1988 Ford Tempo GLS Review - A Successful Failure From Ford

[@kwasia4882]

I loved this channel more and more. This was the most common car on the road during my childhood. The sight of this car brings me back, feel like going to the park to play.

[@geeksimmer2488]

My grandfather, an Italian immigrant, owned one of these as his coffin car. He owned a white one with red interior. When I say red interior, I mean EVERYTHING inside was a bright red. It was oddly comforting. I remember him picking us up after school then driving us to his grocery store in it and making us sandwiches

[@sybsygstgstsgysg5330]

That’s a cool spec

[@Low760]

My Nonno had a red 89 ford falcon, but no red interior, good memories of it, was way to young to think about owning it. (I'd assume you didn't call him the Italian name given you've said grandpa , interesting.

[@geeksimmer2488]

@@Low760 very fun! I didn’t call him my nonno because I know a lot of Zach’s viewers are Americans and although Italian immigrants, my grandparents wanted to blend in with American culture. This meant using little Italian and rarely speaking it around us grand kids. Kinda sad :(

[@noname-ot7vd]

That's funny, my italian grandfather also had a Ford Tempo. His was a 1994, though, and it was burgundy with the grey bumpers!

[@noname-ot7vd]

I miss the tempos, I remember seeing them all over the road when I was a little kid in the 2000s. Unfortunately, I rarely see them now, I'll see 1 on the road once in a blue moon.

[@justinbogan8072]

I grew up with one of these my moms was white with red interior. She had it for years. I loved that car lol.

[@Dankcatvacs]

My friend Nick had one I loved it . Had a 5 speed 2 doors felt quick enough 92HP felt plentiful. Loved the boxyness like a american Subaru loyale. 4 cyl has a timing chain which is nice until it needs replacing. Drove one up to Kaiser on one of the hottest day short car almost passed out . With a control arm flopping for life. I kissed the ground when I made it

[@ryankenyon5010]

My roommate in college had a 1984 Tempo. He got rear ended by an F150, totalling it. It was such a pos, that we had a party that night to celebrate. He replaced it with a brand new 1990 Escort, which was alao totalled at a later date.

[@danielmonahan6195]

My first car was an 89 Tempo GL. Think what you have here without the power windows and seats, no cassette player, etc. Good for getting from A to B and not much else.

[@joemcgonagle7177]

I just saw one. I live in new England and I gotta say I'm impressed. No rust nothing probably 86 or so. Haven't seen one since late 90s

[@christophersummers1939]

i learned to drive in an '85 buick century, but i took my driving test in a friend's '94 tempo gl sedan that i'd never driven before 😅

[@robertborne895]

I had a dark blue 1988 Topaz and ended up replacing it with a 1998 Escort ZX-2. And the Contour….especially the SVT is and was light years above the Tempo / Topaz.

[@williamegler8771]

Don't understand how this vehicle could be considered a failure? It was always a fantastic seller ...

[@zythr9999]

Unless you wanted to trade it in

[@williamegler8771]

@@zythr9999 Very few reasonably priced mass market vehicles have good resale value.

[@svbeattie40]

I had a 1985 4 door and an 89 2 door. Both very good vehicles, but the one problem they had was the tie rod ends and ball joints. They wore out quickly.

[@robertporter1984]

My Cousin had a 1992 Maroon GL 4 door and uncle had a Silver 2door 1991 model.

[@danr1920]

I owned an '85 two door with the 5 speed manual. Remember how much nicer it was with the automatic. A very nice interior. Lots of padded vinyl everywhere. I thought the name was silly. I really like the car.

[@HenrySchecker]

my mom owned a gold mercury topaz. both my parents spoke poorly of it years after it died. I have memory of just the backseat and playing with matchbox cars and happy meal toys in it

[@84koolkid]

Had a 1992 tempo v6 Manuel 5speed neat car , I think it had 130 hp

[@rogersmith9705]

The Tempo should have been the Ford's Model T of the 80s and beyond! 🤪

[@GeeEm1313]

Top of the line!

[@davidp2888]

I had a 1987 Tempo. It was...capable.

[@ryanporter1819]

The only car I ever bought new. It had 7 miles on it. Looked just like the one in the video. Mine was black with red pin stripes. I tinted the windows, installed a sun roof, it looked SHARP!!! It was however a Ford piece of junk with things going wrong with it because Ford cut corners. Got it up to 115,000 miles before it died. It was an 87'. I then had an 87' Toyota truck, got it up to 250,000 miles!

[@span2413]

1988 gls tempo was first car as a kid in 1996. What a POS this thing was- didnt have over 60,000 miles, leaked EVERYTHING.. Could not get out of its own way, paint disintegrated. The only thing that worked was the auto-seat belts lol. Such a rarity to see these on the road - great review!!

[@davidworkman9482]

I own an 1988 mercury topaz xr5 5 speed love that car won't part with it

[@unknownname1681]

My sister, who is 8 years older than I am, had a beige one and every time you’d turn on the heat it smelled of old pipe smoke 💨

[@xxmajesticsailorjupiterxx7951]

not quite my tempo

[@gabrielmessier]

I love Ford Tempos!!!

[@11.9lsupercharged4]

Not a Taurus. But that front end and paint is screaming RoboCop

[@mattmroz4905]

The Ford products always looked a decade newer than they were in the 80s. This looks 5-10 years more modern than a GM of the same vintage.

[@michaelmartinez4132]

My dad drove one when I was little and I remember those power seatbelts! I also remember my dad having to buy those cup holders that hang from the windows!

[@GeeEm1313]

Haha, we had those for our 95 Taurus.

[@MyHumanWreckage]

In Canada, what sold these cars was the price. Back in the day, you could buy a Tempo GL with air and automatic for $10995. That was a bargain, even at that time. I rented a fully loaded GLS back in 1989 and I actually liked the Tempo. It was comfortable and was a decent handler.

[@zythr9999]

Auto was crap since it was the same one used in the Escort/Lynx and 4 cylinder Taurus.

[@peoriavideosltd6822]

Also, many Tempos were built at Oakville, Ont. I remember visiting Toronto in 1984 and seeing Ford Tempo billboards everywhere proclaiming "New Ford Tempo - Built in Canada".

[@michaelcoffey7362]

Cool, I had a white, with blue interior 1988 Ford Tempo GL sedan, and then a Grey with burgandy interior 1986 Ford Tempo sedan 😀😀

[@johnsaunders1435]

These were misunderstood cars of the time. A very bread and butter vehicle until you get into a v6 with a 5 speed manual. I missed that boat but i did have a 1990 escort gt that shared its owners manual with the tempo/topaz as they shared a lot of pieces- auto seatbelts, steering wheel and seats thus these cars not being much larger than the escort/linx. Its amazing they sold as many as they did.

[@travisthewanderer656]

my first car was a 88 tempo, pretty reliable, I'll get another one day

[@dave11686]

My mom had an 85 which is thee first generation and the across the street neighbor had a coupe Tempo

[@phlapjax]

My parents bought a Topaz new in 1984, and drove it until 1998. Great car for me to learn to drive manual, the clutch was like an on/off switch, and the shifter was precise. Really impressive for a domestic of the time. Tempo/Topaz was also oddly sized, sitting between the compact commuters (Civic, Corolla, Escort), and the mainstream mid-sized sedans (Accord, Camry, Taurus). Interestingly, they offered a diesel, a V6, and an all-wheel-drive model.

[@Trance88]

My parents owned a 1988 GLS Mercury Topaz in black with a manual transmission. They drove it from February/March 1995 to July/August 1997. Dad ended up falling asleep at the wheel and crashed it into a pole. I always thought it was a pretty average car, but compared to its GM contemporaries, The Topaz looks so progressive and the styling holds up better than any of the J-bodies from GM.

[@mitch4527]

My brother had an ‘87 Tempo Sport GL with the 2.3 liter and a 5 speed. Had a few little problems. First, there was a really acrid smell coming through the air vents - smelled like plastic burning. Then there was an idling speed problem - the engine would suddenly shoot up to 3-4,000 rpm without a warning. He had it about 5 years until it was totaled when it was hit by a garbage truck.

[@wrldofgrace999]

I am thinking about buying a 1990 no rust 70,000 original miles temple for 1000 is it a good deal????

[@willmatic84]

😏👌🏽 keep up the 80s trend Zach im loving it

[@MustangsTrainsMowers]

Ford had a lot of bland conservative styling in the 1980’s shown very much in the Tempo and Escort. The Escort cylinder heads cracking was so common that an aftermarket company started making replacement Escort cylinder heads with a guarantee that they would not crack.

[@zythr9999]

Lol. Part of reason they lost the small car market to the Civic and Corolla

[@khakiswag]

Ford’s styling was not conservative in the 80’s, just the opposite. Ford caught everyone off guard with the Taurus/Sable and it’s aerodynamic European styling inside and out. The Thunderbird and Cougar were also considered state of the art designs. Even the aero styled late ‘80s Mustang was turning heads and is far more sought after today than the GM F bodies.

[@zythr9999]

@@khakiswag Too bad beauty was only skin deep, since both had mechanical issues, (especially the Auto Transmiission)

[@zythr9999]

@Jonathan A Yes they were which lent to many of them being a throwaway.

[@WhittyPics]

My brother had one of those

[@TheZieglerm]

My dad had a 2dr first generation Tempo with a five speed for a little while...I always thought it was ugly as a kid lol. I can appreciate it now for what it was, a cheap and (fairly) reliable grocery getter.

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

My dad had one of those, replaced it with a 4 door 2nd gen.

[@oliverdelgado6952]

I have a 93 topaz 2dr 5spd. It was gifted to me by my father in law.

[@bazilwreckerloughead]

Back in the late 80s my father had a Tempo & I had a Topaz (Mercury's version of a Tempo), they were even the same shade of blue!

[@betrapvideos]

In a way, I see this as a Ford Fusion of the 1980s. Even the design elements resemble one another just from different eras

[@iandyck3069]

My sister had a Tempo and my old boss had one. It’s the typical Ford character that I love so much about it and Fords in general which is their old worn shoe feeling. Nothing fancy just good and comfortable and ergonomic. Club Wagon, Ranger, Fusion (even though it’s a Mazda at heart), and now with my current daily driver Grand Marquis. Flop in and go 🥰. Love them all and they’ve all been reliable, except maybe my sisters Tempo which was a 🍋 apparently.

[@danarenee4674]

My first car was a 4 dr 85 Ford tempo. It was 1998, and I absolutely loved it as it was the first "adult" purchase I ever made at age 17. I literally drove it everywhere and would even pass 4 wheel drives in ditches in the snow. Its long gone now, but man did I have a ball in that thing!

[@joeys1482]

Growing up, my mom had a two-door from early in the production run that was a hand-me-down from my aunt. She had that up until I was seven years old, at which time the body was no match for upper Michigan road salt. The mechanicals were still going strong like the tides, but the body was toast. She replaced it with a Plymouth Colt hatchback that she kept until she remarried and had another child, as getting car seats into a three-door hatch is a pain. lol

[@redneon06]

So I’m 36, when I was a kid growing up in the 90’s these were everywhere. I still think they are as Plain Jane as a car gets but they were good at some point!

[@monkmchorning]

While not in the same class as a Accord, Camry, or Mazda 626, the Temp wasn't a bad little car. Especially for the cost. Good work keeping the '80s in perspective.

[@Sleeve_Did_It]

As a matter of fact, I owned a 1990 Mercury Topaz, sold it then was given a 1990 Ford Tempo. Both in an ugly robin's egg blue. This was back in 1999-2002, while I was going to college in Northwest Indiiana.

[@landonbenford8369]

There were just SOOOOOOOOO Many cars in the 20th Century that were sadly considered disposable. This is one of them. My girlfriend had its cousin, an '88 Mercury Topaz. Let's just say it was better than taking the bus.😎😎🤓Just kidding!! If I ever found a Topaz in good condition I'd consider it. There was just nothing spectacular about them. It got you from A to B.

[@BSFJeebus]

a year late, but I had the Mercury Topaz GS sister car, it was bland, generic, and milquetoast, but it worked, mostly. I got it over 100, once.

[@Stixthemotorhead]

Just want to take a moment to commemorate Ford Motor Company for building the best driver's ed vehicle..!!EVER!!!.. The RADMOBILE😎 Excellent review.👍

[@RearEngineShop]

80s cars suck. Wait, most of my cars are from the 80s. 😂

[@ironinquisitor3656]

lol.

[@FJB752]

I have a 1988 Tempo GLS 2 door 4 cyl stick with 95000 never seen a snowflake. Oh ya with the spoiler on the trunk lid.

[@danielploszkiewicz1058]

My aunt had an 89 Topaz 2 door. It was very boring… basic cream/off white color with tan interior and a lot of chrome. But I remember thinking it was such a cool car lol

[@jaka286]

It’s a shame. This was a very dependable vehicle. I owned a 1994 Tempo in 2022. When I traded it Jin 2023 for a Pontiac Sunfire, surprisingly they gave me $3k for it

[@wotan20]

I was not aware, that Ford barely made even on the Tempo/Topaz, but now it all makes sense. At that time I did found them very reasonably priced, but when they were gone the successor Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique jumped the MSRP 35% or more. I just couldn't understand it at the time, because I never thought that they were that much better than their predecessor, and the majority of the buying public agreed with me. Those never sold well, they were unpopular, specially compared to the Tempo/Topaz. PS The Tempo/Topaz were so popular and common, that the self conscious and the snob shunned them. It was fashionable to make some derogatory statement about them, in company.

[@Bmovie5000]

You are right about the Tempo. By the 90’s these were seen as less desirable cars with so so reliability. Later in the early 2000’s. I could have picked up one cheap as student transportation , but instead went for an older Civic as I wanted something “sporty”. In hindsight these were on par with most cars of the time. Also later models could come with the 3L Vulcan V6 making them much more exciting.

[@joshuasnore3600]

I had a 94 ford tempo that I used to take mudding on the sugar sands of the NJ Pine Barrens, and never once got stuck…! Amazing vehicle. Can’t wait to own one again.

[@Bubbleskittymaster]

my mother's first car was a mercury topaz. also most people i have talked to about tempos and topazs said they were trash cars.

[@Bubbleskittymaster]

@Jonathan A my mom got her's at 26 and from her boss.

[@Andyface79]

It's funny how time changes your mind. When I was growing up my family bought Japanese cars and Fords. Fords were better than either GM or Chrysler and that is the only domestic brand we would buy. We had five of them, Escort, Villager, Sable, Aerostar and Focus. All of them were ok to good, the Sable probably would've had problems if my Dad had totaled it. But seeing this now, I realize it wasn't better than the J-Car or the Aries/Reliant.

[@joeseeking3572]

Your test car is loaded for a Tempo and it's the 88 refresh. My car was an 86 GL coupe with only basic equipment (auto, AC, AM/FM and not a whole lot else) POS - god, mileage sucked, handling sucked, ride was nothing to write home about, eventually it lost 3rd gear way too early (not high miles). Because of that, I couldn't get it out of the city to trade or to a reasonable garage, so it stayed parked on the street until someone mercifully stole it - joke's on them. Called it the egg - but was a horrible shade of orange trying to be red. I did mourn that car. Also had use of an 85 GLX sedan; pretty much same opinion. Only thing worse in driving history - an 84 Chrysler E class (no one remembers those). If possible, slower and even more flappy. If the Tempo felt not only out of breath but uncomfortable at 85, the Chrysler felt downright dangerous.

[@doug6191]

1:03 - That powertrain was standard equipment on the Mustang LX back then, and it was Pinto equipment before that. Embarrassing. It seemed like Ford knew that - they offered a V6 and even AWD to compete better, but those were so uncommom. This car was handsome, and its styling is overshadowed by the Taurus, even though the Tempo had aero design years before the Taurus arrived. The Tempo is an unsung hero. Ford neglected it far too long - it was outclassed by everything when it was replaced by the Contour in '94.

[@g.c.brooks7214]

My sister had a Tempo back in the 90s it was a horrible car. It was horrible to drive and unreliable. Compare it to the European Ford Sierra(which the USA got as the Merkur XR4TI) it was an inferior product. Which is to say nothing of the Japanese competition at the time. The Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and even Nissan Stanza of the era were far better options

[@thirdpedalnirvana]

Zack I gotta say it’s a little weird that you only talk about how a car drives during your “final thoughts” section. I would think “driving experience” would be its own segment before your final thoughts. What can be more important about a car than how it drives?

[@lorenpreston4174]

First car I really learned to drive on. My grandma had one and it was passed down to us. Slate GL version. No frills decent acceleration and when it was newer fairly smooth.

[@Trenton-om9qs]

My parents had the Mercury Topaz version of this car long before I was born. My parents traded my mom's 87 Oldsmobile Cutlass for it and then immediately regretted it because my mom loved that Oldsmobile. Not that it was a bad car or anything but it just wasn't as good as the Olds. And I come from a mostly Ford Family. I don't know if I have ever seen one of these actually on the road. But still cool

[@oliverdelgado6952]

I have a 93 topaz 2dr. 5spd . It was gifted to me by my father in law. Sill has a 100k original miles . I'm slowly trying to get it road worthy again.

[@Trenton-om9qs]

@@oliverdelgado6952 the one my parents had was a 2 door 5 speed and it was like an Aqua color. And it had a trunk rack

[@oliverdelgado6952]

@@Trenton-om9qs mine has a trunk rack as well . But it's red color

[@discosuitDan]

My parent's bought a new '88 Tempo the year before I was born. It was the family hauler up until 2004

[@xFactoryUSA]

FYI to the owner, I have that exact autozone steering cover on ALL of my cars, yours is upside down sir 🙃

[@kevinworth9586]

I didn’t put it on like that our friend put it on it needs a new steering wheel lol it’s goopy

[@xFactoryUSA]

@@kevinworth9586 They cover 1995 and 1993 steering wheels in my fleet 👍👍👍

[@GMfwdSpence]

Who cares?

[@xFactoryUSA]

@@GMfwdSpence it’s feels nicer when rotated as well, slightly plush where it’s perforated.

[@nickn815]

My mom had a 1991 Tempo GL, she kept it until 1996 & replaced it with a Taurus.

[@Tomcat71]

Growing up My buddies mom had a 2 door 5 speed gls back in the late 80s early 90's

[@robertdiehl9003]

Is that the Shell gas station at Gilmore auto museum in Hickory heights, I'll. ?

[@seanmcgivney7631]

My brother rented one. It was dull as dishwater. You felt like you were sitting down in a dark hole.

[@coltonphillips1]

It’s so crazy I still see these on the roads sometimes but you can’t ever find ford escorts still running smoothly.

[@andregonsalvez9244]

Finally you have a Ford Tempo to 🚗 drive.

[@stewpuddy4161]

I had a 1990 Tampon (not an accident) as my first car! This took me back!

[@thezottspot9847]

1988 Ford tempo was my first car. The year 2000 I loved it

[@mysticstarhf9265]

How odd the power seat switches are at the front of the seat. That's a parts bin switch set and my Grand Marquis used the same one in 1989; except, it was on the side of the seat. Looking back at this Tempo, I'm hard pressed to see the difference between it and the Taurus of the same year.

[@timzzz9963]

I owned an 89. Motor mounts were terrible and the check engine light and battery light were on forever but it would never die.

[@bwofficial1776]

Cheap crappy cars are weird like that. They'll run forever on death's door but never actually die.

[@9113Zach]

I have a 92 GLS automatic I'm looking to sell!

[@based_will]

Wow. I thought for sure all of these were crushed by now

[@kevinbrower233]

Thank you for sharing this with us. We had a black 88 GL four door when I was a child and it was my favorite car. I still have a soft spot for the second generation Tempo/Topaz.

[@marcosoriano9241]

First comment, first view, and first like

[@bluefantatasteslikebleach]

you’re amazing

[@willyhwang1059]

i own one (or was it mercury topaz) in 1999. love it. looking for one now.

[@zythr9999]

Lol Be suspicious if the ODO reads less then 25K

[@pennyanderson9077]

Can you please try to do a video of a 2009 ford focus sedan?

[@theyermany251]

2023, any Tempo/Topaz owners out here?? I still daily drive my Tempo, has been way more durable and useful than many other cars. You call it failure, I'll call it a car I will drive for as long gasoline is still around... who knows, might get it converted to use biofuel.

[@camban6966]

We have one and was told that its a classic & the price would be higher if sold right now but we just got to find the right buyer for Ford Tempo GL.

[@ListsOf13]

I had a Tempo. It was a bit of a dog. Glad I had the 5speed.

[@nomequalquer5719]

the way this car just disappeared is scary, like cmon ford made almost 3 million of them if you include the first generation, it would be enough to be more than all cars in some european countries like for example finland and lithuania... and now they barely exists anymore

[@ironinquisitor3656]

Same with Gen 1 Taurus and Sables. Over 2.6 million in total if we add the Sables into the equation and yet you can hardly find them popping up for sale. The Taurus SHO is easier to find sale listings for than the regular sedans and wagons now. Not a good sign because the Gen 1 SHO was only sold 1989-1991. The average production number for the SHO per year was only 8,000 cars too. I'm looking for a 1986 Ford Taurus LX wagon and haven't had any luck over the past 6 years.

[@notsure659]

I owned a 1988 Ford Tempo AWD. Yes that's right an AWD. Oddly it wasn't all time awd it was a push button all wheel drive. It ate rear U-joints like candy. The reason for that issue was due to the axles being about 1/2" to long causing them to bind up some and wear out the U-joints. Changing the Fuel Pump was a nightmare due to the gas tank being a split tank thanks to having that awd rear driveshaft. It was not as dependable of a car as the regular Tempo was. Dependability aside I loved getting shocked looks when I would roll up to locations that people in Jeeps were only making it to lol.

[@9113Zach]

I had an 88 AWD. I took down B roads all the time!

[@peterchen9763]

Back then I didn't see the point of buying a Tempo either, when I could buy a used Ford Taurus for the same price or less. So I bought a used Taurus instead.

[@zythr9999]

LOL the Taurus had transmission issues?

[@Karmy.]

My parents owned 2 for a very short period of time in the mid 2000s, I don't remember anything at all about them but one was a parts car that was supposed to get the other one working but they ended up just giving up on the Tempo

[@bernardkwanzaa14]

I got a 93 gl tempo that I’m fixing up

[@Joshua-yl1rr]

I remember the Ford Tempo my grandma gave me

[@derektorres6260]

My dad had a topaz and then upgraded to a sable

[@coyote102076]

The year was 1991, and I was given the 1984 4 door Ford Tempo GL that was my father's car, then my older sisters car, then on to me 😄 I know over those years it had a new transmission and later on when I was about 13 and it was my sister's car it got a full engine rebuild. By the time I got it he odometer had "rolled over ) at least twice. So it was clocking close to 250k miles. I did not have it long though. Long enough to get a job after school and buy a Datsun 4X4 720 series truck. 🤣 Dang I miss those days!

[@vincentblue6756]

My mom had one it was a blue one

[@brentotto1068]

Had one? Actually three! Drove one for 176,000 mi and was still working perfectly when sold. That was a 1992. I think they were extremely reliable by then. Not a single major repair need in all those miles. Just regular maintenance.

[@969thewhip]

I used to have a 93 Tempo GL 4 door which was optioned with the 3.0 V6. Ford only offered that engine in the Tempo from 92 to 94.

[@vincentcordero7599]

Love the content man, very throurough and can feel the excitement. I actually currently drive a 1993 Mercury Topaz! This cars twin !

[@theneonexplorer]

My first car in 2004 was a 1987 Topaz and it was firmly a hunk of crap by that point. It had been parked in a field for at least 5 years when my parents acquired it as the neighbor who was supposed to be driving it for her first car never ended up getting her license (she is 38 and still does not drive). It was an okay enough car, but small, and I still own and drive subcompacts. Aside from a Buick I had for 3 years in college, every car I've owned was classed as a compact or subcompact at time of release (Corolla, Focus, Fiesta).

[@static_Tricolor_camry]

I remember living in a duplex house we lived on the top floor and there were bums living below us, one of the bums was banging hard on the door and started cursing about a toy stamp that was in the yard on the grass he threw it inside the door. My Dad was at work, when he got home was going to knock him out. The bum had this same car.