Am I the only one who is getting 14 mpg and paying $5 a gallon for premium gas right now? Am I the only one to think that small vintage cars like this 1988 Ford Festiva LX 5-speed are going to all of a sudden become hot sellers? The seller has this 35 mpg in “combined driving” car listed here on eBay in Colbert, Washington and the current bid price is $3,527.
I bet that I’m not the only one for either of those things. Some of you get much less than 14 mpg and pay much more than $5 a gallon for gas / diesel / fuel / petrol / whatever you call it. I passed on eBay, Apple, and Amazon stock 20+ years ago like a moron, but I think a decent inflation hedge might be filling a pole building full of the nicest vintage, somewhat-modern small cars that you can find and this would be one of them for me.
The first-generation Ford Festiva was made beginning in 1986 under Ford’s Mazda division in Japan. The same year, another company with Ford ties, Kia, started assembling what would be North America’s Ford Festiva. With much cheaper labor costs, they could make them for less than in either Japan or the US. The LX was the higher trim level car and this one may be about as luxurious as they got. It looks just about perfect inside and out and has never been driven in the winter, according to the seller.
This car is an LX so it has a 5-speed manual transmission rather than a 4-speed. The seats look perfect in the front and the rear seating area looks basically like new. There is absolutely no rust on this car other than the usual light surface rust on a few fasteners which is normal. The only problem with driving a car this small to get good MPG is, of course, they weren’t the best in safety ratings. This car only received 2 stars out of 5 in crash testing, so there’s that. There were no texting drivers in 1988 and now there are almost no drivers who are not texting while driving. I mean, other than all of you… right?
Sadly, they ran out of room on the eBay link so there isn’t an engine photo but it’s a Mazda 1.3L inline-four with just under 60 horsepower. It has had a lot of maintenance on it over the years and sounds like it’s ready to go. Would any of you daily drive a car this old and this small to get the benefit of good MPG?
Scotty, always good to see the simple, basic, throw-away cars from years gone by which have been cared for. I kind of doubt there are any Festiva collectors (!!), but who knows. Rather it will go to someone who needs a cheap commuter vehicle, as you noted. For me, frankly I wouldn’t be interested in this car if my commute included semis whooshing by me at 80 mph, but if my commute was just across town, that might be okay.
Good question, Scotty. How many fill-ups would $3527 give you know, as compared to last year-or for that matter this summer with the prices projected to be $7@gallon?
History repeats itself, hence the reason we have cars like this in other parts of the world. Detroit is probably going to do it’s usual knee-jerk reaction and import their “gas savers” capable of 30-35 MPG as they did in the ‘70’s, ‘80’s and ‘90’s following those gas crises.
Then there are those of us that have an old Kawasaki in the barn or an old(er) V6 Mustang that’ve been languishing awhile with a new impetuous to get them back on the road!
BTW-anyone wanna buy a nicely used Ford Extraneous? That’s the latest 2 ton model in Ford SUV’s, following the Explorer, Expedition, and Excursion…
*GET you *NOW, not *give you *know..
Doggone spellcheck (and old eyes)!
And I thought that it was called the Ford Excessive.
This is the perfect toad to pull in back of an rv
No need for a transmission pump
Install a tow bar and you r off
So light in the back that you may forget you r pulling it …
As long as you’re the one that initiated the corrections, may I suggest you meant to say “impetus” rather than “impetuous”?
You may, Larry, to which I would once again wear my orthopedic shoes and stand corrected!
TY
Festivas for the rest of us,,,good topic, gas and much more importantly, diesel prices. Oh, don’t look so surprised, you knew these days were a comin’,,well, here we are. I’m sorry, we, as Americans, simply won’t drive 30 year old “puddle-jumpers” like this, even if gas goes to $10/gal. They’ll simply do without something else, further worsening our situation, but back to the Festiva. Not very popular, and the only reason I can figure, is a) there were just too many better Asian cars for less, and b), it didn’t matter what Ford put out in a small car. Bad memories of Pintos and Mustang ll’s pretty much put the ka-bosh on Ford’s small cars. So much so, they are practically gone today from new car lots. What to do? Are 30 year old econoboxes going to spike in value, just to save a buck in gas? But no bluetooth, chilled cup holders, and ONLY ONE POWER PORT??? Not bloody likely, wonder what will take a hit,,,certainly travel,,3 million dollar hemi ‘Cudas maybe? 5 figure rusty Broncos? Stay tuned,,,
I get a steady 28 in my 300D DD, I suspect we’ll survive – maybe cutback a bit on my aimless Sunday drives
Yesterday I hit the credit card limit of $150 when I filled up my 2017 F350. First time I ever did that.
Agreed-when I fill the gas tank on my motorcycle for $43.79 it’s time to cut out 12 miles of my daily detours to and from work!
I agree, i’m a big fan of a cheap econobox with a 5 spd as a daily too. I actually just bought one a month ago as our current clown world was on it’s way to settling into ludicrous speed. Problem is the dork/mpg ratio is rather high on this example. Way beyond Crocs and may even be up to leather sandals with knee high white tube socks and cargo shorts. You can get something a little newer bigger, better, more fun and still get 32 mpg without having to drive this and worry you may be crushed to death by a Rav4.
i had a new 88 festiva and was NOT getting 35mpg.more like 25 to 27 mpg.and i would’nt want to get hit by another car.the car was dependable though.
I’ll come right out and admit that I always liked these cars. Would drive one again today!
I have a BMW X5 xDrive50i. I’d love to get 14 mpg right about now.
Ford should have reintroduced the Fiesta which was a very good and popular car. I worked at Ford in the 80s, and the word in engineering was the Fiesta was dropped because it out sold the Escort. I drove many and they were so fun
Barn find?
Steveo, a reader sent in this tip and didn’t leave their name so I grabbed it and hoped for the best on the comments. 85% (just a guess) of the vehicles seen here are from readers sending in tips and not leaving their names so we can’t thank them in the first paragraph, but most of them are from unidentified readers. I admit to liking these unusual cars and if I would have run across this listing I may have sent it in as a tip myself (yes, the writers have to get our tips approved) even though it’s far from being an actual “barn find”. Thanks for being a loyal reader and commenter!
I actually haf ine of these! Bought it Brand New from a Ford Dealership in Newmarket On. It was a Blast.
I Rememeber driving it down the 401 hwy.to visit a buddy attending McGill University in Montreal. Boy this car brings back the memories! I recall it being quite “torquey” and actually kinda quick!
I actually had one of these! Bought it Brand New from a Ford Dealership in Newmarket On. It was a Blast.
I Rememeber driving it down the 401 hwy.to visit a buddy attending McGill University in Montreal. Boy this car brings back the memories! I recall it being quite “torquey” and actually kinda quick!
That’s such an ugly car.
I sold cars from 97-2007 at a Ford dealership, now I was 6’3″ and about 315 lbs. we had the Ford Aspire at the time. this poor woman was a big woman, I mean the type that could go bear hunting with a switch.Somehow, we managed to closed the door on the car and get going. It was like a clown car in the circus, she barely gave me enough room to shift..Had a fellow salesman come across us in our test drive and he just lost it. It was a short test drive because I couldn’t see my mirrors. She was credit challenged and couldn’t buy the car, buying was an experience I will never forget.
That was certainly over the recommended payload !
fe-st-i-va 🥳
My buddy had one of these back in 89. Seem to remember it getting closer to 50 mpg hwy??? Thought it was a 3 cylinder. Seemed to be a good car and it carried all his worldly posessions to California when he moved in 1992. Not a chick magnet tho lol.
I also had one when I was commuting 60 miles to work, all state routes. I got a consistent 43 MPG. It was actually kind of fun to drive. I got a speeding ticket in it. 65 in a 55.
Had 12″tires…rode in one once, don’t remember a thing about it
Owned an 89. Roomy interior, but the doors were thinner than Coke cans. Hood rusted through before the warranty was up so Ford gave me a new one. Also remember when Belle Tire came to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a price war started with Discount Tire. Bought two sets of tires for my Festiva, one to go on the car, and the other squirreled away as spares. $7.99 PER TIRE. Thanks, Belle Tire! The Festiva got almost 40 mpg when driven gently.
I always liked these because I could show off and grab the rear bumper and pick the back of the car completely off the ground. Also being light and with the manual it was a fairly fun car to toss around.
You guys are missing the point. Wrap this thing so its red, put a roof rack with a small ladder on it and get the custom plate that says CLWN FD
I worked for Hertz when these were new and we had a few in the fleet. Nobody was jazzed to get one of these and to most, an Escort was a huge upgrade. Visibility was very good with a large greenhouse and I don’t think these even had power steering. High dork factor is right and as a young, single guy then, it was more of a chick repellent. Those 12″ tires only added to the misery. Ford took the easy way out when they offered these. All that aside, I appreciate the fact that cars like this are still out there.
There is a following for the Festiva and Aspire. I drove a 94 Aspire for 12 years to work and got 41 mpg. No air 5 speed. Never let me down. No car payments for 12 years. I actually fully restored a 95 Aspire SE. I do like the odd cars that most people turn there noses up at.
Where are you getting premium gas for $5 a gallon? Holy cow. That’s a good deal.
I had a 1979 Fiesta the car before these it was a fun little car then years later we had a 96 Aspire we towed behind our RV it was ok cheap transportation for what they are
‘This car only received 2 stars out of 5 in crash testing, so there’s that.’
And it’s still on the road.
Amazing.
Please stop with the safety trolling.
If I wouldn’t have mentioned that someone would have commented about how unsafe it would be to drive it today, so either way, I can’t win.
My dad had several of these, bought them as cheap used cars. In his eighties he enjoyed surprising folks when the light turned green by running off and leaving them, the cars really are reasonably quick. He burned up the engine in one of them because a heater hose broke and he didn’t notice the temp gauge. I drove about fifty miles to pick it up and we got a junk yard motor and in a couple of days he was back in business. He bought his last one sight unseen from the son of an acquaintance, but unfortunately he passed away a couple of weeks later so never got to see or drive his last one.
Owned one several years ago. Wish I had it back. Almost 50mpg Highway. Plenty of power, and actually comfortable for 2. Lots of room in the hatch for cargo. Make sure to get an LX. Otherwise, you get a 4 speed, and about 10 less mpg on the highway.
This is the year, color, and spec of my very first new car. I paid $6500 for it at Ramsey Sterman Ford in Pittsburgh.
I drove that car up and down the east coast from Toronto to Key West and every where in between. It never failed me. I’d love to have this one but alas the stables are full.
We’re moving out into the sticks and I need something like this to get to work. I could buy it and get it vinyl wrapped in day-glo orange for visibility or maybe get a free ride stuffed up in the wheel well of a jacked up 4×4.
My friend and I used to buy these cheap and engine swap them. The Mazda 323 sohc and MX3 dohc engines are a bolt in. Some parts interchange with the older 323. Even stock engines would wake them up, with no fuel penalty. If you wanted to fabricate you could make the BP 1.8 fit. The sohc BP was 110 hp. If you didn’t know the difference, it looked stock. The fastest one I built had a Miata bottom end and the 16v sohc head. Ported head and intake with 10:1 compression. Modified header from a later Protégé and a Racing beat air filter kit and VAF meter for a Miata. It topped out at just over 120mph and still pulled over 40mpg on the highway. I sold the car with the original wheels and everything to a kid as his first car. His insurance looked it over and gave him a break because they thought it was slow….. If you lower your standards and squint a bit you would be amazed at the fun you can have…..
Personally I love it. Always been a fan of small cars. Wrote ford a nasty letter when they said they were stopping import of the focus /fiesta. I’m sure I had em shaking in thier boots
I was working for a Mazda dealer when the 121 was launched (don’t think we got the Ford variant); nice wee cars, and reasonably nippy and good in traffic. There was the Suntop variant with Mazda; did Ford have that?
As for safety; 2 stars? Pah! I’ll keep the 2CV…
Yeah, I’m a 2CV owner also, so I laughed when people were trembling in fear about a two star safety rating. Clearly I don’t choose my cars planning to crash….
If it wasn’t so far away I would be seriously thinking about bidding on this so I could have a car I could actually afford to drive in 6 months when gas is $8 a gallon!
I love that this Festiva received 37 comments. Whether you love it or hate it, this thing etched memories on alot of people. Go Festiva!
Auction update: this little Festiva ended up big, selling for $5,200!
This is a sweet ride to Radwood but I wouldn’t use it as a daily, there are too few left in anything like this state of preservation and my manual Honda Fit that I bought new just before the pandemic gets 45 if I drive for economy while being a lot more car but still handling like a good small car should.
Plus, the price difference between it and an early Nissan Leaf which uses no gas at all is probably less than you’d think.
Nice little car. I never desired to own one of these before, but it would be a great little commuter car now, and would probably turn as many heads as my ’65 Impala does!
I worked as a lot man at Campbell Ford in Ottawa from 1983 to ’93, and I drove many of these cars fresh off the truck. The automatics were peppy, but that’s all. The 5-speeds were very fun to drive.
People scoff at these cars, but they were not made with future preservation or restoration in mind. They were made for people who needed an economical car at a low price. I think the only reason these cars didn’t sell in greater numbers is because subcompacts were still relatively rare on our roads back then, and most people considered them to be too small (today, my wife’s Nissan Micra is too small for me). Now cars that make Festiva look mid-sized are selling like donuts.
These cars are rare now, especially in cherry condition like this one, because like so many station wagons in the ’60s and ’70s, they were used up and junked.
I will certainly walk over to take a look if I see one of these at my local Cruise Night!
Well sold for the seller, and well bought for the new owner! I just hope that the new owner doesn’t drive it in the winter, or it will disintegrate quickly!
Ok what in the world is sold new here today that makes this look big?? Here in Tenn all I see are mega trucks and SUVs. They make my focus feel like I’m in a go cart most days
Years ago, I owned a used car lot. I bought a package deal from a local wholesaler. In that package were 2 of these, one a 5 speed & the other automatic.
I got a good friend who saw them & had to have them. He bought them on the spot.
He paid $750 for both (and I still made a small profit), drove the automatic for 4 or 5 years before it died, drove the other for another 4 or 5 years. He LOVED them! He said the were kinda fun to drive, unstoppable in snow, cheap to maintain & to feed.