1986 Ford Telstar Reviews

Drive shaft needs replacing, noticeable when over 4500rpm.

Rear exhaust broken needs replacement.

Rear lock barrel difficult to open, requires a high effort.

The front bumpers, and body side protection moulding fade badly and do not match - sun load testing questionable.

Oil everywhere in engine bay, but still goes hard.

Pretty quick old car, handles OK, still don't love front wheel cars due to torque steer, but pretty good for an oldie.

The front right CV joint has broken.

It used to have an alternator that needed replacing.

The ignition module needed replacing.

The Telstar is a reliable car and goes fairly well.

Occasionlly it runs a bit rough due to the cold weather we have in Mt Gambier (it has a manual choke).

The seats are fairly comfortable around town, but on long trips they do tend to get painful.

I have done a drag in it against a VK commodore and lost by a centimetre due to a near collision with it otherwise I would have blown it out of the water.

So far so good. I had to have the gear linkages done for the roadworthy, and some work on the non-factory fitted turbo.

This car handles very well for what it is.

Water pump failed. Not a do it yourself job, got it out OK, but had to get mechanic out to put new one in.

Distributor Condenser did NOT like cold weather, I lived in Lithgow, NSW for a winter and it was very hard to start when temp 3 deg or below.

Antifreeze a must in cold weather, found that the radiator would freeze up and water boil while driving.

Hard vinyl surfaces cracking peeling and crumbling.

Several oil leaks fixed in this car over the time I had it.

Seats a bit on the thin side, padding wise, so not really comfortable on long drives.

Good reliable (as long as its not snow country) about town car for a small family. Not a lot of legroom for growing boys over 12 in the back.

Traded in on a larger car. I t was starting to loook tired and worn when I traded it.

Rear suspension needed replacing.

Over sized tyres rubbed till suspension replaced.

Air conditioning system clutch failed and other problems.

Rear hatch gas struts no longer hold the weight.

Handbrake cable replaced.

Lots of oil in the engine bay, but no fatality yet.

For less than $3000, this car really impressed me. After owning new cars for many years, travel expenses meant buying a cheaper car, but I wanted something fun to drive that could hold its own at the lights...

If you remove the restriction plate from the rear muffler (or in my case remove the rear muffler..), a whole lot more power is unleashed making this a fairly quick car. From factory they have a low boost which has helped mine make it past 350,000km with only 1 rebuild.

Handling is sloppy, torque steer hilarious, especially with the power increased (see above). Equipment levels impressive and all power functions still working fine. Takes four people and gear easily.

Overall I'm surprisingly happy with this cheap thrill-mobile.