988, which means that this build is just about thirty years old. And amazingly enough, it still looks well sorted and fresh in the photos provided. The paintwork is relatively simple, with just a pattern laid out over bronze-ish paint. The roof looks to be covered, but that doesn’t look like vinyl…is that suede?! The interior is fully custom, floor to ceiling, and we suspect that the stock four-banger is untouched mechanically. The front suspension is back on struts, with the hydraulics removed, but the rear still has the cylinders in place. The pumps and the batteries, however, are long gone. 
It’s interesting and amazing that it’s managed to survive this long, but is this Escort worth keeping around? It’s not hurting anything just existing as it is and isn’t going to be better as anything else…
Craigslist Link: 1983 Ford Escort
This steekin’ pile of shit can bounce its way into the nearest crusher with the wannabe gangbanger who built it chained to the steering wheel!
It’s very much a period piece – but it’s not nearly as terrible as a lot of examples from that time.
I had a 1986 escort for a while. (actually kind of liked it) but I think I threw up in my mouth a little on this one.
I had three Escorts. Loved those little bastards. The first was a gem. 1987 five-door, dark red, DIESEL, 5-speed. Damn thing got like 55 MPG and was actually fun to drive. The only complaints I had was with the stupid passive restraint system and that it wasn’t a wagon.
Had two others, both mid-90’s models…one red GT and one purple LX. Great cars for what I was doing at the time.
This lowrider is in really great shape. But not great enough for my tastes.
Gets the obligatory “kill it with fire” vote, from my side of the isle.
That is some funny shit right there!
You spelled hysterical wrong.
Pull battery, catalectic converter, radiator, heater core. The bumpers are also Aluminum.
Drop the fuel tank and then run it across the scales at the metal year,
I would not pay more then 1 ton of scrap is worth, and likely I’d fill it full of scrap so they couldn’t see the interior to dock me for all that extra foam.
Clean, seems rust free, I bet I probably still have some Escort parts floating around…