Why did you buy your Festiva?

[htchbck]

Picked up the little blue (though it was actually little red at the time) for $700 with 150K on it back in spring '04 cause I needed a car and dad's mechanic was selling it. I always wanted something with a 5-speed, cause I thought they were sporty... lol... after I found the site I did a B6 swap, and shortly after that I cut off the roof. Then I blew up the B6 accidentally, so it sat for a while. As gas got more and more expensive I finally put the dying old B3 that I still had back in it and drove it on 3 cylinders for about four thousand miles. Then I looked for another B6 and found a BP instead... so thats the story so far on the little blue. This past summer the same mechanic that sold me the little blue gave my phone number to a guy that had brought in a silver '91 with a blown motor. He was wanting to get the motor replaced, but the mechanic said it wasn't worth it, but to give me a call before he junked it. So technically festiva #2 found me ... I dropped in the old B3 (after rebuilding the head to get all cylinders firing again)... and then yesterday for some reason I kept having these visions of a homegrown B3D using a festy block and a B6 miata head... so we'll see where that leads me I suppose...

[solatare]

im not sure why i bought my first one, long gone now, but scc had something to do with it, lack of cash had alot to do with it, i drove it hard, and often all day, in the job i was doing then, and it never broke, something that id never experienced before, and for that i was hooked, i bought the silver one for when i visit my family, and ive got a blue one for back and forth to work, it sees seven hundred to a thousand miles a week or more, and just keeps going, blue is gonna get a full aspire swap and a b6, silver...well...turns out a friend of mine has an sho motor in his garage...

[Adam]

My dad works at a dealership and called one day "remember those little cars, the festiva? we got a 92 here just traded in by this little old lady, the thing is in great shape. 120k miles, good inspection, probably last you a few years."

the next day i gave away my old buick park avenue, wrote a check for $270 (incl tax and tags) and the festiva was mine.

[Safety Guy]

It was around '96 or '97 and my silver '86 Aries had gone out again. I found a white '89 Festiva L from a private owner for $2000. I liked the way it drove, so I bought it. A few years later on the web I found this site and FMS, so I made my plans...did an Aspire swap on it a few years back and a bit later the carb went out. It's in my yard waiting for its next FI life.

Bought my '93 ATX from a dealer for $600 out the door cash. I didn't want an ATX, but the car seemed in good shape and the price was right. Some new rear wheel bearings and a good cleaning and it did the job--until I figured out the leaking head gasket. A few months later I did my first engine swap and Lux has her B6!

My '93L was being sold by a local for what he could get and no one else was buying it, so...

I bought it for what money I could scrape up--$190!

Less than 70K miles and in pretty nice shape. I just need to become unlazy enough to put in the new fuel tank and clean out the fuel system and get her running. I already have another B6, too. Gotta get busy this next spring.

Karl

[HappyMom]

On maternity leave, with the company car lease expired, needed cheap transportation to last me at the least until I get back to work and money and at the most 1 to 2 years. That was 3 and half years ago.

[gdawgs]

I bought my first one (90') in 1993. It had 39,000 miles on it at the time and I paid $3,200 for it. Best car I ever owned(except for my current Festiva of course). I sold the car when the odometer hit 280,000. Last I heard, the car has well over 320,000 miles on it and still runs like a champ, although she's getting pretty rusted out. Still has original engine/tranny and has had no major repairs done to it.

[roycehof]

Well, I was living near Philly and found a job near Washington D.C. My neighbor's (across the street) wife had past about 3 months earlier and her Festiva was sitting. I remember how she used to rave about the mileage, so I asked the husband if he wanted to sell it. Well, the thing was in real nice shape and at the last inspection he had spent almost $900 (New brakes, timing belt, muffler, 2 tires, valve cover gasket, tune-up, etc.). I winded up giving him what he spent on inspection. Not a great deal except that I put 100K on it and only bought 2 tires, an airfilter, a timing belt (and some light bulbs and oil & filters). Recently (within the last 6 months), though it was time to spend some money again - gone through a trans and clutch - new left half shaft, gas filter, plugs, wires, rotor and cap, control arm. The good news is I think it ready for another 100K. I even splurged and got a right hand mirror for it off a guy on this sight. It also developed some hood rust (near the grill) which I had to fix - but the rest is solid. About a year ago it suffered a dent over the left rear wheel where somebody backing out in a SUV or truck "checked" it. Well, I use the word "checked" because I saw it when I was leaving a Hockey game. I have been delighted with the car and plan on keeping it alive as long as I can. I would love to do some of the mods the other guys on the sight did, but for now - Its all about the mileage! A great little car with plenty of room for 2 adults and Hockey bags, 45 MPG (when equip with a 5 speed) and small enough to park almost anywhere. What's not to love?

[mechanicaldj]

i just wanted to be a FF.com mod, so i bought one, two,three.........five .................LOL

[Motoxpress]

I got Da Beater as a hand-me down from my Dad about 8 years ago. I hated the car for all the usual reasons :protest: . Then I started driving the car and like a fungus it just grew on me. Then I stumbled onto article about Cam's car and was really hooked 8) . Now 6 Festivas later I think I have a mild obsession with them.

Will

[Pimp20G]

So I would not have to drive my RX-8 in the snow

[Jcomnislash]

needed a car to get to school, and since school is an hour away. Driving 2 hours daily requires the cheapest possible transportation.....and it came in the form of $1000 festiva :-)

[naturallite7]

My reasons...

The reason I bought my 1990 Festiva is because... my step father bought it brand new. Everyone in the family made fun of it. He put 169,000 miles on it. He went to get a new Honda Civic and could not get a trade in he thought was good. He has a nephew that needs a good gas sippin car. He offered it to him and his wife. They only offered him 200.00 for it. He thought it was worth 550.00 and they decided to pass. He asked me if I knew anyone that needed a good car that gets good gas milage, I told I needed one and what was the price. He told me 550.00, I thought it over and bought it. I have made fun of it for years when he drove it. Now that it is mine I love it. I put about 15,000 miles on it. It had a bad oil leak and I got quotes of several hundred dollors to fix it. I saw a "brand new create motor" on EBAY. I won the bid at 1125.00. I also got all new front end parts. I got new struts and strut mounts, a new clutch. I bought four new tires and replaced the exhaust system. I feel now I can easly put another 100,000 miles on it again and save mega bucks on gas. On several occasions, people has pulled up next to me laughing and taking pictures with their camera phone. One youg lady said it looked like something from "Wayne's World". If I am not hauling something or towing something I will be driving my Festiva. I can take the jokes and fill up for 15.00 and go about 400 miles.

[festivaWES]

My friend had one back in the day, and it was t-boned by a sebring later that year. I think he paid a total of 70 dollars for it. Right after he got it, i told him we should do a engine swap. Knowing the cheapskate and the wya he is, nothing happened.

So i started looking for one when i moved out to calif. And scored a red 92 efi L model, with 500 or so stickers on it. The rest went down in history....hehe.

[muffin_man]

I bought my first two at the same time in 1993. The pic is freshtiva and lil bertha the day they were purchased.

http://tinyurl.com/yxgwe5

I was looking at a 300z with 50,000 miles on it but bought both these cars instead for about the same money. It was a tough decision but a smart choice.

A) That is awesome - I am insanely jealous that you can tell people you did that.

B) However, if you only needed one car, why did you end up with 2?

[freshtiva]

Welcome to the board muffin-man ! The wife was in need of a car at the time also. Lil bertha was hers. Comsumer reports at that time rated the festiva highly.