I had a '93 Festiva. I loved it. Got about 42mpg,. I got t-boned at about 5mph, which totaled the vehicle. Afterward my dad said, "I can use the wheels on my wheelbarrow!"
Mine was totaled by being rear ended while parked by a drowsy driving doctor in an Acheiva. It bent in the back bumper and wheel well enough to pinch the tire, and bounced me a ways. I was fine. The car was mostly fine. The olds was TRASHED. Engine and trans smashed, Hood buckled. All doors jammed. All glass shattered. Gushing all fluids. Against my advice, my dad bought the festiva back from the insurance company and sawzalled the back of it off, and welded it to the back half of a dead festiva. So it became an even crappier first car for my brothers. I loved that thing.
This story is kind of long but I hope someone reads it. So my Uncle Larry, a 6'3" 300+ pound man, never was interested in cars. When he needed a second vehicle to get to and from work, he bought a Chevette. It died, so after some searching, he found a Festiva for $800. It handled his frame and he didn't look *too* comical driving it. Until the day of my Grandfather's funeral. As our entire family was feeling pretty down, Uncle Larry decided to use his physical stature compared to the size of his car to brighten our day. "Yup, I love my little car" he says, with a shit eating grin on his face. "Makes me feel like Mario Andretti every time I drive it!" Uncle Larry CHARGES at the car, and in one motion, rips the door open, flings himself into the driver's seat, slams the key into the ignition, and fires the engine. Just after the engine turns over, we all hear a loud "BANG", as both front wheels come flying off the car and roll into the ditch on either side of the old dirt road.
I had a Festiva for a while. It had been rear ended, and was no longer street legal. Instead it became a desert hopper. I beat that car like a rented red headed step mule. Took it places 4x4s said "nope" to. At the end of its life the poor little bastard had almost as many GM, Toyota, and Peterbilt parts in it as Ford. It was a loyal car that did all I asked of it, and more. RIP, my little mule.
Not a Dodge Neon with a tacky spoiler, massive bodykits and NO performance upgrades whatsoever? To be honest, I see more effort in this Festiva show car than a ricer.
a honda civic with a massive bumper, skirt, and rear bumper along with a GT wing that doesnt fit and cheap chrome wheels is rice. this...this is part of another shitty car culture
I remember my brother-in-law had one of these as a fuel-saving measure. I think that was when he got pulled over by the Wisconsin State Patrol for only driving 45mph. He did that to save gas. They probably rolled their eyes.
my ex had one of these. When she dissed my VW fox as a toy car, I reached down, grabbed the wheel well of the rear tire and hefted up until there was daylight under the tire. It was FUN to drive that Fiesta tho.
grendel 59, the last car brought from VW do Brasil... Only tranny in USDM was a 4-speed manual and offered the last 3-door station wagon ever offered in US.
I remember this car, my older brother, who was 14 at the time, got one of these for free from someone down the street from us cause it wouldn't start. He had it running within 3 days and ran the ever loving hell out of it. One day he ended up rolling it over into a ditch and got one of his friends with a pickup to pull it out. He kept it for around 4 years until he got bored with it and junked it. Good times, good times
I had one. It could fly . I was doing 90 and scare the crap out of me ! It hit me that I was doing 90 in a tin can. But it was the easiest car I ever worked on . I did have the stick shift one.
Yeah, the first year offered, it was a four speed stick, but they wised up the next year, and added the fifth gear, which enabled that car to cruise easily and get great mpg.
A bone stock one just went up for sale 30 minutes ago in my area. When I emailed the guy asking if it was still for sale, he said, "Yes. You were the first to ask about it so I'm emailing you back first." LOL 30 minutes in and already garnered some interest. Less than 200k miles, garaged most of its life, and he's only asking $600. I cannot wait!!!
This video made me get one, its the most fun little car ever! Edit: 6 year update. I ended up owning two Festivas, a 91 GL and then a 93 L , both with 5 speed manual transmissions. Kept the latter for 4 years and put over 10k miles on it. It was extremely reliable, all I ever had to replace was the clutch cable and put a set of tires on it. Had a lot of great memories, including driving it 8 hours through the night to attend Festiva Madness 2018. I recommend this car to anybody.
I have an opportunity to get a Festiva or Tercel... For some reason I'm really drawn to the Festiva, but everyone says Toyotas are a better way to go... What should I do?
Jay Leno has one of these...with 275hp without nitrous and over 300hp with nitrous! It has a 3 litre Ford Taurus SHO engine placed where the rear seats would normally be and it cost $35,000 in 1989 which was the equivalent price of a Porsche 911 back then! 250 were hoped to be produced but only 7 were eventually produced as no-one wanted to spend Porsche money on a Ford Festiva!
Abel Alvarez, look for the video (I've seen it and remembered it) in Jay Leno's Garage YT account as "Ford Shogun". It probably is South Korea's answer to the Renault R5 (Le Car in the States) that came in Europe with a rear seat-mounted V6. That Renault was sold at dealers in Europe that way, don't know if Ford or Kia did the same in South Korea or any other Asian Pacific nation.
A coworker of mine just sold his running and driving 1991 Festiva for $150 with 400,000 miles, original engine, original clutch, he was the second owner and had bought it in 1993 at 20,000 miles.
"No I'm not taking my tail off!! It's who I am!!" Oh man..this hits home. I used to have a V6 1992 Plymouth Duster with a bullet racing muffler and a side pipe exhaust that used to wake the dead. I had a version of that conversation many times.
In my travels, I spent 10 months or so behind the wheel of a 4 speed, carb Festy. Being in Denver, it had even less power due to the mile high thinner air. In daily driving the only thing that sucked was having the a/c on while in stop and go traffic. There just wasn't any power. This was my greatest challenge, otherwise it was a blast to drive the slow car fast on the highways and interstates. To this day, I still want one.
My dad bought a brand new, showroom '89 Probe GT. It was black with the 5 speed and looked so good. He sold it around 2010 because the frame was rusted through. It still ran and drove perfectly with 262,000 miles. He drove it to every state except Hawaii and Alaska. Its still one of the coolest looking coupes in my opinion. Just felt like sharing...Probes are something special.
About 20 years ago when I was in high school me and a couple buddies took a 91 Festiva off-roading on some local trails. Aside from completely stalling out in a big puddle, it did great.
I had a white 1991 Festiva that I bought in 1995 for a work car because my commute right out of art school was about an hour one way. It was cheap and good on gas and a surprising little workhorse. I remember folding down the rear seat and filling the hatch with 10 large bags of mulch, a medium size air compressor and a large box of paint supplies so I could repaint my 1969 Dodge Super Bee. The Festiva handled it all no problem. After driving it for 4 years and sold it to a guy and actually made a small profit on it!
My great uncle loved these. He was a mechanic and had a garage/ junkyard of old cars. His favorite car of all time was this. He had a graveyard of these like maybe 20? And his pride and joy was one that had been cut down to be a truck. White racing stripes. Fire fighter lights. Etc. Sadly he passed away a few years ago. I believe his grandson is getting it now.
I bought a 1990 model new.....fit and finish was good.....drove well, but definitley slow acceleration and didn't like going over 60 mph, which didn't matter too much when the speed limit was 55....drove it to work 50 miles a day, mostly interstate.....averaged about 40 miles per gallon at a time very few got over 30.....did my own oil changes, 3.4 quarts of oil cost less than the filter.....had to get rid of it in 1994 when I got a company car......sold it to a body shop guy who had 5 Festivas for loaner/rental cars....
My mom owned one of these all six years I was in junior high and high school. I hated it. I made her drop me off two blocks away. I would do whatever I could to avoid being seen in it. Now I'm 30, and I can't appreciate the cheapness and simplicity of it and kind of miss it...
Nice work! And got almost all the facts straight, which is very refreshing in a video like this. Some day you should review a Festiva done up properly. Check out Performancefestiva
Boy, you ain't kidding about the size of these things. My brother had one in the 1990s. He came over to visit me one day, and parked his Festiva behind my then-project car, a 1961 Ford Starliner (think 'de luxe version of the Galaxie'). The sight of it reminded of a tugboat pushing an aircraft carrier into its moorings. Seriously, it looked like the car was dragging a utility trailer. Of course, that Festiva got almost three times the gas mileage of my barge Then again, I could almost carry a Festiva in the trunk as a spare.
I drove a 1990 Ford Festiva L 5-speed manual for 14 years. They changed to fuel injection in 1990. Paid $5,300 for it brand new after a $1,000 Ford rebate at the time. Designed by Mazda, built by KIA, & sold by Ford. Tiny wheels were awesome in snow, & had decent clearance underneath. Rear seat could be completely rolled/flipped forward creating an awesome flat space in back. Never burned a drop of oil. Only thing I didn't like about it was the automatic seat belt that came at you when you started the car. I would buy another one today.
I bought an '88 for $600 and drove it for 2 years and it was an absolute blast. I cut the springs and lowered it, put some 1 inch wheels off a Metro on it (because good luck finding 12 inch tires), it was a 5 speed and drove like a gokart. I'd absolutely buy another one but believe it or not finding a decent one is actually pretty hard. The people who have them know what they have. In the end I sold it and got my $600 back out of it.
Jesus...for my entire adult life i've been trying to remember "all summer in a day". Seriously, I read that in the 7th grade and have been trying to remember the name of it ever since. How the hell does a car review for a festival solve one of the greatest mysteries of my life?
I got picked up from the airport in the late 90's by friends who showed up in one of these. Over an hour from SeaTac to Whatcom County. Every minute in the back seat while on the highway, wondering which particular moment the wheels were going to come off.
When I was like 20 I New a girl that had one of them, She drove it like she stold it. We uses to get 6 people in it's car and drive to the seawall to hot box it. It was funny when after smoking 6 people would get out of this Smokey clown car.
My first car was a manual Civic hatchback, i had it in high school and drove it everywhere. It was a tiny bouncy little car but surprisingly spacious and practical. I got me, my (ex)girlfriend, and 4 of our friends in the backseat with one of them lying across the laps of our 3 other friends, and we went out to get some food after school. I remember approaching an incline and having to downshift into second so I wouldn’t bog down because that poor little 1.6 was so weak. So we got to this nice, upscale, and expensive (expensive for us broke high school students) restaurant and we start climbing out of this tiny Civic like a clown car. Such a fun time, as it was prior to break up. Great car and I miss it dearly. Can’t imagine how a Festiva would be though, that’s a death trap even just for one person inside driving it, albeit a rollercoaster of a death trap
Geo Metro is about that light too. The 3door is between 700-800 kg. They are called Suzuki Swift here. And they were made here (Hungary), so they are still everywhere.
A friend of mine had one, and I rode in it a couple of times. At 6' 3" and 270 lbs+, I made the car tilt to one side. I had to roll down the window, stick my arm out, and look through the windshield in order to see what time my watch said. A full tank of gas would double its value. But, sometimes, it's good to have a basic, cheap car you don't have to care about, and can just run it into the ground.
My buddy used to be a huge fan of these cars, and bought a minty-looking '93 Festiva L about ten years ago. "It only has 33,000 miles on it!" For some reason, it would not run. Would crank and crank and crank. We did a compression test, and it had nearly no compression at all. Weird for 33,000 miles. Maybe the timing belt jumped? I was sitting in the driver's seat and casually took a look at the odometer. It turned out my buddy had misread it. The car actually HAD 330,000 MILES ON IT. Car looked amazing, motor was just plain worn out. Tough cars, indeed...
4:42 Peugeot 106/Citroen Saxo. They have almost the same curb weight, but there was actually some care involved into making them. The chassis is good and they're light enough for 75hp versions to be really fun (put an aftermarket air admission on those and the sound at WOT will be the funniest thing). And they ranged up to 125hp stock, but those were a bit heavier. At the time they were one of the most popular rally car, and still are popular for that kind of use (the sporty versions of course).
Someone in my apartment building has a 1988 robin's egg blue Festiva. It is parked on the street and has not moved under it's own power in 4 years. It gets towed to the impound lot as abandoned about once a year, and they always go get it and bring it back on a truck. It sits, forlorn, rusting into the pavement. And for some reason has a Club steering wheel lock on it.
I like to hang on to economically reasonable cars. It cost me € 700, gets an average 45 mpg and does 0-62 in 12.8 seconds. Got it with 8 tires and a new inspection. 87k miles on it. Of course I could put a turbo on it. But don't need to compensate for my dick :P
A first generation Honda CRX HF has a CURB weight of 1700 Lbs, and probably a dry weight of less then 1650 Lbs. That's the car I would have if I were looking for a tiny little car the size of a Festiva. But still, that light weight is impressive.
I LOVED mine, I've had an MRS a G35 a Honda Civic SI, a couple of Cadillacs, and the Festiva was the MOST fun to drive around city roads and slower speeds. Felt like a much faster lawn tractor in a good way ( on Mountain Roads, the mrs was better. On fast roads the g was better)
The official car of going to New York and fitting into a parking spot perfectly only to leave directly after realizing that public restrooms haven’t been invented there yet.
As someone who owned a Mercury/Ford Capri. This car gives me alternator pulley PTSD on whether or not my belts are going to blow on the highway, or im going to find my battery dead after work because my belt slipped off before I parked it
Mm, my 1988 Canadian edition Nissan Micra, four-door 5-speed manual, was 710 kg curb weight. 1.25 litre engine, fifty-something HP. Cruising at 55 mph it would get 60 mpg, but that was imperial gallons. Lasted 360K km, so ~220K miles or so. Had good clearance, so I drove across lots of ploughed fields to my archaeology site digs: when it got stuck, 4 crew could heft it out of the ruts. Fun times.
Hoo boy. Cars like this are so tempting for the Top Gear treatment. Cheap, and you don't care what happens to it, so you can do whatever mad science you want to it with zero guilt.
I rode in one when I was a teen to a concert 100 miles away... through a near-blizzard, on a highway with big trucks. With an inexperienced driver at the wheel. Scary, scary trip, but we made it back alive.
Thats weird because I never heard of the Ford Festiva. In Europe his name is NOT the mazda 121 because that is a hole different car and an sedan! No, also in Europe, just like Korea it's the Kia pride. One of the first Kia's that did sell well in the early 90s in the Netherlands. Nowadays its a pretty cheap reliable banger that you can buy for around €200 until €1000. Over here we have a lot of these pocket rockets. Like the Fiat cinquecento, Daihatsu cuore, Subaru Vivio, Suzuki Alto, Daewoo Matiz.... Are fun to drive cars and cheap to run!
Tough car. Beat the hell out of one for a year in high school. Tons of burnouts, reverse donuts, handbrake drifting, raising hell in the woods and fields. Slid into a bridge abutment. That required some spot welding on the front suspension. Besides that, it never broke down. Then I sold it to a friend who continued to beat the hell out of it. He was still driving it several years later when I went back to visit. FYI, here's how to spin a Festiva on a frozen lake: Go into a spin with the hand brake, as the car is coming around lock up the brakes and slam it into reverse, floor it, as it's coming around again lock up the brakes and slam it into second gear, floor it and so on and so forth. Watch out for that section where the water isn't quite frozen. For added effect, leave the windows down so snow blows throughout the car. Later, in casual conversation, complain about how insurance is so expensive for teenagers. High school was fun.
Lol reminds me of the GEO metro I had to drive in high school, flat out 86 MPH the dash boards flapping so bad you'd think it was going to break off. My buddy ironically had a festiva and he was able to get 58mpg out of it
the sedan version of those is just fine 🤔 for an inter town car, or if your work is 10 miles just away from your home. pretty damn good milage as well 40-50mpg from a Carbureted 1.3L engine 🤷 it doesn't get you wet when it rains if the A/C works then you don't sweat your ass off when you're stuck at traffic. it's not a fast car, or the flashiest on the lot 🤷 it's just a car that gets you where you need to go without having too much problems along the way and it's a learning experience as well, the powerplant layout is so simple, it's like working on a 70s Japanese Econo Car with a 90s body
The original Honda Insight (e.g. my Insight) clocks in at about 850 KG, and it has similar performance numbers. But that's with A/C, super comfy seats, and an *easy* 60 MPG city in real conditions. (One day I'll get a submission email to you)
Yes, the Geo Metro was comparable. I have never driven such a dangerous car. I spun mine three times, including once at 25 MPH on a city street (did a 270 instead of a 90) and once at 65 MPH. How I am alive to tell the tale is remarkable. I hope the Festiva is more sure-footed than the Suzuki Swift/Geo Metro.
some guy that lives like a mile down the road from me owns a car wash and has an obsession with Geo Metros. At one point I think he had like 8 sitting in the lot next to the car wash.
The official car of "Here's your pizza".
Man I'd love to deliver in this. Gas would be so damn cheap.
cloridan Beauchamps lol not quite so. Chevy sparks throw rods when driving normal. Wouldn't make it to deliver the pizza 😂
That would be the first Twingo.
I delivered pizzas in one of these and my coworkers made fun of me but they spent all of their money on gas
@@WolfestoneManor I delivered pizza (as a second job) with my old 2014 Mustang GT 6 Speed, the pizza job covered the car note each month
I had a '93 Festiva. I loved it. Got about 42mpg,. I got t-boned at about 5mph, which totaled the vehicle. Afterward my dad said, "I can use the wheels on my wheelbarrow!"
Are you serious?
I had a 91 Festiva. That gas mileage was the only saving grace for the car.
Mine was totaled by being rear ended while parked by a drowsy driving doctor in an Acheiva. It bent in the back bumper and wheel well enough to pinch the tire, and bounced me a ways. I was fine. The car was mostly fine. The olds was TRASHED. Engine and trans smashed, Hood buckled. All doors jammed. All glass shattered. Gushing all fluids. Against my advice, my dad bought the festiva back from the insurance company and sawzalled the back of it off, and welded it to the back half of a dead festiva. So it became an even crappier first car for my brothers.
I loved that thing.
"I COULD PUT IT IN THA BACK OF MAH PICKUP THRUCK!:
All Things Cars see, totaled means the cost to fix the damage is more than the market price of the car, so it probably was just so cheap at the point
This story is kind of long but I hope someone reads it.
So my Uncle Larry, a 6'3" 300+ pound man, never was interested in cars. When he needed a second vehicle to get to and from work, he bought a Chevette. It died, so after some searching, he found a Festiva for $800. It handled his frame and he didn't look *too* comical driving it. Until the day of my Grandfather's funeral. As our entire family was feeling pretty down, Uncle Larry decided to use his physical stature compared to the size of his car to brighten our day.
"Yup, I love my little car" he says, with a shit eating grin on his face. "Makes me feel like Mario Andretti every time I drive it!"
Uncle Larry CHARGES at the car, and in one motion, rips the door open, flings himself into the driver's seat, slams the key into the ignition, and fires the engine. Just after the engine turns over, we all hear a loud "BANG", as both front wheels come flying off the car and roll into the ditch on either side of the old dirt road.
Pfff hahah! What a sight that must have been!
Haaaa!
How?!?
Louie Castro Apparently the front axles let go, and sheared the wheels (steelies) off the hubs.
Scott Ryman
Did he fix it? Good story, it cracked me up.
it is still produced in iran (2017) and it is sold around 5.5k$ new they're just face lifted and more shity
What did they change the name to?
the SAIPA
Oh look, another classic piece of American engineering stolen by Iran.
cina hashemi What is it called?
twotailedavenger Not American but Korean.
I had a Festiva for a while. It had been rear ended, and was no longer street legal. Instead it became a desert hopper. I beat that car like a rented red headed step mule. Took it places 4x4s said "nope" to. At the end of its life the poor little bastard had almost as many GM, Toyota, and Peterbilt parts in it as Ford. It was a loyal car that did all I asked of it, and more. RIP, my little mule.
I know this is an older comment but could you fit on o fesiva from a pete.
How did you get Peterbilt parts into a small car?
Pictures?
Thank you guys so much for having me down to PA! I love it!
Thanks for bringing it
Hey your reply to my other comment was marked as spam for some reason. But yeah I've seen it on so many car subs, never get tired of it though. Lol
Haha, thanks a bunch! I love seeing different reactions to it, really cool how varied the responses are.
As soon as I get this one put into the bed of my pickup truck
Now I want to see your other Festivas.
That thing is THE visual definition of Rice.
needs a huge wing and a big amount of negative camber, and BAM perfect!
Not a Dodge Neon with a tacky spoiler, massive bodykits and NO performance upgrades whatsoever?
To be honest, I see more effort in this Festiva show car than a ricer.
a honda civic with a massive bumper, skirt, and rear bumper along with a GT wing that doesnt fit and cheap chrome wheels is rice.
this...this is part of another shitty car culture
+jus1029ph show car? he said it was a parts car on its last leg
That's the point
I remember my brother-in-law had one of these as a fuel-saving measure. I think that was when he got pulled over by the Wisconsin State Patrol for only driving 45mph. He did that to save gas. They probably rolled their eyes.
We need more sub-ton cars. It's magnificent when your vehicle only weights an order of magnitude more than you.
My Insight is something like 1900 pounds, and it almost makes up for the 995cc engine putting out all of 50 hp.
my ex had one of these. When she dissed my VW fox as a toy car, I reached down, grabbed the wheel well of the rear tire and hefted up until there was daylight under the tire. It was FUN to drive that Fiesta tho.
No you didn't.
Love the Fox
grendel 59, the last car brought from VW do Brasil... Only tranny in USDM was a 4-speed manual and offered the last 3-door station wagon ever offered in US.
@@Kromsmitesyou Any proof?
ILPUDDITINDABAKOFMAHPIKUPTRUK
ILPUTTDABAKOFYAPIKUPTRUKINDABAKOMAHPIKUPTRUK!
Derrderrderr!
made me think of the alien bug guy in Men in Black
PUDDDISONASHIRT! i'd buy it.
Can we please hashtag this. LOL
It looks like someone from GTA online modded that car
I remember this car, my older brother, who was 14 at the time, got one of these for free from someone down the street from us cause it wouldn't start. He had it running within 3 days and ran the ever loving hell out of it. One day he ended up rolling it over into a ditch and got one of his friends with a pickup to pull it out. He kept it for around 4 years until he got bored with it and junked it. Good times, good times
The Black Ice air freshener really tops it off
I had one. It could fly . I was doing 90 and scare the crap out of me ! It hit me that I was doing 90 in a tin can.
But it was the easiest car I ever worked on .
I did have the stick shift one.
Yeah, the first year offered, it was a four speed stick, but they wised up the next year, and added the fifth gear, which enabled that car to cruise easily and get great mpg.
"I'm not taking my tail off. It's who I am." Dead center of the bullseye with that one.
The empty refrigerator box sitting on top of a skateboard analogy was good.
I'm surprised you didn't mention the Shogun.
dangit!...I really thought I would be the only one to mention the Shogun in here.
Was just gonna say this.
I thought the festiva looked familiar. Props for remembering it btw. Jay Leno's Shogun is insane
Jay Leno's Shogun was the top related video on the sidebar for me.
Prob because it was a third-party modded vehicle that they only made four of...?
“The Festiva was a...”
“Shitbox”... that’s the word you’re searching for
K ris deathtrap would work just as well.
Stfu thats a great car
But its a honest mess of a car
Slap some ebay coilovers and a chinese spooly boi and you got yourself a real shitbox
@@shred1894 why stop at just one? got that double whooshey boi action
A bone stock one just went up for sale 30 minutes ago in my area. When I emailed the guy asking if it was still for sale, he said, "Yes. You were the first to ask about it so I'm emailing you back first." LOL 30 minutes in and already garnered some interest. Less than 200k miles, garaged most of its life, and he's only asking $600. I cannot wait!!!
This car looks like the american version of "do you even vape bro", and "lets go to taco bell".
This video made me get one, its the most fun little car ever!
Edit: 6 year update. I ended up owning two Festivas, a 91 GL and then a 93 L , both with 5 speed manual transmissions. Kept the latter for 4 years and put over 10k miles on it. It was extremely reliable, all I ever had to replace was the clutch cable and put a set of tires on it. Had a lot of great memories, including driving it 8 hours through the night to attend Festiva Madness 2018. I recommend this car to anybody.
Awesome! Join us on the forums, we would love to have you!
It's going to be so cool to see this car at festiva madness!
ONE OF US.
ONE OF US.
ONE.
OF.
US.
I have an opportunity to get a Festiva or Tercel... For some reason I'm really drawn to the Festiva, but everyone says Toyotas are a better way to go... What should I do?
Take two, they're small.
"No, I'm not taking my tail off! It's who I am!" Thank's for reminding me of me.
Such a subtle reference.
"When the sun shines on you more often than not, people forget that you know what rain feels like too" one of the best quotes ive ever heard
Hahaha I've seen this dude's festiva all over reddit before this episode.
Isnt it the top post on /r/roastmycar
Jay Leno has one of these...with 275hp without nitrous and over 300hp with nitrous! It has a 3 litre Ford Taurus SHO engine placed where the rear seats would normally be and it cost $35,000 in 1989 which was the equivalent price of a Porsche 911 back then! 250 were hoped to be produced but only 7 were eventually produced as no-one wanted to spend Porsche money on a Ford Festiva!
You serious? Fuck i wish i could've seen it in person that must've been like a legit "pocket rocket" xD
Abel Alvarez, look for the video (I've seen it and remembered it) in Jay Leno's Garage YT account as "Ford Shogun". It probably is South Korea's answer to the Renault R5 (Le Car in the States) that came in Europe with a rear seat-mounted V6. That Renault was sold at dealers in Europe that way, don't know if Ford or Kia did the same in South Korea or any other Asian Pacific nation.
No! I'm not taking my tail off, it's who I AM!
A coworker of mine just sold his running and driving 1991 Festiva for $150 with 400,000 miles, original engine, original clutch, he was the second owner and had bought it in 1993 at 20,000 miles.
"Imma putit in da bak o my pikkup truk"
god I love that line
i have the urge to scream that phrase when i see a small car
"No I'm not taking my tail off!! It's who I am!!" Oh man..this hits home. I used to have a V6 1992 Plymouth Duster with a bullet racing muffler and a side pipe exhaust that used to wake the dead. I had a version of that conversation many times.
bluegoose03 Pretty sure he's making fun of how furries supposedly love DDR and shitbox cars.
In my travels, I spent 10 months or so behind the wheel of a 4 speed, carb Festy. Being in Denver, it had even less power due to the mile high thinner air. In daily driving the only thing that sucked was having the a/c on while in stop and go traffic. There just wasn't any power. This was my greatest challenge, otherwise it was a blast to drive the slow car fast on the highways and interstates. To this day, I still want one.
Reminds me of my 89 Ford Probe, that thing was a beast.
The Probe was a blast to drive though. I had a 2nd generation myself so maybe I'm being biased.
My dad bought a brand new, showroom '89 Probe GT. It was black with the 5 speed and looked so good. He sold it around 2010 because the frame was rusted through. It still ran and drove perfectly with 262,000 miles. He drove it to every state except Hawaii and Alaska. Its still one of the coolest looking coupes in my opinion. Just felt like sharing...Probes are something special.
DO YOU REMEMBER THAT INSTRUMENT CLUSTER?! IT WAS THE FUTURE.
My uncle had one, it wasn't fast but it was fun, eventually it's engine died though.
Yup, the LX. I don't think they made any manuals in that trim level though. . . . . I might be wrong about that.
My uncle had a gt the digital dash was an option on all the trims. It may have been standard on lx though.
About 20 years ago when I was in high school me and a couple buddies took a 91 Festiva off-roading on some local trails. Aside from completely stalling out in a big puddle, it did great.
I bought one with 20k on it. Sold it with 120k, never had a single problem.
I had a white 1991 Festiva that I bought in 1995 for a work car because my commute right out of art school was about an hour one way. It was cheap and good on gas and a surprising little workhorse. I remember folding down the rear seat and filling the hatch with 10 large bags of mulch, a medium size air compressor and a large box of paint supplies so I could repaint my 1969 Dodge Super Bee. The Festiva handled it all no problem. After driving it for 4 years and sold it to a guy and actually made a small profit on it!
To put into perspective how light this car is, the engine and transmission alone in my pickup weight just under half of this car
My great uncle loved these. He was a mechanic and had a garage/ junkyard of old cars. His favorite car of all time was this. He had a graveyard of these like maybe 20? And his pride and joy was one that had been cut down to be a truck. White racing stripes. Fire fighter lights. Etc. Sadly he passed away a few years ago. I believe his grandson is getting it now.
I bought a 1990 model new.....fit and finish was good.....drove well, but definitley slow acceleration and didn't like going over 60 mph, which didn't matter too much when the speed limit was 55....drove it to work 50 miles a day, mostly interstate.....averaged about 40 miles per gallon at a time very few got over 30.....did my own oil changes, 3.4 quarts of oil cost less than the filter.....had to get rid of it in 1994 when I got a company car......sold it to a body shop guy who had 5 Festivas for loaner/rental cars....
My mom owned one of these all six years I was in junior high and high school. I hated it. I made her drop me off two blocks away. I would do whatever I could to avoid being seen in it.
Now I'm 30, and I can't appreciate the cheapness and simplicity of it and kind of miss it...
Who watches a RegularCars review at 4 in the morning?
3 d:^)
........me
+QuakerMan me? By AZ I hope you mean Arizona.
+QuakerMan I live in Nashville, Tennessee. The same place where the vagabond falcon came from.
+Bmp-man Eyyyy! I live in Nashville Tennessee too man! For real, like I do.
My Subaru Justy Is crying In the corner do to no mention is this video :0
Nice work! And got almost all the facts straight, which is very refreshing in a video like this.
Some day you should review a Festiva done up properly.
Check out Performancefestiva
He should do V2 when I finish it!
how the hell does this pass the emission tests ?!
The owner lives in a place that doesn't require inspection or emissions
DialgaRules24
China ?
Or Iowa....
Or 90% of Wisconsin
Or anywhere in Georgia that isn't Atlanta.
04:47
771kg.
that advertised curb weight is still ~90kg heavier than advertised curb weight of perodua kancil
Boy, you ain't kidding about the size of these things. My brother had one in the 1990s. He came over to visit me one day, and parked his Festiva behind my then-project car, a 1961 Ford Starliner (think 'de luxe version of the Galaxie'). The sight of it reminded of a tugboat pushing an aircraft carrier into its moorings. Seriously, it looked like the car was dragging a utility trailer.
Of course, that Festiva got almost three times the gas mileage of my barge Then again, I could almost carry a Festiva in the trunk as a spare.
I literally saw a ford aspire like 3 weeks ago, couldn't believe it. Same sun faded red as this festiva too
Hey look at that thing, I could put it in the back of my pickup truck!😂
LOL Ford Ass-Fire.
What was it actually called??
Ford aspire
Ass-spyer. Heh heh.
supposed to be pronounced A-SPire
like "Uh-Spire"
as in aspirational
Which in itself is an oxymoron.
NATURAL Asspiration bro
I drove a 1990 Ford Festiva L 5-speed manual for 14 years. They changed to fuel injection in 1990. Paid $5,300 for it brand new after a $1,000 Ford rebate at the time. Designed by Mazda, built by KIA, & sold by Ford. Tiny wheels were awesome in snow, & had decent clearance underneath. Rear seat could be completely rolled/flipped forward creating an awesome flat space in back. Never burned a drop of oil. Only thing I didn't like about it was the automatic seat belt that came at you when you started the car. I would buy another one today.
I bought an '88 for $600 and drove it for 2 years and it was an absolute blast. I cut the springs and lowered it, put some 1 inch wheels off a Metro on it (because good luck finding 12 inch tires), it was a 5 speed and drove like a gokart. I'd absolutely buy another one but believe it or not finding a decent one is actually pretty hard. The people who have them know what they have. In the end I sold it and got my $600 back out of it.
Jake Slovinski's dad
LOL
THIS IS THE CAR THAT THE KIDS LIKE
Jesus...for my entire adult life i've been trying to remember "all summer in a day".
Seriously, I read that in the 7th grade and have been trying to remember the name of it ever since.
How the hell does a car review for a festival solve one of the greatest mysteries of my life?
I got picked up from the airport in the late 90's by friends who showed up in one of these. Over an hour from SeaTac to Whatcom County. Every minute in the back seat while on the highway, wondering which particular moment the wheels were going to come off.
I blackend my taillights out so they work less.
the startup sound at 0:15 had me crackin🤣😂
This particular Festiva is the equivalent of a Prince Albert piercing.
Rented an Aspire to drive from Jacksonville to Pensacola. It existed. Worst car I've ever driven.
When I was like 20 I New a girl that had one of them, She drove it like she stold it.
We uses to get 6 people in it's car and drive to the seawall to hot box it.
It was funny when after smoking 6 people would get out of this Smokey clown car.
My first car was a manual Civic hatchback, i had it in high school and drove it everywhere. It was a tiny bouncy little car but surprisingly spacious and practical. I got me, my (ex)girlfriend, and 4 of our friends in the backseat with one of them lying across the laps of our 3 other friends, and we went out to get some food after school. I remember approaching an incline and having to downshift into second so I wouldn’t bog down because that poor little 1.6 was so weak. So we got to this nice, upscale, and expensive (expensive for us broke high school students) restaurant and we start climbing out of this tiny Civic like a clown car. Such a fun time, as it was prior to break up. Great car and I miss it dearly. Can’t imagine how a Festiva would be though, that’s a death trap even just for one person inside driving it, albeit a rollercoaster of a death trap
Geo Metro is about that light too. The 3door is between 700-800 kg. They are called Suzuki Swift here. And they were made here (Hungary), so they are still everywhere.
A friend of mine had one, and I rode in it a couple of times. At 6' 3" and 270 lbs+, I made the car tilt to one side. I had to roll down the window, stick my arm out, and look through the windshield in order to see what time my watch said. A full tank of gas would double its value.
But, sometimes, it's good to have a basic, cheap car you don't have to care about, and can just run it into the ground.
My buddy used to be a huge fan of these cars, and bought a minty-looking '93 Festiva L about ten years ago. "It only has 33,000 miles on it!" For some reason, it would not run. Would crank and crank and crank. We did a compression test, and it had nearly no compression at all. Weird for 33,000 miles. Maybe the timing belt jumped? I was sitting in the driver's seat and casually took a look at the odometer. It turned out my buddy had misread it. The car actually HAD 330,000 MILES ON IT. Car looked amazing, motor was just plain worn out. Tough cars, indeed...
4:42 Peugeot 106/Citroen Saxo. They have almost the same curb weight, but there was actually some care involved into making them. The chassis is good and they're light enough for 75hp versions to be really fun (put an aftermarket air admission on those and the sound at WOT will be the funniest thing). And they ranged up to 125hp stock, but those were a bit heavier. At the time they were one of the most popular rally car, and still are popular for that kind of use (the sporty versions of course).
I once owned a '91 Festiva, yellow. I called it the Banana Boat, and it was just about as stable. My friend used to call it Pacman.
Regular Car Reviews guy, you are way out there. Do you have bets like “I bet you I can mention Ray Bradbury in my next review”.?
Rewatching because this car died yesterday... RIP
Kyle Williams 😔 rip
I remember when will texted me saying she was dead:'(....v2 is SO much better though and i cant wait to see it in person!!
Kyle Williams What Do You Mean It Died? What Even Died?
Someone in my apartment building has a 1988 robin's egg blue Festiva. It is parked on the street and has not moved under it's own power in 4 years. It gets towed to the impound lot as abandoned about once a year, and they always go get it and bring it back on a truck. It sits, forlorn, rusting into the pavement. And for some reason has a Club steering wheel lock on it.
Aspire reference is so strangely true. I vividly remember Festiva, but my only recollection of Aspire is the name.
and the nicest part of owning this car is....you can put in the back of a pickup truck!
My Daihatsu weighs 1587 lbs.
***** a 2000 Daihatsu Mira/Cuore L701
Aren't you a special snowflake.
my 1999 Suzuki Alto Works is faster!
I like to hang on to economically reasonable cars. It cost me € 700, gets an average 45 mpg and does 0-62 in 12.8 seconds. Got it with 8 tires and a new inspection. 87k miles on it. Of course I could put a turbo on it. But don't need to compensate for my dick :P
Aseki Bekovy what's that supposed to mean? have you ever been in a fast car? its alot of fun
A first generation Honda CRX HF has a CURB weight of 1700 Lbs, and probably a dry weight of less then 1650 Lbs. That's the car I would have if I were looking for a tiny little car the size of a Festiva. But still, that light weight is impressive.
On a brighter note, my father used to say about these cars, "You need two of them. One for each foot." lol
The first 20 seconds of this video cracked me up with laughter. Sums up the whole thing really. Great exhaust noise!
I LOVED mine, I've had an MRS a G35 a Honda Civic SI, a couple of Cadillacs, and the Festiva was the MOST fun to drive around city roads and slower speeds.
Felt like a much faster lawn tractor in a good way ( on Mountain Roads, the mrs was better. On fast roads the g was better)
The official car of going to New York and fitting into a parking spot perfectly only to leave directly after realizing that public restrooms haven’t been invented there yet.
Holy crap. Hats off for the Pete and Pete reference.
Was My first car, Replaced the transmission and flywheel on my own. Drove it fro 3 years without a 4th gear.
UK ford escort MKI is that light and way better...
And the Fiesta Mk1, the Fiesta Mk2, the original mini. Hell, the Ford Cortina Mk1 was only 787 KG, (1715 pounds).
+BritishCommentWriter mg midget is around 1700 as well and the mgb is only A bit heavier at around 1850 or so. So it's not like it's unheard of light.
+andrew mac yeah, but MGs are basically cancer.
+o0julek0o hmm... Not really. They are fine around corners.. At least the old ones..
it think maybe it was because in the 60's tiny shitboxes weren't selling well in America. the falcon was as small as you needed
"When the sun shines shines on you more often than not, people forget that you know what rain feels like too"
Damn
As someone who owned a Mercury/Ford Capri. This car gives me alternator pulley PTSD on whether or not my belts are going to blow on the highway, or im going to find my battery dead after work because my belt slipped off before I parked it
"Because scary is fun." Hilarious review. Hoping to scoop one up.
Mm, my 1988 Canadian edition Nissan Micra, four-door 5-speed manual, was 710 kg curb weight. 1.25 litre engine, fifty-something HP. Cruising at 55 mph it would get 60 mpg, but that was imperial gallons. Lasted 360K km, so ~220K miles or so. Had good clearance, so I drove across lots of ploughed fields to my archaeology site digs: when it got stuck, 4 crew could heft it out of the ruts. Fun times.
The owner of this car doesn't know what JDM means...
agreed, but what about fords partnership with mazda on this? 😂
Daniel Mamnev Even if it had a mazda badge, it wouldn't be JDM. If it was made, sold first in Japan, it would.
I'm sure you're right, I'm just wondering where he was justifying his stickers.
With a car like that all fucks are thrown out of the window.
yeah hes just having fun id whip that thing.
Hoo boy. Cars like this are so tempting for the Top Gear treatment. Cheap, and you don't care what happens to it, so you can do whatever mad science you want to it with zero guilt.
My grandparents had one of these as an “around town” car, I honestly feared for my life as a kid in this the handful of times I rode in it...
I rode in one when I was a teen to a concert 100 miles away... through a near-blizzard, on a highway with big trucks. With an inexperienced driver at the wheel. Scary, scary trip, but we made it back alive.
6:41 that is now my new ringtone
I still have my dad festiva back here same color as this one just don’t know what’s wrong with it. I want to get it running for a lil ricer/work car
Thats weird because I never heard of the Ford Festiva. In Europe his name is NOT the mazda 121 because that is a hole different car and an sedan! No, also in Europe, just like Korea it's the Kia pride. One of the first Kia's that did sell well in the early 90s in the Netherlands. Nowadays its a pretty cheap reliable banger that you can buy for around €200 until €1000. Over here we have a lot of these pocket rockets. Like the Fiat cinquecento, Daihatsu cuore, Subaru Vivio, Suzuki Alto, Daewoo Matiz.... Are fun to drive cars and cheap to run!
Tough car. Beat the hell out of one for a year in high school. Tons of burnouts, reverse donuts, handbrake drifting, raising hell in the woods and fields. Slid into a bridge abutment. That required some spot welding on the front suspension. Besides that, it never broke down. Then I sold it to a friend who continued to beat the hell out of it. He was still driving it several years later when I went back to visit.
FYI, here's how to spin a Festiva on a frozen lake: Go into a spin with the hand brake, as the car is coming around lock up the brakes and slam it into reverse, floor it, as it's coming around again lock up the brakes and slam it into second gear, floor it and so on and so forth. Watch out for that section where the water isn't quite frozen. For added effect, leave the windows down so snow blows throughout the car.
Later, in casual conversation, complain about how insurance is so expensive for teenagers. High school was fun.
5spd festiva will never die it will rust out first
Lol reminds me of the GEO metro I had to drive in high school, flat out 86 MPH the dash boards flapping so bad you'd think it was going to break off. My buddy ironically had a festiva and he was able to get 58mpg out of it
The official car of "Bill get off Fornite and get me more cat food for Mr. cat."
the sedan version of those is just fine 🤔 for an inter town car, or if your work is 10 miles just away from your home.
pretty damn good milage as well 40-50mpg from a Carbureted 1.3L engine 🤷
it doesn't get you wet when it rains
if the A/C works then you don't sweat your ass off when you're stuck at traffic.
it's not a fast car, or the flashiest on the lot 🤷
it's just a car that gets you where you need to go without having too much problems along the way
and it's a learning experience as well, the powerplant layout is so simple, it's like working on a 70s Japanese Econo Car with a 90s body
The original Honda Insight (e.g. my Insight) clocks in at about 850 KG, and it has similar performance numbers. But that's with A/C, super comfy seats, and an *easy* 60 MPG city in real conditions. (One day I'll get a submission email to you)
Hey now. That reference to the Chevy Beretta was low... even for you! Now, damnit, review my 93 Beretta GTZ! It might surprise you!
The car seems like an unironically good platform. A V6 engine swap could make this thing go fast. 777 kilos? Sign me up!
Yes, the Geo Metro was comparable. I have never driven such a dangerous car. I spun mine three times, including once at 25 MPH on a city street (did a 270 instead of a 90) and once at 65 MPH. How I am alive to tell the tale is remarkable. I hope the Festiva is more sure-footed than the Suzuki Swift/Geo Metro.
Those harness mounts at the back are wildly unsafe lol. Guess it beats just bolting them to the floor behind the seat and compacting your spine.
That opening 20 seconds really made me laugh
Didn't think I'd be getting a book recommendation from a car review.
some guy that lives like a mile down the road from me owns a car wash and has an obsession with Geo Metros. At one point I think he had like 8 sitting in the lot next to the car wash.