Faults:

The first thing is the "check Engine" light - it never goes out. It came on for the first time 2 months after I purchased the car and I have had to replace the alternator at 70,000 miles.

I replace back blinker and brake lights 5 times since I had the car. I contacted the Ford dealer about the frequent light blow outs and they told me that most 97 Mystique's have that problem. Because of poor manufacturing, there are a lot of cracks around the lights, and when it rains they can blow.

My radiator fan is extremely loud - you can hear it a mile away, and now at 90,000 miles, and in the dead of winter, my heater blower motor has clunked out on me, so no heat blows and it's -2 degrees in the car, so I'm saving for that 400 dollar job as we speak.

General Comments:

A lot of problems in just one year and that Check Engine light is still shining brightly.

Faults:

Bad wiring; also, motor mount issues.

General Comments:

Should have looked this "gift horse" (a wholesale buy) more closely in the mouth. Battery light came on. Battery died. Installed new battery. Discovered insulation was cracking and coming off of the large wires that run (out-of-sight under where the battery sits) between the battery posts and the under-hood fuse box. We determined that the uninsulated wires were keeping the battery from charging fully. We checked the alternator and it was working properly, so the problem is the bad wiring. I have owned several different kind of cars over the past 35 years, foreign and domestic (this our 1st Ford Motor Company vehicle). This car has the cheapest quality wiring that I have ever seen.

Faults:

The oxygen sensor had to be replaced.

The timing belt tensioner pulley broke, leaving me stranded.

It stalls EVERY time I stop and it idles.

It idles at 500rpm, when it used to be 1000-1500rpm.

The taillights collect water.

It refuses to shift smoothly.

Makes a grinding noise while driving on the highway (about 50-60mph).

Gas mileage has went from 30mpg to about 20mpg (which stinks with current gas prices).

When I'm at a stop, it doesn't want to move when I press the gas until all of a sudden, it jumps (so bad it feels like I'm being rear ended) then decides to move along beyond slowly.

Its burning transmission fluid.

The hose that goes from the washer fluid to the sprayers is so close to the hood hinge that it gets pinched.

I swear it must hate my husband... it gives me problems, but it won't hardly even drive a block without something going wrong when he drives.

It has no gauges for you to be able to watch things like oil pressure and check on them before they become problems... it only has those stupid little "idiot lights" that come on when things are usually beyond normal repair jobs.

General Comments:

My car seemed like a good car when it was purchased. The person who sold it said they had just done all the necessary regular maintainance and it was ready to go... apparently not for long though.

Don't buy a Mystique!!!

Like most people, I have had way too many problems with mine and I advise anyone considering one to RUN as fast as you can and don't ever make the mistake of buying one---trust me, you'll regret it.