A white '86 EXP 5 speed was my 2nd car that I ever purchased when I graduated college. By that point it was 7 years old, but still very reliable & got GREAT gas mileage, but the A/C compressor seized up, so my mechanic just bypassed that pulley with a smaller belt going around just the water pump & alternator (hey, it worked!). The 5 speed made it "feel" sporty, but I still had Escort GT envy. Had it for almost 2 years, but got totaled by someone cutting a left turn in front of me while their line-of-site was obscured. The good news: I parlayed the insurance money to buy another car done in a vid by Tony: '89 T-bird SC 5 speed. THAT car has a very special place in my heart...
My dad was an engineer at Ford back then. I remember him mentioning they built a four passenger EXP prototype. He said they picked a manager up from the airport. Got the guy in the backseat and put his luggage in the back. They shut the hatch and knocked him out cold. Not enough clearance.
My mom had an 82 Escort and the dealership Scarsdale Ford was also selling a few custom EXPs. There was 1 aftermarket convertible and the other was done up with a body kit and white/blue stripes similar to Cobra II . Our neighbor bought both for his twin daughters!
I wanted one of those in 1982. You’re right about the Escort GT, that was a good performer, independent rear suspension made those surprisingly good handling cars.
I bought a 1987 exp brand new, & immediately started changing things on it, I put a big stereo in it,change the rims to the mustang gt style "3 spoke", but the biggest thing I did was bought a back seat out of a escort gt & put it in. I miss that car, I miss those days.
A dark blue 1985 first gen was the first new car I ever bought, for my now ex-wife. I liked the looks 1000x times better than the 2nd gen. We liked it, drove it all over. It had adequate power, rode well, and since we were over ten years away from having kids, it had great space for our luggage and our beagle. We drove it all over the US. We had the five speed, and one of the things I really liked was it had an on/off button in the top of the gearshift for the AC, so you could click it off while accelerating, and quick it back on once you were up to speed without having to reach for the dash controls. I think the only issue we ever had with it was a bad / too low temp thermostat (which I replaced myself). Drove it for about ten years and traded it in on a beautiful red 1995 Probe, which we had for about 18 years until someone pulled out in front of my daughter and totaled it - she wasn't hurt.
In retrospect it seems like it was a nice little car! Versatile and sporty. Efficient and reliable. I had Ford Escort and a friend had the Escort GT. Nice little manual shifting cars that did great in deep snow. I never drove an EXP but it seems like something I would have liked. Honestly, anything with a manual transmission is fun! We had an old rusted out 79 Toyota with insanely high miles that just wouldn't die. Around the same size as an Escort and manual shifting. A blast to drive with a rusted out muffler giving it some good sounds lol. The starter on the Celica was bad so we just pop started it. I could just open the door, give it a shove, and jump in and pop start it. I miss small but fun cars like this. They are so much heavier now that I think the one person pop start is a thing of the past! Thanks for doing these cool reviews. I found you by the Boss 302 video you did a few years ago. I still have my Laguna Seca. And also a 97 Mazda Miata NA8 (NA6 was 1.6L, 1990-1993, NA8 1.8L 1994-1997).
Thanks for watching, sharing your story, and for hanging with the channel it is appreciated. The Escort GT from 85.5 till the refresh was a really popular car in it's day. I too miss the fun little cars. Maybe someday people in the U.S. will get as bored with the SUV's as I am.
Ah man does this bring back memories… the 1986 Ford EXP was my very first car in 1994… it wasn’t much but it was mine and the freedom at gave me was awesome. It was red with the sunroof. It will forever hold a place in my heart. Awesome video!
WOW, talk about a Blast from the Past! Back in the early '80s my Wife owned one of the Mercury LN-7. Overall is was a pretty great car, no issues and we even took it off-road/trail for a fishing trip!
My first car was 82 Mercury LN7 .Bought it in 1987 as it was 5 years old but very low mileage and mint. Two tone silver and black and absolutely loved that car. If I tell most people what it was they have absolutely no idea what it is! Thanks for the video btw!
In 1986 I looked at one of these, and really liked it. I drove it to my house with the salesman. I had to make sure that my drumset would fit in the back in hard cases. Sadly, it would not. I ended up with a four door Escort.
Thanks for doing this video! My first car was an 87 EXP that I got in 1993 at 16. I loved that car even though it was a POS although I was 16 and didn't really know how to take care of a car so it was most likely partly my fault! I liked it so much that in the early 2000s when I need a second car, I got two more of them, both of which were way more reliable then the first.
@7:02 I really miss the look/feel of the 80’s and 90’s Ford’s and other domestic car interiors. I particularly liked the Eddie Bauer Broncos, Explorers and other Ford models.
I’ve only seen one exp in my life and I bought it I’ve had it for about 3 years now . It’s a fun car not the fastest but it handles great out better brakes so it stop’s amazing and the gas mileage is unbeatable
I remember these. I was in middle and high school when Ford was building them. Two seaters are a hard sell but I do give Ford a lot of credit for trying it. The engines were mostly underwhelming except for the turbo which did produce a lot of power especially when you consider it didn't have four valves per cylinder, variable valve timing, or direct injection
I bought a 1984 Turbo EXP Brand new from Stenger's Ford in Ohio, it was very fun a lot of people thought it was a Mustang from a distance... The best part to me was when you pressed the gas pedal and the turbocharger kicked in, Would smoke the frt tires in first and second gear😎😜
Had an 82 EXP. The heater core sprang a leak and ran the engine dry. The temp shot up quickly and it cracked the head. I replaced the head with a junkyard pull and it worked for a while but the bottom end was damaged. Changed the motor and it ran a little more. Finally sold it on. The AC worked really great and the stereo was nice. Other than that it was a gutless econo box.
I bought an EXP after watching the commercials on TV series Masada. That was 1981. That car was gutless and if I remember right there was an issue with the tire size when I got them replaced. Drove it across country and through a blizzard in south dakota. The hatch made it a versatile hauler.
My best friend in high school had an EXP. He built a box full of speakers for the back to crank out the hard rock tunes that we listened to in the 80s. The EXP had a coolant leak that smelled like pancake syrup. When the defroster setting was used we would wind up going to IHOP for pancakes. I discovered that riding in the back with the hatchback up was a bad idea. It was a fun little car.
Great fearure Tony! You really nailed the car's shortcomings, but also recognize what it was. A 1982 model was my second car. Bought 5 years old, by 80k miles is was already an oil burner. Even with the 4 speed, it wasn't fast, but it did handle very well. And it was black, with black and white interior so that was a plus.😂 I really think if Ford had built this in rear wheel drive and used the turbo 2.3 (ala SVO Mustang) they'd have had a REAL winner!! Even with the "frog face" it was different enough to be cute. If it just had double the HP and a rear limited slip differential it would have been a superstar. The "86 and on were really nice looking and interiors were a step up too. If I ever found a nice one today, it'd be a great commuter car.
Thanks for the kind words and for watching! It would be a difficult task to find an Escort GT let alone an EXP that wasn't used up. I'm not saying there aren't few out there.
I owned a red 82 LN7 and it was number 304 off the line. It was a fun car to drive despite the lack of horsepower. The biggest issue was the digital clock kept failing.
IF the clock was the biggest issue it sounds like great car. It would just get you there late occasionally but gave you a great excuse. Thanks for watching!
@@TonysFordsandMustangs I actually got to see the EXP before its introduction. I was at the I-96 / I-275 / M-14 interchange and saw the EXP with manufacturer plates. That was back in the day when they did not camo cars on the open road that were in development.
My first car was a 1987 Ford exp in red. I got the car when I was 15 because my sister blew the engine. In the first year I owned it I took every bolt out of that car cleaned everything and put it all back together and when I turn 16 I went to the junkyard and I found an engine out of a Ford Escort GT. If I had known then what I know now, I would have kept the car forever! It was basically a new car by the time I had cleaned everything and put it all back together... but I was a stupid kid, and I've never had anything quite near as fun.
Thanks for sharing your experience! I can understand loving something you spent that much time and effort into getting back on the road. You are far from alone in missing your first car.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs I believe it.. that car was the start of my career as an auto mechanic, my parents gave it to me, and they gave me an engine and they told me as soon as I put the two together I would have my own car.
I bought one new in 1982 from Chris Hanburger Ford in College Park Maryland. Only car that I ever bought that didn't come with A/C, which other than that was a good car for what it was.
1988 new only $3000 down $409 36 month loan. Put in the Blaupunkt Tucson, Zapco amplifier and Kicker Contender SS12 box about $2200. Fun two seater efficient ride.
That came out to a total of $17,724 in 1988, which is $46,794 today. You badly overpaid for that car, even the most expensive of Mustang GT’s MSRP’d for just under 17k in 1988, and that’s saying nothing about the 5.0 LX Mustangs, which are far cheaper than the GT.
@@phantom0456Your calculation is correct. But you are not factoring in this includes taxes and a first loan interest rate of about 9%. Also I upgraded the warranty and rustproof at the time. It was $12900 area plus. Interesting stat for you. The svarage new car in Ontario is a little over sixty four thousand dollars. So the EXP was in conversion priced under an average vehicle.
Being a Ford guy back then, I considered one of these, but was in college and decided I really didn’t need a car payment (fuel economy would have been awesome but wouldn’t have taken me long to become disenchanted with the lack of performance). These came out a couple years after Chrysler offered a sportier version of the Omni/Horizons and I thought they were intended to compete with that segment. Anyway, this video was interesting. I did not realize the turbo versions would run 16s in the quarter. Not fast but in the late 70s and early 80s, that level of performance was at least equivalent to many of the mid level pony and “muscle” cars of the day.
Maybe not the safest idea but safe back then wasn't what it is today. Don't get me started on how many people can fit into the trunk of 69 Torino fastback when going to the Drive In Theater. Trust me it's a lot more than you would think. Thanks for watching!
I remember as a kid when this car was around and I thought it looked neat. I’d have to say that design still looks good today. It’s those headlights that gives it a friendly and distinctive look. However the flush mounted headlamps made it blah.
I was 9 years old when i saw my first 1986 Escort EXP in the parking lot of the apartment complex where we were living. I told my mom right then and there that I wanted one when I turned 16...LOL. That never happened...
You have a different perspective as a 9 year old. I found the original Speed Racer Cartoon engaging and dramatic at the age of 8. Now, not so much. Thanks for watching!
Fantastic video! I didn't know all the back story on the EXP. I remember the later ones that had the Escort look and parts. A buddy I met in college had an Escort GT in White. He abused the crap out of that car and it ran and ran and ran. I would love to see you do a video on those cars. I have great memories of zipping around Penn State Berks campus in Reading with Rich in that car. Take care!!
@TonysFordsandMustangs yrs there were but none seem to be found now. Same with Chevy Cavalier's. I had 2 of them. You rarely see either car these days, kinda sad.
These were taken for granted back in their day but really look much more attractive than the small sedans being offered today. Too bad the EXP was so low on power. Promoting the turbocharger like Shelby was doing with the Dodge 4 cylinders at the time should have been a game changer.
Ford needs to build cars again. Highways are loaded with import coupes and sedans. Ford could grab some of that market if they would build a quality small car. I think that the demand is there.
If people stop spending on SUVs and Ford would make money on cars they would. That isn't how it is. Very few buy cars so they aren't wasting time and money in development for a new car. Blame it on dumb people that want SUVs that are worse doing everything
@@plap. I couldn't completely agree more. It's this type of thing that keeps me up at night. I have told friends that SUV's excel at nothing and they look at me like I'm insane.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs Boy I miss Station Wagons. For some reason the people want a bunch of useless head room in SUVs I guess for really big hats. All it does is make them more prone to roll over. The only thing they do better than a wagon. lol I'd be driving a RS 6 Avanti right now if I could afford one
@@plap. I think people like SUVs' because they sit up which also make them more prone to roll over. I prefer a car for daily driving, a truck for hauling or plowing snow.
The EXP is sort of the Plymouth Sapporo and Dodge Challenger of the same era. Those cars were badge engineered Mitsubishis of course. And they looked the part of a sports car but not quite up to snuff although somewhat improved in their last years of production as I recall. But unlike the EXP those "Diamondstar" cars had a back seat and were rear wheel drive which actually gave them an advantage.
Curious about that seemingly default negative camber on the rear wheels. See 7:43. I remember seeing this in person “back in the day”. Under anything beyond gradual granny-like acceleration, the rear suspension geometry would produce this phenomenon. Sometimes markedly so. It happened in every Escort I ever saw as well. Any thoughts on this, Tony?
My wife purchased an Escort GT in 88 we never had issues with premature tire wear. I can't speak to the EXP's but they are really the same car just a bit heavier.
My ex got a couple year old Turbo and it scooted right along was kind of fun but lacked the sporty feel. Felt more cheep as bits and pieces would fall off, even stuff hardly touched. It felt quick, just had a little boost kick for short bursts because running hard it would try to over heat and would dump the wastegate when you least expected. You would almost hit your head on the dash and get whiplash when it reengaged when boost came back on. Not bad memories of it just not great ones
@@TonysFordsandMustangs This is what Buddy told me: the RCMP did an illegal stop and search on main street of his home town for 2 hours, stripping the dash out of the car and most of the interior, and did not find the qp of weed. No dogs back then.
LOL weird, my 1994 Taurus SHO had a secret spot too behind the SHO emblem in the dash that kept "Popping out"... I have suspicions that Ford Execs had something going on the side XD
The 1982 EXP was my first car, and for that reason alone itvwas awesome. Fast? Heck no. And had a valve seal issue where st cold start-up it would blow enough oil smoke to make a clean getaway without being seen. Car did handle well though! I always thought Ford would have had a winner if they had built it with rear-wheel drive and the Mustang SVO turbo 2.3.
I owned a 1982 Ford EXP with the 4 speed and while I really liked the overall looks of the car, it was/is the most under powered car I have ever owned! It did give excellent MPG, but that anemic motor was a turn off for me. I finally traded it in for a 1985 Buick Century Limited with a V6 until I traded that in on a 1987 Mustang GT which I LOVED!!!!
They were cool little cars. Guy I worked with had one back then, I almost bought if off of him but passed on it. I guess I was expecting more performance from it and felt a bit let down.
The few survivors have had their bodies scalped of the unibody floor and are covering tube-frame drag cars. Light, tight, and ready for bracket racing.
We had a 90 four door. Think it cost 9300 brand new and 5 dollars gave you a quarter tank.. It even had a power boost... You had to turn off the A/C for LITTLE MORE UMPH.. It was an Escort not EXP. Lasted 11-12 years pretty good for a northeast commuter.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs It was a tough time a bit for Ford back then. They kept trying for engaging alternative vehicles like the XR4Ti, the Turbo/SVO Mustang, the EXP, the Probe, the Tempo GLS....more misses than hits back then.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs Yeah I reacted well to both the SVO and XR4Ti, I owned an XR. They were both kinda failures in the sales dept. though. SO tons of investment by Ford in not-so-successful platforms. That said, the Sierra was a massive success in Europe.
@@EffequalsMA They priced the SVO way too high. Ford was trying to support the race teams with the car and all the MerKur's were marketed incorrectly. The salespeople at Lincoln Mercury dealers only wanted to sell big cars with hefty profit margins. None of the sporty cars given to Lincoln Mercury did all that well other than the Cougars.
I think the front fascia on the 1st gen looked better. The 2nd gen looked more bland with the flush headlights and looked more like an Escort. I wish car makers made an EXP or CRX type 2 seater today. Some of us are single and don't need back seats for kids.
I think you don't see many affordable cars on the market because there's not much profit there. Back in the day manufacturer's felt that IF they could get people in one of their inexpensive products those people would return and buy the higher priced products a few years down the road. Now they all want to make as much as they can on everything.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs Yep. The manufacturers didn't want to build cheap cars anymore because they don't have a high profit margin. But now it's biting them in the butt as cars have gotten so expensive that people can't afford them. Better to sell 100,000 cheap cars and make a $5000 profit off each one than sell 1000 expensive cars and make a 30,000 profit off each one. The car makers can't move those expensive SUV's and pickups like they used to. Thier lots are full of them.
My father bought me a 87 mustang gt for graduation = I’m from Long Island New York = it was grey with red race stripe around the trim / side trim and bumpers = me and all my friends thought we were the stuff in 87
This is a guess but the 2.3 wasn't mated to a transaxle at the time and that's why that didn't happen. The first transaxle Ford in the US Market was the Escort in 1981 followed by the Taurus in 1986 mated to a 2.5 Liter or a V6. I believe there were front wheel drive Ford's in Europe earlier on.
@@Blackferret66 Early on the transaxles suffered from torque steer IF you added to much horsepower. You had to fight that a bit even in the 1.9 Liter EXP and Escort GT
@@TonysFordsandMustangs Oh I know torque steer. I had a 2004 Mazda 6 with the Ford 3L and a 5 spd. It only had about 220 hp, but I could feel the TS even in that.
To think, Ford beat Honda to the punch with the EXP predating the CRX by nearly 3 years. Too bad the EXP's mechnicals couldn't deliver the goods as Honda's CRX did...
I hardly ever saw EXP's when I was a kid in the 80s and 90s. MR2's were much more common. The Dodge Daytona had a nicer exterior design than the EXP. I'd call the EXP a FWD Subaru XT4.
Too bad Ford forgot to give it a GT model. If it would have be a bit faster and sporty it might have been a great car. The LN7 was certainly better looking !
They are ok for what they were. They were not Escort GT which sat on the same lot for he same money and had two rear seats. They were a tough sell plus insure was more costly because it was a two seater.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs I just remember there was a teacher at my elementary school that had one. She thought she was hot to trot driving that thing. As a kid who grew up in the 80’s and an obscure car nerd. I don’t remember the LN7.
@@appleiphone69 To your teacher it may have been one of the quicker cars she owned up to that point. There were very few LN7's built so it's not surprising you don't remember them. Apparently the salespeople at Lincoln Mercury dealerships didn't want to think about them at all.
Other than them both being two seaters they were not really comparable cars. One was mid engine and had little to no usable storage space and cost a bit more. GM did sell more Fiero's than Ford did EXP's however many EXP buyers simply bought and Escort GT.
the exp was a piece of junk, my water pump went taking the timing belt with it and it bent the valves , this happened twice and once i got it running good, i got rid of it
A white '86 EXP 5 speed was my 2nd car that I ever purchased when I graduated college. By that point it was 7 years old, but still very reliable & got GREAT gas mileage, but the A/C compressor seized up, so my mechanic just bypassed that pulley with a smaller belt going around just the water pump & alternator (hey, it worked!). The 5 speed made it "feel" sporty, but I still had Escort GT envy. Had it for almost 2 years, but got totaled by someone cutting a left turn in front of me while their line-of-site was obscured. The good news: I parlayed the insurance money to buy another car done in a vid by Tony: '89 T-bird SC 5 speed. THAT car has a very special place in my heart...
Thanks for sharing! Many of us skipped the A/C when the compressor died back in the day. They were never cheap. :)
My dad was an engineer at Ford back then. I remember him mentioning they built a four passenger EXP prototype. He said they picked a manager up from the airport. Got the guy in the backseat and put his luggage in the back. They shut the hatch and knocked him out cold. Not enough clearance.
That's a great story! Thanks for sharing!
Love your channel- great combination of ads from the time, brochures, narration and sale data.
Great stuff!
Much appreciated!
My mom had an 82 Escort and the dealership Scarsdale Ford was also selling a few custom EXPs. There was 1 aftermarket convertible and the other was done up with a body kit and white/blue stripes similar to Cobra II . Our neighbor bought both for his twin daughters!
When these were introduced, they did kinda excite my teenaged brain. My heart was with the Capris and Mustangs though.
I think your heart was n the proper place. : )
@TonysFordsandMustangs For sure. SVOs were just around the corner...🙂
I wanted one of those in 1982. You’re right about the Escort GT, that was a good performer, independent rear suspension made those surprisingly good handling cars.
I bought a 1987 exp brand new, & immediately started changing things on it, I put a big stereo in it,change the rims to the mustang gt style "3 spoke", but the biggest thing I did was bought a back seat out of a escort gt & put it in.
I miss that car, I miss those days.
Thanks for for watching and for sharing your story!
Friend of mine had one over in Germany when i was stationed over there in the late 80s. Black with the red emblems. Looked pretty cool!
A dark blue 1985 first gen was the first new car I ever bought, for my now ex-wife. I liked the looks 1000x times better than the 2nd gen. We liked it, drove it all over. It had adequate power, rode well, and since we were over ten years away from having kids, it had great space for our luggage and our beagle. We drove it all over the US. We had the five speed, and one of the things I really liked was it had an on/off button in the top of the gearshift for the AC, so you could click it off while accelerating, and quick it back on once you were up to speed without having to reach for the dash controls. I think the only issue we ever had with it was a bad / too low temp thermostat (which I replaced myself). Drove it for about ten years and traded it in on a beautiful red 1995 Probe, which we had for about 18 years until someone pulled out in front of my daughter and totaled it - she wasn't hurt.
Thanks for watching and for sharing your experiences. Sounds like both of your Fords were good to you.
I miss BOTH my EXP and my Escort EXP, especially the later. Great little cars. Complimented my 2 Mustangs at the time.
In retrospect it seems like it was a nice little car! Versatile and sporty. Efficient and reliable.
I had Ford Escort and a friend had the Escort GT. Nice little manual shifting cars that did great in deep snow. I never drove an EXP but it seems like something I would have liked. Honestly, anything with a manual transmission is fun! We had an old rusted out 79 Toyota with insanely high miles that just wouldn't die. Around the same size as an Escort and manual shifting. A blast to drive with a rusted out muffler giving it some good sounds lol. The starter on the Celica was bad so we just pop started it. I could just open the door, give it a shove, and jump in and pop start it. I miss small but fun cars like this. They are so much heavier now that I think the one person pop start is a thing of the past! Thanks for doing these cool reviews. I found you by the Boss 302 video you did a few years ago. I still have my Laguna Seca. And also a 97 Mazda Miata NA8 (NA6 was 1.6L, 1990-1993, NA8 1.8L 1994-1997).
Thanks for watching, sharing your story, and for hanging with the channel it is appreciated. The Escort GT from 85.5 till the refresh was a really popular car in it's day. I too miss the fun little cars. Maybe someday people in the U.S. will get as bored with the SUV's as I am.
I think you love Fords More than I do!!! I have a 2005 sport trac,a 1990 Ranger 4x4 and a 1969 Falcon Futura.
Nice collection! Yes it's the only brand I buy and I have had a ton of them over the years.
Ah man does this bring back memories… the 1986 Ford EXP was my very first car in 1994… it wasn’t much but it was mine and the freedom at gave me was awesome. It was red with the sunroof. It will forever hold a place in my heart. Awesome video!
Thank you for the watching and I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
WOW, talk about a Blast from the Past!
Back in the early '80s my Wife owned one of the Mercury LN-7.
Overall is was a pretty great car, no issues and we even took it off-road/trail for a fishing trip!
Thanks for sharing!
Remember these well. Dad was a car salesman at Varsity Ford in Ann Arbor Michigan. My first new car was a 1988 Escort GT.
those Escort GT's were very popular cars for sure! Thanks for watching!
I bought my 94 Mustang gt from varsity Ford.
still have it
I had a MI EXP as well
My first car was 82 Mercury LN7 .Bought it in 1987 as it was 5 years old but very low mileage and mint. Two tone silver and black and absolutely loved that car. If I tell most people what it was they have absolutely no idea what it is! Thanks for the video btw!
Thanks for watching!
In 1986 I looked at one of these, and really liked it. I drove it to my house with the salesman. I had to make sure that my drumset would fit in the back in hard cases. Sadly, it would not. I ended up with a four door Escort.
If the drums were helping to make the payments it sounds like a wise choice. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for doing this video! My first car was an 87 EXP that I got in 1993 at 16. I loved that car even though it was a POS although I was 16 and didn't really know how to take care of a car so it was most likely partly my fault! I liked it so much that in the early 2000s when I need a second car, I got two more of them, both of which were way more reliable then the first.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!
I own an 87 exp sport and besides some parts being extremely difficult to find I absolutely love my car. It’s gonna stay in my family forever
That's awesome thanks for sharing your story!
There’s one still on the road!?!
It must look great parked outside your trailer. Something to finally be proud of
@@Tony_417 Jerk
Thank you very much = I got out of high school in 84 = I didn’t know anything about anything = very well put together of your knowledge = thank you 🙏
You're very welcome! Thank you for the kind words and for watching!
@7:02 I really miss the look/feel of the 80’s and 90’s Ford’s and other domestic car interiors. I particularly liked the Eddie Bauer Broncos, Explorers and other Ford models.
The Eddie Bauers was great looking! My brother had a 96 F150 Eddie Bauer edition, and it was an awesome truck.
Interesting history on a very strange car.
Thanks for watching!
I haven't seen one of these for at least 30 years.
I worked at a Ford dealership body shop during the EXP years, and I would buy one today if could find a nice one, great job on the video.
Thanks for watching and I agree. A nice EXP would be difficult to locate for sure.
One for sale up here in west Kelowna bc Canada that might be worth cleaning up. Thinking of flipping it myself.
@@Junorr500 Best of luck. They were rare when new.
I’ve only seen one exp in my life and I bought it I’ve had it for about 3 years now . It’s a fun car not the fastest but it handles great out better brakes so it stop’s amazing and the gas mileage is unbeatable
I’ve had like 10 of these since 2018. Parts cars, almost perfect examples, daily drivers etc. I have two turbo 85’s now, but one is a parts car.
Very impressive! Thanks for sharing!
Had a 87 w/5 spd. 1.9 HO. What a fun car to drive!
I had one, good little car
I remember these. I was in middle and high school when Ford was building them. Two seaters are a hard sell but I do give Ford a lot of credit for trying it. The engines were mostly underwhelming except for the turbo which did produce a lot of power especially when you consider it didn't have four valves per cylinder, variable valve timing, or direct injection
I bought a 1984 Turbo EXP Brand new from Stenger's Ford in Ohio, it was very fun
a lot of people thought it was a Mustang from a distance...
The best part to me was when you pressed the gas pedal and the turbocharger kicked in, Would smoke the frt tires in first and second gear😎😜
Very Awesome Thanks for sharing!
Had an 82 EXP. The heater core sprang a leak and ran the engine dry. The temp shot up quickly and it cracked the head. I replaced the head with a junkyard pull and it worked for a while but the bottom end was damaged. Changed the motor and it ran a little more. Finally sold it on. The AC worked really great and the stereo was nice. Other than that it was a gutless econo box.
Had 2 of them.Base stickshift 1982 and an automatic 1983 GT model.Miss them both.Great mpg and fun to drive for the time.
That's awesome thanks for sharing!
Great video, I had forgot about these cars from my high school years.
Glad you enjoyed it
I bought an EXP after watching the commercials on TV series Masada. That was 1981. That car was gutless and if I remember right there was an issue with the tire size when I got them replaced. Drove it across country and through a blizzard in south dakota. The hatch made it a versatile hauler.
Some of those cars came with the TRX Michelin tires and were a metric size that only Michelin had. They were expensive and not easy to find.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs Yup, that was it
@@volvo850rex Those were never popular and Ford went away from them in short order.
Thank you for your informative videos, I appreciate them.
Thank you for watching!
Why dont I remember these? It's a really nice-looking car. I'd buy one now. Looks like a fox body mustang.
They were out there in the 80's right alongside the Escorts :)
I have a 1982 exp and getting a 1986 one redone . I love going to car shows cause no one else has them.
Very cool!
Had a Red one 90. We did regular maintenance and timing belt changes. 5 speed. Put over 300k miles on it and got great trade in
That's very awesome! Thanks for sharing!
My best friend in high school had an EXP. He built a box full of speakers for the back to crank out the hard rock tunes that we listened to in the 80s. The EXP had a coolant leak that smelled like pancake syrup. When the defroster setting was used we would wind up going to IHOP for pancakes. I discovered that riding in the back with the hatchback up was a bad idea. It was a fun little car.
Thanks for sharing and it sounds like the car had a leak in the heater core. Thanks for watching!
Love the videos!! Keep it up brother!! God bless you and your family!
Thank you very much! All the best to you and your family!
I remember visiting Ford show rooms disappointed that Ford didn't bring out the Lately ("Have you driven a Ford...Lately?) LOL
I liked the 2nd generation EXP's. Cool little rides, and I didn't know they weighed 200lbs more than the Escort/Lynx models.
Great fearure Tony! You really nailed the car's shortcomings, but also recognize what it was. A 1982 model was my second car. Bought 5 years old, by 80k miles is was already an oil burner. Even with the 4 speed, it wasn't fast, but it did handle very well. And it was black, with black and white interior so that was a plus.😂 I really think if Ford had built this in rear wheel drive and used the turbo 2.3 (ala SVO Mustang) they'd have had a REAL winner!! Even with the "frog face" it was different enough to be cute. If it just had double the HP and a rear limited slip differential it would have been a superstar. The "86 and on were really nice looking and interiors were a step up too. If I ever found a nice one today, it'd be a great commuter car.
Thanks for the kind words and for watching! It would be a difficult task to find an Escort GT let alone an EXP that wasn't used up. I'm not saying there aren't few out there.
I owned a red 82 LN7 and it was number 304 off the line. It was a fun car to drive despite the lack of horsepower. The biggest issue was the digital clock kept failing.
IF the clock was the biggest issue it sounds like great car. It would just get you there late occasionally but gave you a great excuse. Thanks for watching!
@@TonysFordsandMustangs I actually got to see the EXP before its introduction. I was at the I-96 / I-275 / M-14 interchange and saw the EXP with manufacturer plates. That was back in the day when they did not camo cars on the open road that were in development.
Auto Auctions rebuild on RUclips just bought one of these.
I had an elementary teacher that bought one new in 1982.
My first car was a 1987 Ford exp in red. I got the car when I was 15 because my sister blew the engine. In the first year I owned it I took every bolt out of that car cleaned everything and put it all back together and when I turn 16 I went to the junkyard and I found an engine out of a Ford Escort GT. If I had known then what I know now, I would have kept the car forever! It was basically a new car by the time I had cleaned everything and put it all back together... but I was a stupid kid, and I've never had anything quite near as fun.
Thanks for sharing your experience! I can understand loving something you spent that much time and effort into getting back on the road. You are far from alone in missing your first car.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs I believe it.. that car was the start of my career as an auto mechanic, my parents gave it to me, and they gave me an engine and they told me as soon as I put the two together I would have my own car.
I built the 1/32 scale Monogram 82 Bob Glidden Edition Ford EXP model kit about a year ago... It came out quite nicely I think...
I have also built the 1/32 scale MPC 82 Ford Escort Custom model kit and that came out rather nicely as well...
I bought one new in 1982 from Chris Hanburger Ford in College Park Maryland. Only car that I ever bought that didn't come with A/C, which other than that was a good car for what it was.
I still have my 1986 Escort EXP Sport.
Awesome! Glad to hear there are few still out there.
1988 new only $3000 down $409 36 month loan. Put in the Blaupunkt Tucson, Zapco amplifier and Kicker Contender SS12 box about $2200. Fun two seater efficient ride.
That came out to a total of $17,724 in 1988, which is $46,794 today. You badly overpaid for that car, even the most expensive of Mustang GT’s MSRP’d for just under 17k in 1988, and that’s saying nothing about the 5.0 LX Mustangs, which are far cheaper than the GT.
@@phantom0456Your calculation is correct. But you are not factoring in this includes taxes and a first loan interest rate of about 9%. Also I upgraded the warranty and rustproof at the time. It was $12900 area plus. Interesting stat for you. The svarage new car in Ontario is a little over sixty four thousand dollars. So the EXP was in conversion priced under an average vehicle.
Great video
Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching!
great video, thx for making it
Thank you and thanks for watching!
Being a Ford guy back then, I considered one of these, but was in college and decided I really didn’t need a car payment (fuel economy would have been awesome but wouldn’t have taken me long to become disenchanted with the lack of performance). These came out a couple years after Chrysler offered a sportier version of the Omni/Horizons and I thought they were intended to compete with that segment. Anyway, this video was interesting. I did not realize the turbo versions would run 16s in the quarter. Not fast but in the late 70s and early 80s, that level of performance was at least equivalent to many of the mid level pony and “muscle” cars of the day.
A buddy had an exp when I was in high school. We always stuffed 3 people in the back with no seats. Good times!
Maybe not the safest idea but safe back then wasn't what it is today. Don't get me started on how many people can fit into the trunk of 69 Torino fastback when going to the Drive In Theater. Trust me it's a lot more than you would think. Thanks for watching!
I rode in the back of someones EXP once. Hit my head on the roof headliner every time they went over a big bump. 😀
A buddy of mine had an Escort EXP-fun little car. Could you imagine a modern version of an Escape EXP with a 250 hp 2.0L, 5spd?🤔
I remember as a kid when this car was around and I thought it looked neat. I’d have to say that design still looks good today. It’s those headlights that gives it a friendly and distinctive look. However the flush mounted headlamps made it blah.
The 1984-early 85 Turbo Coupe was a nice car.
I was 9 years old when i saw my first 1986 Escort EXP in the parking lot of the apartment complex where we were living. I told my mom right then and there that I wanted one when I turned 16...LOL. That never happened...
You have a different perspective as a 9 year old. I found the original Speed Racer Cartoon engaging and dramatic at the age of 8. Now, not so much. Thanks for watching!
Fantastic video! I didn't know all the back story on the EXP. I remember the later ones that had the Escort look and parts. A buddy I met in college had an Escort GT in White. He abused the crap out of that car and it ran and ran and ran. I would love to see you do a video on those cars. I have great memories of zipping around Penn State Berks campus in Reading with Rich in that car. Take care!!
There were SO MANY Escort GT's on the road back then. Thanks for the kind words and for watching!
@TonysFordsandMustangs yrs there were but none seem to be found now. Same with Chevy Cavalier's. I had 2 of them. You rarely see either car these days, kinda sad.
@@jimlafreeda43 I have a friend who is actively looking for the Z24 from his college days.
These were taken for granted back in their day but really look much more attractive than the small sedans being offered today. Too bad the EXP was so low on power. Promoting the turbocharger like Shelby was doing with the Dodge 4 cylinders at the time should have been a game changer.
Adding a turbo to the 1.9 would have been nice
At least the escort exp had one thing over the fiero. It wasn't known for catching on fire 🔥
That's huge.
Ford needs to build cars again. Highways are loaded with import coupes and sedans. Ford could grab some of that market if they would build a quality small car. I think that the demand is there.
Ford has been focused on the $$$ and that's about it. I agree completely. Thanks for watching!
If people stop spending on SUVs and Ford would make money on cars they would. That isn't how it is. Very few buy cars so they aren't wasting time and money in development for a new car. Blame it on dumb people that want SUVs that are worse doing everything
@@plap. I couldn't completely agree more. It's this type of thing that keeps me up at night. I have told friends that SUV's excel at nothing and they look at me like I'm insane.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs Boy I miss Station Wagons. For some reason the people want a bunch of useless head room in SUVs I guess for really big hats. All it does is make them more prone to roll over. The only thing they do better than a wagon. lol
I'd be driving a RS 6 Avanti right now if I could afford one
@@plap. I think people like SUVs' because they sit up which also make them more prone to roll over. I prefer a car for daily driving, a truck for hauling or plowing snow.
The EXP is sort of the Plymouth Sapporo and Dodge Challenger of the same era. Those cars were badge engineered Mitsubishis of course. And they looked the part of a sports car but not quite up to snuff although somewhat improved in their last years of production as I recall. But unlike the EXP those "Diamondstar" cars had a back seat and were rear wheel drive which actually gave them an advantage.
Curious about that seemingly default negative camber on the rear wheels. See 7:43. I remember seeing this in person “back in the day”. Under anything beyond gradual granny-like acceleration, the rear suspension geometry would produce this phenomenon. Sometimes markedly so. It happened in every Escort I ever saw as well. Any thoughts on this, Tony?
My wife purchased an Escort GT in 88 we never had issues with premature tire wear. I can't speak to the EXP's but they are really the same car just a bit heavier.
Do you have production figures for the 84 exp turbo? I have one and wonder how many were made
I couldn't find them anywhere and I did look. Ford did not track them as far as I can tell.
Looked like a cool little car. Unfortunately like you said it wasn't like the escort gt which you could do more with
Thanks for watching!
My ex got a couple year old Turbo and it scooted right along was kind of fun but lacked the sporty feel. Felt more cheep as bits and pieces would fall off, even stuff hardly touched. It felt quick, just had a little boost kick for short bursts because running hard it would try to over heat and would dump the wastegate when you least expected. You would almost hit your head on the dash and get whiplash when it reengaged when boost came back on. Not bad memories of it just not great ones
That was a really rare car. Thanks for sharing.
I can't remember what year my silver over black 5 speed was, but can tell you we fit 6 people in it with no back seat! Good times 😅
Buddy in college had one of these and he used it to smuggle weed. It had a factory secret compartment that the police never found.
That's impressive. Thanks for sharing
@@TonysFordsandMustangs This is what Buddy told me: the RCMP did an illegal stop and search on main street of his home town for 2 hours, stripping the dash out of the car and most of the interior, and did not find the qp of weed. No dogs back then.
@@bradyelich2745 Incredible. He would have that gig today as legal weed is in every other state.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs Canada has been legal 5 years ...
LOL weird, my 1994 Taurus SHO had a secret spot too behind the SHO emblem in the dash that kept "Popping out"... I have suspicions that Ford Execs had something going on the side XD
The 1982 EXP was my first car, and for that reason alone itvwas awesome. Fast? Heck no. And had a valve seal issue where st cold start-up it would blow enough oil smoke to make a clean getaway without being seen. Car did handle well though! I always thought Ford would have had a winner if they had built it with rear-wheel drive and the Mustang SVO turbo 2.3.
Still driving an escort and the gas mileage really is that good
That is awesome! Thanks for sharing!
I owned a 1982 Ford EXP with the 4 speed and while I really liked the overall looks of the car, it was/is the most under powered car I have ever owned! It did give excellent MPG, but that anemic motor was a turn off for me. I finally traded it in for a 1985 Buick Century Limited with a V6 until I traded that in on a 1987 Mustang GT which I LOVED!!!!
Thanks for sharing and I can understand why you felt the way you did. Glad the GT squared you away and thanks for watching.
They were cool little cars. Guy I worked with had one back then, I almost bought if off of him but passed on it. I guess I was expecting more performance from it and felt a bit let down.
I can understand that thanks for watching!
The few survivors have had their bodies scalped of the unibody floor and are covering tube-frame drag cars. Light, tight, and ready for bracket racing.
A 1/4 mile at time is still technically in use. :) I'll have to look around.
We had a 90 four door. Think it cost 9300 brand new and 5 dollars gave you a quarter tank.. It even had a power boost... You had to turn off the A/C for LITTLE MORE UMPH.. It was an Escort not EXP. Lasted 11-12 years pretty good for a northeast commuter.
I remember these gormless "sporty" Tempos.....even the disappointing turbo.
I have yet to do a Tempo video. They were never my favorite and I had several as Demos back in the day.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs It was a tough time a bit for Ford back then. They kept trying for engaging alternative vehicles like the XR4Ti, the Turbo/SVO Mustang, the EXP, the Probe, the Tempo GLS....more misses than hits back then.
@@EffequalsMA I like the SVO and the XR4Ti is a topic I will cover for sure. We are back to Turbo 4 and now V6's as the workhorses of Ford's line up.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs Yeah I reacted well to both the SVO and XR4Ti, I owned an XR. They were both kinda failures in the sales dept. though. SO tons of investment by Ford in not-so-successful platforms. That said, the Sierra was a massive success in Europe.
@@EffequalsMA They priced the SVO way too high. Ford was trying to support the race teams with the car and all the MerKur's were marketed incorrectly. The salespeople at Lincoln Mercury dealers only wanted to sell big cars with hefty profit margins. None of the sporty cars given to Lincoln Mercury did all that well other than the Cougars.
I think the front fascia on the 1st gen looked better. The 2nd gen looked more bland with the flush headlights and looked more like an Escort. I wish car makers made an EXP or CRX type 2 seater today. Some of us are single and don't need back seats for kids.
I think you don't see many affordable cars on the market because there's not much profit there. Back in the day manufacturer's felt that IF they could get people in one of their inexpensive products those people would return and buy the higher priced products a few years down the road. Now they all want to make as much as they can on everything.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs Yep. The manufacturers didn't want to build cheap cars anymore because they don't have a high profit margin. But now it's biting them in the butt as cars have gotten so expensive that people can't afford them. Better to sell 100,000 cheap cars and make a $5000 profit off each one than sell 1000 expensive cars and make a 30,000 profit off each one. The car makers can't move those expensive SUV's and pickups like they used to. Thier lots are full of them.
My father bought me a 87 mustang gt for graduation = I’m from Long Island New York = it was grey with red race stripe around the trim / side trim and bumpers = me and all my friends thought we were the stuff in 87
In that car, at that time. you were the stuff. Thanks for watching!
If they had managed to squeeze the Fox Body's 2.3 Turbo, or even the 3.8 V6, into it as a GT model, it might have fared better.
This is a guess but the 2.3 wasn't mated to a transaxle at the time and that's why that didn't happen. The first transaxle Ford in the US Market was the Escort in 1981 followed by the Taurus in 1986 mated to a 2.5 Liter or a V6. I believe there were front wheel drive Ford's in Europe earlier on.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs Yeah, that's why I have a big caveat in there. All kinds of unknowns from transaxle compatibility, engine bay size, etc.
@@Blackferret66 Early on the transaxles suffered from torque steer IF you added to much horsepower. You had to fight that a bit even in the 1.9 Liter EXP and Escort GT
@@TonysFordsandMustangs Oh I know torque steer. I had a 2004 Mazda 6 with the Ford 3L and a 5 spd. It only had about 220 hp, but I could feel the TS even in that.
Saw one of these it was gray an beat up was 20 years since seen one last was in a junk yard werd 😮
No one collected these cars. They were all used for transportation until they wouldn't run anymore. Thanks for watching!
I always just said they were a fwd fox escort clone
To think, Ford beat Honda to the punch with the EXP predating the CRX by nearly 3 years. Too bad the EXP's mechnicals couldn't deliver the goods as Honda's CRX did...
The CRX was a much smaller car in comparison. Same concept different execution.
I remember these, they weren't around long...
I hardly ever saw EXP's when I was a kid in the 80s and 90s. MR2's were much more common. The Dodge Daytona had a nicer exterior design than the EXP. I'd call the EXP a FWD Subaru XT4.
Didn’t look so good. This a very long time ago.
Too bad Ford forgot to give it a GT model. If it would have be a bit faster and sporty it might have been a great car. The LN7 was certainly better looking !
Ford of Europe tried to make similar car (Escort-based too), but small coupe wasn't "European thing".
Fun Fact: Canada never had a gas crisis. Sure, our gas prices went up, but always gas there was.
Fun for Canada maybe... :) Thanks for watching!
You can't have a gas crisis without cars.
This really is a weird car !
I would have just bought a Mustang.
There was quite a price difference between the two both in terms of purchase price and ownership.
I remember that the salesman told me it reminded him of the original Mustang! I almost laughed in that clowns face. What a load of...
That's was a stretch on the EXP's ability that's for sure
They forgot what it was really called, EXPired.
They are ok for what they were. They were not Escort GT which sat on the same lot for he same money and had two rear seats. They were a tough sell plus insure was more costly because it was a two seater.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs I just remember there was a teacher at my elementary school that had one. She thought she was hot to trot driving that thing. As a kid who grew up in the 80’s and an obscure car nerd. I don’t remember the LN7.
@@appleiphone69 To your teacher it may have been one of the quicker cars she owned up to that point. There were very few LN7's built so it's not surprising you don't remember them. Apparently the salespeople at Lincoln Mercury dealerships didn't want to think about them at all.
The Pontiac Fiero looks soooo much better.
Other than them both being two seaters they were not really comparable cars. One was mid engine and had little to no usable storage space and cost a bit more. GM did sell more Fiero's than Ford did EXP's however many EXP buyers simply bought and Escort GT.
The Ford EX PEE PEE.
The EXP was just plain ugly.
I have always thought the early ones looked like a frog. But to each their own.
The Honda CRX made all these cars looked pathetic !
the exp was a piece of junk, my water pump went taking the timing belt with it and it bent the valves , this happened twice and once i got it running good, i got rid of it