One of my rallyist mates came across the same issue (pricey escorts). He ended up buying a chevette, reckoned it was 98% as good as an escort, but 25% the price. Also allowed him to have a bit more of a care free approach to his motorsport (with less at stake in case of an error),.. which if anything, meant he went quicker.
I can see the appeal of the escorts, but do think that their value is a bit too inflated for what you get. ... but I guess that's the classic car market,... just look at the fancy porky beetle prices for example!
