1989 Ford Fairlane review from Australia and New Zealand
"Like a MRS - rough, tough, but rewarding"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Head gasket Blew - due to prior neglet of old owner he never repaired it - he notified me he travelled around 80 thousand kilomiters with a blown head, in which he told me he just topped up 4 litres of oil a week to keep her going.
Central locking solonoid motor in drivers door collapsed.
Power window switches wiring can sometimes become loose - easy fix.
Drivers seat foam was a little saged - previous owner above average weight - to be expected.
General comments?
OK here is the story.
I Aquired the vehicle september 06. I purhcased the car for a slab of beer. I was aware of the kilomiters, the blown head (it just wouldn't die) still drove home. as long as you kept your foot on the pedal. from the day this car was purhcased it was on LPG. - conversion - I personally knew the owner and I know he never used petrol. he got 18 years out of this motor, 365000 kms out of it 80 thousand of which was driving with a broken engine mount and blown head. due to the car only being run on LPG the fuel pump had ceased after 18 years of non use. this to me is a true testiment to ford reliability. to think this man couldnt possibly negrect this car any more and it still Never gave up on him. so I took it off him. replaced the motor with the EB 4.0L which was more powerful at 148 KW and quieter, I replaced all the blown shocks and made it super low. foxed the body dents and resprayed it. added EL side mirrors and handles And changed the egg-crate grille for the DC LTD chrime grille with emblem. as for the interior I swapped it for the NC Fairlane ghia and the car is still on its original 3 speed transmission. which in my opinion is more relaible than the 4 speed having owned both.
If there are any other people out there with a testiment to ford durability please comment back.
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![]() ![]() | I bought a lemon |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model Year | 1989 |
| First year of ownership | 2006 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2007 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.9L In-Line 6 cylinder Automatic |
| Performance marks | 9/10 |
| Reliability marks | 9/10 |
| Comfort marks | 10/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 7/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 365000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 385000 kilometres |
| Previous car | BMW 5 Series |
| Date of Entry | 15th February, 2007 |

