1989 Ford Tempo GL from North America - Comments

My Steering rack went after about a year and a half of ownership.

LED display burned out in the clock.

Air Conditioning died at 125000 Km.

Idle arm sheared off and tore through the engine block.

Frost plugs blew.

Had to replace thermostat.

Bought it with a big oil leak, now there is a slight leak from the front head gasket.

NOTE: Not all this happened at once, it was over a period of 2 years.

I'm still single because I'm madly in love with my Ford. Every day is a new experience with my Tempo. Its been an incredible first car. It's built like a tank! I was in a fender bender with another guy, and his Chevy fared worse than my car, and his was heavier! It is very roomy and comfortable, and is excellent at sustained highway speeds. It warms up very quickly in the winter, and handles well on ice and slush. Always starts with no problems. It has a few quirky little car things it does, but it gives it personality. The paint job is doing the typical peel that happens to the 89 Fords. However, I bought it like that. I plan on having my Tempo for a very long time.

I too have fallen in love with my Tempo (1991). It

it is part of the family, having owned it all it's life.

Like yours the blue paint started to come off the hood and roof about 2 years ago. The usual things had to be replaced. The worst problem happened when the fuel pump was replaced and the Ford dealer broke off the hold-down fingers on the electrical plug going to the pump. About two years later the plug came out. This time I took it to a reliable repair shop. He replaced the fuel pump.

After 95 days the pump stopped. The plug had come out It

took me several weeks to find out the problem. It required cutting a hole in the floor under the rear seat. I tied

down the plug and all is well. I wish I could fix a

slight oil leak. Installing a new valve cover gasket

stopped most of the oil leaking. It could be a seal leak?

Or rear seal?

I JUST BOUGHT 1989 FORD TEMPO GL BLACK WITH CROME OUT RIMS I HOOKED UP. PUT A WING ON IT. IT LOOKS HOT WITH TINTED WINDOWS. INSIDE GRAY INTERIOR WITH BLACK SEATS BLACK MATS I TELL YOU IT LOOKS PIMPED OUT. I've NEVER HAD ANY TROUBLE. THE PERSON WHO OWNED IT KEPT UP WITH THE MAINTENANCE ON IT. PEOPLE STOP TO LOOK AT THE CAR EVEN MY BEST FRIENDS FRIEND SAY WOW I DIDN'T KNOW A TEMPO COULD BE HOOKED UP. BUT ALL IN ALL IS THE BEST FIRST CAR I've OWNED. FOR ONLY $600.00 dollars.

A few days ago, I purchased my Aunt and Uncle's blue 1989 Ford Tempo that they owned for a number of years for only $400. It only has 49,569 miles on it, but will need some work. I really like this car and I hope to own it for a while or sell it if I get an appealing offer.

Won't your aunt and uncle be mad at you if you sell it for a profit?

That's really low miles for an '89, like having a three-year-old car.

I have decided to keep the 1989 Ford Tempo I purchased from my Aunt and Uncle. It saved my life a few weeks ago when the brakes went out and I backed into a fence. The fence post bent while the back end of my car showed no damages, just a few light scratches. Ever since I bought the car, it has been stalling quite frequently. I poured STP Jet Fuel into the gas tank to clean it out and she seems to be running better. Even the engine is no longer smoking. The car may have 49,569 miles on it, but it has some rust on it and has been in a few fender benders even before I bought the car. It's a nice little car and I'd hate to part with it mainly because of it's rarity and it's built like Fort Knox! When I was able to safely drive the car, that 4 Cylinder Engine goes fast! There has even been talk about pimping it up after the brakes get fixed and getting the rust spots fiberglassed. Now I know what you're thinking, but even people are pimping up their Ford Focuses.

Ford did good with this one. I bought my Tempo in 2004 for 700.00 and 186000kms... I now have 210000 and really haven't had too many problems with it. Tempos have guts, I have great acceleration and she can go 130 and not even shake! Best of all, no paint peeling like mentioned above.