looking to buy festiva , what do i need to look for.

[p4pumpman]

im new to the forum . im looking to buy a festiva to commute to work in .

what all do i need to look for when buying one ? any know festiva problems ? im a mechanic by trade but the festiva's are new to me .
are the automatic trans in these car reliable? im looking to buy a manual shift if i can find one but i have consedered a automatic.

any help would be great .thanks

[zoom zoom]

First thing you should do is add your location to your profile! Rust is about the only major concern for a stock Festiva, auto and manual transmissions are about bulletproof next to a 60horse motor unless you really dog the crap out of it.

[Movin]

Light weight and stiff shell make these cars durable and useful for a lot of reasons. Welcome!

[rmoltis]

I second these opinions.

Most reliable cars you'll probably ever own.
And always cheap to repair/maintain.

[neanderpaul]

Autos are as tough as the manuals. They both average 300k. The autos get way worse mpgs.

[muleskinner]

I agree with everyone else. Go with a manual trans (5 speed) & look for one with little rust. Not just on the body but underneath along the doors & around the rear axels.

[Snail]

Agree to watching for rust on one. I would look for a fuel injected model too (some 89s, 90-93)

[Prafeston]

The only 89s that are FI are automatics.

...well unless someone has swapped in a newer motor in an older Festy.

[TominMO]

Welcome, and +1 on all comments. Recommend 90-93 because EFI, not carbed (less problems). The 89 automatics were EFI, but had a system that was unique to that year, so 89 EFI parts might be a little trickier to find. And manual, because as was said, they get much better MPG than autos.

[WmWatt]

I've had mine for 24 low milage years.
I find the car pretty simple and easy to maintain by myself.
Being a small car everything is pretty light weight and easy to deal with.
Of course it's all metric.
One of my biggest jobs was replacing all the brake line. It took a while but I was
able to do it for $85 in materials versus the $800 quote I got for materials and labour.
The other big job was rebulding the front end - axles, bearings, calipers, rotors,
ball joints. But that can be broken down into smaller jobs over time. The bearings and rotors
are and old design which takes extra time and effort.
I deal with rust by spraying the underbody and inside the body panels with used motor oil
in the fall and refinishing rust spots every 5 years or so.

You're looking at small tire sizes and rims which can take a while to find.
Originally 12", there is a list of some acceptable 13" replacements on this site but they are also not common.
You don't say where you are located but 12" snow tires are quite rare if available at all if that's important.

[p4pumpman]

thanks for all the great advice . im still on the hunt for a nice festiva .
hopefully ill find one soon .

thanks

[neanderpaul]

I've got an 82k mile five speed LX with ac in Roanoke.

[p4pumpman]

Is the ford aspire as reliable as the festiva ?
I've found a 97 aspire with only 40,000 on it .
The only thing I hate about it , is that its a automatic .

What do you guys think?

[rmoltis]

Aspire is just as reliable I'd say.
If you find the right one.

And 40k miles damn.
If you buy that one it will definitely last forever.
Sucks its an auto though.

I'm on my second one.
Bought both at 89k in great shape.

Last one I sold at 280-300k (tachometer had broken so exact mileage was unknown)
And it was still running strong.

This one same story 89k and I now have 118k on the clock.
Many more miles/years left on the clock.

Just change your oils on time, and basic maintenance and they run forever.

[p4pumpman]

Thanks for the reply .
What about the carburetor vs fuel injection on the festiva's
Is the carb models reliable for cold weather starting/operation and general
Driving ?
I'm sorry to ask so many ?s but I'm trying to make the best decision I can .

I test drove that 97 aspire that only had 40k on it . I could tell by looking at It that it had been wrecked and
Who ever did the body work only did a half way job on it. It shifted very hard from 1st to 2nd plus it had a bad miss .the car dealer wanted $2000 for it and wouldn't come down on price . If it would have been a five speed. , I would have bought it on the spot .
I'm going to keep searching for a festiva with manual shift .