1988 Ford Festiva review from North America

Things that I needed to fix were:

Timing belt - it didn't break, but with so many miles it was a good idea to replace.

Clutch - It was starting to slip so I had to replace the disk, pressure plate, and bearing.

Exhaust - The fun MN winters and salty roads took it's toll on the exhaust system, I've had to replace it twice actually.

Tires - Normal wear.

Struts - Normal wear.

Brakes - Normal wear, though Festivas have pretty tiny front brake pads that wear faster than some bigger cars.

Gas Tank sender unit - Under the rear seat. Gas gauge didn't work when I bought the car, bad sender unit.

Festivas are unusually durable cars! Everyone I've talked to who has owned one has commented how tough and reliable they are. Mine is no exception. I bought it from my brother who bought it used in 1990 with 50,000 miles. He drove it for a few years until it had 139,000 miles. I bought it from him and have pushed the mileage up to 210,000 miles. It still runs strong, but it is starting to use a little oil now. The body is rusting pretty bad now thanks to all the winter road salt, I think the body is going to go to the big junkyard in the sky before the drive train does! If the body were not so bad I am confident I could squeeze a few more years out of it no problem.

It's no powerhouse, but it does outperform my 2000 Chevy Metro, and it gets just as good mileage. Hey, I've had the needle up way past the 85 mph limit on I-90 in SD, so it isn't a total dog.

Much more roomy inside than the Metro. Surprisingly roomy, actually. My brother is 6'-5", 350 lbs and he fits in it no problem. I've hauled big TV sets in it, Marshall 4x12" guitar amp cabinets, stuff you would not think would fit inside!

The Mazda B3 drive train which is what is in the Festivas and Aspires is unusually tough. I know people who have gotten 350k-400k miles out the engines, which is almost unbelievable.

The car has never left me stranded, which is more than I can say for just about any other car I've owned.

OK, it's a little loud inside, the ventilation isn't the best in the summer, and it isn't the most beautiful car ever made, but these are pretty minor trade offs for great mileage and reliability.

I wish Ford still made these, I'd buy one right now, I'm seriously not kidding! I'm presently looking for another used Festiva or Aspire to replace this one because the body is getting pretty bad. I may hang onto this one for a winter beater for another year or two.