wtf???

[geezerstiva]

look at this:

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/1999/11/29/focus3.html

festivas werent' made in the 70s! were they?

[nonamekid]

Another good example of people not knowing the difference between a Fiesta and a Festiva. And the festiva lived on as the Aspire, so apparently they did very little research and pulled this one out of their bad memory collection.

[Safety Guy]

Business writer Melissa Bogdany wrote:

"Ford quit making the inexpensive Festiva in 1993. Dealers said the biggest problem was its small size. First made in the late '70s, Ford stopped producing Festivas in the early '80s. After a brief comeback, Ford killed the nameplate again in 1993, even though the Festiva sold for less than $10,000."

She's probably confusing our cars with the old Fiesta, a common error for those who weren't paying attention. The Fiesta was of very similar size and design, except for its OHV 1.6L engine, and more squared off lines.

Maybe we should ask her if she will write about the small "after" and "extra" market share of the economy that Festivas are involved in. That would be a nice act of contrition on her part!

Karl

[geezerstiva]

ahhh... didn't think about that. should have. everybody does that. i got a friend that calls it a fs-tiva. wow. thats hard to relay on a message board :lol:

[jglutz]

Several points that no one ever talks about:
1) Ford needed a low $$ model to attrack buyers to the brand (For dealerships)...hense the festiva. Some historians say 'to attrack first time buyers' that doesn't mean kids out of school...It means someone's first Ford purchase.
2) Dealerships always ask/tell the manufactures...'give us something that will attrack the buyers...we'll make the sale'... it happened.
3) Ford, more than any other manufacture...loves to prelaunch platforms. The Apsire was the ultimate goal.. the Festiva was Ford's way of testing the water. Unfortunate for them, it didn't work.
4) The biggest mistake Ford made...was they never anticipated the volume of sales nor the excellent value deleivered...this set a bench mark alomost impossible for the aspire to surpass. Most inmportantly...the festiva killed the sales of other more profitable models.


Anyway, send a comment to the publisher expressing your distaste for their inaccurracy, ask for a correction and tell them if they want to write an article that attaracks readers....write about ff.com

[FB71]

Well, from my talks with Ford's product managers, the Festiva/Aspire were there soley to raise corporate fleet CAFE. They pushed it on their dealers as a way to attract entry level buyers. The goal was to get them in the door with a Festy (price-point sale), then trade them into an Escort in two years, then a Tempo, etc..

[Safety Guy]

But instead, Ford got me into a Festiva four years after they were discontinued, and I keep buying more of them instead of Crown Vics or Lincoln Wastinentals!

Not sure where I'll go in another ten years or so when my Festivas start becoming more of a hindrance than an asset. I'd like to keep one going for a loooonnnggg time, but it won't be my main car.

Modded '97 Aspire? 2000+ ZX/2? Yaris? Focus? Rio?

Karl

[neanderpaul]

^ I'd like to think we can still keep them on the road as assets for a long time. 10 - 20 more years before they become too expensive to make/find parts for? Then electric power!! :thumbright:

[freshtiva]

I intend to drive one for the rest of my life. I think it can it done.

[25Horseplay]

^^Me too!

[packrat427]

Me 3 :lol:

[Dave G]

Hey, they're still making brand new ones in Iran :-)

[jglutz]

Well, from my talks with Ford's product managers, the Festiva/Aspire were there soley to raise corporate fleet CAFE. They pushed it on their dealers as a way to attract entry level buyers. The goal was to get them in the door with a Festy (price-point sale), then trade them into an Escort in two years, then a Tempo, etc..

Yeh, My Point...it didn't work