Bought another Festiva

[Eaglefreek]

I tried the Aspire thing, but it didn't work out for me. The Aspire is better than a Festiva in many ways, but it lacks the interior room of the Festiva. At 6'2" 245, I didn't fit in the Aspire too well. Plus, I like the look of the Festiva better. I picked up a 93 a little over a week ago. I think I overpaid at $1,200, but they don't come up for sale as much anymore and when they do, they are typically in bad shape. This one has 177k miles and needs some attention, but overall is in good shape. The A/C works and it runs good. The check engine light was on and I checked the codes and replaced the ECT sensor and that took care of the light. You can see in the first pic, there is rust in the headlight. Both headlights looked like they had water in them, but I don't see any evidence of any other water damage. I replaced the headlights with a pair I got at the junkyard. It needs tires, but I'm not sure if I'm going to stay with the 12" wheels yet. It had an aftermarket resonator that had a gaping hole. I cut it off and installed some flex pipe. It's nice a quiet now. The shifter is sloppy and will need the bushings replaced. At some point someone painted the roof black and it's peeling off. A buddy is going to help me paint the roof and hood. They lost the window crank and used a pair of vice grips which chewed off the teeth and tore the panel a little. I replaced the regulator with one from the junkyard and made a plastic piece to cover the torn part to keep it from tearing more. My neighbor's going to tint the windows. It does have a weird brake issue. Once and a while when you press the brakes, there is nothing. Let up and press again and they are like normal. I'll have to figure that out, before I put it on the road. I would guess master cylinder, but I don't want to start throwing parts at it. Any ideas? I'm glad to be back in a Festiva. Insurance is $24 a year cheaper for the Festiva. I would have guessed the Aspire would have been cheaper since it has airbags.



I had to drive 3 hours to Talladega to pick it up. My neighbor was kind enough to let me use his trailer, but I got a blow out on the way home.

[Advancedynamix]

Looks like a steal at 1200.

[Dragonhealer]

Wow, nice and straight!
Yes on the master cylinder, the piston seals are old and firm,( two of our cars ) or has debris floating around inside catching in the one-way valve (a clients car). Wish we had one that straight,,,,

[Axlander9289]

+1 for a master cylinder fault. My '89 had the same issue.

[Eaglefreek]

Cool, I ordered a master cylinder. My memory isn't the best and I just remembered that I had the same problem on my last Festiva and a MC solved the problem.

[Eaglefreek]

Wow, nice and straight!
Yes on the master cylinder, the piston seals are old and firm,( two of our cars ) or has debris floating around inside catching in the one-way valve (a clients car). Wish we had one that straight,,,,

It's got a few little dents. These cars are so thin, I've yet to see one without any dings or dents.

[1990new]

Insurance is $24 a year cheaper for the Festiva. I would have guessed the Aspire would have been cheaper since it has airbags.

My educated guess is that you are paying most your premium to cover your liability if you are involved in an accident with another vehicle. So since the Aspire is a little heavier than the Festiva, statistics probably show that the historical insurance payout to the auto not at fault that is involved in an accident with an Aspire is great than one involved with a Festiva.

[frogman]

Congrats! Not a bad price to pay for a nice straight one. You already know what it's worth.

[drddan]

Nice find!

[Eaglefreek]

I got a little bit done to it the last couple of days. Friday night, I Seafoamed the engine. Saturday, I changed the oil and installed new plugs, wires, cap and rotor and painted the wiper arms. Also, my neighbor tinted the windows. It's getting there. The master cylinder came in, but I need to find the time to install it.

To do list
Master cylinder
Right sway bar/control arm bushing is torn
Turn signals don't cancel on their own
Desperately need new tires, but really don't want to put 12" tires on it. I'm on the look out for some 13" or 14" wheels
Steering wheel is cockeyed and hoping a alignment takes care of it.
Paint roof, hood and bumpers
Better stereo system

[Eaglefreek]

I wasn't planning on doing a brake swap, but an Aspire came up in the junkyard and 4x100 wheels are much easier to find. I took off work Tuesday and pulled the parts. There was no rust and it came apart fairly easy and it was a very hot day and my sciatica was bothering me, but I persevered and got all the parts. I'm out of town for work until the 3rd and then have to get wheels and tires before I perform the swap.

[sketchman]

You guys with good yards. I envy you.

[bravekozak]

If you use a Magic Eraser on the bumpers, I guarantee that you will be amazed.

[J Daniel Santos]

Congrats! that Festy looking good now!! I hope to buy one more when a good deal come my way :icon_smile::icon_smile::icon_smile::icon_smile::i con_smile::icon_smile:

[Eaglefreek]

You guys with good yards. I envy you.

That one is 100 miles from where I live. I've got an LKQ about 30 miles away, but it's a bit expensive. My favorite is about 50 miles away. There are some yards where they just put the cars out randomly and the the ground is muddy and full of weeds. I don't bother going to those.

If you use a Magic Eraser on the bumpers, I guarantee that you will be amazed.

Thanks, I'll give it a try.

Congrats! that Festy looking good now!! I hope to buy one more when a good deal come my way :icon_smile::icon_smile::icon_smile::icon_smile::i con_smile::icon_smile:

Thanks. Good luck with your search. I don't know where in California you are, but I'm working in Canoga Park for the week. I saw a nice silver Festiva here just a few minutes ago.