The first thing you guys did to your Festiva???

[kraigel]

Ok so I'm 17 and I just bought my first car last week... It's a Festiva!!!! I seen this car and just fell in love with this thing! I was just wandering what should I do first? It could use a paint job, it needs some rust work (it's just small rust bubbles on either side just above the rear wheel wells) I need a system, I already have a new radio just need to hook it up, it is completely clean, all I'm waiting for is my title to come in the mail! It's 5 speed 4 banger. I just don't know what I want to do with it first. And I don't know if I should slam it or not and I think I might black it out I'm just not sure. What did u guys do first? Because this car is beautiful! What is the very first thing you did to your very first Festiva?

\( ˆoˆ)/\(ˆoˆ )/

[Pu241]

Changed oil

[nonamekid]

registration and insurance.
Check the tire pressure.
Fill the transmission with oil: its probably empty.

[bolokid]

Pics?

[navdoc101]

New carpet & paint.

[jayber]

Im in same boat although Im more than twice your age. I have a 91 that I dont know which way I want to go with the car... decisions decisions...

First thing Ive done was take it off the trailer

[TominMO]

I'd say, first go over all the things that can leave you stuck on the side of the road: belts, hoses, all fluids (engine, tranny, brake, coolant). Also examine steering and suspension components (tie rod ends, lower control arms), as they are safety concerns. Examine the front brakes for pad wear while you're in there. Don't forget to check the timing belt too.

You can check all this stuff in about 1/2 hour, once you have the upper timing belt cover off. I always cut off part of the upper timing belt cover so I don't have to deal with the lower screw at the back of the motor. It's hidden by the water pump pulley. Then it's just the three screws that are easy to get to. I also remove the part of the cover that would contact the water pump pulley.

Also recommend cleaning the engine bay. Good for morale, makes it much more pleasant to work in there, and you will get to know it better. Cover the disty and alternator with aluminum foil or something to keep water off of them.

Once all this is out of the way, sit back and think about all the different directions people have taken their Festivas; read the forum posts extensively. Should give you lots of ideas.

[batstiva]

Took Pictures!!! Hint, hint. Let's see, with Batstiva it was the radio, because it had none. With Slick it was LCAs and front end work, because it was scary over 50 mph. And with Annie, it was probably an oil change.

[old yellow]

first thing my GL needed was wheels and tires. (more economical to buy 13" tires) It also needed a front end adjustment and now I just got done with one side of the car in terms of body work and needs to be painted.

[SWRT]

Honestly, I'd try and keep it stock for now. You're young...by those standards
you probably dont have an excessive amount of money to blow on it (I may be wrong)
I'd say fix anything on it that needs it and drive it for a while. Experience it first before
you modify it. You may find that getting 40+ MPG is pretty awesome Blacking it out
is one thing, but making it lower...well, you'll probably need to upgrade to different wheel
hubs before you'll find rims and tires that will please you. It'd be hard to find some 12" rims
that would work good with that kind of setup visually.

I added a cup holder to the red/black one and for the blue one I changed out the grille to
the older style and repainted it and added some clear corners and turn signals. I still gotta
get pictures of that at some point.

[shadetree]

When I was 17 the first thing I did was learn how to lay the front seats down for a large bed . Performed some brown chicken brown cow !!

[TorqueEffect]

Changed out the mangled rear spindle and disintegrated wheel bearings. Then changed the oil and gave it a tune up.

[drddan]

Red 88 - didn't do anything to it, except drive to the DMV and get it licensed. It had new bearings, brakes, and tune up and oil change when I bought it.
Black 92 - drove it home from Texas and pulled the engine. It was blowing oil like a Texas oil well!

[bobstad]

could've left well enough alone; had I known better...

I got four '87 Mazda 323 13" rims; and about the same time, added the rear springs from the four FMS set-which is still by far, the most roadworthy setup.

Compared to near suicidal, 12" rims with the rear springs and shocks both shot; while now with all four FMS springs, there's not near the friendly ride-as with stock front springs.

I've found, with stock springs in front & rear springs from FMS; the handling is on par with the FMS springs front & back, particularly as I run the narrower 155 tires which are most accurate with the speedometer-as if made for that, and also give the best gas mileage.

Plus, with the stock front springs; the ground clearance is far better for dirt roads, and other types of things more clearance helps: While with the rear FMS springs, they don't lower the car nearly as much as the FMS springs in front do...

Not to mention, leaving out some of the more subtle things; when replacing the old struts, such as spacers which help cushion against the car's towers. I get added noise, over rough spots; such as exiting or entering parking lots, from the street-or even more abrupt, surface changes. Particularly when cornering too, with a worse effect the sharper the turn.

Interestingly, the four Mazda 323 13" rims, cost only $40 total; from a Mazda specific wrecking yard, near Sacramento, CA.

That was some drive, I remember; getting over and back from Eureka, along winding roads at a fast pace-still with the 12" rims, and sloppy, worn out rear springs & shock/struts. Surprisingly, the front shock/struts weren't nearly as worn out; which could've stood a lot more use, prior to being replaced with KYBs, now both front & rear.

I drove the setup stock in front, FMS rear, about 10,000 miles-often out into the more mountainous areas of both Humboldt & Del Norte counties, like the Covolo township's outback region and between there and elsewhere in the area.

My main impulse, with attempting the Aspire brake swap, I'm still only halfway through after getting the rear axle changed over to an Aspire one; was to have front wheel bearings I'd be able to service myself-after some creeps with a McKinleyville, CA shop created the impression my car might be stranded with the job still incomplete, were I to try to pay someone else to lube the existing factory front wheel bearings...they'd quoted say about ten years ago, a price of $400 plus-for doing those.

These days, with the car off the street since the middle of the summer before this one just past; my feelings are ones of discouragement, finding particularly with the crappy low-rent situation I live in-too much harassment, trying to live within my means; rather than succumb to the worst proclivities, of a government assistance way of life.

I waited quite awhile, to change the timing belt; though that's also something done, near first on the list now-which was changed a second time, not long ago since the water pump was failing.

[dalebwilson]

Make sure you can steer it and stop it before you drive it.