Want to become an owner but have some Q's

[Jedz123]

Well First off I want to say hello all! New to the forum, I've always been a huge Festiva fan but never had an opportunity to buy one till recently but wanted to get some dirt on the car before I purchase.
I've done some research on the car on this forum and have learned allot about this seemingly awesome little car. Secondly I would like to thank all of you in putting so much information on this site.... Hours I've spent on the search picking through info, but the more I pick the more I want one of these little guys.
I've However do have some Q's about the car that I can't seem to find answers to on the search thing and was wondering if you could answer them for me..
First off Info on the car in question. Its a 93 Festiva 5-speed(unsure of model). It has 170K miles, owner claims the thing can get 50 mpg. The owner claims it runs good doesn't burn oil or smoke. All glass is in check and he says the body is pretty solid(paint fade and minor chipping some rust). He's selling the car for $400 and it comes with an extra set of brand new Studded Winter tires pre mounted on a set of rims. I am going to check out the car in person tomorrow and test drive it.
Now is this a good deal or not?
I'm not too keen on these cars so I'm not sure what to look for on these things... One thing I couldn't find on the forums is a major problem these cars have. Most cars have a single problem that will eventually lead to the demise of the car, for example my 94 civic is rotting out completely m, motor and tranny are solid but the body won't last another winter.. So is there anything in particular I should look for in these cars? One thing I am going to look for is crank wobble, My Miata (may she RIP) suffered from the 1.6 short nose crank problem which ended her life at abruptly at a age of 220K miles. (that motor ran soooo well then the last couple of hundred miles... makes me sad to think about) Do I have to worry about this with the B3?
I guess I was wondering what exactly do I look for when I look at her tomorrow?
I read up on these things and from what I gather with proper maintenance (which I'm religious about) these things are pretty bullet proof. Also another plus for me is Engine swap capabilities... I've done several engine swap and I'm sure I'll do more and it looks like a cake walk compared to some of the swaps I've done in my time.
Another Q is can I use my 94 Honda Civic DX rims on the Festiva... I just bought 4 brand new summer tires 175/65 R13's (I think) and would hate to have them go to waste when I scrap or trade in the car down the road...
Well I think that's it...
A preemptive Thanks!
-Jedz

[JPT]

Welcome to the site.

$400.00 sounds like an awesome deal. As far as problems, some Festivas seem to eat wheel bearings (problem with mine), also the parking brakes stick. I'm sure others will chime in about problems with theirs, but basically these things are pretty much fool proof.

obviously, check for major rust damage.

Crank wobble is something I haven't heard much about, but some of the early (91 and older?) motors have small nosed cranks and pulleys have been known to snap off.

My advice? Buy the car. I don't think someone like you will have any kind of problem that can't be fixed easily.

The rims will fit, but you'll have to do the "Aspire Swap" to get the right bolt pattern.

[eurotiva]

Look it over for rust. Replace the valve cover gasket, and you should be good to go. $400 is a great deal too. If you don't want it I'll take it.....I just spent that on my clutch!!

[hotfordcat]

Good Deal!!! Buy the Car!!!

[skimsucka]

Buy it as long as rust isnt insane sounds like a great deal hey maybe throw us up some pics after you look at or buy it lol

Welcome to the site

[muscle_Car1]

As far as the crank wobble I havent heard anything. There are sparatic reports of other failures, i.e. packrats water pump pully. As said before wheel bearings do seem to get a bad rap about them but I think I know why. No much else goes wrong with these cars & doing the front wheel bearings at home is a daunting task to some(including myself).

One thing others forgot is the control arm. Go buy a set now, like $50 for a pair on ebay. Have a backup. I've lost 4 while driving, all low speed stuff. Real easy to do.

As far as is $400 a good deal, um yeah a running car of most makes is a good deal. & you get extra winter rims is a great bonus. If its a L model then good you have room to upgrade w/ power mirrors, intermitent wipers, blah blah blah... If its a GL great all the options, or if its a sport you just hit the jackpot. This limited edition had a spoiler, & much desired red diagonal stripe interior.

as far as your old civic rims are concerned, keep them for when you do an aspire swap later...

[TominMO]

$400 bux for a low-mileage Festy with spare snow tires is a very good deal. When I say low mileage, bear in mind that I have a 92 Festy that runs well with its original motor, which has 324,000 miles!

+1 on the control arms; check 'em out closely, buy another set and stick 'em in if needed. Buy a Haynes manual at an auto parts place; not perfect but a start.

Yes it can get in the 50s on highway mileage; and swaps with various Mazda motors (to include those in some Fords) are doable. A couple are very easy.

Check out the rear brakes and wheel bearings. Easy to do and cheap too; plenty of instruction available here on the forum for this procedure and many others as well; plus a wealth of knowledge for questions you will have.

To use your Honda rims, which use the 4x100mm bolt pattern IIRC, you will need to upgrade to the Aspire brakes, which is a very desirable upgrade, and not all that difficult to do. Aspire brakes are much better than Festiva brakes. This will give you the 4x100mm bolt pattern; Festys are 4x114.3mm (4.5 inch).

[Tim]

I've owned about a dozen Festivas and haven't really found a flaw that kills them, other than damage due to lack of maintenance.

Most Festivas can go 200k+ miles on virtually all original parts. Wheel bearings seem to be the weak spot, as others have pointed out. They occasionally go through ignition modules (haven't had that problem yet...), the locks tend to wear out, windows can be stiff in cold weather, and some cars develop this annoying problem where the starter won't engage on the first try and makes a grinding noise.

Compared to the flaws of many other cars, the Festiva's are trivial, and if you take care of your car it will serve you well.


-Tim

[stevewl1164]

I got one which the oil had apparantly never been changed...it had 85K on it. I do think I changed the oil but it was almost self-changing. it burned a quart every 800 miles. It NEVER gave a moments trouble...no wheel bearing, brakes, NOTHING! I sold it to a friend who used it to haul stuff and commute to and from work in stop and go traffic. Clutch never went out. He had zero problems with it. Not even the radiator which had never been flushed. I got it back and it had about 115K and due to the first owner's not changing the oil it lost compression and the oil consumption went through the roof. It went to auction and I got my money back! I drove it for free and so did the other guy I sold it to. THAT was a thoughly abused and neglected Festiva. The car never broke down on any of us and never had a single repair. Change the oil regularly and you should be good to go.

[TominMO]

I got one which the oil had apparantly never been changed...it had 85K on it. I do think I changed the oil but it was almost self-changing. it burned a quart every 800 miles. It NEVER gave a moments trouble...no wheel bearing, brakes, NOTHING! I sold it to a friend who used it to haul stuff and commute to and from work in stop and go traffic. Clutch never went out. He had zero problems with it. Not even the radiator which had never been flushed. I got it back and it had about 115K and due to the first owner's not changing the oil it lost compression and the oil consumption went through the roof. It went to auction and I got my money back! I drove it for free and so did the other guy I sold it to. THAT was a thoughly abused and neglected Festiva. The car never broke down on any of us and never had a single repair. Change the oil regularly and you should be good to go.

Amazing story!

[batstiva]

First of all, Welcome to FF.COM!!!

400 bones for a good running, lower miles Stiva is a great deal.
I'd take the advice given by others. I'd also check the solid brake lines under the car. In a high salt environment, they tend to rust out.
+1 on having some control arm/ball joints on hand. Also, may just be me, but I tend to change plugs/rotor button/disty cap/fuel filter/air filter on any car I buy, unless I know the previous owner. Just tends to save trouble down the road.

Didn't do that when I bought my S-10, and the first hard downpour I drove it in, I found the plug wires were bad, and I ended up sitting on the side of the road trying to dry stuff out.

Grab that one and go!!

[neanderpaul]

Welcome! Do yourself a favor and buy it. Unless it is REALLY rusty. Some states eat cars due to salt on the roads. Ohio WV, etc. Other than that you are good. The parking brakes lock, but can be cleaned and reset. The wheel bearings last for 100,000 miles if lubed and installed properly. I've never had a control arm failure. One guy at the recent festiva madness meet had 360,000 miles on the original engine, trans, starter, alternator, and CLUTCH!!!! 300,000 is the average you can get. I've seen 8 now with 500,000 miles. One had 600,000 miles. These cars are fun AND keep money in your pocket you would otherwise be spending on money sucker cars.

[festiva joe]

Buyin a Festiva......

And your worried about spending 400 samoleans on it



It isn't rocket science


Follow your aura ,use the force (and knowledge) of the mighty FF.COM


We got our fair share of maniacs and brainiacs (but i cant figure out where I fit in!!!!!!!!!!!)


I spent $100.00 clams on mine off craigslist and it runs well (other than needing CV Joints , and 2 new headlights (one's cracked and ones broke)

you can put as little or as much as you want to on these little cars



Basically,

Go with your gut feeling Bro!!!!



enuff of my rambling,


Joe

[Jedz123]

Well thanks guys for the input....
Wow loads of info thanks soo much! I know what to look for when I go to see it tomorrow morning. Preety much if it isn't a rust bucket go for it...

Here is a pic for your viewing pleasure... It's maroon I like very much on the color...


I'll look it over carefully, thanks again on the info... keep you guys updated!

-Jedz

[stevewl1164]

Wow..that is pretty...love the color!