A small FORD instead of BIG ?

[Marcel Bluret]

Hi friends, I'm an older man (54) who is NOT very familiar with any

post-1975 vehicles due to my (sadly departed) "classic-collection" being my

constant hobby until illness struck forcing our extreme severe-lifestyle

'downgrade' in 1999.


Since then, I've collected the humble but weirdly INCREDIBLE yet utterly

worthless FRENCH Renault 12 ("povertyperson's/secret/frogmobile/rally")

car BUT they have NO Air-Conditioning.



MY wife has serious 'health-issues' (broken-thermostat!),which requires her

to be in FREEZING air-con when QLD-summer-temps go to 34+ & I acquired

an immaculate very cheap (1owner@89,000klm) 1993 ED FALCON about

5yrs back which,of course, split it's passenger-side-plastic-rad-tank &

"BLEW" it's head gasket & possibly WORSE!


This happened over an XMAS/NEW YEAR period when my local rural

mechanic was havin' a long lazabout so I tried to replace the headgasket

myself & I am NO mechanic !

When I removed the ED head & was quoted $950 to have the head 'refaced'

(by the local 'monopoly'), & unable to find a cheap good complete ED 4 litre

transplant-motor I simply gave up in disgust !



Luckily a farmer mate's wife had the same thing occur to their 1995 EF

FAIRMONT when parked & no damaged occurred but they gotta new car &

when offered $50 by local wreckers for their immaculate Silver

(240,000klm) EF, they very kindly GAVE it to me !


I put a new radiator innit, re-registered it & have had 2+ years of driving

from this "GIFT-FAIRMONT" with pretty cold air-con for my wife's needs &

she rarely leaves the house anyway & these trips are always 4+hr drives to

a city, so we have been very lucky...... so far.



However, the time has come for about $3000 to be spent-(including rego)

on this EF to keep it alive & 'chilled' for another few years & I actually do

not like driving it & find I'm very cramped also.


IF I'm gonna own a large 5-seater Automatic (FORD) vehicle - its gotta be

at least a 5litre V8 & I just cannot find a good enough one I can afford !




So... how about a small FORD 5spd-manual FESTIVA type hatch ?



I only wanna 2-door/seater "ICEBOX on WHEELS" which (apart from a

weekly 30klm 'air-con-work-out'), will sit in the garage as we prefer using

the Renault 12 for temperatures below 32 degrees anyhow- Sorry Aussies!



My parents have an air-con'd '94 FESTIVA automatic which they prefer to

their "fancy" 12mth old HOLDEN ASTRA-(I would too!) & as I've located

many "apparently good" FESTIVAs on <carsales.com> for $2500 or less

with my required: manual-trans/windows/AIR-CON, they seem to be pretty

good value, many with RWC &/or rego. [ 2good 2B true? ]


All these have COLD air-con-(claimed) & I don't care if it 'slows down' the

little hatch as long as my wife is cool & comfy & to "RETRO-CHILL" any

1970's RENAULT 12 (1.3/1.4 litre) is gonna cost up to $5000 & I am quite

MAD but not that stupid!



I have NEVER bought anything via the 'NET' but if I can see/drive the car,

I'm OK & know what I'm doing.......... mostly.



Do you recommend these 1990-8 models =(WA/B,etc) for our needs ?


We are very NOT wealthy & I like manual boxes & I admit to HATING 'east/

west-engine/trans-combos' & fuel-injected/computerised-electronica-

automobiles but as nearly EVERY vehicle since 1990 seems to have them, I

gotta "Go with the Flow" to have COLD air for the wife.


[Besides I'm a pathetic 'bush-mechanic' anyway & have a good local country garage-mate who can fix Vintage trucks/Combine-Harvesters or 2010 "AUDI-style-techno-wizard-mobiles" AND even gives me $=credit ! ]



ALL info & advice about owning & buying a FORD FESTIVA type hatch,

(most@200,000klms) is very gratefully appreciated coz I don't really wanna

spend $2500 & work alone on my EF 4litre 'warphead' Fairmont just to

keep it reliable,(?) @275,000klms for the next few years!



Many thanks, Marcel.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Ok.. I think I understand the 'question'.

There is no such thing as an 04 Festiva! (But don't worry, you are not the first nor the last to get the Festiva and Fiesta mixed up!).

A well maintained Festiva is an extremely reliable car. You can buy a cheap one for $1000 to $2000 but in all honestly these would be 3rd / 4th owner cars with 'lost' service history and after test driving several of these cars they all had heavy clutches and didn't 'feel' as good as a well maintained one.

If you do want a Festiva, go for the last model (98 and up). The older ones are identical under the skin, but the last model has aged very well and looks ok if kept straight and clean.

Don't go for the 1.3l, they are gutless. Spend a little more, get a 1.5l and try and buy from the original owner that can show it was properly maintained.

Power steering and air con were options so make sure you have air-con. Mine didn't have power steering and in my opinion it was fine without it. (Pretty light and a VERY tight turning circle).

They don't run on E10, but have amazing economy. Expect 450km from 32 litres around town and 550-570km on the open road.

$2500-$3000 will get you a well loved and looked after Festiva that is very cheap to run and easy to maintain. 3rd party insurance is also very low and parts are easy to come by.

[Marcel Bluret]

Hi Yellow Festiva,
Many thanks for all the advice about these models as I cannot get

BROADBAND due to location, I cannot veiw the 'Brochures' etc, on this forum

& I sure dunno which is the FIESTA or FESTIVA!

I sure don't need or want power-steering in a car of that size BUT air-con is a MUST!

I'll follow your advice re: later 1998+ models & be very careful that they

haven't been "playing submarines" recently!


Enjoy your FORD, Marcel.