1989 Ford Festiva LX 1.3 from North America

Summary:

One of the best vehicles Ford ever built

Faults:

A friend of mine told me his wife had a 1989 Ford Festiva that was inspected until 12 12 2001. He said it needed a passenger front CV joint and he said I could have the car for $75. I drove it home and went to AutoZone and bought the whole axle for $65 and installed it. Took about 30 minutes. Then I put a K&N air filter in and then put Mobil 1 full synthetic oil in, and a bottle of Lucas oil treatment. Then filled the 10 gallon tank with 93 octane gas and a 5.25 oz. bottle of Lucas fuel treatment. Then put new oil in the 4 speed trans.

It's one of the most reliable autos we have ever owned. I also bought a $69 power chip that ups the HP and MPG. Will own many more.

General Comments:

Parts are cheap and very easy to find. There are many of these cars out there. I'm 6'3" tall and 250 lb and have more room in this car than my wife's Ford Taurus. They are easy to park and very easy to maintain, and very good on gas at 40+ MPG. My wife and daughter love this car, and use it instead of any of the other vehicles we own.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st December, 2020

21st Dec 2020, 18:57

93 octane gas in a Festiva, what a waste of money...

22nd Dec 2020, 12:41

OMG!

Sweet. Kudos for keeping the beast running.

Synthetic oil and fix the leaks. They run forever.

Bon chance!

In reply to 21st Dec 2020, 18:57

22nd Dec 2020, 21:13

Not at all a waste. It keeps carbon deposits from building up. Higher octane is cleaner burning. It’s kept the car running over 350k miles now. Hard to argue with results.

In reply to 22nd Dec 2020, 21:13

27th Dec 2020, 04:12

Premium fuel often contains more detergents.

In reply to 22nd Dec 2020, 21:13

28th Dec 2020, 12:10

It's a myth that cars benefit from using higher octane gas than what the manufacturer specifies.

But it's your money -- waste it if you want to.

In reply to 28th Dec 2020, 12:10

28th Dec 2020, 22:35

Only make sense if the motor has a pinging issue that can't be resolved. Using a higher octane usually is a fix.

In reply to 28th Dec 2020, 12:10

29th Dec 2020, 03:09

Not a myth actually. Using lower than recommended octane levels can damage a car & have severe carbon buildup. The opposite is also true. Manufacturers tell you 87 octane is fine because it’s cheaper. Consumers don’t like cars which “require” 91 octane. More expensive. Automakers know this. Those savings buying 87 instead of just going with 91 matter up until the point you spend 100x that much on a new engine.

In reply to 29th Dec 2020, 03:09

10th Jan 2021, 22:15

Try reading the comment again--it said using octane HIGHER than what the manufacturer recommends, not "lower than recommended". But, you say you use higher octane than recommended because you want to reduce carbon buildup, so you spend $6.00 more per 10 gallon tankful on your Festiva, considering premium gas now costs about 60 cents more per gallon than regular.

Or, you could take that same $6.00 and buy a bottle of fuel system cleaner, like Chevron Techron, that is good for 3000 miles, which is about... 7x as many miles as you get per tank at your (claimed) 40 mpg. Again, it's your money--waste it all you want.

17th Apr 2021, 15:28

This vehicle is Ford in name plate only. Engine/Trans are Mazda and it was built by Kia. I drove an '89 for 11 years and presently drive a '93. Truly great cars, just not truly great Fords.

1989 Ford Festiva L 1.3L I4 from North America

Summary:

Fantastic gas saver, and it's original, no one else has one!

Faults:

Well I bought the car 5 days ago, and have put 700 miles on it. That cost me about $45. I have gotten anywhere between 30 and 70 MPG.

I bought the car for $600, and have had to put $283 into getting to pass safety and IM. So it's cost me more than I wanted, but has saved me around $150 in gas compared to my other car, a 94 Cadillac Deville.

I had to have the exhaust between the catalytic convertor and muffler replaced at $119. And the emergency brake was broken; cost $45 to fix.

Otherwise, it leaks oil; enough to smoke visibly after long drives.

General Comments:

It's definitely a no frills car; 2 speaker AM/FM tape deck, FM doesn't work, tape doesn't work, and it can't remember where you were last time it was on. The presets also don't work.

The 1.3L engine is powerful enough to keep up with traffic; more torque than a Metro, so better MPG as well.

The headlights work well.

There is no: power steering, power windows, sunroof, electric anything, air conditioning. It does however have power brakes, which is a minute difference when coasting with the engine off.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th July, 2012

20th Jul 2012, 07:37

The Festiva was considered a disposable car when new, so when it sustained even moderate accident damage or required major mechanical work, it was usually junked rather than repaired.

So even though a lot were sold, most of the ones who have not yet been crushed, soon will be, to make more disposable cars.

20th Jul 2012, 21:42

I see these a little too often to consider them "original".

In reply to 20th Jul 2012, 21:42

21st Jul 2012, 22:05

One that actually gets 70 MPG (as the reviewer claims) would certainly be original.

Suspect that if this claim is even true, it was while coasting downhill only.

In reply to 21st Jul 2012, 22:05

30th Dec 2013, 08:58

I agree with the last post. I own an '89 with an auto trans, and the most I've ever gotten with it is 38 MPG. Pretty impressive for a 25 year old car, but nowhere near the 70 MPG claimed. Think the EPA says the low 40's for the 5 speed on the road. Check your numbers and your math. If you still come up with 70 MPG, please tell us how you do it.