1989 Ford Escort and Festiva Competition

[@PaulMaysHymns]

Thanks for posting! I know of 3 festivas with over 500,000 miles on them. Definitely looks better than the competition now. 87 feet of interior room too! Thanks for the info!

[@Get908]

Ford Festiva 1988-1993 is one of the best economy cars EVER :)

[@MoFanz]

I have the '89 Festiva. Not only is is super roomy and driveable, it's crazy tough. It goes all over, on and off roads. It rarely has problems and when it does, it's really quick and cheap to fix them.

[@dave11686]

My sister had a 1990 Festiva, it was her college car and it was awesome, not many problems with it.

[@reallyrandomrides1296]

Seeing how they held up in the long run, if I could go back in time, I'd have bought a Festiva.

[@F41Driver]

The Escort and Festiva were important for Ford, so they pissed them away in the mid and late '90s. GM did the same thing with the Geo and Saturn cars.

[@r34lm4rck]

The Festiva came with a carburated engine? If so, what engine would be a good swap into it? I'm thinking of getting one from this person for only $750, and I'm not really good with carburetors.

[@TheMaryB]

Nice can't find these cars anywhere

[@ColdFlame53]

Just picked up 1991 Festiva GL, Its sickkk!

[@stangowner8687]

what do you mean? the escort/festiva "CAN'T" ? or do better? my grand fathers 90 LX escort gets 38mpg on ave. and my 84 EXP turbo continues to do 35mpg or better. now these are manuals. so i don't know about autos

[@Charlie1717]

I love my festy 1991 Festiva L 43MPG and lovin it Most reliable car I've ever had and easiest to work on.

[@freeballer81]

Is that the same lady from the 1991 Ford Explorer video?

[@StimsLuap]

@stegomon- correct, hyundai does own kia... Now. Back then kia was still an independent company. Ford tried to buy them in 1997, but lost to hyundai's bid, which is why they stopped making ford aspire so abruptly. Kia adopted the oval logo in the first place so they could make grills that could fit kia and ford logos for aspire, and other possible future cars.

[@Zacharypetty]

the Festiva was a Kia Body (Kia owns Hyundai, and it says "Body MFG by Kia motors for Ford Motors" on the drivers Door Jamb) just as well, the Engine is a Mazda B3, made by mazda, same series engine as the Miata, Protege, 323, MX-6 and 626 I bought mine for 600, and have put 300 into it, but it has 136k miles, and starts like a dream everytime. I average 45mpg city (never need the highway),and my best tank was 84mpg.

[@FrancisLitanofficialJAPINOY]

Mitsubishi Precis was Hyundai Excel wagon/hatch.

[@FoDaddy]

@youngbleeb How do you figure that? I mean yeah, there's the CD3 cars the Fiesta , and the Escape/Mariner. But the Mustang, F-Series, E-Series, Taurus, Crown Vic, and Explorer are Ford designs. The Flex is more Volvo than anything. And the Focus was designed by Ford, Mazda, and Volvo.

[@kevinkenny9355]

Do you happen to have an Aerostar video?

[@91Taurus]

I have one for the 1993 Aerostar

[@kevinkenny9355]

Could you please post it?

[@91Taurus]

@@kevinkenny9355 Sure I have to digitize the VHS tape first. But you should check out testdrivejunkie.com he has a 1986 video

[@91Taurus]

@@kevinkenny9355 Posted it

[@mrpoohbearlvr]

Boy, from these comments I should have bought a Festiva WAY back in the late 80;s early 90's. But I test drove it. And I think the salesman was pushing it along with his foot outside the car door! It was so slow, and man if it hit a pebble it sounded like i hit a boulder! No power steering, the side mirrors were a joke, and as short as i am ,my head was hitting the headliner!!! But had I known it might have lasted as long as these people say they last, I should have bought it. I am tired of fucking car repairs on a bigger and much much newer car!

[@billdeco08]

What kind of car did you end up buying instead.

[@clubcar98]

Where do you live I want one badly

[@SP84Fanatic]

Actually, Ford is bringing its European Fiesta to the States for the first time in 30 years (it was sold in the US briefly from 1978-1980). It was touted as "Europe's most successful new car in history" when it came to American shores in late '77. For the 2011 Fiesta, Ford is also saying it was a hit in Europe, now coming to America.

[@FrancisLitanofficialJAPINOY]

Kia Pride (5 door) and Mazda 121 (3 door) sold in Europe but Ford Festiva (3 door only in the US), sold as 5 door in Taiwan, Latin America, Thailand, 3 door version in Japan (made by Mazda), etc..

[@gotrootdude]

My '92 Festiva GL rocks. Never gets under 40mpg. The only shortcoming is the air conditioner doesn't work but that's my fault for never getting it filled after it stopped blowing four years ago..

[@markmarshall39]

look at the price tag on these, my stomach hurts now:(

[@RhinoXpress]

escorts were good cars for their time. they were far and away better than the ford pinto that it replaced when they came out in 81.

[@hcinciripini]

My 93 Festy gets 45+ mpg all day long.

[@billdeco08]

Another disappointing thing about the Excels back then was they didn't have A/C. My girlfriend's mom owned one of those and my girlfriend said it had no A/C, and then a friend of my dad's owned one without A/C either.

[@ApplelandProductions]

Jim? Sure looks and sounds like Scott Wahle, formerly with WBZ in Boston. My first new car was a 1989 Escort GT Strawberry Red Mettalic. I put 232,000 miles on that car. Never had to replace the clutch. Not the most reliable, but I loved it. Worst thing was those awful automatic seatbelts.

[@tattoocozzi420]

iv got a 91 5speed festiva L LOVE IT

[@Psilaxs]

one huge thing they over looked. the hyundai wont blow head gaskets every 40,000 miles, and will be as reliable as a wood burning stove.

[@jcfuture1045]

272,000 Excels made...I bet by 1999 almost all of those 272,000 were in junkyards.

[@enricorafaelluigiluisgiova3644]

1989. FORD FESTVIA VS. HYUNDAI EXCEL vs. FORD ESCORT

[@jelabarre59]

The funny thing is, guess who now own Kia, the company that built those original Festivas? *Hyundai*, that's who! Granted, in 1988 I had looked at the Hyundai Excel , and didn't care for the fit and finish of it. So bought the Festiva instead, and between my brother and I have had five of them. Ironically, these days I have a Hyundai Accent. By 2011 the construction of Hyundai's had much improved.

[@racekarl]

main competitors: walking the bus a bicycle

[@psdirewolf]

this video made me lol

[@boberson33]

6:28 Kelso:BURN!

[@rekord20s]

A korean would pronounce it more like "Tsji un day", a friend of me had a Kia Pride and it,s the same car as the festiva but had a 1.3 Mpi engine (rather quick car). The coil springs broke every time, replaced them by original mazda 121 ones and it was ok as far as the springs are..the rest was..(fading paint,rust,broken electrics..)..o.k..somebody mentioned a bus stop?

[@bradaussie93]

the hyudai looks more modern than the escort ... festiva looks kinda cool though ... like a cheap mini cooper ... kinda growing on me

[@PaulMaysHymns]

No, it's pronounced hundie by Hyundai.

[@TheCubanMan728]

Ford is making a festiva again i think...

[@mholm09]

Love my Festiva to death, some have been known to reach 500,000 miles.

[@coreydl2008]

I wonder if they bought those Hyundai's or rented them for the video LOL. "Hi we're from Ford.. we need an Excel to show how bad it is."

[@Dankcatvacs]

@91Taurus saw one in the wrecking yard with 220k miles not joking i have proof

[@drsushimon]

@jtart51 lol who day!!!

[@Lumotaku]

The original excel was junk but look at hyundai now they must have managed to sucker alot more people lol.

[@91Taurus]

@Psilaxs You're joking right... I can't really speak for the '89 Escort's reliability, since I've never owned one, but the early Hyundais are well known for their horrible reliability and shit build quality. Go on Carsurvey[dot]org and see for yourself Hyundai is a much better company now than it was in the 80s

[@altops4490]

i got an 89

[@mrpoohbearlvr]

I test drove a Festiva way back then. I thought for sure, if i farted HARD...I would dent the seats! Or if I leaned on the outside, it would crush in. The thing couldnt get out of its own way!! The side mirrors vibrated at low speed, and almost fell off at 40mph! POS is being polite!!

[@Dankcatvacs]

why the fuck would anybody want an automatic in such a gutless car???!

[@landongendur]

In terms of looks the Hyundai looks better.

[@mesinspector]

Hyundai... The Excel... What a joke. Not even close as a competitor!

[@seeyditti]

there is no way that those cars are getting 30mpg. thats just stupied to even say that.

[@Mr_Chris77]

Hun-die???

[@stegomon]

ummmm kia made the festiva and Hyundai owns kia....so looks like is is Hyundai that is making out here

[@kia_elan]

kia pride vs. hyundai excel... funny

[@altops4490]

i got an 89