1993 Ford Tempo GL 2.3 lt from North America

Faults:

Everthing on it. alway the tie rods and struts. cover gasket, clutch, brakes, worst car I had, but stuck with it. oh, ya broken cheap seat. and I have to change the exhaust system once a year too.

General Comments:

They should recall this car and give us different cars to drive.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 28th February, 2005

1st Mar 2005, 07:11

Recall the cars and give the owners different cars to drive?

Somehow I don't see that idea catching on, at least with the car makers.

12th May 2005, 18:56

I do know the tie rods and the exhaust a ways goes out.

29th May 2008, 00:52

Oh goodness, tie-rod ends went out? You people need to understand that Tempo's are getting old. Any Tempo bought today, unless kept in a sealed vault, will tend to need some work. I have had 4 Tempo's now and I have had good luck with everyone. All of them have gotten 200,000+ miles on them. They are very very cheap cars and very reliable.

These cars were based on 1970 - early 80's technology, so don't expect dual airbags, crumple zone's etc... Basically any car built at this time had similar safety features. In fact Tempo's and other Ford cars were some of the first cars to offer airbags as an option (take that Honda and Toyota). They were very expensive, so most opted not get one. The ones that did get them are very very rare.

You can always tell if your Tempo got an air bag just by looking at the steering wheel. The standard Tempo steering wheel is color coded to the interior of the car, and has the spongy-mushy-grips that flake off and get nasty unless you clean it regularly. The ones with airbags got the solid black hard plastic steering wheel. The horn is also funky on the airbagged ones, it is located on the turn signal. The technology back then did not allow the placement of horn and airbag in the same zone -- so they separated them.

All and all, most of the complaints I've read on here come from those who don't understand what wear and tear mean versus a truly unreliable car.

Also, most of the foreign cars came with timing belts that will never go 200,000 miles. Tempo's came with timing CHAINS! Making them much more sturdy.

1993 Ford Tempo GL 2.3L 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

This is a good running, reliable, economical American vehicle

Faults:

I purchased this car for $250, and it needed a mass air flow sensor, clutch, front rotors, and rear struts.

I replaced all of the above, and this car is now like the day it was new.

General Comments:

This is a very reliable, great running little car.

Fuel economy is very good.

This car is not fast, but has very good power for it's 4 cylinder engine.

This car is a pleasure to drive, due to it's 5 speed transmission and quality of my particular vehicle.

Styling is lacking, however I believe that a nice set of aftermarket wheels will improve it's appearance dramatically.

I wish that there were more cosmetic and performance parts available for this vehicle, as people obviously do not realize the potential that this car has.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th December, 2004

1993 Ford Tempo GL 2.3 from North America

Summary:

Pretty quick and very reliable

Faults:

Alternator had to be changed at 145,000 miles.

Some of the light bulbs keep burning.

I have the automatically retractable seat belts and the motor for the driver's side seat belt stopped working at 148,000 miles.

General Comments:

I was surprised with how reliable this car is.

The car is actually pretty quick even with the 4-cylinder engine, but with manual transmission. I wish it had an tachometer.

At highway speeds in this car it feels like you're going way faster.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th December, 2004

18th Jan 2009, 04:37

The Tempo is one of the best cars ever made.

For those who think it is slow, just watch it beat the socks off a Tiburon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFOfFpGje6g&NR=1

Formula 1 driver Jackie Stewart endorsed the car for Ford.

The back seats have plenty of room, gas mileage is great, reliability is superb, and one can expect 200000 miles + if regular repairs are made.

Weak spots:

Harmonic balancer (it will start to make a clicking sound at idle that goes away once the car speeds up... easily fixed and cheap.

Tranny will hang in first if you never change the oil (so change the oil once in a while).

Rear struts: at 100000 they will be shot, but they are cheap to replace.

The motors are great. Fun cars to drive. Sporty, great little cars.