1993 Ford Telstar AX 2.6 lt V6

Summary:

A nice car let down by parts prices!

Faults:

Ignition fault at 164,000. Had to replace the distributor, a new one cost me $1,157.00, for a couple of bucks worth of cast alloy, some pressed sheet metal parts, a coil and some bits of plastic!

Drive train noise undiagnosed as yet.

General Comments:

For all of its good looks, handling and comfort, the Telstar is seriously let down by the price of parts.

The rear hatch tail light facia panel for instance, which is just just a piece plastic with the reverse lights and number plate lights in it, believe it or not it costs $1,200.00 to replace!

If you were to build a car from parts it would work to be worth over $100,000.00. How do you justify the cost of the parts?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 23rd December, 2005

1993 Ford Telstar TX5 2.5 Quad Cam V6

Summary:

Good car, maintenance can be painful and expensive

Faults:

New air conditioning condensor at 80,000km, a result of a stone going through the old one.

New clutch and CV joints at 100,000km.

Brake pads front and back at 110,000km.

New bushes front and back at 130,000km.

Water pump died at 130,000km.

General Comments:

Overall it's been a good car. It's had it's fair share of wear and tear maintenance done on it over the 2 years that I have owned the car. It's done nearly 65,000km in two years so things are bound to go wrong on it in that time.

A lot of my friends comment on how new the car looks, it has kept it's age well and definitely does not look the 11 years old that it is.

Cars engine performance is very good, the transmission and suspension is not up to the same spec as the engine, although it's classified as a luxury car and not a sports car.

Whenever anything goes wrong it's always an expensive exercise as it's not a real mainstream car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 2nd November, 2004

13th Aug 2013, 09:44

These cars are extremely reliable and well made compared to some.

But this wasn't the model that established Mazda's world wide reputation for reliability.

More costly and complicated to repair than they have any right to be. You could forgive the expensive parts and repair costs if it were a desirable collectible sports car. Oh hang on, it's a mid sized Japanese family car (Mazda 626 with a track record for cooling system problems).

If you're on a budget, look else where. If you're rich, you certainly won't be looking here!

Buy only if very cheap.

1993 Ford Telstar TX5 Ghia V6 2.5L

Summary:

Overall, I really like the car, but repairs and parts are pretty costly

Faults:

Replaced timing belt and 2 timing pulleys at around 230000. Replaced worn suspension rubbers with neoprene at 240000. I had a front caliper jam on at 245000 had to put in new seal kits. Replaced front disc rotors at 250000. Clutch and injectors are being done next week at 260000.

General Comments:

I have also had the engine cut out at high speed. Pulled over to side of road waited a few minutes and it restarted. Spoke to auto electrician, said it sounded like ignition module. Mechanic has said could be that or air lock in fuel or electric pump problem. Apparently if you hook it up on a computer it may have registered the fault when it occurred. Does anyone know if a 60 series tyre will fit on the 15 inch rim without touching anywhere? Any ideas please?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th January, 2004

16th Jun 2004, 21:22

Ford Telstar Ghia 1993 - Engine cutting out at high speed has happened to me in my vehicle too. Which today has proven to be very dangerous, cutting out on a freeway at peak hour at a speed of 85kms! Must be a fault in that years model.

28th Jun 2004, 19:42

I too have had my 1993 Telstar TX5 cut out at approx. 100kmh.

As with the previous comment, I pulled over to the side of the motorway and waited a few minutes, at which point it started again no problem. The alarm I had installed has had problems too, going off (at a reduced volume) when driving down the road. The installation is fine, so it points to an electrical fault within the car. Any further comments would be welcome.

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1993 Ford Telstar TX5 Ghia 2.5 V6 petrol

Summary:

An excellent mid-sized luxury car that is expensive to maintain, but is very good for touring

Faults:

The switching unit in the ignition wore out because it was mounted inside the distributor and suffered from too much heat. This cost around $500 to fix with a reconditioned and modified distributor (with transistors mounted in a cooler place, but would have cost $1600 for a new distributor from Ford.

The water pump started leaking and this cost $700 to fix because of the insane complexity of the front of the engine - it took an entire day at the mechanic's workshop.

Oil leaks from various parts of the engine, but this is to be expected in an engine that has done 200,000km. It can't be fixed though, because the work would involve major labour and would cost thousands.

General Comments:

The car is very smooth, quiet and powerful.

It has a very comfortable interior and lots of features. The oscillating air vents are really good and yet I haven't seen them on any other make of car.

The car looked good when it was built and people still comment on how new it looks - it seems to be styled to make it look modern for a long time.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st August, 2002

4th Aug 2002, 22:32

The air conditioner was making a horrible noise when I bought the car at 143,000km and it eventually died at about 185,000km. Replacement of the compressor cost about $1,300 (I wrote the inital review and this is a point I forgot to mention).