1990 Ford Tempo GL 2.3 liter EFI from North America

Summary:

On a scale of 1 to 10, a solid 6

Faults:

Great little car! Got it for my daughter for her first car. No problems except the previous owner did a brake job and didn't bleed them.

The other problem is the power steering fluid was absolutely black with fine metal particles floating in it. Bought a new pump, and found out the high pressure hydraulic line had a pin-hole in it. That is the big problem. A new hose is $10, but to replace it you must remove the entire steering assembly, exhaust system, dashboard, part of the firewall, and numerous other parts (according to the shop manual). Found out it is a $2500.00 job to get a shop with a hoist and full tools to undertake. We don't have that kind of money, so I am trying to repair the existing hose.

General Comments:

Good value for the money.

Respectable fuel economy.

Easily available replacement parts.

Poor quality paint.

Poor quality interior fit and finish.

Good starter car for a new driver.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th October, 2010

1990 Ford Tempo LX 2.3L from North America

Summary:

Great if in good shape

Faults:

This car was extremely rusty when I acquired it from a friend for $1.

A few parts were needed, but parts for these things are a dime a dozen, so parts were cheap and easily accessible.

General Comments:

The car handled very well, even on gravel roads, got great gas mileage as well, probably around 29MPG.

Had to get the car safetied in my province, drove it there, got told the car was an automatic fail because of the rust, so I started to drive it home, got sideswiped, and totaled it off. Big disappointment, but a blessing in disguise.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th December, 2009

1990 Ford Tempo GL 2.3 from North America

Summary:

Powerful for the size, but be prepared for work if you want it to be unstoppable

Faults:

Struts and shocks all around the car need replaced. They bounce like a basketball.

Head gasket leaked horribly and was kind of annoying to replace. The bolts all broke when taking it off, and I had to replace everything but the engine top itself.

When I went to replace the speakers in the back, they are hooked up (literally) and you have to rip open the back dash to install new ones.

Transmission needs replaced.

General Comments:

The engine is in great condition.

The handling is awesome; it doesn't rock too much and it doesn't jerk around.

Car is rather quick, but I have done some modifications to it.

If you want the car to last a long time, then take off the stock air intake and replace it with a cold air (the cars have an issue with overheating).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th September, 2008

1990 Ford Tempo GL 2.3L from North America

Summary:

Not fancy, just reliable

Faults:

R-12 Based Air Con was non-operational when I purchased this car; have not repaired it.

Valve cover gasket leak, common problem with this engine. Replaced it myself.

Speedometer drive cable needed lubrication, corrected it myself.

General Comments:

This car had been purchased for my Daughter. This car had been a Dept. of the Navy staff car and had been maintained extremely well.

For the most part I have done only normal maintenance on this car. Replaced brakes, belts, spark plugs and wires, tires and serviced the transmission.

This car is not fancy or refined, but it is reliable.

This car has one potentially fatal flaw, the government mandated automatic seat belt system. It is far too easy to drive off without fastening the lap belt. The automatic shoulder restraint will not provide any real protection in a collision, and may even cause injury or death due to strangulation. I have posted lap belt reminder labels on the dash to help prevent this type of injury.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th January, 2008

1990 Ford Tempo GL 2.3 from North America

Summary:

The car is a well built car that is reliable

Faults:

I had transmission linkage go bad which I replaced it was easy to do other things are just wear and tear such as plug wires and filters. The biggest things were the altenator and starter.

General Comments:

The car is fun to drive, reliable, and gets 30 mpg the car is quick, but has a low top speed I have had it up to 110.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th November, 2007