Here are the problems this car had:
Shifter unable to engage 2nd gear most of the time without a grinding noise.
Could pop out of gear if RPM's got too high.
Tie-rod ends needed replacing.
Axles needed replacing.
Tires were always going flat and had to be replaced.
Always seemed to be out of alignment.
Water pump, thermostat, and radiator needed replacing.
Front shocks had to be replaced.
Battery and Alternator had to be replaced. Twice.
Much of the original wiring was bad and had to be uprooted and replaced.
Door misaligned and had to be pulled up to close properly.
Often remained running even after key was removed.
Anyhow, thats just what I can recall right now. But this was an improvement over the abysmal Escort, though it happened to be 3 years older. The thing was really solid, and once I got the suspension and drivetrain repaired, handled really well.
It had a top speed of about 75, beyond which the thing just did not like to go without sounding like it was a helicopter about to take off. But it handled great in all weather with stock tires, and was quite agile. A bit larger than the Escort, this hatchback was very versatile. It could hold a lot of cargo.
The navy blue interior baked in the Sun, and the dash was starting to peel, though not nearly as bad as the Escort, but that doesn't say much. The white exterior paint had turned creamy, but it did so evenly and looked ok when it was clean and waxed.
The headlights were interesting, albeit simple. They had a strange shape with the turn signals in the front and were nice and big on the rear. It worked well for the frame of the car.
The car was just about completely restored mechanically when some idiot woman in an SUV cut through oncoming traffic and made an illegal left, T-boning me at aroun 25 mph. My car held its ground and showed merely a pronounced dent in the door. Her SUV's bumper was shredded and looked a lot worse than it should. Seems my car was a lot tougher than it looked. The door was then permanently sealed shut by the way it was dented, and I had to exit my car out the passenger door.
Nevertheless, I still went to work that day, as I had no injuries. The lady's air-bag deployed, and combined with her front-end damage, totalled her newer SUV. My car was totalled due to its age and mileage, but ran fine.
I sold it (unrepaired) for $250, got $900 from my insurance company (after faxing in all of my repair reciepts to prove it was worth a lot more to me than the $300 they valued it at). I was then able to buy my next car- a great vehicle known as the 1987 Toyota Camry.
Ford
Tempo
LE
