1991 Ford Festiva L review from North America

Transmission broke - 3 times!

CV axle failed.

Windshield washer broken.

Battery died.

Rear brakes stick.

Driver's door doesn't open or close right.

Windows don't open properly.

Exhaust rusted out.

Light switch/turn signal arm messed up.

I bought this $700 piece of junk from a dealer in early 2006. I was told Festivas get 40 mpg and gas prices were going up at the time, so I forked over my hard earned cash and drove off in my very own Ford Festiva.

Within a week I had to spend as much as I paid for the stupid car to replace the muffler, which conveniently rusted out, the transmission, which conveniently seized up 400 miles from home, the battery, which conveniently died on the day I bought the car, and the window mechanism, which conveniently broke.

For the last year it ran OK, and I got the advertised gas mileage, but a lot of little things went wrong - the driver's side door developed issues with the handles, lock mechanism, and window crank, the back brakes started to drag, and the control arms by the steering wheel stopped working properly. It also made strange rattling noises at highway speeds, and the new transmission made a kind of whirring noise at speeds over 35.

Finally the new transmission blew and I replaced it, only to have a CV axle go bad and 4th gear stop working at the same time.

That was the last straw, so I dumped the car on my brother who is now the proud owner of a car worse than the Yugo I drove before.