Advice on purchasing first festiva

[Bongasaurus]

New to the forum, looking for advice on a 92 festiva. Things to look for, etc.
My only concern in he claims a clean title but the red grill says otherwise.
ty1

[red90festyonair]

Good day,
The first thing to be concerned about is rust. Specifically around the rear mounting points on the frame for the rear suspension, second spot is in the front below the radiator. Festivas are know to rot badly in thos two areas. The rear is what will cause most people to take these cars off the road. Pretty much everything else is inexpensive to repair or replace. There will be other folks around shortly to point out things that you should watch for but those are the two places I personally would be concerned about if I were looking to pick up a driveable Festiva. Here is a recent post with the same question....... http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/sh...blems-With-The
Good luck!

[TWFodor]

You have good attention to detail in regard to the grill. However, he may have hit a bird at some point and had to have it replaced, you can never really tell. My grandpa hit a falcon with his f-150 and it cracked the grill pretty good. So it could be anything. Look in the engine bay for any obvious repairs or bending. I can tell mine has been in an accident because the bumper beam is bent in a little bit on the driver's side (you have to take the bumper cover off for this though), and the headlight has 06/09 on it, giving me the impression it was recently replaced. Its smaller clues like those that can tell you if it has been or not. It doesn't really bother me though, most of my cars have been in accidents when I bought them.

Otherwise, get the VIN number from the seller and hop on over to this thread, and he can help you out: http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/sh...REE-VIN-Checks

[TominMO]

First thing you should look at when you go to check out a car is the title. Clean, VIN matches, no liens against it, in the seller's name, not salvage. Then start looking at the car. The grill doesn't mean anything.

[Spike]

Grills are very easy to break on a Festiva if you don't pay attention. Remove all the clips, then unscrew the (HIDDEN) screw in the center of the grill. I will admit, I did not realize this screw was there first time I took off a grill. Cracked it right in half with almost no effort.

[old yellow]

I never put that screw back


Sent from one of my 2 iPhones using Tapatalk

[1990new]

Even if it had a salvage title it wouldn't bother me unless it had obvious signs of body bending that would interfere with steering or suspension.
I sold my 92 Aqua which had a salvage title and over 200,000 on it a couple of years ago for $2500. The new owner has been in two minor accidents since she bought it but it's still running great.
The state had to issue a salvage title because the insurance company came out better by calling it a total loss instead of paying to fix it. Registration of a vehicle with a salvage title may be more difficult in some states though... I don't know.
What's the mileage and what are they asking.

[jaketlong11]

how much are they asking?

[sc72]

Were in Iowa are you. I also live in Iowa and would be glad to help you look it over.