This Ford Tempo has been on this car lot for a couple years. Think it's a mid 80s? Terrible car compared to today's but if I had the room I'd add it to the stable. Like the baby blue, dads f150 was similar color.
Ford Tempo
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Do it!
At the time of its introduction, its 60-degree windshield rake and wrap-around A-pillar door metal were state-of-the-art.
Tempo was supposed to be the replacement for the Fairmont. In fact its 4 cyl engine was the 200-6 with two cylinders lopped off.
And its anticipated customers were already used to mediocrity.
I wonder what this dealer's long-term plan is. Why not jump at the next offer to come along?
Tempo was supposed to be the replacement for the Fairmont. In fact its 4 cyl engine was the 200-6 with two cylinders lopped off.
And its anticipated customers were already used to mediocrity.
I wonder what this dealer's long-term plan is. Why not jump at the next offer to come along?
Originally Posted by Eric Smith
This Ford Tempo has been on this car lot for a couple years. Think it's a mid 80s? Terrible car compared to today's
Might be an 84 but I think it's an 85. 86s had aerodynamic headlights. Terrible car for the mid 80s. Fairmonts were slugs but more reliable.
This Ford Tempo has been on this car lot for a couple years. Think it's a mid 80s? Terrible car compared to today's
Might be an 84 but I think it's an 85. 86s had aerodynamic headlights. Terrible car for the mid 80s. Fairmonts were slugs but more reliable.
The "turbo" (turdo?) Tempo, Ford's replacement for the Pinto... I never had one, but friends/co-workers did, they were typical Ford economy junk (coming from me, who owned THREE '80s Escorts, an '81, '83', & an '85 1/2)! Guy probably thinks it's a collector's car!
There were a TON of them on the roads back in the day. The fuel injected versions didn't run too badly as I recall along with the 3spd auto.
My parents had a 1986 Mercury Topaz version. It had a plush red velour interior that was surprisingly nice. LOL I remember the transmission exploding on it atleast once out of the blue on a cold day.
My parents had a 1986 Mercury Topaz version. It had a plush red velour interior that was surprisingly nice. LOL I remember the transmission exploding on it atleast once out of the blue on a cold day.
We had one of these in the fleet at work years ago.
It survived 186K of abuse and indifferent maintenance by the totally incompetent tech we then had.
This looks like a clean example.
A nice one, as this one appears to be, would be kinda fun to have.
A survivor from the era.
It survived 186K of abuse and indifferent maintenance by the totally incompetent tech we then had.
This looks like a clean example.
A nice one, as this one appears to be, would be kinda fun to have.
A survivor from the era.
Nothing good can come from this. Find another Festiva.
Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure the 85s were carbureted. Bet it won't start.
We had 2 growing up. Yes, my parents traded a Tempo in for a 2nd Tempo. The second one we had was the sporty GLS 2 door 5 speed. Its how I learned to drive a manual. That car had a ton of miles and still ran good. What send it to the junk heap was those stupid a$$ auto/sliding shoulder belts that broke. I hated those things.
a friend had the rare v6 model.. it went pretty good.
I remember (this was 15 years ago) it came those dice valve stem caps on and they siezed solid.. I ended up dremeling them off.
Take dremel carefully cut most of the way to the valve stem threads.. crunch it with a pair of vice grips-- gently.. poof they are off.
you couldnt unscrew them they would actually make the valve stems turn eventually.
I remember (this was 15 years ago) it came those dice valve stem caps on and they siezed solid.. I ended up dremeling them off.
Take dremel carefully cut most of the way to the valve stem threads.. crunch it with a pair of vice grips-- gently.. poof they are off.
you couldnt unscrew them they would actually make the valve stems turn eventually.
I had a new '88 Tempo, 4 cylinder. It was for people who couldn't afford a new Taurus at the time.
Compared to the truly awful Chrysler K-cars of the day, and Chevy Cavaliers not much better, this thing looked good back then. It had an airbag!
Compared to the truly awful Chrysler K-cars of the day, and Chevy Cavaliers not much better, this thing looked good back then. It had an airbag!
Had close to half a dozen over the years including two 4x4's. Would always get looks blasting through snow covered roads back when 4WD only came on trucks. Had an '88 with an optional airbag, one of the first domestic cars to have that.
![[Linked Image from fototime.com]](http://www.fototime.com/FBD81914BE6590C/large.jpg "[Linked Image from fototime.com]")
Originally Posted by Eric Smith
This Ford Tempo has been on this car lot for a couple years. Think it's a mid 80s? Terrible car compared to today's but if I had the room I'd add it to the stable. Like the baby blue, dads f150 was similar color.
Is it a tempo? It looks like a smoothed out Ltd 2. Edit....sorry I mean fox body Ltd not Ltd 2.
This Ford Tempo has been on this car lot for a couple years. Think it's a mid 80s? Terrible car compared to today's but if I had the room I'd add it to the stable. Like the baby blue, dads f150 was similar color.
Is it a tempo? It looks like a smoothed out Ltd 2. Edit....sorry I mean fox body Ltd not Ltd 2.
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I grew up working on those. They were absolute garbage! No room to work on them at all. Belts, power steering lines and radiators were downright miserable on them.
Parents had a red 1994 4-door, one of the last sold by the Ford dealer we got it from.
Solid car, they got 8 years and about 110k out of it with little drama, and indifferent care.
Was comfortable, and it drove well. For a 4-cylinder, the 2.3 was surprisingly peppy. Not great on gas, but it moved out pretty good.
In hindsight, I should have bought it from them when they traded it in, it had tons of miles left on it. One of my big 'automotive regrets'
Solid car, they got 8 years and about 110k out of it with little drama, and indifferent care.
Was comfortable, and it drove well. For a 4-cylinder, the 2.3 was surprisingly peppy. Not great on gas, but it moved out pretty good.
In hindsight, I should have bought it from them when they traded it in, it had tons of miles left on it. One of my big 'automotive regrets'
Originally Posted by Kansas_Ron
Nothing good can come from this. Find another Festiva.
Oh my, the rubberized wheels, cassette player AM/FM radio, the cruise control buttons on the steering wheel.....tin clad lug nutZ. Thermactor emissions pump.
Takes my back, I'd pay $7,500 for that time machine.
If I had $7.5k to burn.
Nothing good can come from this. Find another Festiva.
Oh my, the rubberized wheels, cassette player AM/FM radio, the cruise control buttons on the steering wheel.....tin clad lug nutZ. Thermactor emissions pump.
Takes my back, I'd pay $7,500 for that time machine.
If I had $7.5k to burn.
My dad one back in the day. I think it was an 89? It had the auto shoulder seat belt, I remember thinking how cool it was lol. He sold it to a lady that kept it in pretty good shape, for many miles. I had the chance to buy an 86 diesel a few years ago, and I really wish that I had ...”
Couple of facts (based, as well, on the '94 Topaz L4 5spd 2 door I have in my rather large "fleet"):
- Mazda designed and mfr'd 5 speed MTX-III transaxle
- Short, duplex timing chain with spring-steel tensioner - all my Morse
- 2/3rds of a Ford L6 200 cu. in (more or less)
- poor lasting power tie rod ends / inner tie rods
- unequal camber, LHS versus RHS front suspension, in part to compensate for unequal length half-shafts; particularly ugly looking positive camber for the front wheels, and the rear springs have a propensity to sag... and go to substantially negative camber.
- short / long arm and trailing arm independent rear suspension
- very, very hard to access water pump
- '92 to '94 had an improved harmonic balancer to partways quell four-cylinder "boom" / resonance... but they do wear out, and require the engine to be dropped .... to below the frame horns - to re and re them
- intake restricted 2.3 litre / 140 c.i. engine... but surprisingly economic with fuel.
- 3 speed A/T really, really needs a 4th gear.
- the engine, given a modicum of care, is stupid simple... and that old fashioned OHV / pushrod technology lasts and lasts. I don't recall if the head is aluminum... but the block is cast iron, and the oil pan is aluminum.
- sequential solenoid actuated fuel injection.
- runs OK, but no hot rod.
NOT a vile car, but no smoking great one either
- Mazda designed and mfr'd 5 speed MTX-III transaxle
- Short, duplex timing chain with spring-steel tensioner - all my Morse
- 2/3rds of a Ford L6 200 cu. in (more or less)
- poor lasting power tie rod ends / inner tie rods
- unequal camber, LHS versus RHS front suspension, in part to compensate for unequal length half-shafts; particularly ugly looking positive camber for the front wheels, and the rear springs have a propensity to sag... and go to substantially negative camber.
- short / long arm and trailing arm independent rear suspension
- very, very hard to access water pump
- '92 to '94 had an improved harmonic balancer to partways quell four-cylinder "boom" / resonance... but they do wear out, and require the engine to be dropped .... to below the frame horns - to re and re them
- intake restricted 2.3 litre / 140 c.i. engine... but surprisingly economic with fuel.
- 3 speed A/T really, really needs a 4th gear.
- the engine, given a modicum of care, is stupid simple... and that old fashioned OHV / pushrod technology lasts and lasts. I don't recall if the head is aluminum... but the block is cast iron, and the oil pan is aluminum.
- sequential solenoid actuated fuel injection.
- runs OK, but no hot rod.
NOT a vile car, but no smoking great one either
Last one I bought was five years ago. Bought it for $700. Sold it for $1800. I think it had only around 90,000 miles.
These vehicles were rolling leprosy back in the late-90s. I fondly recall a dealer bidding $1800 at an auto auction for one of the last models. I think it was a 1993. The seller wanted $2800. I thought he was nucking futs for turning down that offer. Even then it was a rolling antique.
These vehicles were rolling leprosy back in the late-90s. I fondly recall a dealer bidding $1800 at an auto auction for one of the last models. I think it was a 1993. The seller wanted $2800. I thought he was nucking futs for turning down that offer. Even then it was a rolling antique.
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