I must admit, to drive this car for as long as I have, with as many miles, and with as many deer strikes (I've hit three deer... they seem to like Tempos!) I have had to do some work on my car.
I've replaced the tranny, CV joints, tie rods, and alternator, but don't get me wrong, not all this happens at once.
This car is a work horse and if you take care of it, it will perform. Besides those replacements, oil changes, brakes, and belts come when needed and are not hard to do by yourself.
Please don't listen to people when they say Tempos are junk. Just because they are too stupid to have a car checked out by a mechanic before buying it doesn't mean the car is a lemon. My family has two Tempos and they run great. This is a great basic car. It may not have the speed, it may not be the flashiest thing on the road. But this baby packs on the miles and gets you to where you want to be.
I bought a 1989 Ford Tempo GL from my father in law. I have done the routine maintenances myself. Now, it has 120000mls, and I don't have any complaints about. It performs better than my wife's 1997 Ford Contour. I wish Ford moto corp. would still build cars like that. I don't like new Ford products.
From my point of view, It's becoming an american YUGO.
People, not all tempos are junk. Any car will require routine maintenance and parts do wear. If all of the manufacturers suggestions are met then your vehicle will surprise you in its overall performance... IE. oil changes, belt replacement (pay particular attention to the timing belt)
hoses etc. All cars will have problems if not cared for properly and with automobiles being one of our largest investments should we not care for them with all due diligence.
From what I have seen Ford Tempos are junk. The family of a good friend of mine bought a new 1986 Tempo off the lot with 12 miles on it. His mom looks back now, and says “I knew I should have taken it back when I drove off the lot and noticed a crack in the steering wheel.”
Two weeks later the speedometer, cruise, and the radio quit. They took it back and the dealer was not able to get anything to work.
My buddy replaced the radio with one from Wal-Mart and used the tachometer, which did work, to tell how fast he was going. The odometer did work, but the speedo never did despite all the parts the dealer replaced.
The cruise was dead from the beginning.
Things started falling off and the car began to lose what little power it had started with. You may think they mistreated this car, but they didn’t. They are the kind of people that change oil religiously, and they keep their cars in top shape.
The final straw came when the parents decided to take a trip. A hundred miles or so and the electrical system caught fire and had a major meltdown. Of course Ford replaced the wiring that was under warranty, but they had had enough. They drove the car to a dealer in Dallas. A few miles from the dealership the engine began making noises, which got worse the further they drove. They pulled in to a parking place and handed the keys to the salesman and got into the 1989 Honda Civic they had bought and drove home. The Tempo had about 30,000 miles on it. The Honda has over 250,000 on it and is still going with hardly anything replaced on it. So please tell me again how Tempos are great cars?
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