Tell me your worst, most expensive, or difficult! (A hesitant buyer asking)

[sketchman]

Good point on the "not mechanically inclined" bit. Maybe at least twist off the oil filler cap and shine a light down into it if that's your only option. But then I don't think I'd say it's so easy you could change the engine on the side of the road if he's not mechanically inclined enough to pull a valve cover. lol

DO NOT trust the seller to be honest/knowledgeable about maint records. One I mention came from Eurotiva on here. Florida car. No rust. Excellent seller. And it ran perfect, so there was no reason to suspect an issue. Came out from work one day and it was toast. With no warnings before that day.

Unless they have documented proof of maint, don't trust it. Look inside the VC somehow. Even if just through the filler cap.

[ryanprins13]

Good point on the "not mechanically inclined" bit. Maybe at least twist off the oil filler cap and shine a light down into it if that's your only option. But then I don't think I'd say it's so easy you could change the engine on the side of the road if he's not mechanically inclined enough to pull a valve cover. lol

DO NOT trust the seller to be honest/knowledgeable about maint records. One I mention came from Eurotiva on here. Florida car. No rust. Excellent seller. And it ran perfect, so there was no reason to suspect an issue. Came out from work one day and it was toast. With no warnings before that day.

Unless they have documented proof of maint, don't trust it. Look inside the VC somehow. Even if just through the filler cap.

Good advice and i didnt mean that he could change and engine on the side of a road, just that i could and i could pull a valve cover too but its a $1300 car and any other car in that price range could be bad or good. I dont think i actually would, i never have in fact but thats just me. Would you mind mentioning what he should look for? I know whats normal, but i wouldn't be able to describe whats bad looking through an oil filler hole. Thick black goo or yellow? I dunno.


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[sketchman]

Yeah, if it's black and gunky plan for failure. It might not happen, but it very well could.

It should be a golden but not gunky, or I would think VERY rarely still silver and not gunky. But if there's sludge/gunk of any color, I just personally wouldn't trust that it'll last.

[oreolemon]

Well, it looks like the rides over. The festiva was sold before I was able to find someone willing to give me a ride up there to check it out. :sad1: I'd still love to have one of these mystical penny racers that the automotive world seems to avoid like the plague. I don't think I'm going to ever find a better deal than that one had been, though. The only one for miles around right now is 3hr away and looks to have problems with some kind of knocking after it's wormed up. And I have no automotive experience, so I have no idea how serious that is. Although that one looks like it might be a good project car... I don't know.

It all kinda sucks, because I just found out today that emissions testing is exempt in Idaho on any vehicles that weigh less than 1500 lbs. Since the festiva weighs about 1700 lbs I bet you could take out enough weight to just walk right under that bar. That would have been cool to test out! It's just pointless knowledge for me now, but maybe it could help one of you guys.

Tell you what, if you get the car i will write out a list of things to do and check as soon as you get it ok? Nothing out of the ordinary you wouldn't do for any other car you just bought really.

If I ever manage to find a way of dragging one home with me I'll be sure to take you up on that.

Out of the top 10 easy to work on vehicles the festiva is the only fuel efficient one. I haven't looked too close at geo metro's but i wouldn't take one over a festiva. Newer civics like 2001 and up are ok on gas but quite unreliable compared to festivas. I have owned 4 and would take a festiva over them. Newer corollas are supposedly good, i would consider a toyota echo hatchback as well, not a sedan. But they seem to be hit and miss with rust. That's about it for fuel efficient cars in your price range. Pontiac fireflys are pretty rare.

Thank you. I'll keep these In mind as my search continues. Even if they're not necessarily fuel efficient, being able to do more of the repairs myself should help cut down on expenses.

I dont believe you will find a more helpful community/support group for any other vehicle.

The whole community is a big plus and really makes me wish I could participate more. I lurk on the Ultimate Subaru Message Board, because I currently have a faithful but leaky 1988 Subaru Wagon as a daily driver right now and was looking into getting a Justy. But all there cars are usually all basic Subaru parts and whatnot. I like this idea of a seemingly near modular experience that everyone has contributed to in order to make the festiva work for them, it makes me feel like I could do anything with this car if I could get my hands on one. And the gas mileage isn't bad either. I'll definitely stay and lurk, so I can see what you crazy kids are up to, but for now it looks like I'm stuck watching from the sidelines.

Yeah, if it's black and gunky plan for failure. It might not happen, but it very well could.

It should be a golden but not gunky, or I would think VERY rarely still silver and not gunky. But if there's sludge/gunk of any color, I just personally wouldn't trust that it'll last.

I'll keep that in mind while going forward with any car. That sounds like some good general advice that I will be able to apply to any car opportunities. Thank you.

[vectormechanic]

I bought a 93 Festiva for one reason only: As far as I know, it was the last production vehicle available in America to offer manual steering.

After that, I found out all what else I loved about the car. Mainly, fun to drive. Now let's see.....problems..... Only place I can find 12" tires for it is ebay, but so far, that's not a problem, just a worry. You never have to worry about 10% alchohol sitting low in the tank to foul the injectors - oops, that's not a problem. Hmmmm..... Did I mention 51 mpg? Dang, that's not a problem either. Yes, typical of cars that size from that era, you do need to replace the stock-type muffler every 2 years. Some Festivas won't start if they have sat a while in a lot of heavy rain. This problem is greatly minimized by installing a new cap and rotor, and when mine won't start, I run my wife's hairdryer under the hood for about 10 minutes and it starts. I have never been able to figure out the root cause. Also, on aging cars such as mine and including mine, the fusible link or main fuse to the circuit that includes ignition and charging tends to blow if the battery level drops just a little before the last shutoff, due to charging surge upon restart. I may be wrong and stupid, but I finally chalked the incapacity of the stock fuse up to an aging charging system that was just a little too unregulated, and figured it wouldn't hurt to replace the fuse with a steel cotter pin until I could rebuild the system, as long as I made sure to not be draining the battery just before turning off ignition. My lights go off, and my heater fan, and then the ignition.

we used to own a brand new '86 nissan pulsar, and kept it about 12 years. It was a competitor to the Festiva and was inferior in every way I can think of. It was larger, got less mpg, tended to rust more, was infinitely more difficult to work on - especially the engine, was totally gutless in comparison, and overall, just had a lot of crap on it. I grew to like it a lot more though, after I finally got around to swapping out its power steering for a manual rack. But it still was nowhere near as fun to drive as the Festiva.

Oh yes, here's another problem I have had: I did an overhaul on my right front wheel and had to use a "new" knuckle from a junkyard. Bearing preload is achieved by spacers. i ended up with a combinatioin of new bearings, old spacers and knuckle, such that I could not get enough preload, and I drove it anyway. It makes a sloppy noise that is sometimes louder than other times. I have been trying to get back to it and get it done right, but the spacers are no longer available. But that was about 50,000 miles ago, and except for the slight noise, it has caused no trouble, and the noise has not gotten worse.

Also, the manual rollup window guides are worn, so rolling the windows up is a bit of a pain, and I often have to use both hands to do it, while standing by the open door of the stopped car.

I fasten my lap belt and shoulder belt separately and manually, having long ago ripped out the power trains for the automatic passive shoulder belt, a relic of the early 90s.

RUST IS THE MAIN PROBLEM WITH A FESTIVA. In Idaho, you may not have such a problem. I lived there also, in Idaho Falls, where they do not use salt on the roads, only pea gravel. Between, the pea gravel and the volcanic dust that blows and sandblasts your windshield, being able to see through your windshield in the glare of the sun may be a larger issue than worrying about your feet busting through a rusty floor. But for the rust, I have done pretty well. It tends to occur wherever two sheet metal panels have been joined with one folding over the edge of the other, at the edge, such as along the bottom of the door or the front edge of the hood, or along the bottom of the "quarter panel" area. I cut the fold away before it really has a chance to corrode all away, leaving a nice big gap (for example) along the inside of my door, just above the bottom, and the outer panel (which is the one that had the fold in it) I leave with just enough metal left to form a tiny gutter where the fold is, but I clean all the rust out of it and paint it, and it is strong enough to stay looking normal from the outside, and I have no more rust trap there. Production auto bodies are designed to rust out but it doesn't have to be that way.

Every year, the worried people who can't stand up to frivolous litigation are laying the salt down thicker and thicker in Winter. When I was a kid, they hardly bothered with it. People knew how to drive on ice, and didn't try to make money in court.

As a mechanical engineer and machine designer of 30 years, and a backyard mechanic of 45 years, the overall engineering design and layout of the Festiva has continually impressed me positively. Simple, clean, smart, generally. And it's fun to work on a car that I can just about lift without a jack. And there is practically as much room under the hood as on my '58 International Travelall.

Right now, I am having a problem because my stock plastic headlight bulb retainers (rings) are completely useless with brittleness from age, and I am trying to find out whether rings for a Ford truck that are still sold by Dorman will fit. No one seems to know, and no one seems to have an answer other than "find some stock rings off another Festiva, or get aftermarket headlights." But i'm not real worried.

A friend of mine drove several Festivas over many years. He always says his main problem was rust. He is here in Pittsburgh as well as I. But he ultimately stopped driving them because they are light, tempting to drive like a race car, and easily squashed. He is a family man. So am I. I started driving one after he quit. He now drives something bigger that has an airbag. I still drive something that has manual steering and no extra junk on it.

Most Festiva owners think of their car as a hot rod, I think of mine more as an old Jeep from the 50s type thing. As for the body, I just use my imagination. As for the tiny wheels, I find they go over the roads in the woods quite nicely. But it's a jeep to me just because of the simplicity, practicality, and the general lack of a need to spit shine it. A little rust, a little dust, and plenty of sunshine always warms my heart. And some slightly oxidized red paint. I am just about to rip out all the carpet and lining and go to a metal floor like my '70 International Scout had, stock.

I bought the car in '08 with about 100,000 mi on it, maybe a little more, and it now has 195,667 mi on it. In 2011, I drove it daily over the course of a year, an average of 75 miles a day, for work. Summer and Winter. Night and day. It never gave the slightest problem. This was after I already had the noisy wheel bearing. I never broke down. It has never had me on the side of the road. But recently, it had my wife on the side of the road, she was pulling into a walmart parking lot when the lower ball joint popped out of the left front, pulling the drive shaft from the tranny, and spilling fluid all over the asphalt. Long story short, the ball joint had been dry, corroded and hanging on by a thread for a very long time, without giving any warning anything was wrong, all because of a cheap and defective aftermarket lower control arm. So go with Moog, and you won't have that problem.

I have gotten 51 mpg by taking it easy while the car was well-tuned, but under more normal conditions, I get around 45 mpg. Under extremely good hwy conditions, our Pulsar used to get 41 mpg tops. Oh, and I should mention both cars were/are manual sticks.

I pull a 4'x8' trailer with my festiva. I haul wood, household items, appliances, and just stuff that's too large to fit inside the car, up to 900 lb. I also take the seats out to haul stuff inside. When I go to NYC or Philly or any other long or overnight trip, I take all the seats out but one, and put in my very excellent cot, and enjoy sleeping and camping wherever along the way. And I am 6' tall. It's a happy life.....

[ryanprins13]

^ i like your review for the window track try spraying lubricant in the track or smearing grease in it. Helped mine a lot. Does the window tilt around or is it just hard to roll up? If it tilts the track just needs adjusting which is pretty easy to do.


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[bolokid]

Well, it looks like the rides over. The festiva was sold before I was able to find someone willing to give me a ride up there to check it out. :sad1: I'd still love to have one of these mystical penny racers that the automotive world seems to avoid like the plague. I don't think I'm going to ever find a better deal than that one had been, though. The only one for miles around right now is 3hr away and looks to have problems with some kind of knocking after it's wormed up. And I have no automotive experience, so I have no idea how serious that is. Although that one looks like it might be a good project car... I don't know.

It all kinda sucks, because I just found out today that emissions testing is exempt in Idaho on any vehicles that weigh less than 1500 lbs. Since the festiva weighs about 1700 lbs I bet you could take out enough weight to just walk right under that bar. That would have been cool to test out! It's just pointless knowledge for me now, but maybe it could help one of you guys.


If I ever manage to find a way of dragging one home with me I'll be sure to take you up on that.


Thank you. I'll keep these In mind as my search continues. Even if they're not necessarily fuel efficient, being able to do more of the repairs myself should help cut down on expenses.



The whole community is a big plus and really makes me wish I could participate more. I lurk on the Ultimate Subaru Message Board, because I currently have a faithful but leaky 1988 Subaru Wagon as a daily driver right now and was looking into getting a Justy. But all there cars are usually all basic Subaru parts and whatnot. I like this idea of a seemingly near modular experience that everyone has contributed to in order to make the festiva work for them, it makes me feel like I could do anything with this car if I could get my hands on one. And the gas mileage isn't bad either. I'll definitely stay and lurk, so I can see what you crazy kids are up to, but for now it looks like I'm stuck watching from the sidelines.



I'll keep that in mind while going forward with any car. That sounds like some good general advice that I will be able to apply to any car opportunities. Thank you.

If you still want a Festiva I have a totally rust free, maroon, 5 speed that I will be selling in about a month or so. I am about 2.5 hours from you. Let me know if you're interested.

[TWFodor]

^ i like your review for the window track try spraying lubricant in the track or smearing grease in it. Helped mine a lot. Does the window tilt around or is it just hard to roll up? If it tilts the track just needs adjusting which is pretty easy to do.


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Hijack incoming!
Both of my windows tilt in the track. What do I need to adjust to correct this?

[sc72]

Bolokid, I'm always in the market for a rust free Festiva, can you deliver, it's about 1500 miles one way, whats that you say NO, ok just thought I would give it a shot.

[joebreck117]

I can only think of two times that I had issues with my Festivas. I remember it was a pain trying to find a new/rebuilt master cylinder, but really that wasn't too bad. And there was one time my belt shredded itself do to an oil leak that deteriorated the rubber of the belt, but I mean I could have stopped that one had I just paid attention. I think I changed my brakes once. I mean I completely tore down two Festy's and made one in just a few weeks and I don't remember anything giving me any issues. Altogether pretty much 1, 2, 3. I rolled one and the only scratch I got was climbing back into the upside down car to get my insurance papers. Rolled it back over, pulled the plugs to clear out the cylinders, added a little oil, and she started right up. Drove great too once I cut off the roof! Solid little animals.

[ryanprins13]

Hijack incoming!
Both of my windows tilt in the track. What do I need to adjust to correct this?

Ill send you a pm


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[bolokid]

Bolokid, I'm always in the market for a rust free Festiva, can you deliver, it's about 1500 miles one way, whats that you say NO, ok just thought I would give it a shot.

I have 2 weeks mandatory vacation from work coming up. I'll deliver, just pay for my gas and ticket to fly home.

[vectormechanic]

Also wanted to mention that although I have changed the torsion bar, the right knuckle and at least twice the ball joints, and at least 3 times the tie rod ends, I have never done anything at all to the alignment whatsoever, and it is still perfect. Runs smooth at all speeds and tires always wear evenly. Unlike the Pulsar.

[vectormechanic]

I forgot one bad thing about the car, for me: The seats are back-killers if I have to drive for an hour or more, unless I stick a nice big huge pillow behind my lower back. And in a pinch, if I don't have a pillow, I put both hands on the wheel and lock my elbows. otherwise, I gotta get out, man - there ain't no way.

Meanwhile, I can drive any chrysler product for 2000 miles without beginning to ache or pain.

[scitzz]

I would rather replace the transmission than the horn. I don;t know why, but the angle it takes for me to wire a horn and place it into stock position gives me an otherwise unknown to me hand cramp. I can replace the transmission in a couple hours sans cramp.

if you are into wrenching on your own car, have some basic knowledge, and are good at following instruction/dealing with the internet, the Festiva us an awesome car! Pretty reliable too when in decent repair.