ChrisT, I am not familiar with rust areas on the Escorts, in fact I've never seen a ZX2 with any rust...Cept the fools who rust their hoods
Zach, you'll just have to find a route and time that will allow you to get outa town with minimum impact to the mpg. That is what I've had to do with my commute to minimize th losses. If I could get perfect commutes every day, then I could go 50+ mpg
Your parents got a good deal! There were probably impressed with your success....