I LOVE MY FESTIVA

gtkach

Anybody else have good things to say about theirs.
I bought mine 4 yrs used w/ 30K miles for $2400.
I now have 89K miles and the only major thing I
replaced was a clutch. I just keeps going and going

markellis

I bought mine new in 1990 and have never had a problem with it (knocking on wood right now)! It has been the most reliable car I've had...Sadly its time to move on. I'm looking that the BMW 318ti, yes, another hatchback.

gtkach

BTW...my festiva is an '88. It's the only car I've owned over 10 yrs. old that wasn't falling apart. People who ride in it can't believe it's 10 years old. AC is as frigid as it was since the day I got it.

markellis

AC, well, I can't say the same, mine was never "frigid." When its hot out, the AC doesn't really help a whole lot!

As for everything else, very solid...

mzn

I love you happy car owners! It's nice to hear folks sing the praises of their cars.

carlady/host

gtkach

I lived in FL and my AC was great. You should probably get it looked at.

punkintoze

I lost my 88 Festiva to a car accident 2 weeks ago (18 year-old girl ran a red light and hit my rear passenger side totalling it). It was a wonderful car. I worked at a Honda dealership part time and it came in as a trade-in from an elderly couple. I got it for $800 (Yes, eight hundred) and it only had 32,000 miles on it! That was in 1994. I had it for 4 years and never had a problem. I am really sad to see it go. I cried at the towing yard. I even kissed it goodbye.
Oh man, I'm getting all weepy now.
The only consolation is that I was planning on passing it on and getting a larger car. I'm looking at other hatchbacks and the miniSUVs.

mzn

Sorry about your accident! I hope no one was injured. It is hard to say goodbye to the cars we love. I cried when they took my traded-in VW Golf from me even though I was driving off the lot with a new one. Cars hold a lot of memories.

Shucks, now you've got me tearing up! :-(

carlady/host

gtkach

I probably won't get teary-eyed when I let my Festiva go...but I don't plan on getting rid of it any time soon...it's an ugly car that won't break down. It's 10 years old and I expect to get another 5 at least...that's pretty good considering it has to endure Vermont winters.

icabod

I bought an '88 Festiva with 112k on it in '92, sold it to my brother a couple years later with 135k, and he ran it up to 160k before selling it. The only major repair it had was a frame-straightening from a curb shot and a new lower control arm. Otherwise, very little work. I'm really impressed that it got 160k+ on the original clutch.

Incidentally, the Festiva was designed by Mazda (I've also had great luck with 2 Mazdas), built by Kia in Korea, and sold with a Ford badge on it. Can you say 'world economy', boys and girls...?

markellis

It's time to sell mine, what should I ask for it?

90 L Plus, AC, 78K miles, new tires, Sony cassette stereo, in good/excellent condition (no rust, few dings).

I'd rather sell privately than trade-in.

gtkach

Edmunds has some guides you can use for pricing used cars. Bluebook is also online as well. I think the website is just www.bluebook.com. My philosophy has been drive the cars until they're dust...so I won't be getting rid of mine anytime soon.

For me, that's one of the downsides of getting something so reliable...I can't justify to myself to buy something new when the old is still working well. We have a 16 yr. old microwave that my wife would love to get rid of but it still works fine so why?

mas555

I love mine, too! I have a '92 that just hit 100,000 miles and it still runs great. I've hardly had to do a thing to it ('cept when I let the brakes go for too long. Oops! Rotors? What rotors?) I keep expecting the clutch to go, but so far, so good. It's even been hit twice and has held up amazingly well.

I'm thinking of buying a Civic hatchback next year, just because I feel like I "should" be getting a new car. I'm gonna hate to give up the little old Festiva, though!

I think OTHER drivers would prefer I get a different car, though. Some of them sure hate being behind me as I try in vain to zoom off after the light turns green!

Zero to sixty in, oh, couple of minutes. . .

zacharylaurie

I LOVED my Festiva, but I sold it right before I came up to college a few weeks ago. It was a '91 GL, bright cardinal red, with only 32,000 miles. It was a blast to drive. I even got $2800 for it when I sold it. Bluebook value said $3400, but I didn't want to wait, so I quickly took the offer. I only bought it for $2500, and then got over a years use out of it!!! Honda resale people can take that to the bank!!

zacharylaurie

I just saw my ex-Festiva a few days ago. Unfortunately, the person I sold it to was in an accident. It broke my heart, but at least the car wasn't completely smashed. It looked like the hood will need to be replaced, the bumper will need to be replaced, and the 1/4 panels on the front of each side will have to be replaced. I finally calmed down when I realized that it wasn't her fault, and the other person's insurance will pay to get it fixed. I always wondered how the car would do in an accident.

mzn

An accident -- how dreadful! I take it no one was injured??

It never fails to amaze me how deeply we can bond with cars and other inanimate objects. I feel I ought to offer you my condolences, zacharylaurie. :-)

carlady/host

FREDERICK

My family has owned three Fiestas (English based predicessor to the Fiesta) and one Festiva. My father kept patching my mother's Gia version together with parts from my brother's totaled car as well as another car that my dad aquired through a friend's estate. She drove that car for years and really loved its size and power. Not a great gas miser but that little four banger sure could pull.

The South Korean Kia built Festiva was my sister's replacement car for a Honda Civic Wagon. I think that it was her first new car. She drove it for a number of years unitl she got married and then her husband used it to commute daily to work.

Finally with well over 100k miles and very few maintanance problems they bequethed the car on my 18 year old nephew in Oregon. I understand that the car is still chugging along. Although it may not be as cool as a Camero to an eighteen year old it sure is easier on the wallet and less prone to speeding tickets!

gtkach

My festiva will flip 90K miles next week. It's not a pretty car, but I just can't see getting something different just so I can look cool to a bunch a people who don't really care anyways. I like being able to zip in and out of small places. It's also a car I can drive without stress. If it gets scratched...big deal. Get in with muddy boots...oh well. And if it ever dies...I can rest easy knowing I surely got my moneys worth.

zacharylaurie

Just to follow up on my last response, the car was totled. MY BABY!!!! Oh well! She recieved $300 more than she bought it from me from the insurance company (GRUMBLE, GRUMBLE.) Luckily, it's still very drivable, just not that attractive. I don't know whether she's going to get it fixed or not, but she has a drivable car, and a $2900 check. The Festiva is one great car! But it is time to move on. My next car will either be a coupe like a T-bird, or a Monte Carlo, or a sedan like the Taurus/Sable. It's not looking like its going to be a hatchback, but any of these cars have a bigger trunk than my old Festiva - a must for a college student who can't borrow their dad's Accord wagon when buying something big.

mzn

Thanks, zacharylaurie, for keeping us up to date. I have to admit, I was skeptical about the Festiva and your comments are making a believer out of me! I'm glad to know it came through an accident so well. Such very small cars make me a bit nervous so your reassurance is very helpful.

carlady/host

gtkach

Curt3 ... do you like your Aspire? Is it as reliable as the Festiva?

mzn

gtkach, Curt3's post had to be scribbled but I believe he will post again soon. Are there any Festiva lurkers in our midst? :-)

carlady/host

curt3

Yes I do like the Aspire but like the Festiva, it has been discontinued. I regret that I got rid of my Festiva in the first place yet the Aspire has been reliable. My biggest gripe about the Aspire is the amount of rattles and squeaks that it has considering its youthful age of 3 years. I had the battery replaced twice (under warranty). I feel that that car is stylish and sufficiently powered considering the excellent gas mileage.

amelvin3

Could we hear more on the Aspire? My local dealer has a '95 four door hatchback, 40,000 miles for under $4,000, which I am looking at because my '89 Festiva has started leaking oil after 160,000 miles. I note with curiosity that the '95 Aspire rates overall better than the '95 Honda Civic or '95 Geo Metro in the Edmunds ratings. The rating for "value" is 7.3 for the Aspire, 5.4 for the Civic, and 6.5 for the Metro. Can anybody help me understand what this means? The Aspire must be a pretty good car -- ?!

zacharylaurie

I've heard it is about as reliable as the Festiva, but not quite as fast. The performance should still be better than the Geo Metro because it has a 4 cylinder engine instead of a 3 cylinder engine. Good luck!

drewr

Stop it with the pointless interjections, carlady - You are really annoying!!!!!

mzn

As the host of the Hatchbacks discussion area here at Edmunds, my job is to interject from time to time to maintain the flow of the conversation and our friendly environment. I'd like to think it isn't pointless. :-)

What information about the Ford Festiva would you like to share with our users, drewr?

carlady/host

zacharylaurie

Time to pop that prozac! Calm down everyone. There is no need for animocity. There is too much to say about the Festiva to have to fight here.

It has been 4 months since I sold my Festiva. It's in the dump now since that 16 year old girl I sold it to wrecked it. SIGH!!! I miss my little car, but I had to sell it. At least I got a good price.

I miss that quick stoplight performance, I miss that unbelievably quick Air conditioner.

I don't miss the slow heater during winter, or the small trunk. (Although the positives of the car - including reliability - more than make up for these shortcomings.

My days with the Festiva are over though. I'm moving on to a larger car. I'm going shopping over spring break. I'm looking for something really big, like a Taurus, or a T-bird. I know these aren't hatchbacks, but they are still nice.

curt3

I pine away constantly thinking about my Festiva that I sold. I regret ever getting rid of it. I customized it considerably and my students thought that it was hilarious that their 6'5" teacher managed to squeeze into the bright green contraption that they called the "M&M".
I have yet to find any car at any price with half the personality. The new bug is cute yet it costs almost three times as much as my 1993 GL Festiva. I now own any Aspire but I am not nearly as attached to this replacement. I hardly even wash it. My Festiva and I shared bath towels.

Beanbo

I have a 91 Festiva that's been great and should go another 5 years. Does anyone know if it can be fitted with 13 inch rims?

curt3

I put 13" 5 Star rims by Prime on my Festiva back in 1995. The car never rode smoothly again. I would only recommend putting aftermarket rims on your Festiva if the salesman guarantees a smooth ride. I spent an enormous amount of money trying to get those rims balanced but they simply could not compare to the originals. Good luck.