1991 Ford Tempo L 2.3 from North America

Summary:

My 1991 Tempo L is an excellent car

Faults:

General wear and tear after five years and 90,000kms.

General Comments:

I have had this 91 Tempo L for five years. It was in excellent condition.

It has not cost me any money, other than general maintenance.

Fuel mileage 40 mpg highway - city 32mpg.

After five years, it was going to start costing me money for parts, so I just purchased another Tempo GL 1993 year. It was excellent condition, so if this gives five years of no problems, I will be happy.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th August, 2010

1991 Ford Tempo GL 2.3 from North America

Summary:

OK car, but I would buy something different in the future, unless I got a heck of a good deal

Faults:

Transmission went out at 83,000.

Two power windows went out.

Blower fan went out.

Replaced 4 UV joints in front half axle.

AC went out 2x.

Water pump went out twice.

Various other parts have worn out/failed over time.

Poor gas mileage - now getting 15 in town and 21 out of town. Has been tuned, and worked on, but still low.

General Comments:

Not expensive.

Engine runs well.

Overall an OK car, but had too many problems that had to be fixed.

Probably saved money, even with repairs, versus another more expensive car over time.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd May, 2010

1991 Ford Tempo 2.3 from North America

Summary:

Can it get any worse?

Faults:

Brakes were never right, ever. Changed everything and they always kept going to the floor.

2.3 has no power, leaked oil like crazy, but no one could ever figure out where it was coming from.

Cramped interior, no options, lousy seat belts.

Kept fouling spark plugs.

Kept having problems with CV joints.

General Comments:

It was a tank in the snow.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 24th October, 2008

1991 Ford Tempo GL 2.3 from North America

Summary:

Cheap, hassle free, reliable transportation

Faults:

I recently bought this car, and knew the problems when I bought it.

The AC needs to be converted to R134A and recharged.

The rear windows are stuck closed, the window motor works fine, so this should be a simple fix.

I purchased a new serpentine belt the day I got back, a $20 fix, no big deal.

Cleaned up the battery and battery post, as they were slightly corroded.

General Comments:

I decided that I was getting nowhere in paying off my debt, so after a long hard decision, I handed the keys to my 2005 Dodge Neon SXT, back to the financing bank.

While out of town for a wedding, deciding to call some classified car ads and found this jewel among all the crap.

The engine and transmission are both running strong and at only 70,000 original miles.

The body was straight, the interior clean. The previous owner had all maintenance records, this car was more than well maintained.

The exhaust is clear, no black soot in the tail pipe, unlike my brand new Neon.

All interior and exterior lights work.

Gas mileage is great, average for the trip home from the wedding was 35 MPG.

Imagine this the previous owner was asking $700, Nada, Kelly Blue Book and Edmunds.com all assessed this cars value at nearly $2000. I paid $600, what a steal. No more car payments, insurance rates are beautiful, and not only that, I have a great car.

Not a beautiful car, simply an amazing one.

Did I mention the term Ford Tempo scared me, until I drove this car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th July, 2007

8th Jul 2007, 10:07

Sounds like you got a nice deal. Unless the A/C was already converted, you are still running R12 on that year. R134 came to the Tempo in 1994. Just keep the oil changed, give it a nice bath every week and you will have a happy car.

1991 Ford Tempo 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

Moneypit

Faults:

Electric fan for radiator, fan belts, alternator, transmission auto will not move goes into gear, changed fluid, black with metal filings and thin bearing parts.

General Comments:

An ongoing problem even though low mileage and cherry interior. now can't even drive until I find out transmission problem and I am disabled.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 7th April, 2007

7th Apr 2007, 20:36

You have a 16+ year old car with about 30,000 miles on it. Basically it's been driven about as much in those 16 years, as most cars are driven in 2 or 3. It's probably been doing a lot of sitting, which is never good for a car. When buying something that old I'd almost rather have a lot of miles on it...