Happy Anniversay to my Festiva

[Team Lightning]

23 years ago today (May 16,1990), I bought my first Ford and my first new car, my Silver 1990 Festiva L.
It cost $6590 and change. It had no Radio and no AC. It now has 325400 miles on it. Soon it's getting a B6, and new paint .
Orignal transmission lasted 263,000 and the shifter gate broke.
I got a good deal on a transmission and motor and had them changed. The original motor and trans are still on the road in other Festivas. (trans was repaired by htchback).
It's only let me down a couple or so times. Dead battery, broken belt once and I didn't have a spare with me.
Other than that, it's been one of the most reliable vehicles I've ever owned. I've owned it longer than any other vehicle with my 98 Dakota coming in second at 12 yrs and counting.

Happy Anniversary PeeWee!

[sketchman]

Nice. Wish I could have been of driving age to have gotten a new Festy off the line.

Congrats.

[kumalaba]

go peewee!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Festevil3]

I know bebandit is telling the truth I seen all the original documentation myself, and the car is still running pretty good. It is really gonna scoot Jerry when you get that 16V B6 in there

[kumalaba]

bandit has a need for speed!

[Sparky]

Congrats to the both of you!

[Prafeston]

That's awesome!

[Team Lightning]

Thank you everyone! When I bought it I was only looking for a cheap car I could afford. We have been through a lot, but the car hasn't let me down except when the trans went out. It's amazing that I offered it for sale but the member who wanted it never was able to come and get it. Then I found the motor/trans and decided to keep it.
I'm so glad I kept it. Thanks to the forum, I've met a lot of nice people and made some friends.
I only hope it last another 23 yrs!

[1990new]

Congratulations Jerry and good luck with your B6 conversion.
No doubt it will last another 23 Jerry. You know how to take care of Festivas.

I bought my 1990 Surf Blue L Plus about 4 months before you did, but it was the 8th new car purchase for me. It was in January 1990 but I don't remember the
exact date or the exact price. It had a radio, Factory AC and a few other things that the L model did not. I believe it was close to $8000 that I paid for it. Traded in my 12 year old 78 VW van when I bought it (wish I had that back now).

[Team Lightning]

I remembered paying around $65-6600 for it. I was showing Kevin (festevil3) the paper work at the meet when I found out how much it was.
I still have all the paper work except the window sticker which they said ripped when they removed it. I even still have the contract that I signed when I bought it.
I traded a 78 Malibu Classic for it. Kinda wish I hadn't thrown away the radio and antenna delete plates, but they are long gone.
Yours definitely looks better than mine, as mine needs painting. The clearcoat didn't last.

[Bert]

Hey man, to own a reliable, and inexpensive car to fix, right from new makes for a wonderful story. Time to start pampering (you're going to bolt in a B6?) the old girl in order to make it an heirloom. Anyway: congratulations.
I inherited my mother's Festy when she died 2 years ago. She was so excited to own a brand new car back in 1993 that the rest of us covered our eyes and just looked the other way. I remember thinking at the time that a Festy was only 1/2 a real car and here I am 20 years later with a driveway full of them.