![Image for article titled This Mint 1986 Ford Escort Gets An Incredible 44 MPG And Only Costs $5900](https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fill,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_center,h_80,pg_1,q_80,w_80/eb2fdfdccc8834012f7a6c3a98a47d6c.jpg 80w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_140/eb2fdfdccc8834012f7a6c3a98a47d6c.jpg 140w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_265/eb2fdfdccc8834012f7a6c3a98a47d6c.jpg 265w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_340/eb2fdfdccc8834012f7a6c3a98a47d6c.jpg 340w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_490/eb2fdfdccc8834012f7a6c3a98a47d6c.jpg 490w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_645/eb2fdfdccc8834012f7a6c3a98a47d6c.jpg 645w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_740/eb2fdfdccc8834012f7a6c3a98a47d6c.jpg 740w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_965/eb2fdfdccc8834012f7a6c3a98a47d6c.jpg 965w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_1165/eb2fdfdccc8834012f7a6c3a98a47d6c.jpg 1165w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_1315/eb2fdfdccc8834012f7a6c3a98a47d6c.jpg 1315w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_1465/eb2fdfdccc8834012f7a6c3a98a47d6c.jpg 1465w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_1600/eb2fdfdccc8834012f7a6c3a98a47d6c.jpg 1600w)
Do you ever think about how long ago the ‘80s really were? It doesn’t feel like nearly forty years since “Thriller,” the Yugo, or the first-generation North American Ford Escort, but I guess I wouldn’t know — I had to google “80s cultural touchstones” for this paragraph because this car is about a decade older than I am. And yet, after all these years, it still looks factory fresh.
This Escort was spotted on Annapolis Craigslist, advertising its “50+ Miles Per Gallon” highway fuel economy. Even the most efficient ‘86 Escort, the “FS” trim, barely missed a 50 mpg rating from the EPA in its day, but a light right foot and careful use of the five-speed stick shift might help this beautiful diesel Ford sedan eke out that little bit of extra efficiency.
![Even before the EPA changed its miles per gallon calculations, the Escort never quite hit 50.](https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fill,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_center,h_80,pg_1,q_80,w_80/f87e8c6a6edbde51eb5923d1582bb3df.png 80w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_140/f87e8c6a6edbde51eb5923d1582bb3df.png 140w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_265/f87e8c6a6edbde51eb5923d1582bb3df.png 265w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_340/f87e8c6a6edbde51eb5923d1582bb3df.png 340w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_490/f87e8c6a6edbde51eb5923d1582bb3df.png 490w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_645/f87e8c6a6edbde51eb5923d1582bb3df.png 645w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_740/f87e8c6a6edbde51eb5923d1582bb3df.png 740w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_965/f87e8c6a6edbde51eb5923d1582bb3df.png 965w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_1165/f87e8c6a6edbde51eb5923d1582bb3df.png 1165w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_1315/f87e8c6a6edbde51eb5923d1582bb3df.png 1315w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_1465/f87e8c6a6edbde51eb5923d1582bb3df.png 1465w, https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,pg_1,q_60,w_1600/f87e8c6a6edbde51eb5923d1582bb3df.png 1600w)
The ad definitely gets the looks right, though. The car is listed as “A Real Head Turner – Thumbs-Up Car,” and it lives up to that title. Hard edges, thin pillars, and wide fender flares serve to accent the Escort’s excellent proportions. It’s a perfect car for the RADnaissance era.
Of course, to make it to our current time of ’80s nostalgia, this Escort first had to survive the actual ’80s. While the ad only has one photo to work from, this particular example looks near perfect — no fading or peeling clear coat, no rocker panel rust, nothing that betrays the years this car has lived.
Its 53 horsepower may not sound impressive in the modern world, where even the Camry comes in 300-horsepower TRD spec, but you don’t buy a retro car for the numbers. You buy it for the style, and the Escort’s got that in spades. The great fuel economy is just icing on the cake.
Someone please buy this and take it to Radwood before I can. And if you get the chance, ask it what the early ’90s were like. I’d love to know.
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