Crap
What a piece of CRAP.
EVERYTHING has gone wrong with this stupid thing. In the past 2 months the brakes, cooling fan, distributer cap/wires, starter, ball joints, engine mount, and CV joint, have all had major problems.
Don't buy this car.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 18th May, 2001
A very reliable car that I am honored to drive
Most serious problem I have had is when the water pump went bad and the car overheated. Plus the seats have been replaced.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 15th May, 2001
Good for mechanics to practice on
Air conditioning hasn't worked in years.
Head gasket blew.
Currently has two oil leaks.
Ball joints have been replaced.
Holes in the floor board have been replaced.
Every part of the stock stereo has died.
I'm pretty sure that every length of tubing has leaked at some point.
Etc.
When the car is actually running it runs well, but lately it seems every time I get it serviced, the problem is much worse than I had thought.
Examples: Two months ago I went to get an alignment, but needed new ball joints first ($400). Went to get an oil change, and I have two oil leaks that need patched first. I don't think I've driven this for three months in that past two years without needing a service.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 28th April, 2001
I've never saw a car that old that didn't leak oil, that's normal. And holes in the floor board, that means only one thing, poor care from the owner.
Many cars with that many miles don't leak oil. My parents used to have an Oldsmobile with 300,000+ miles on it, and it didn't leak a drop.
As for the rust in the floorboards, how would that be caused by the owner? It seems to me that that would be caused by road salt/grime eating away at the floorboards. My '86 had them rusting through, and it had 60,000 miles on it, and it was garage kept. Maybe northern road crews use more salt during the winter or something, but still, the floorboards on ANY car shouldn't rust out. That is ridiculous.
Rust is a fact of life. Deal with it and get on with yours.
The original post sounds about right. It is a problematic vehicle.
A car/tank that can perform with comfort
Nothing so far has gone wrong with the car since I had it. My grandfather had it before me and the air conditioning stopped working. My grandmother had it fixed in May and it is one of the best working air conditioning systems I have ever used. It works so well that I've never put it on max and in 110 degree weather I have had to turn it down.
The stock speakers in the car are great. They put out an awesome sound. They have a full range into the bass frequencies and well into the high end.
I have found this car to be a tank. I was driving on a road that was under construction. I didn't see a mound of dirt and I jumped my car (by accident). The alignment is still good and nothing happened except for my CD skipping in my CD player.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 24th October, 2000
The paint job disintegrated. Ford offered no financial help in re-painting and refused to admit they used an inferior paint process.
Computer chip in fuel injector.
I have since joined a class action lawsuit against Ford through the Center For Auto Safety.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 14th June, 1998
There is not a computer chip in the fuel injector, your mechanic lied.
Anyone having trouble keeping a crankshaft pulley for more than 50,000 miles. I have been thru 3 of them now, at ford dealers 8000 each, its getting crazy already, is there a class action on this YET!
How can you expect some one to fix your paint problems on a car so old? you need a reality check.
Class action on an '87 Tempo? I hope you're joking. I can just imagine a jury awarding you a judgment against the evil Ford Motor Company, and forcing them to compensate you for your precious 500 dollar car!
Your lucky that's all that's wrong with your car. My 87 Ford Tempo blew up due to poor engineering.
The dimmer switch is a little yellow button located in the glove box.
6th Nov 2004, 08:50
I have a 1987 ford tempo. been having stalling problems. the more I look the more I see "do not buy this car". There are lawsuits over the TFI module in the distributer. (try getting information on that) I have had a full diagnostic done on the car and all electronics check out. I have all new seals and gaskets on the car. do your self a favor and do not buy this car. this is from a ford lover. will always buy ford, but not this one.