1991 Ford Festiva GL 1.3 from North America

Summary:

Best bargain I ever had

Faults:

Replaced brake pads at 62,000 miles.

Replaced muffler at 69,00 miles.

Had thermostat replaced at 74,000 miles.

General Comments:

If they still made these cars, I'd buy another one in a heartbeat. For a car this small, it was surprisingly comfortable. While not a hot rod, it had pretty good zip for such a tiny engine. I bought the car from a friend who had rescued it from a junkyard following a wreck. The car was tough, I drove it nine years with almost no problems. It got terrific gas mileage and could handle almost any amount of snow. I'd still have it today, but an encounter one morning with a deer was its sad end. It took being totaled a second time to finally do it in.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st August, 2004

1991 Ford Festiva L 1.3L from North America

Summary:

Likely the best economy car I'll ever own..

Faults:

The exhaust blew a hole in itself at 190K.

Alternator and the Battery both died, I'm sure the alternator killed the battery first.

Changed the bearings and the brakes.

The heat stopped working after my girlfriend drove the car for a couple of kilometers with the "engine overheating" light on. Changed the belts and the water pump after that...

Rust in the front of the hood, rust under the Ford insignia at the rear. Rust all over, actually.

The seats are pretty much destroyed, hidden by ugly seat-covers.

Wiper fluid only comes out of one side now.

Hole in the gas tank at the half mark.

General Comments:

What a great car!

I can't say that I've ever owned a car that I've enjoyed more than this one. I drive it every day back and forth to work. I've been telling myself that I'm going to drive it until it dies, but the engine won't stop working! It's definitely the most reliable car I've ever owned. It's a great car to drive, whether you're going back and forth to work, or whether you're doing a 17 hour drive to Thunder Bay. Nothing will stop this car. I only wish that these were still made. I'd buy one new in an instant. Of course if I got it new, I'd have it rust-checked before I drove it off the lot... :) A great bargain, and a great car to drive. No blind spots, turns on a dime.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th April, 2004

1991 Ford Festiva LX 1.3 from North America

Summary:

Gas miser, and a great first car

Faults:

Left front brake line blew at 130000km (replaced for very little cost)

Heater return pipe sprung a leak. (replaced with a rubber hose) at about 190000km.

Valve cover gasket leaked at about 120000km (routine problem with most older cars)

Exhaust system rusted out around 117000km (common problem with small engine cars)

Handbrake cable broke (again) around 125000 (probably a faulty cable to begin with)

General Comments:

I purchased this car from a kind old lady for $100. She had only driven it about 3000km since 1997-2003. So a lot of the problems listed above are probably due to inactivity and lack of use.

In either case the Festiva is a great choice for a first car, even if the insurance is astronomical.

They run on very little gas for quite a long time.

The ride is actually surprisingly supple and comfortable, even with the annoyingly high amount of road/wind/engine noise.

Although this is not a sports car by any means, the little Mazda-built 1.3 easily gets up to 140KM/H.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 31st March, 2004

28th Jan 2005, 16:00

Well this is the owner of the Festiva from this article. I just wanted to make the accouncment that my poor car has finally seen it's end. Not by it's choice mind you. At 148000KM she got rear ended by 3 cars going 120KM/H whilst I had her stopped for Construction closures (Every lane was stopped) And of course, she got totaled.

I've made this to tell you that despite her small size she holds up well in a crash, the passenger compartment was left intact and the seat belts worked great. Considering I was hit with about 10,000lbs+ of steel going anywhere from 80-120KM/H (About 45-70M/H) she held up great and I'm proud to have owned her. I even had no injuries, no even a sore chest from the belt. In either case, she served me well, and now she can rest.

The Festiva is a wonderful car over all, not a winner in looks or speed. But for the fuel effiancy, and insurance cost there is no better car of that class and price, and it would make a supurb grocery getter or student car.