1985 Ford Tempo GL from North America - Comments

This car had sit for 2 years when I bought it so it had some problems, but still would run. The brakes locked up on the way home. Had to stop and push the caliper piston to free up brakes to get home. I then put on new brake calipers, rotors, pads, and brake hoses. These are the rest of the parts. I got an alignment done. Muffler alternator spark plugs, wires, distributor cap, and rotor fuel pump air cleaner temp. sensor air cleaner actuator motor mounts I got a new fan not oem as they are not available and it failed after a few months. I had to go to the junkyard and get an old one, and it is still running. Transmission fluid filter and change.

Bearing had to be pressed in tie rod another muffler and tail pipe strut mounts throttle position sensor all three belts another tie rod end another alignment Had to replace driver's side seat Somebody backed into me and had to go to the junkyard for front end body parts.

I bought this car for $350 dollars and have put another $1,950 dollars worth of parts and repair into it. The car had a good many problems when I first bought it due to it sitting for 2 years. I have had this car for over 2 years now and I have put 30,000 miles on it. Has never broke down on me yet. I have figured out that this car has cost me less than $100 dollars a month including purchase price and all the repairs. Try to buy a new car for that. The car is still running great and getting about 27 miles per gallon. Easy to work on. This car has good overall handling. The motor does not have much power for going up steep hills though. The manuals are a little better. I liked the car so much that I bought two more 1985 Ford Tempo's. One is an automatic and the other a manual.

The Tempo is a modern marvel of simplicity. I have a 1994 GL sedan that just turned 40,000 miles. She is used as a back up car. Most things that have gone wrong were due to lack of use, as it was my mother's car and she was ill for the last 18 months of her life. I know that when I get in that car, whether I have driven it daily for a week or haven't driven it in two weeks it will fire right up, the a/c (original) will cool right down and off we will go on our next adventure. I, too, would love to find a 5 speed 2 dr in good shape. They may not be as technologically advanced as a new car, but therein lies their beauty.