1997 Ford Escort

[R1blade75]

I'm new here and I'm looking to pickup a 1997 Ford Escort LX as my daily driver.

I have 3 questions and I'm hoping the folks here can help out.

1) On the dashboard, there is a flashing arrow that would light up occassionally. What is this?

2) The car is a stick shift. It has 119k miles and it drives nice, however, the stick shift seams to have a little more play than I like? meaning when I put the car into gear, I can essentially move the gear shift from side to side?

3) When I turned the engine off and I popped the hood, I can hear a slight hissing sound coming from one of the metal pipes. I'm not sure if this is the AC pipe, however, the hissing sounds tends to go away. The AC works really good, however, I'm not sure if there is a leak.

Finally, is there anything else I should look for before buying this car?

The guy is asking $ 1,250. The car is in very good shape. Is this a good deal. The tires almost new.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[phantom_smack]

Shift light
the bushing ings in the shifter are worn
It could be the ac equalizing

[R1blade75]

Originally Posted by phantom_smack

Shift light
the bushing ings in the shifter are worn
It could be the ac equalizing

Thanks for your response.

Since the shift lights come on, does that mean there might be a problem later down the road.

Regarding the bushings, is that expensive to replace at a shop or something I can do myself?

With the AC equalizing, is that a problem or is it normal?

I do have some basic mechanic knowledge so I would feel comfortable tackling the work if I had instructions.

[phantom_smack]

no its just fords way of telling you to shift

I have changed the bushings on a Festiva it was not hard,the shifters are pretty similar.

if that is what the noise is its normal