1991 Ford Festiva L review from North America
"I wish they still made them; I'd get another in a heartbeat"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Muffler rusted out at approx 100K km.
Head gasket blown at about 120K km, due to my daughter leaving the radiator cap off and overheating the engine.
One of the taillight gaskets dried out, allowing water to seep into the lens.
Dome light fails intermittently.
Driver's window sometimes jams while rolling it up.
Speedometer indicates miles-per-hour, but odometer registers kilometers (car is a US model).
General comments?
I bought this car new for my wife to replace an old Volkswagen bug. It has performed extremely well over the years. All of my driving-age children have learned to drive in it (manual transmission) and have used and abused it, and it still keeps going. I rebuilt the engine a few thousand km ago, and the car runs like new, delivering better than 42 mpg.
The car is the simplest model that was available, purchased without air-conditioner (in the Arizona...), no radio and no frills. After 15+ years, I'm finally giving it to my younger son who is in the Navy. I hope he will take proper care of it (I have personally done all the maintenance work on the car, and taught my sons to do the same) and appreciate its fine performance and economy, especially with gas prices climbing.
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| It is the bane of my existence |
|
| Cheap and cheerful.. |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Model year | 1991 |
| Year of manufacture | 1991 |
| First year of ownership | 1991 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.3 liter gas Manual |
| Performance marks | 9 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 10 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 0 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 162000 kilometres |
| Date of Entry | 21st November, 2005 |