Faults:

Engine mountings failed when I got the car in 2005. Replaced with Mazda 626 OEM Parts.

Recently, the front lower engine mounting cracked... Very bad vibrations...

Timing belt replaced in 2006.

4x Kayaba(r) Absorbers, Front brake pads replaced in 2007.

Spark plugs, upper/lower arm bushings + dust cover and rear brake pad replaced in 2008. Also, tyres replaced (215/45 R17, Bridgestone MY-01 tyres). 2x in 2007 and 2x in 2008.

Battery replaced TWICE, once in 2006 and another in 2008.

Note that the above = Wear and tear items... Car's generally reliable + tough.

General Comments:

The Ford Telstar is 1/2 Japanese, 1/2 Australian and born in Malaysia (ie. CKD - Locally assembled in Malaysia).

Very comfortable yet great handling car, thanks to the Ford Patented Z-type REAR multi-link suspension. Loves corners... I can hear the car saying "Is that all you got? Bring on more challenging corners".

Quiet car with LOWISH Engine sound. Quite torquey: 170Nm@4500rpm.

Quite a nippy performer despite 4 speed Automatic. 0-100km/h in 10.4 seconds.

Low running costs (in Malaysia) and spare parts aplenty. Can use its twin sister, Mazda 626's parts and components.

Of course, with every car, there's downsides. FUEL CONSUMPTION is GOOD at Expressways (10km/L) BUT TERRIBLE driving around City (7km/L). Also, it's a LONG CAR at 4670mm, which contribute to LARGE turning circle. That's ALL the WEAK links I can think of...

CURRENT MARKET VALUE: RM12,000 only. Costs RM112,000 when new (December 1998). That's a LOWLY 12% retained value. Thank God I bought it for RM42,000 back in 2005. Ie. 1st owner absorbed 2/3 of the depreciation.

That's all folks, thanks for having the time and patience to read this review...

Faults:

Central locking failed to function after 100 km - assembly defect. Service dealer rectified it.

Front suspension produced "click" sound going over bumps at slow speed at 20,000 km. Service Dealer never found the source of problem, but went away after a bit of adjustment and tightening of bushes.

Cooling system leaked after 130,000 km. Repaired in time without any overheating.

General Comments:

Very comfortable for long distance driving.

Generally very good mechanical reliability.

Fuel consumption very good on highways, but rather poor in city driving.

Assembly quality disappointing.

Faults:

The rear window's radiator switch gets jammed easily.

Power windows are slow needs motor replacement.

Seat belts are wearing.

Air-con broke down at 241500km. Compressor was replaced.

The speaker on the driver's door fell down at 242000km.

General Comments:

Powerless, needs 2nd gear to climb hills at 60km/h, but very economical, 40 liters for 350km for a 1.8 carburettor engined car.

Steering is light, good for parking, but not on highway. Lacks steering feedback.

Manual gearbox has good feedback, but it needs a little more energy to switch gears.

Seats are quite good and clean for a car in this age.

Interior is still in good shape, but they begin to wear out. Needs to be careful handling the switches.

Not much to expect since this car only costs 50% of a 1990 Honda Accord 2.0. A real bargain.