1994 Ford Aspire Based Model from North America - Comments

A) Battery dead, $85 CAD.

B) Key cylinder assembly, Ford parts will cost $400 plus, too expensive so just lube up with WD-40.

C) Catalytic converter, Ford parts $600 plus, but the muffler shop replace it with a generic converter instead, cost muct less at $200.

D) Liftgate hydrolic support broken, Ford parts will cost over about $80, but went to junk yard got a used one for $20.

I know this is a economy car, but the car parts are very expensive and not readily available, very little aftermarket parts so you are usually forced to pay Fords premium price, believe me the parts are really EXPENSIVE on this car!!!

The car is very economical, insurance is cheap. Car is very underpowered, I have a 5 spd and you learn to anticipate when passing someone or else you'll never make it. Don't buy one with automatic and air-conditioning because your car will be so slow you'll be better off riding a bike. Almost no aftermarket parts available, so you're forced to purchase from a Ford dealership, they charge an arm and a leg for parts, for example I need a lock cylinder for my car, Ford will only sell a lock cyliner assembly with everything else with it for over $400 plus labor, which is totally unnecessary, I guess that's how they make money. Tire is unique size so not many places carry them, or they have to special order so expect to pay a premium for one.

You are absolutely correct. Ford parts are outrageously expensive. I wrote a review of my '02 Explorer. Once I started repairing it outside of Ford dealers, repair costs were cut in half AT LEAST!

I just traded in my 1996 Aspire with 173,000 miles, but did not know that its parts were expensive because it never broke. 173,000 miles still never used or leaked oil. My only complaint with the car was that it was very noisy at expressway speeds.

Ford parts really are through the roof. The smartest move I ever made was to sell my 1994 Mercury Cougar, which had less than 100,000 miles on it, and buy a 1994 BMW. The BMW has over 100,000 miles on it, drives like new, and has not required nearly as much work. The BMW parts are also about one-half as much as the Ford parts were. Labor is also less because the BMW is much easier to work on. I used the same private mechanic for both models, so the differences ARE real.

We've had a 1996 Ford Aspire that has been part of our family since we bought it new 13 years ago. After eight years of my wife using it as a daily commuter/grocery car, we gave it to our son, who used it as a student car up country. In addition to daily trips to and from school, he would often drive down to the coast, a 600 kilometer excursion at high speed. After two years of that, it was passed on to our daughter, who again uses it to commute to work, plus as a weekend getaway vehicle with surfboards and friends.

In thirteen years and 180 000 kilometers, there haven't been any major problems - the ignition key design isn't the best, but once we learned to be careful, no problems. The glove box door latch has given up the ghost. Exhaust is original, we're on the third set of tires. I need to buy a new battery, again the third to go in the vehicle. The upholstery is kind of grubby, but there's only one place where the stitching is shot.

The engine starts first flip every time. The car is admittedly a little noisy at highway speeds, but so are a lot of other vehicles.

This just might be the best vehicle we ever owned.