Faults:

Wheel bearing in right front wheel, not uncommon I hear. Shift linkage was worn, had it replaced. Rear brake hardware pretty much just fell apart. Pushbutton heater controls were sticky and hard to use.

General Comments:

I bought this car for 700 bucks. It had sat pretty much unused for about 6 months before I had purchased it. Right away when I bought it the wheel bearing had to be replaced, only cost me around 60 bucks, I was lucky it wasn't the inner bearing, which is sealed and is more costly to replace. The car was fairly quick for being 10 years old, the 5spd tranny would account for most of this quickness. Fuel mileage was quite good, I got over 30mpg on the highway at my usual cruising speed of 70mph. I never once had trouble starting this car, even on the coldest of days (-30 Celsius) it would start right up without a fuss. The front seats were very comfortable, the rear was a bit small for me, but I'm 6 feet tall. The pushbutton heater position controls would stick often on me, which was somewhat annoying. The factory 4 speaker stereo had nice sound. The fuel pump moaned, indicating that it's worn, but it never gave me any trouble. The plastic headlight covers in this car are the stupidest thing I have ever seen, they leak and yellow badly, and it's a big pain in the arse to change them. Driveline and body parts are readily available at any junkyard, but certain engine parts, fuel injection hardware for example, may be a tad hard to come by.

Faults:

The alternator failed at 150,000 miles. I have replaced both constant velocity joints and both outer tie rods ends and the rear struts since I've owned it. The body has been patched to pass inspections.

General Comments:

One guy was complaining about all the money he had to put into his Tempo after he bought it with 115,000 miles on it!!! A person has to expect to replace parts at that kind of mileage! My Tempo is by far the most economical car I've ever owned in my 36 years of having vehicles. I've done NO engine work to this car since I got it. It now has 202,000 miles on it and still gets 35 miles per gallon on the highway. No brag, just fact!

Faults:

In order of replacement since Dec, 1998.

Alternator

Horn button

Water pump

Tie rod ends

Speedometer cable

Headlight switch

Also put on na ew front bumper and header panel because it looks better.

Replacing the rear metal after an accident (car would've been totaled, but is worth fixing).

General Comments:

Drive 200+ miles, used a 1/2 tank of gas.

I spent $400 on this car when I bought it.

Spent maybe $1500 in repairs from Dec 1998 to Jan 2002.

I wish I had cruise control, but I CAN have it put on after-market cheap because the hookups are still there from the factory.

Change your oil every 3000 and check all your fluids, and you will be OK.

Also, if you have salty roads in the winter... WASH YOUR TEMPO WEEKLY!

The $5-$8 at a car wash now is better than rusting out the frame later.

Faults:

Entire cooling system (caused by an accident with a deer).

Transmission rebuilt (thanks again deer).

General Comments:

What a sweet piece of car... if she ever grew some balls, them Honda boys better look out! If anybody knows the whereabouts of a rare V8 Tempo, e-mail me at schlogenhammer@hotmail.com.

Faults:

The automatic seat belt would never work.

Gas mileage was on average 19 m.p.g.

I put on 5 sets of shocks, which is abnormal even for the state of Pennsylvania.

Parts for the car were expensive, because so many went to pot, they were hard to find.

General Comments:

I would never buy another Tempo, unless I had money to spend, or wanted to teach my children and myself all we needed to know about auto mechanics.