Faults:

Several things in 26 years.

Recently had the clutch replaced.

Rear hatchback shocks need replacing about every 7 years; have about 5 years left on the current shocks.

General Comments:

Love it. Recently got collectors plates on it in Wisconsin after shipping it from California in 2010, where it was purchased new in 1989.

Faults:

Rear shock failure.

Interior door lock buttons broke off.

1st gear difficult to engage when hot.

Reverse gear grinds once in a while.

Seat belts do not retract properly anymore.

General Comments:

Overall, this is a good cheap and cheerful car! These days the Fox is quite rare, and its boxy shape is impossible to get new!

It flies on the highway, the motor is smooth, but wind noise is a constant companion at any speed over 90 kph...

Fuel economy is alright on the highway at 8L/100 km, but the Fox turns into a pig in the city, gulping almost 12L/100 km, if you try to keep up with modern traffic from the stop lights.

The seats seem to have metal bars in them for lumbar support, and cause back pain after 15 minutes of driving. Taking this car on a road trip will mean buying seat cushions for sure.

Performance wise, it's good, and its 2 stage throttle body is fun to explore... although the fuel economy will plummet as the revs rise/

motor gets LOUD after 4000 rpm, so its 6500 rpm red line is unrealistic, since the noise will kill you.

It corners well in normal driving, even when pushed a bit. However, hitting potholes is a very loud affair in the Fox, which detracts from the good build quality of this car.

The Fox is a good little car. Not really great at anything, but it seems to try hard, and has been very very reliable. Definitely happier on the highway, if you can stand the wind noise ;-)

Faults:

Front driver side wheel bearing: shattered (due to my own fault, too heavy rims with wheels cambered).

Heater hose popped.

Water leak in the trunk (backseat got people's butts wet).

Hood prop rides the alternator at times (no clip to hold it).

Car stalls making left turns at times (usually when low on gas).

Stop and go traffic is this car's worst enemy LOL; maybe a bad return?

Car randomly has trouble starting on rainy days or when parked on wet grass.

Passenger side and rear headrests coming undone at the seams.

Moisture on the inside of windows at times, can't seem to find the exact location of the bad weather stripping.

General Comments:

This car is overall a solid 8 in my book, only because of how frequent I was having problems at one point, but after I fixed these issues, it hasn't given me grief ever since.

The interior is Ford-like with switches and handles falling off or breaking, but the electric and engine parts are SOLID; oil change, spark plug, and bulb replacement was all I needed to overcome anything wrong in these areas.

I can tell this car was driven hard, but based on performance, it was made to handle punishment. I haven't even taken it all the way to the rev limiter, and I say that I feel confident in doing so, so if you want a car that will take a beating and still love you, this is it.

Of course, space is an issue, but it's a compact car! What, you want a Lincoln sized interior? Well then buy a Lincoln! Haha, but seriously, I could fit a couple bodies in the trunk of this car, easy.

So in conclusion, this car should be part of your life in some way. It hasn't been trouble free (what car is at this age?), but considering its age and mileage, this is a great investment. Just make sure you have some extra money put away for surprises!