1988 Ford Festiva LX Review - An Over-looked 80's Econobox!
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DISCLAIMER!
The thoughts, feelings, and opinions expressed in this video are the sole thoughts of Zack and no one else. The purpose of this video is to provide entertainment with the hope that you will take what you see and formulate your own opinions. I highly recommend consuming other reviews of this vehicle before making any form of financial decision.
#Festiva #KiaPride #Mazda121
Timecodes:
0:00 - Intro
1:14 - Engine / Transmission
2:15 - Interior
4:30 - BFB Test
4:42 - Seats
5:04 - Back Seats
6:23 - Trunk / Cargo Space
6:59 - Exterior
7:18 - Final Thoughts
9:31 - Outro - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
"Mazda knows how to make the slow cars fun" As a Mazda 2 owner, I couldn't agree more!
Like the 1996 Mazda Protege I had. I loved that car. It was like a little go cart.
Those Mazda 2s seem like last pure hearted raw car on the market.
Too bad I can't buy one since the prices are jacked up. $8000 for one with 130k miles
remember when Mazda used to advertise "Zoom, Zoom, Zoom"
My mom used to have a 1990 Protege that she gave to my grandparents and I'd ride around in it with my grandparents sometimes when I was growing up. When it came to a stop light, you could see the whole entire car vibrate, I'm not even joking. You could see it in the headrests especially. I miss that old POS.
As a 1st gen Mazda 3 I also couldn't agree more!
I brought a 80's model of a Festiva when I was in nursing school in 1998. One of the best old cars I ever had. It was a manual transmission and extremely reliable.
I wish they would still make little two door hatchbacks like this
I’ve never driven one of these. On similar note, however, my sister once owned an 83 Toyota Tercel SR5. I loved driving that thing. You just floored it in every gear and had a blast while not breaking the speed limit. I just wrung that little car’s neck every time I drove it. My sister once commented that her car ran so much better after I drove it!
haha yeah probably cleaned all the valves with fuel its called an italian tune up😂
My dad's 1988 Ford Festiva LX is the car that I learned to drive on in the mid-90s. Great video. Brings back a lot of memories.
I learned to drive in my mother's 88 LX 5 speed (also red but gray interior) her and Grandpa took me out into the desert and let me drive.
Ford made a pretty big mistake when they replaced this Festiva with the Aspire in ~1994. The Aspire had more power, but the quality was much worse.
Whenever I see cars like this I always wonder how do they still run? Why wasn’t it crushed 20 years ago.
They made an even bigger mistake by replacing the German made Fiesta with this steaming pile of Korean crap.
Gotta disagree I had a 92 aspire with 5 speed. The spider gears broke all the way up in Michigan I had no idea. I still made it all the way back to Ohio which is a 5+ hr drive. Sadly it was pink and $500 when I got her but got her to a mechanic and said it'll cost 5k to fix her. I got rid of it. No gas gauge no tach all by the sound for shift. It was a beast as I am also 6'5 1/2 at 390
I actually owned a '95 Ford Aspire and an '88 Festiva for a time. They were both insanely reliable. I had the Aspire for 4 years and did nothing to it except drive it and change oil. It was slow as could be, but it never broke once.
I saw an Aspire in my junkyard, it was a cheap piece of shit and every inch of the car was falling apart, but it had 300k miles and still ran and drove fine
Grandparents had a beautiful green one in the early 90’s , 5spd loved the door chime and auto seatbelts and the rattling crank windows.. I used to only put the Lap belt on deliberately without the shoulder belt for fun and car always had a banana smell from probably old bananas at one point that were left in the back tool bag in the trunk near the spare after a grocery run😂 loved that car and remember my grandma always telling me “look how easy this is to park!”
I love that it still has its original 80s California plate on it which is as beaten as a the car itself ... and not in a bad way, I find it very charming that is has survived that long. Greetings from Germany!
You could swap "Mazda 323" in for "Ford Festiva" and the review would remain 100% accurate
That's so funny because the festiva was the Mazda 121, I always appreciated how Mazda named them number different number then first number again
You missed one of the best feature about this car is that that rear seat folds backwards into the trunk and lays flat and then if you scoot the front seat all the way forward and then unlatch it so that also lays flat backwards... I'm 6'4 and I can sleep in this car quite comfortably. I use mine for camping.
Cool box. My neighbors had a Chevy Geo metro hatchback two door they loved it so much they bought a second.. they used to fill those cars past the weight limit and fit like 5 people in each of them haha
Good times.
So happy you did a video on one of these. I love my Festiva!
Years ago I worked for a NAPA auto parts they had a five speed Festiva I believe it was the 1.3 L engine. It was a fairly quick for being such a little car with such a small engine but I’m guessing it weighed under 2000 pounds. There was one tight curve on one little service Road in town that if there was one to 2 inches of fresh snow on the pavement I could four wheel drift the car flooring it in second gear it was a fun car.
I love how when you do the walk around, the camera jostles around alot, nice touch!
Holy shit OG radio? Great car for its time.
Thank you for sharing this with us.
Most of those were actually built in Korea by Kia. Mazda designed and built the car originally, and it was known as the Mazda 121. But Kia built them under licence from Mazda, and sold in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, parts of Asia and South America, as well as the USA. In many countries it was badged Kia Pride.
Exactly. Very good car history knowledge. It was a pretty successful model in Europe. The main downfall of this car was the corrosion. Otherwise a very good car for the money and for the purpose that it was made. Drop by if have time. :)
@@RRRRefuelRideRace Thank you. I don't know much, but I know a fair bit about cars.
@@Richard-Bullock As I see, you know a lot. :)
@@RRRRefuelRideRace I wouldn't say a lot. Above average knowledge maybe.
They were sold in England as both Mazda 121s & Kia Prides. Kia being cheaper.
I’m surprised I’ve only just found your channel mate. Very enjoyable reviews, keep it up!
Having the 1.3L engine was quite fun if you pushed it. :) As Kia Pride they were pretty well sold in Europe. You got my like here.
Also sold as Mazda 121 in Europe.
I had one of these. an '88 Festiva L. Base model. Only had a 4-speed, which had a rubber knob attached to a long metal stick, no numbers. No storage cubby under the radio, only a manual driver's side mirror. No tach, but it did have AC and a factory cassette stereo, neither one worked though. The seats and doors were much less "fancy". Basic gray fabric on the seats, only vinyl (no fabric) on the doors. Only work I ever did was exhaust, brakes, rear wheel bearings, and water pump/alternator belt. I got 45 MPG at 70 mph, even with the 4-speed.
This was my very first car! Absolutely loved it!
Genuinely thought this was an RCR video when I clicked, because of the car. Glad to see the old and the plain getting some screen time!
Sweet, a new festiva review
Manual 5 speed gearbox, manual windows but AC and Electric Mirrors, that a good spec!
Thank you Zack for this information mine is a one owner bought new but now needs some work but still my primary driver 1988 festival.
Just drove my 93 Festiva from Louisville to Cleveland and back without any issues. Drove it from LA to Louisville when I moved here. I love this car.
Did you know that in Iran, this car was made until a couple of years ago? of course, with some modifications and facelifts. It also had a sedan version. I had one of them.
What was the make and model of the Iran car? I would like to research this. Thanks
@@technicalitems731 The company named: "Saipa" the car had several versions including: pride 132 (sedan), pride 111 (hatchback), pride 141 (lift back), pride safari, pride 151 (Van!!!!) and god knows what else :)
@@technicalitems731 see this:
fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%BE%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AF
With the 1.3L engine?
@@RRRRefuelRideRace there was a lot of modifications in engine. some models have 1.3L, others have 1.4L (Like pride 141). Old models had carburetor, new models have injector.
“Just a little happy box” LOVE IT
Got a 1990 festiva myself. I drive it everyday. It's a fun car that light on my gas bill.
5:26 i was in not one but two of these in accidents.
the first accident i was in the passenger front seat when we was t-boned by someone that ran a stop sign, they hit the passenger side (about a 35-40 mph hit), i was pretty much embedded into the passenger door, i had a cracked pelvis, and a crack in my skull on my forehead right above my right eye. and the seat was pushed over into the center a bit making it to where you couldn't get the seatbelt off as the seat was covering the seatbelt latch. My mother had the clutch pedal embedded into her foot and needed and needed around 15-20 stitches. It knocked us into the grass where it then started a fire, i dont know how but my mother was able to get me out, but she did.
and the other one was about 10 years later my cousin and I was in his and we T-boned someone that ran a stop sign, we was doing around 35 mph. It started and drove home, but it was also not really worthwhile to fix as the frame was tweaked a bit.
I actually want to get one even after the fact.
I used to own one. In this vid only about a second was given to the fact that "visibility is great", while a lot more time is given to the lack of safety features. Huh? The fact that there are no thick pillars at all IS a safety feature, possibly the most important one: With almost no blind spots, and the near-perfect situational awareness that comes with it, nearly all driver-caused accidents can be avoided to begin with.
I had one. Loved it!
There was one of these down the street from me for a long time. I just know they were everywhere back in the day
Heh. I remember the ads for these. "It's a ford! It's a festiva!"
I had a 1988 and I remember it only having a 1.3 liter engine and even the manufacturer's tags said it was made by Kia Motors in Seoul, South Korea. I also remember it only being available in a 4 speed manual until 1989 when they eliminated the 4 speed and replaced it with a 5 speed and added an automatic option. That was my favorite car ever.
the L model in 1988 and 1989 came with the 4 speed manual and 3 speed automatic, with the LX model coming with a 5 speed manual; geared the same, with an extra gear at the end. 1990 model years and beyond came standard with the 5 speed. mazda designed this car, kia produced it, and ford sold it in the states. in asia and australia, there are truck trim options, that come with a trailer hitch. presumably, for small loads. i've towed 6,000 pounds with my festiva, although a short distance, and not very well, but it's still capable enough. lovely little cars, they are.
One of the best things about cars from that time was fantastic visibility from drivers seat. Modern cars are far worse in that regard.
First new car my family ever had was the Green Mazda 121 Shades in Australia same car though. Loved it, great car and so many great memories.
They made a shogun version of this thing that was on a different level.. ultra ultra rare.. which was a midengine 24v SHO engine and 5 speed manual.. I don't know how many were made but they were dope..
Great review. But, it's not a slow car. I could really accelerate with my 4spd manual. Also, you forgot yo show how the back seats fold completely flat to make a great cargo area. The boxy shape allows you to really pack it with stuff. It's a great car. I loved it. Had my 88 for 11 years. Got 180K miles out of it with original clutch/transmission.
I've got a 1987 Mazda 121, it's my first car and I'm finally gonna be able to get it on the road soon
Bought a brand new 1992 Ford Festiva with a 1.3l four with a 5-speed manual. Bright Red. Fun, fun little car. It was my second one. I had a 1990 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 notchback at the same time.
I have never seen someone so happy to drive this junk box!!
This was my First Car in Australia Zack and i loved it . Mine was a Mazda 121 here in Australia which was the same as the Ford Festiva and mine had a power fun top and was manual. Awesome car to learn on
5 door Ford Festiva hatch.
@@FrancisLitanofficialJAPINOY Mine was a 3 Door Version. Back when mazda and Ford teamed up and made very similar vehicles
Great video 📹 lots of fun.
I owned a 1989 up here in Canada for 23 years and it was the best thing I ever driven. Was sad when I sold it with 350,000 KMs (218,000 miles) and even after sitting for 3 years it started and drove like new.
No small cars available today. Nothing to replace my Yaris with.
😄👉🏼 no airbags we die like real men thats why I love the older cars I drove one of these b4
They were a fun little box car to drive around lol
Ahh the skate! My homeboys dad sea dog drove one of these when I was in high school and he drove the shit out of it.. we called it the skate! Plus my Miata has that same Light dimmer roller thing like the RX-7 except mine is white instead Of that red orange-ish color.
I look forwards to your thought on this versus my Excel! Also an '88
My best friend’s dad growing up had a bright yellow one and we would pack 5-6 teenagers in it and go out and about. We did rip on him for driving a tiny old car, he had it for 20 years then got a Chevy metro after that.
Love it. Throw in BP or even BPT and it would be pretty quick.
I want this car. Thank you, Mark.
I remember, briefly back in the mid-90s, some of these were imported in Pakistan from South Korea with the original Kia badging. These were imported again in limited numbers from 2000 up until 2003 but the sedan version was being imported instead. Needless to say, this one became a forgotten classic pretty soon for a lot of reasons.
I think sourcing parts for this could be a real problem, tires as well.
Good thing they are dependable and simple, but I would say not easy to own
Not quite as difficult as you might think. Repro and nos parts are fairly plentiful and cheap. Rockauto alone practically carries the whole car. Tires ARE getting sketchy though. Previously you could get $40 nankang tires, but they don't seem to exist anymore and all others are for trailers not cars.
RIP Festiva. I just found this car in the Pick-n-Pull in San Jose, CA today (11/3/22).
When you are God, you aren't exactly worried about crash safety. The roominess is like a dream in the ole 80's boxes. Sometimes you even get velour.
I want one so badly. Saw an identical red one with a 5 speed in Austin but they didn’t want to sell.
Here in England they were sold as both Mazda 121s & Kia Prides. With the Kia being cheaper,of course. I'm not sure,but if I remember correctly,the Mazda badged ones were built in Japan,the Kia badged ones were built in Korea?
I remember sitting in the backseat of one of those moving from Elburn, IL to Butte, MT. (This must have been around 1995.) For whatever dum-bass reason my father decided to move so the entire family got into the (already at the time) rust bucket with the smallest u-Haul trailer and we moved up there. . . . My father liked that car, just sips on gas even though it's carbureted and it's dependable. . . . They just all mostly rotted out, like all the great cars do. He unwound it to like almost 500,000 miles too. . . . . Just oil changes, filter changes and plugs, then of course breaks and like one set of cv axles which was very expensive and we could barely afford it. (Ramen Noodles for Dinner, Yum!)
(Ours was the base, didn't even have a radio. I think my father added 1 letter from a junkyard. It was the same radio you have I believe.)
My eye started twiching when I saw that half way down the hose clamp in the engine bay.. 😅
Couple of my friends had these cars back in the late 80s. I thought these cars were well made . I sat in the front and the back seats, very roomy and comfortable for a small car.
Easy to drive, easy to get in, economical and reliable and unique. Definitely overlooked.
super good. thank you.
A car that was a joke as a kid, and now I find myself watching it nostalgically over 30 years later.
no cup holders in most cars from the 80's ...they used to sell plastic cup holders that had a plastic "L" shaped hook that slid in-between the door and rollup window.
Yep! I used to use those! 😂😂😂😂
Jay Leno has all the cool cars he has a shogun
“It’s cover girl “., I’m dead. Lol
We had this in Pakistan as a Kia car called pride. It also came in a sedan version called classic. 1.3 nippy toys which just didn't work against the uprising Japanese market of it's time
I love this car❤
Was not expecting to see a yotsuba sticker 6:24
Oh man. At first glance I thought this was going to be another Ginger Billy episode. 😂
In the UK that car was badged as a Kia Pride but we did get a Mazda 121 which was a Ford Fiesta with a Mazda badge which was kind of weird as the Fiesta is so popular and Mazda not so much
Oh hey, you're in San Jose.
This review is like a comedy 😎
This festiva ended up at the san jose ca pick n pull
Easy. Breezy. Beautiful. Cover girl. I died. Love it.
Im B6T swapping mine :)
My girlfriend had a 89 teal blue one .. we had a lot of fun in that 32 years ago
This car ended up at san jose pick n pull. I took a few parts off lol
Someone ran into me on seventh street, I miss it!!!
It was an odd collaboration with Ford Mazda and Kia (Who at the time wasn’t even selling cars in the US yet). It was sold in South Korea and the Kia Pride and Europe and Australia as the Mazda 121.
Exactly. The 121 was also present on the European market.
@@RRRRefuelRideRace also Kia Pride in parts of Asia and Europe
@@FrancisLitanofficialJAPINOY You are right and quite successful. Drop by, you may like it.
I have a friend who has 5 of these, and another guy in town has one with a souped up V6 in it.
@Bo Blu the 4.0
Hope you can review a Renault Alliance GTA.
I remember seeing one of these on the side of the road rear ended by a Chevy truck in the late 80s. The car was crushed to the back of the drivers seat. If there was anyone in the back no way they would have survived. I was 9 at the time an remember it like it was yesterday…
Terrifying on the highway you crash you are dead , you can bend the doors with your hands with little effort four teenagers can pick it up and hide it from the owner (great fun) I’ve done it. Great hiding spot in the center of the steering wheel too
I thought that Kia built the Festiva’s? Some people have swapped in Mazda 1.6 engines which have the same engine bolt pattern.
I see one at my job every day
I love ford festival
I almost bought one, a stationwagon automatic. It was sold as Kia Pride in Europe. My ex did not like it.
The Ford Festiva is a Kia Pride CD5 in the Philippines.
Great little cars... I wrecked 2, walked out of both
Anyone remember the Car and Driver modified CRX’2? They bought a used Honda CRX then bought the drivetrain and suspension from an identical CRX and made many modifications to install the 2nd drivetrain into the rear of the car. They made all of the modifications to make the rear engine and transaxle fully functioning but I believe that they fixed the rear steering. They did testing 0-60 with one engine then both engines then I believe with just the rear engine. I don’t remember what year and month the article was. I’m wondering if I still have that issue? They did sell the car. I think it would be fun to do the same thing with a Festiva, Vibe or Corolla wagon and make videos of it. Though now I’m wondering if the EPA would be sending me letters threatening me with fines and forfeiture if I didn’t follow their instructions? A 2 engine Festiva would be even more fun if the rear could also be steered. Also imagine parallel parking in a busy downtown area with people with puzzled looks seeing the rear wheels turning. Oh that would be fun!
Hagerty has an article on the car I mentioned above.
Hagerty has an article on the car I mentioned above.
Search here on TH-cam Honda CRX Twin Engine.
Search here on TH-cam Honda CRX Twin Engine.
This guy is funny
Dang, that econo box had AC ? Kinda impressive
First car. Still miss it
But wasn't the Festiva made in Korea by Kia? I am certain that is what the labels showed on my daughter's 1988 4 speed car that she owned.
Yes,i think they were designed by Mazda,but made in Korea by Kia...they were not sold as Ford Festivas in Europe...but as Mazda 121s & Kia Prides...
i wanna get 1
My sisters first car was a white 1990
It's basically a Kei-car minus the larger engine.
Surprised it has a, tachometer!!
My sister in law had one of
These
The Ford festiva was a collaboration between three companies Kia they ended up making a Kia pride Mazda and then Ford