1981 Ford Fairmont futura review from North America

With over 200,000 miles on it, of course the car had some problems.

The carburetor had to be rebuilt.

The alternator needed to be replaced.

At 290,000 miles, the head gasket blew, warping the head.

The starter needed replacing.

Even with all those problems, the car never left me stranded. At its worst, the carburetor still functioned (just barely) well enough to get me around.

When the head gasket blew, I was in northern California, and the car still, on 3 cylinders, got me all the way back to Portland, on the freeway, at 60 mph. After fixing the gasket, it was discovered that the head was badly warped; there was a large amount of water in the oil- but it still drove reliably and smoothly for another 20,000 miles, although I had to add oil regularly.

The previous owner drove drunk into a concrete embankment, head on, at 40 mph. The car not only survived, but had only a bent bumper.

It gets about 24 mpg highway, 16 or so city.

The downsides-

The long wheel base makes U-turns difficult, and the vinyl seats are not very comfortable. The ride is a bit bumpy.

This particular car was not maintained at all, but still lasted this long.

Safe, surprisingly peppy, and reliable, this car is a soldier.

It finally died, due to metal fatigue in the engine and transmission, but I loved it so much, I bought another Fairmont to replace it.

I'd recommend a Fairmont or Zephyr to anyone.