Yahoo Autos The Ford Festiva Is a Car That Has to Work for Its Oil Change
Nobody cared for the cheap economy cars of the late eighties/early nineties back when they were new, which means Ford Festivas had to go through hell and back to reach the point when a very small group of people started to take notice of what they can offer. I'm talking light weight (at 1700 pounds dry) and great fuel economy from its under-stressed 1.3 four pot.
Ford went for this option because it was on the edge of bankruptcy, and since the concept has worked remarkably well in the Asia-Pacific market, the heads at Detroit thought America's college students deserve a piece of the Mazda-Kia-Ford action too. And their parents did indeed go for it, up until the even cheaper but slightly better built imports took over the segment.
This 1991 Festiva JDM wannabe with its fake oil cooler, silly motorcycle exhaust and over-amplified cargo area is no mid-engined Shogun. In fact, it's the worst car Mr. Regular has ever tested, but that's only because it's a parts car that somehow still managed to keep its plate in Illinois.
It's not done yet.
