Faults:

Ball joint, and the front left and rear shocks are finished.

General Comments:

Excellent car, well designed. Mostly good engine - 4 inj mfi 2.3, get good gas mileage.

Faults:

Starter gave up at 132,000 km.

Starter connector was replaced at 132,000 km.

Platinum Spark Plugs and Spark Plug Wires changed at 117,000 km.

General Comments:

The car is very reliable taking me with ease and comfort from the Great Lakes to the West coast and back on my vacation, and it's still ticking.

Power is good for a 4 cylinder.

Very easy and ergonomic to maintain.

Any problems that came along were solved easily.

So far, it's among the best vehicles I've owned, and thanks to some handy tips from this site, I can fix the little stalling problem.

Also, there's a trick with the spark plugs. It can't handle platinum spark plugs for too long, as it manages to blow components in the ignition system. Further, if you are using Auto-lite spark plugs, they are best gapped at 42. All other brands should be gapped to the manufacturer specified 52-56.

One problem that might be a design flaw. When changing the oil, a little bit always drips from the filter as it's coming off. This run-off always drips onto the connection to the starter. Over time, this oil collects and gets gummy. In the end, it disrupts the connection, and becomes a 'starter killer'. I've had to change the connection because it was just too dirty and there was no tool I had that would clean it properly.

Faults:

Replaced the starter 60,000 miles.

Replaced battery 55,000 miles.

Replaced all lights around the car shortly after I bought it.

Replaced tires and brakes 50,000 miles.

General Comments:

I bought my Tempo in pretty good shape with 40,000 miles.

The repairs I had to do were pretty easy and in-expensive.

However, after adding after market parts I realized that the car was not meant to be modified easily.

But I did many anyway, and I really like my car's performance and looks.

Faults:

Have replaced the transmission twice.

Shocks went at 100 000 km.

Seats started to wear badly in 1999.

Many other issues with this car.

General Comments:

This car is a gutless wonder. It has no power compared to my 1996 Sunfire. This car has cost more in repairs then it is worth. Would not recommend a Tempo to anyone.

However, the car was a good one until around 1997-8 when problems started to show.

Faults:

My brakes wore out completely at 60,000 miles and I have most recently noticed a screeching noise at random times while running the car.

I am on my second muffler.

A year ago she began dying at stoplights. This hasn't happened for quite a while so I think maybe it was just a fluke.

General Comments:

I love my Tempo and don't know what I would do without it. I have named her Tillie and she is a great little car for the around town driving I do each day. I love her small size, as I can park practically anywhere. I do wish she had some cup holders and that her cigarette lighter were in a different place because I can't plug my cell phone charger into it because of the strange angle. But overall, I love my car and hope she lasts as long as I have seen that others have.

Faults:

Underbody is totally rotting out.

Shock towers and frame seperating due to severe rust. Causing the rear wheel to 'toe" out..

Engine leaks some oil and transmission fluid causing smoke.

Breaks are shot, even the emergency.

General Comments:

I bought this car on impulse quickly after passing my road test, from a meek nice guy in his 40s. He showed me all the reciepts on the maintenance hes done, I was impressed. I bought the car for $650.It has some visible rust and the body seems like its been in an accident.

The first thing I noticed was a pull to the left which most people thought needed an alignment. After looking at the car from a distance I noticed the right rear tire bends out. Well the guys at monro told me my car belongs in a junkyard and that it can't be touched because of the rust underneath. He allowed me to look under the car while it was on a lift and I just gasped. The underbody looks as if its sat in a lake for 2yrs. He told me not to have any passengers or lug anything heavy...Hmm.

The car's engine is quite peppy and quickly shifts and before you know it you are going too fast. When taken on expressways the car likes to "bottom out" at 55 it takes a bit of time to get enough torque to go faster. But I hate the feeling. Despite the pulling the car handles well. All in all this was a learning experience for me *have the car looked at before you buy* but I am satisfied with this as a first car.