Faults:

The Battery is dead.

The exhaust Pipe has a hole in it, the pipe was replaced 2 years from the day I recieved the car.

The floor is very moldy.

The oxygen sensor is blown.

General Comments:

It is a nice car. (This is my 1st car.)

It is nice to have.

It handles great.

The acceleration is good.

Very roomy.

Faults:

The left headlight motor stopped working.

The right headlight just recently burnt out.

Alternator belt snapped while doing about 70 mph on the interstate.

The hatchback doesn't stay up on it's own anymore.

Two blown out speakers.

Main 80A fuse blew, but that was my fault.

New Ractive muffler and exhaust. Exhaust leaks at the manifold.

New air filter.

General Comments:

There's a long list of problems, but they were all easy and relatively cheap to fix.

The car is extremely loose on the road, but would handle much better if I put decent tires on it.

It's lacking power off the line, but second gear is very strong and more than well makes up for it.

It's surprisingly fast considering the great gas mileage. I'm still deciding if it's worth making it a performance car. It runs very strong now at 240000 miles and it does beat most cars I race.

I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a cheap sporty car with excellent gas mileage.

Faults:

Automatic antenna stopped working first.

Next I had to replace the alternator and it had to be a new one, not a refurbished one.

About 4 yrs. ago, my cassette and CD player stopped working and speaker system is down to one speaker.

Seat belt plastic housing (where belt snaps in) are badly cracked in front.

Recently had to replace both sun visors.

General Comments:

Best and most reliable American car I have ever owned (although has a Mazda 626 engine). Ford stopped making them, probably because they are so reliable. I see them on the road all the time and would purchase another one just like it. Even tho' it's 14 yrs. old, still looks great and has a very sporty look.

It has a lot of power for a 4 cyl. and drives smoothly at 90+ mph.

Faults:

When I bought it, it needed a timing belt, exhaust system, and the drivers side window needed to be lubricated. Just the other day, I had to jack up the car and noticed that the jack was stripped (pain to jack it up.. VERY hard!) None of these are -in my opinion- major problems.

General Comments:

This car is awesome. It is my first car and I love it. Most kids I know end up with either a P.O.S car or a civic. This car is essentially a Mazda (because it was built by Mazda) and my family had owned a mazda with the same engine previously. That car had gone well over the 200,000 mile mark and I hope that this one will do the same. The turbo on this car is great stock, but when you add a boost controller it will give your passenger(s) whiplash. Handling is great due to the adjustable suspension, but it should be even better after I change the tires (I've never heard of the brand that's on it now.) The car handles like if it was glued down to the ground. The front seats are supportive (adjustable bolsters) and fairly comfortable, and the back seats are cramped (good thing I'm the driver.) I fit in the front with no problems (I'm 6' tall) and my head just touches the rear due to the slope. The ride is not like a BMW or Mercedes, but it's not a luxury car, it's a "sports car." It is not uncommon for me to get this car over 25 m.p.g. in the streets of N.Y.C. and over 30 on the expressways/parkways.