1988 Ford Festiva consumer reviews

Bought a 1998 new in Sep '88 for under $6,000. 10 gal gas tank.....i remember filling up for $10.50 !! Got 44 mpg once driving CA to CO, all frwy. Was a 4spd manual. Drove for 120k......7 yrs.....never serviced or repair of any kind. Tires were the smallest size made.....used to be $21 each. Ended up moving from CA to CO......ski bum for three years......outperformed most other cars on snow......i could drive faster and safer. Sold to a friend.

I bought my 1988 Festiva in 1988, as a college graduation present to myself. It was the first new car I had ever owned. When I bought it, it had 52 miles on the odometer. I drove that little car from Iowa to Colorado and back, dozens of times. It went through 2 graduate school programs, and two accidents (one was a nasty T-bone that was my fault, which was repaired via insurance). Rust became a problem after 10 years, and I replaced mufflers, tires, brake pads, an alternator, 2 windshields, and a fuel pump. I drove that little car for 13 years, and 248,000 miles. And it did not die. It was killed by a deer that jumped out in front of me when I was going 50 mph. I could have fixed it. Hood and radiator damage was the extent of the injuries, but by that time, I thought the rust was just too far along to save it. If I had things to do over again, I would have made the repairs. I might still be driving it today. I carried firewood in it, large appliances (dishwasher) and a full sized office desk. It was like Dr. Who's phone booth. Near the end, I remember calculating the gas mileage: 44 mpg. I've never had another car that did as well with gas. And if I correctly recall, the tank was like 8 gallons. During its last years, it went through 3-4 really hard North Eastern Pennsylvania winters. The front wheel drive always got me through, probably better than a 4 x 4 would have. I'd buy another one in a heartbeat. And I'd keep it for another 13+ years.