How quickly certain cars fall off the radar, especially ones that weren’t all that common in the first place? Like this Tracer LTS; when’s the last time you really noticed one? And this is a car that made Car & Driver’s 10 Best list in 1991. Well, I’m falling in love with it again all over.
The gen2 Escort and Tracer were such fine little cars when they arrived in 1991, just about as good as it got. The difference was much more dramatic in the case of the Escort, since its predecessor was a bit of stinker, especially the early versions. Well, that’s because the new 1991 Escort and Tracer were essentially Mazda 323s, a platform that has almost always been at or near the top of its class. A happy handler, to say the least.
The gen1 Tracer was also Mazda 323 based, so the improvement wasn’t quite so stark. Actually, one could say that in terms of its base engine, the gen2 Tracer was a bit retrograde, since it now used the Escort’s 1.9 CVH mill, and not the Mazda motor.
But not the LTS; like the analogous Escort GT, the LTS used the very fine Mazda BP 1.8 L DOHC four, making 127 hp. That was the way to go…
That rev-happy engine deserved to be paired with the five-speed stick, though. The fact that this one is an automatic may help explain why it’s still in such good shape…maybe the buyer was drawn to the LTS’ red stripes more than what was under the hood.
There’s certainly a lot of Sable mini-me going on here, right down to the light-bar front end, and of course that wrap-around-ish rear window. No blind spots here.
Love it, never got to ride in a Tracer (although a relative had one of the excellent Tracer Trio Wagons in aquamarine that I always thought was quite fetching). I did however own a 1997 Escort wagon and to this day I still fantasize about dropping an Escort GT/ZR2 engine into a Escort wagon, stick and all. I will honestly say though I did prefer the Mercury styling.
Did the Tracers get more sound deadening than the Escorts? That was always my biggest criticism of mine.
Typically the Mercury did get more sound deadening material than the Ford version, 20-30lbs more based on some of the advertised curb weights, though some of that may be due to the slightly different bodies. For example I’ve had low end Mercs (GS) that had a hardboard panel faced with carpet and backed by insulation, in the trunk underneath the rear deck, while the while the equivalent high end Ford (LX) didn’t.
We have a 1992 Mercury LTS that has been parked for 6 years. We have been offered $500 as is. Do you feel we should spend the funds to make roadworthy?
We would then insure as a classic.
Thanks,
Gordon
If it’s a manual transmission & not rusty I’ll give you more then that. Please don’t let it just rust away.
This gen Escort/Tracer had good enough road manners. I remember my dad’s ’91 (or was it ’92?) Escort — it could have used more punch. This Tracer LTS’s engine probably delivered just that.
Never seen one! I’ve heard of ’em……another Unicorn Mercury. Now that I’ve said that I’m sure one will show up.
I have never owned a car with automatic seatbelts, and feel pretty comfortable in stating that I never will.
It doesn’t matter in this case anyway seeing it’s lying on the passenger seat. It is comforting to see their concerned about their breath and teeth though even though they’ll probably be knocked out by the steering wheel if they get into an accident!
While you can unclip them and/or figure out which fuse controls the mechanism and pull it so they will no longer move, motorized belts are still pretty unpleasant because the upper anchor point is so high. If you’re short, you can end up with the shoulder belt sitting basically across your throat. If you ride with the shoulder strap engaged at that angle, it’s a potential safety hazard and if you disconnect it, you risk getting stopped and ticketed for not wearing your seatbelt, even if you have the lap belt engaged. (I’m not sure the charge would stick in most states if you are wearing your lap belt, since some older cars don’t have shoulder harnesses, but it’s not a conversation I’d like to have with a state trooper.)
I never drove the LTS Tracer, I did own an ’88 Tracer wagon and I still have some fond memories of that car. It was basically a restyled Mazda 323, and had an absolutely first class interior. To this day I can’t figure out why Mercury didn’t promote it more–my guess is the dealers kept a couple on their lots if they couldn’t sell prospective customers any of their other vehicles.
Nice find. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one. In fact I don’t think Canada got this generation of Tracer. I’ve always liked the idea of the Escort GT but they never came up at the right time and price so I’ve probably missed the boat on owning one now.
Nope, we had one in Hamilton David. Very rare even when new.
Thanks for the info – good to know.
I leased a ’91 LTS with a manual 5 speed. L-M dealer wanted to get it off the lot! I got it for 0 money down and leased for 3 years. When I tried to buy at end of lease, I got high pressure to ‘move up to a Cougar’! Was so mad, I went to Ford dealer and got a new ’94 Mustang v6, but Tracer was way better!!
“The one that got away”!
Did a Carfax, and my old ’91 was on the road until salvaged in 2004. No way would a 1981 Escort/Lynx last 13 years.
Car & Driver were unfair to the 1991 Escort GT, it was left off 10 Best since they said “It looks too much like the old one”. But, L-M dealers couldn’t care less, they used ‘bait and switch’ to push Tracer lookers into bigger Cougars, Sables, and even Marqs.
Interesting, I never thought of Carfaxing a car I used to own to see if it was still around….
I’ve done that before, was interesting, and in some cases, sad to learn of their fates.
Carfax only does modern 17 digit VIN’s, after 1981. Just FYI to all.
So, no, one cant track down a 60’s ‘classic’. 😉
My mother owned one of these cars. Hers was a 93 Black w/red stripes. We both really liked that car and it was very durable considering our lack of maintenance. We had the automatic just like this one but it was still a fun little car. Mercury outdid themselves on this one and I wouldn’t mind owning another myself.
The manual transmissions on the escort/tracers seemed sloppy. Maybe it’s because of the many civics I drove make an unfair comparison? Nice looking cars for their time. Heck, they still look good to me.
A buddy of mine had a ’92 in high school and I remember it being a pretty rugged little car (he took his off-roading down Jeep trails). That thing took one hell of a beating. I used to think the Escorts/ Tracers were awful when I was younger, but I’m definitely starting to grow an appreciation for these and other “simple” cars. Funny how we tend to yearn for the past, especially when cars today start at $20k and seem designed to deter anyone other than a labcoat-wearing technician from working on them.
I remember these cars as being quite attractive for the times. The Sable styling touches really did work.
If I recall correctly, if you initially wanted an Escort with four doors that wasn’t a wagon, you had to buy the five-door hatchback. If you wanted a four-door, non-wagon Tracer, you had to take this sedan. This sedan, along with the Sable styling cues, made the Tracer seem like a “step up” from the Escort.
Within a year or two, the Escort was also available as a four-door sedan…meaning that Mercury had, yet again, lost a unique selling point to its corporate sibling. It was around this time that I first wondered why Ford even bothered with Mercury.
Sentimental favorite of mine, since my bride owned a ’91 Escort wagon when we got hitched in ’92, and that became our family hauler for several reliable years. I, too, needed to get used to the auto seat belts. I also liked the handling. Then, the A/C died at 103k, and the words came down from on high from the wife: “Trade it in.”
My wife’s uncle had a Tracer quite similar to this, although I’m uncertain of the year; perhaps about a ’94 as he bought it new after she and I started dating. It was a good car for him, as I know he didn’t take great pains in maintaining it. It went to auction after he died, so who knows where it wound up. His had the Mazda 1.8 liter.
The wife did later buy one of the leftover ’96 Escorts just after the updated ’97’s came out. She had the two door with a five-speed and 1.9 liter engine. Great car, wonderful fuel mileage, except it didn’t voluntarily want to go faster than 60 mph before it got wound up like a chainsaw.
Later sold it to her older brother. It had just over 250k on it when one of the cylinders decided to retire.
“Great car, wonderful fuel mileage, except it didn’t voluntarily want to go faster than 60 mph before it got wound up like a chainsaw.”
This was true to my experience with Mazda products, 2 different 626’s. Great cars but not good freeway cruisers.
Ford got the notchback Tracer sedan body for 1992-96, and it ended up outselling the hatchbacks. Also, in ’92, Ford got an “LTS” as the Escort LX-E, but it never sold well as the GT.
There have been a few tuners who swapped in a Mazda 1.8 into their plain 91-96 “Scort”, Also, swap in Mazda seats and trim.
If I ever had to be stuck in a compact from the Early 90’s, this would be a dream. It was so many light years away from A J car or the Sundance/Shadow. I had one as a dealer loaner for a month while my 1998 Jetta was supposedly being “fixed.” When I say I preferred the Tracer LTS over a Jetta GLX VR6, I hope that’s sayin’ somethin….
That is saying something. That is a bit like a pre-GM Saab owner saying… You know what, I really liked the Oldsmobile better.
HA. And I think I’ve come to peace with the fact that I could never do a Curbside post on any Modern Volkswagen, given my conflicted emotions of ecstasy and rage associated with them.
The closest I ever got to one of these was filling out an entry slip to win a cheapo red sedan version of one of these when new, I lost.
I still think these are great looking cars. I have always preferred Mercury styling over the more pedestrian Ford versions of cars. Tracers were always rare sights even 10-15 years ago. I always remember getting excited every time I saw one (“Hey all-red tail lights! Not an Escort!). I still see some 3rd gen Tracers time-to-time, but I can’t remember the last time I saw a 2nd gen like this.
What about a 1st gen Tracer? I dont think I’ve even seen one in a u-pick/u-pull yard recently.
I got to drive a lot of these when I worked at Sesi’s car lot. They were actually fun with the manual. My biggest complaint was of course the motorized seatbelts. When the 1997’s came out in the summer of 1996 though, I immediately liked them better, as they boasted a much stiffer body structure, and felt a bit more refined overall. I had a 1997 Tracer LS that I drove as a demo/shuttle car for six months. I put about 12,000 miles on it in that time and loved it, so much so that I bought a new 1997 Escort LX Sport the next summer. It was a good car, and to this day I would recommend a clean one to anyone looking for a good, cheap car.
Wow, we had that exact car, same color and everything! I haven’t thought about that car for years!!
Early 90’s, I was working and driving my patched together 80 Concord. Meanwhile my brother, still in University was moaning at my Dad about how demeaning it was for him to be driving the 1981 Impala to school.
I come home one weekend, and there is the Tracer. I was rather annoyed at my brother, but delighted with the car.
Sadly yes ours was an automatic but the engine was in fact very happy to rev, it was crying out for a 5-speed. The handling was razer sharp, and it was rather a reliable car too. The other distinguishing feature I remember was the “mad mouse” seat belts, which must be broken in today’s subject car, because you can see the driver’s one is unlatched.
The Tracer holds a special place in my heart, because I borrowed it for a weekend trip to Boston with two delightful young ladies, one of whom became Mrs. DougD. My brother also courted his wife in it, one night he arrived home with scratches on the hood, and his explanation is legendary in our family to this day:
“There I was, driving along, paying attention, when suddenly a Christmas Tree appeared in the road”. He gets reminded of that every Christmas since.
Following my brothers graduation he was given the Tracer (more annoyance on my part), after a few years he had a family of five and the rusty Tracer was disposed of in favor of a minivan.
We very rarely saw another Tracer, even when ours was new. Can’t overstate what a fantastic little car it was. It influenced our decision to buy our Focus ZTS. Just one difference, ours has a 5-speed.
Another early ’90s Ford with seemingly huge tailights, but only one bulb per side.
Also, what was with the fake amber turn signals on the Escort sedan? IIRC, some Chrysler K-car variant was also bean-counted similarly.
One of my biggest pet peeves. Talk about being teased by the manufacturer.
Not only 1 bulb per side. 2 bulbs per taillight. I met a 1994 Tracer Trio where the red Sableish trunklid contained factory bulit-in 1+1 bulb too around the rear license plate! So by the night IT appeared quite powerful from the back with its 3+3 light sources per side. Pretty close appearance to a Sable…
Saying that “the new 1991 Escort and Tracer were essentially Mazda 323s” is a bit misleading, as this generation was co-developed between Ford NA, Ford AUS and Mazda.
Maybe a wee bit, but not much. Until someone can prove otherwise, I’m convinced that the heavy lifting (lead development) was done by Mazda. Undoubtedly, the other two were involved, probably primarily to adapt it to their specific markets and uses, but the underlying chassis and body structure was most likely Mazda’s primary responsibility.
Mazda has had an unbroken string of top-rated cars in this segment going back to the first FWD 323, regardless of whether Ford was involved or not. I believe Ford saw Mazda’s competency in this segment, and wisely chose not to meddle too much with it.
Having owned a 1997 Escort that had things done to it like a transmission rebuild, my trans guy claimed that Ford tuned the shift points etc for its fuel economy goals and what they felt were American needs. Personally I was much happier when he upgraded the parts to Mazda’s specifications. It really changed the character of the car.
The car as a whole felt much more Japanese than American.
Ford did the radio!
When Ford Australia first started building Mazda-based cars (in their now closed Sydney factory) it took a bit of adjustment to cope with having a round hole for bolting body parts together, instead of the traditional slot to allow for some tolerance/adjustment during assembly. With the Mazda/Japanese production system you didn’t need the adjustment!
The important part – from Ford’s standpoint – was that Joe and Jane Carbuyer bought one, had a good experience, and told everyone what a great car their FORD Escort was.
That was the case with my aunt. She had a 1986 Ford Escort wagon, and her husband had a 1986 Ford Escort Pony two-door hatchback. They got good service out of both, so she bought a 1992 Ford Escort wagon, and was very happy with it.
She had no idea of the Ford-Mazda connection. All that she knew was that Ford had built a very good small car with a Ford badge on the front. Unlike the Best and the Brightest here, she didn’t care about or worry about such things.
Ford does deserve credit for resisting the urge to “improve” the basic car when it was turned into a Ford and a Mercury.
You are correct on the lead development for the platform, as the Mazda B-Platform debuted in 1989.
The 1.9L engine and the 4-speed automatic transmission was Ford’s, so that was a contribution. The station wagon was Ford-only, and if it hadn’t been for the Escort badge sold through thousands of their dealerships, the 323 platform would’ve been even more of a footnote than it already is, despite its merits.
Here is the only Tracer I’ve seen in recent years, a wagon owned by an employee at my local supermarket. Two days after I took the photo, it turned up with the light-bar grille knocked out.
We didn’t get the wagon here in NZ/Aussie – which was disappointing as Ford Australia designed it! We were stuck with the previous shape Laser/323 wagon for another decade or so instead – despite getting the Ford Laser-badged Tracer sedan… A shame really, as actually the wagon was the only version of this shape that I thought halfway worked – the ugly flat-top rear wheelarch wasn’t as acentuated as on the sedan/hatches.
Ford had planned a “Mercury Tracer” variant of the new-for-2012 Focus until the Mercury brand was canned. I wonder if they had planned an LTS counterpart for the Focus ST.
Ford Laser Mazda 323 twins good little cars and seeing as the Ford EU developed Escort is also available here this is mostly Mazda, plenty of these still getting around.
This is nearly identical to the Ford Laser sedan as sold in Australia (although the sporty TX-3 trim including those wheels was only available on the hatchback), except the standard cars had 1.6 & 1.8L sohc Mazda engines, I think at least the 1.8L was 3 valves/cylinder. There was also the 3-door hatch which could be had with a 1.8L turbo and AWD.
They were not as popular as the previous model, I think they had grown just that bit bigger and heavier without really doing anything more for you other than a touch more interior room and poorer fuel economy – they outgrew the sweeet spot, and I think fell from market leadership in the segment.
Still a good durable car except for a tendency to burn oil.
When they burn oil, it is valve seals on this Mazda motor. Easy fix on an excellent and durable motor.
Yes, same in NZ, they outgrew the sweetspot and also left behind the previously pretty styling. Basically the same floorpan and wheel track as the old model – I remember reading in Wheels a Ford designer said that using the carryover floorpan, but needing a wider interior for the US market, meant the extra width came from putting bulging the sides between the door handles and the bottom of the doors.
We’ve had a number of the previous shape Laser/323/Familia in our family, but only one of this shape. But I’ve driven a few of this shape, didn’t like them – they felt under-engined and stodgy vs the previous model – and the interior wasn’t as nice to look at. No-one know has bought a Laser/323 since this shape – the beginning of the end perhaps as they grew too far from that afore-mentioned sweet spot.
I worked for Mazda and wrenched on all types of Tracers and they are virtually identical to the 323 and there ain’t nuthin’ wrong with that. These were really well engineered cars. Many of the aftermarket part numbers are identical on cross-reference indices.
When the 1986 323 came out nothing else could touch it in handling. When Toyotas and Hondas still had beam axles, the 323 had a multi-link IRS. I remember being fascinated when I drove it; you could burn down rough roads faster in one than anything I had ever driven at that point. Even the base models had Michelin tires. The lowly $8500 base 323 actually handled better than my $10,800 Jetta. Caused a whole lot less trouble, too.
All that yummy goodness got baked into the 1991 car here. Fortunately here in Canuckistan we were spared the mousey-belts. I had one as a driver for a week or so and I loved it, as it was the twin cam and the five speed. It was really a great driver, loads of fun, snick-snick shifter and quality everything. It drove just like a Mazda as that is essentially what it is.
I recall when I bought my Escort I was surprised by the independent rear suspension as well. IRS on a lowly compact econo wagon? It was my first four wheel independent suspension vehicle.
We had a 1987 Mercury Tracer 4 door hatch with 5 Speed MT. The handling was as you said. Ours was the highest trim level which was very nice. The Ford radio had poor connections to the speakers where they plug into the back. The dealer was useless on this. The handling was even better when we put Pirelli tires on it. The 1.6 litre engine was great, except for the carburetor. When I bought the FSM I found out the dealer was supposed to set up the “idle-up” solenoids for their “dealer prep” charge, among other things on the checklist. Instead they washed it, took the plastic off the seats, and installed the wipers. Sheesh. Retired in 2003 because it couldn’t pass emissions and the suspension anchors at the body for the trailing arms for the rear suspension were rotted. The rear disc brakes gave a bunch of trouble, as did the rear shocks. Front shocks were original when scrapped at 280,000 km.
To this day “passive restraints” are not required by Federal standards in Canada.
The Mazda engine was a really nice mill. My mother had a 91 Protege with the 16V engine and a 5 speed for a few years and it was both a fun drive and a decent cruiser on the occasions when i borrowed it. Sadly our Escort was 1.9 powered with a slushbox so it wasn’t as smooth or fun. It was still a solid and reliable hauler that gave us 15 years of service before cumulative wear and tear sent it to the scrapyard. The early 90s Escort/Tracer may not have much cachet but they definitely did the job.
Ahhhhh my late mother had a 95′ Tracer with the 5 speed. I would assume it was a base model, though sometime in 97′ while I was away with my dad she had it fitted with LTS alloys. Great car only thing that ever went wrong was the defroster switch broke because my mother told me it was the “Turbo” button so i would stop mourning the loss of her 87(?) Dodge Lancer Turbo 5 speed ( the car that got me started). Thanks for the great memory!
One cool feature of the Tracer vs the Escort was the seat base. There was a seat base tilt lever that allowed me to tip the seat base to be more supportive of my long legs.
Hey i own a 91 LTS, its an auto, and its pretty beaten down, i got it from my father in law for 800 bucks, it has seen its share of accidents so the frame seems to be misaligned, the hood and trunk door wont align to the rest of the body and needs a ton of body work
it still has a lot of life in that little engine though, i like to hit the highway and fly, you can feel it pulling when the gears kick in, and it sounds great too, much better than all the honda civics driven by wanna be thugs here
if i was to buy another car today it would be a manual LTS, if i could find one
Hello, nice pica for your Mercury, i have mi own red mercury, i want it to tunned up, so here in Peru its difficult to get some parts, For example I broke the front bumper, and I need one if possible to buy outside, and also I need the front mask with the mercury logo, also the rear spoiler, Please if you know where to get it, let me know, thanks and regards.
David.
I knew a lad who has an Escort GT 1.8 Litre IL4 / 5 speed manual transmission. I got a 1993Tracer base 1.9 IL4 with 4 speed automatic. This is powerful far enough too. This was my most reliable car ever. Only regular and easy servicings. Systematic cleanings inside and outside. No dash braking, no seat fabric tearings. Very durable at all. Parts could be sourced either from Ford and/or Mazda 323-Protegé. Aussies nameplated the Escort/Tracer as Laser.
Literally almost four years after this was posted, and why is there a blue LTS, a black GT, a black LX-E, and a white Protege LX for sale by me literally mere minutes away?
Moreso, why are ALL of them MANUAL?!
This is going to be a very tough decision for me, now that I want one…
My dad had one of these, a turquoise 1994 Tracer… Till a few stupid kids ran a stop sign.
Sad end to an otherwise reliable, no nonsense car…I’ve used it on more than one occasion.
Yep, definitely more Mazda feel to it, than Ford.
A Mercury with a story. This was my grandad’s last car, and when he died 10 years ago, it, like his Lebaron and Citation before it, was given to Bessie, the lady who, for 65 years kept the house, raised my step-mother and her brother, and attempted to keep my step-brother and me in line during the summers we spent in Montgomery. She passed away last week, and here it sits at her house. It’s not in perfect shape, but you can tell that she really took care of it. Hopefully one of her grandkids will enjoy it now.
Amazing what you can find on the net. My first new car out of college was a ’92 Tracer LTS, Strawberry Red metallic, 5sp. I loved that car, a more practical version of the Escort GT at the time. It was fun to drive with the DOHC 1.8L 16v motor, got decent mileage, had an amazing set standard features for the price range. The only thing that was a disappointment was the low gearing in 5th, too many revs at highway speeds. Bought it in May 1993 and sold it in June 1999 to a high school kid. I learned he totaled it a year later. ;-(