Comments: 1-15, 16-22
The Thermostat went at 129,210 miles, but that is to be expected on a twelve year old vehicle.
The rear Windshield Wiper works, but gets stuck. They never seemed to function properly on any Ford Festiva anyways.
The doors sag a little, but it doesn't phase me one bit and I will most likely have a Mechanic tighten them down.
The Drivers Side Door Window is off track some, but I don't really care.
The car drives extremely well and doesn't leak any Oil!
She starts up every time!
The Transmission shifts perfectly!
The Brakes stop on a dime!
It's quite a speedy little vehicle, but I don't expect her to beat a Mustang.
There is minimal rust on it and the undercarriage is in near mint condition!
I find the interior comfortable with plenty of leg and head room.
The heat works great if you set the Climate Controls on Defrost.
I know I will be saving a lot of money on gas!
I bought my Festiva on eBay.
"It's quite a speedy little vehicle, but I don't expect her to beat a Mustang."
LMAO! I suppose, if you compare it to a chevy Sprint with an automatic. I owned an Aspire with an auto tranny for a short time, and it was very slow. The Aspire weighs a good 300 pounds more than a Festiva so it's a safe bet that it would be slower, but on the other hand, the Aspire had better gearing than a Festiva, or so I've been told. I suppose though, if an automatic Festiva was tuned up right, and nothing extra was being carried aboard the car, it would be spritely around town. By the way, I wasn't trying to insult you or the review, I just happened to find it funny. Coming from a former Aspire owner, that's a good thing.
Ya guessed wrong, there was no LX model in 93, only a L and GL.
Giving a car you just got a 10/10 rating in everything is ridiculous.
Thanks for the "speedy" comment, however, that was hilarious.
Well, I wasn't sure because there are no emblems on my 1993 Ford Festiva which is a good thing because I plan on adding Kia and Mazda emblems anyways. I rated everything a 10 on the car because it has just been a fun and reliable vehicle to drive, despite what may be wrong with it. You have no right to criticize my review because you decide to drive your SUV all over God's Creation. Do not expect me to wipe your tears when gas goes up to $4.00 a gallon next year. I will simply drive my Festiva by the Gas Station and laugh at you hysterically. I will not even offer to drive you to the Grocery Store when your $30,000 SUV is sitting in your yard next summer collecting Foliage.
Hmm. For the record, I drive a '96 Toyota Tercel coupe, bought in 2003 with 87,000 miles for $1450, which in my estimation was a much better buy than your 129K mile 93 Festiva for $1200 in 2005. It now has 113K miles and the only things I have had to do to it have been replacement of front brake pads and fuel pump. And no, it does not look like a refugee from the junkyard and the a/c still works. I do not own an SUV and could think of much better ways to spend $30K.
This site is supposed to be for reviews of cars based on owner's experiences with them. You just got your Festiva and have little or no experience with it to report on, but you have already posted a "review" and at least one comment on another review. Your "ratings" are suspect because they are obviously based on your expectation that the Festiva will be a good car. For your sake, I hope it is, but why don't you post a comment here after you have put, say, 15-20K miles on your car? Then it will be a more accurate assessment of your car's strengths and weaknesses, which is the whole purpose of this site.
$1,450 for a 1996 Toyota Tercel with 87K was a good buy in 2003, but I bet you get 30-35 MPG on the highway. Personally, I love all Japanese cars especially the Toyota. I never said your Toyota was a refugee from the Junk Yard, I assume it is a well kept vehicle, considering the fact that you paid $1,450 for it. My Festiva was worth what I paid for it because it is in nice shape, it drives nice, it's comfortable, it gets great Gas Mileage, it can hold a lot of cargo for such a small car, the Engines in these cars can get up past the 500,000 mile mark before they decide to give out, and I am sure I could make a profit if I decided to re-sell it, which I won't. I'll admit, I should have waited before posting a review. I've put about 10 miles on the car since I have bought it if that helps, lol. I still think that the Ford Festiva is a loyal friend until the end... of time that is.
I just bought a '93 Festiva also. First tank got 40.1 mpg. Every tank since has improved. Last tank got 49.2 mpg. The car is also easy and cheap to fix. If I don't care about gas, it'll do 85 mph with the A/C on. Best $850 I ever spent.
Hello, I am the gentleman who posted this review. Wouldn't doing 85 with your 1993 Festiva redline the Engine? I have done 80 with mine and I wouldn't dare push her past her limitations. Believe it or not, I have beat many V6 vehicles on the expressway, roads, etc. I also beat a Semi Hauler. You are very lucky that $850 was all you have had to invest into your Festy. I have invested over $2,500 into mine and it still needs more repairs. I bought my car on eBay and I got taken to the Cleaners so to speak. The moron who sold it to me for $1,426 lied through his teeth and my Mechanic has had to replace the Radiator, the Engine Fan, the Thermostat, the Wiring, the Fuses, the Front Brakes, the Master Cylinder, the Left Control Arm, and the Tie Rod Ends which a different Mechanic replaced before I took over ownership of the car. The Engine however has not given me any trouble though and I get about 30 MPG on the Highway and in the City. You must have a Manual Shift Festiva if you are getting 40-49 MPG. The Automatic ones do not get the greatest Gas Mileage, but it's better than driving a V6 that gulps gas down. I love my Festiva and I now have almost 129,600 miles on it. Good luck with yours.
Hi, I bought a 92 Festiva a couple of months ago for $150. It only needed a windshield & front rotors to get it roadworthy. I bought it with intents of pulling the gas engine and putting in an electric motor (I can recharge at work for free). Anyway, the car runs so well and with 35-40 mpg (1.3L, 5 speed) I don't have the heart to yank the engine yet. I'm now trying to find another Festiva for the electric conversion. It's great to not drive my Chevy K1500 pickup every day (12-14 mpg) and now my wallet has more money in it each week!
I bought my festiva L at a thrift store for $300 two yrs ago.
It had 216.000 miles. i replaced the battery at the thrift
store & drove it home. Over time I have installed 4 new tires
rear wheel bearings, both outer cv boots, muffler,sparkplugs
valvecover gasket, fuel filter,& just a month ago a used
alt. From Ebay. The little car or (matchboxcar) as I call it. She runs great I get 43 mpg at 60 mph. No A/C, but I don't
mind.She only has a 4 speed, but it does OK.Over all I think
it's a great commuter car for work or etc, I'm currently looking to buy another one with more goodies on it just because its to good of a deal to pass up. Thanks cliff.
I have a 95 Ford Aspire, which was the replacement for the Festiva and manufactured 94-97. For anyone thinking of buying one of these little cars I have lots good to say and a caution as well. The car is a gem, it was given to me by a family with a new baby who had to step up in size. The car drives great, is very stingy on fuel (5 Speed) and runs as quiet as I've heard a car run. For the price these cars can be snatched up for, I say go for it, they work great and are reliable. Now, the word of caution, these cars have tiny suspension parts that tended to wear prematurely. Because they were only made for 4 years the parts are just not readily available over the counter at your local parts store. One case in point, the lower ball joints! They are part of the lower control arm assembly, can't be bought as separate items and are super expensive from the dealer. Also, every car I have found so far in a wrecking yard has had bad ball joints as well. New from Ford is the only way to go it seems. Before you buy one of these cars, check the suspension over well through your mechanic. Also, gas tanks seem to be another bad part for corrosion and are equally difficult to find.
Hope this helps.
Paul
Kingston, On
Canada.
Well, I have a 1988 Ford Festiva I successfully swapped a V-6 Toyota Supra Twin Turbo J motor and converted it to AWD. I run low 8's in the quarter mile and I haven't been beat yet. Quick little car.
Assuming you really did put a Supra engine in your Festiva, and, um, converted it to AWD... what does that have to do with the performance of a stock Festiva?
Hey, do you remember the SHOgun? Some company took at Taurus SHO engine (made by Yamaha) and mounted it amidships in a Festiva. Killer car. Sounds like yours is even faster.
Hey, do you remember the SHOgun? Some company took at Taurus SHO engine (made by Yamaha) and mounted it amidships in a Festiva. Killer car. Sounds like yours is even faster.
I purchased a 1993 festiva new. It cost $6,300 including tax. I averaged 43 mpg for 5 years. The only problem I had with this car was at about 160,000 the rear bearings were replaced and after that, it lost it's grease twice. Might have been a mechanic problem. I kept it until it had 230,000, it still ran strong.
I got screwed when I traded it in, I was told I'd get $300, they gave me $100.
I should've kept it! Now I wish I had kept it, I'd love to have restored it.
I used to buy four tires for $100 or less at Sears, they used those tires as the come on price you see in the ads. Cheap car, cheap car to maintain.