1993 Ford Festiva Review
Price Estimate: $1,277 - $1,999
Edmunds' Expert Review
by the Edmunds Experts
What’s new
No changes to the 1993 Festiva.
For sale near Toronto, OH
Cost to Drive
Monthly estimates based on costs in Ohio
$109/mo for Festiva GL
Festiva GL
vs
$160/mo
Avg. Compact Car
Ford Festiva Owner Reviews
Most Helpful Owner Reviews
Trending topics
Proven reliability
5 out of 5 starsMtnRoad, 03/10/2016
1993 Ford Festiva L 2dr Hatchback
I have a 1993 Ford Festiva L Model, 1.3L engine, 5 spd....all with less than 60,000 original miles on it. My Festiva is all original except for the tires and some new parts here and there for routine maintenance. I keep the air pressure in my original size tires at max level and the car rides really smooth. Handling is pretty good, and surprisingly it performs well in higher gears … despite the small engine size. I love the simplicity of the car. Considering what transportation costs nowadays I strongly believe the reason they stopped selling this little gem in the US was because it would have seriously injured the auto industry for sales of new cars. Everyone would have eventually bought one for cheap (I think new they were only around $5,000-6,000 USD) and since they are reliable and built well there would be millions of survivor cars on the road today. As everyone knows, it's a Mazda 121 which was sold all over the World, mostly in emerging markets. The Festiva for the US market was assembled by Kia with all the Mazda parts coming from Japan, and has a Ford badge on it. I love Fords. I love Mazda, and I love Kia, so this can't get any better in my opinion. My Festiva is 23 years old as of my review and the paint is still like new. The interior cloth seats have started to disintegrate from the sun, but all the plastics have held up well. I put a couple seat covers on the front seats and it's like new again. Since I've owned the car I have replaced a few inexpensive parts, and the front windshield. The factory air conditioner works great in the Arizona summer but can cause power loss and my engine temperature to rise a bit. The engine is bulletproof and if you look online for videos there are people who video document their Festiva's turning over some serious mileage (one video I saw showed a Festiva with 500,000 miles). It is really fun to drive and I love taking mine on occasional long scenic drives into the mountains to stretch it's legs. The car gets a lot of attention wherever I take it, and someone always asks where they can get one. Parts are easy to find online (eBay, etc).
UPDATE: I sold my Festiva for $3,000. The car was 24 years old. I listed it online and it sold in less than 24-hours. The lady that bought said she owned one back in the 1990s and always wished she still had it. Yes, the Festiva is popular, especially among people who previously owned one and are familiar with the utility and reliability.
Almost too well built
5 out of 5 starsBones, 09/17/2008
1993 Ford Festiva GL 2dr Hatchback
I've owned two of these cars, the last one I still own. It's almost as if this car was built way before its time. Now with gas what it is, I hear less and less laughing. It's pretty obvious in cars of this size bueracracy is the only thing standing between fuel economy and cars that boast of 23 MPG. This car gets 40 MPG all day long. My buddy and I collected 7 of these cars way before … cas went up. We made topless parade vehicles, drove them and parted them. Now, we always have parts and drive like-new 93's. It was dumb luck, but oh-so-sweet. I drive mine around town, he bounces back and forth to Key west in his. They are a dream at 70, but commute like motorcycles.
Reliable to a Fault- Just keeps running!
4 out of 5 starsFestivaFan, 12/10/2009
1993 Ford Festiva L 2dr Hatchback
Bought this car as a temporary replacement for my beloved wrecked 89 1/2 Mustang. Seven years later, I still have it. Getting fantastic gas mileage is addictive. It is also a great city car, no self respecting car thief or jacker will mess with a lowly Festiva. Not a great car to be in during an accident, but it is nimble enough to avoid situations bigger cars couldn't. After all, are we … all going to be forced to drive SUV Panzers to be safe from the SUV bullies. I hope not. The Edmonds pricing for the Festiva is a joke, I can sell this car for what I paid for it tomorrow. They are revered for their reliability, storage, and mileage. All the same reasons I will keep driving it until it dies.
93 ford festiva
4 out of 5 starsdoug allen, 12/16/2009
1993 Ford Festiva GL 2dr Hatchback
just purchased a 93 festiva this car i very dependable and gets a consistent 40 mpg fun to drive and handles well they should be making these cars again tires are getting hard to find easy to work on.
1993 Festiva Highlights
GL
Engine Type | Gas |
---|---|
Combined MPG | 33 MPG |
Cost to Drive | $109/month |
Drivetrain | front wheel drive |
Safety
NHTSA Overall Rating
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.
- Frontal Barrier Crash RatingOverallNot RatedDriverNot RatedPassenger5 / 5
- Side Crash RatingOverallNot Rated
- Side Barrier RatingOverallNot RatedDriverNot RatedPassengerNot Rated
- Combined Side Barrier & Pole RatingsFront SeatNot RatedBack SeatNot Rated
- RolloverRolloverNot RatedDynamic Test ResultNo TipRisk Of RolloverNot Rated
IIHS Rating
The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.
- Small Overlap Front Driver-Side TestNot Tested
- Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side TestNot Tested
- Moderate Overlap Front Test – Original0
- Moderate Overlap Front Test – UpdatedNot Tested
- Side Impact Test – OriginalNot Tested
- Side Impact Test – UpdatedNot Tested
- Roof Strength TestNot Tested
- Rear Crash Protection / Head RestraintNot Tested
Related Used 1993 Ford Festiva info
Vehicle reviews of used models
- Kia Sportage 2020 Review
- Mitsubishi Mirage G4 2021 Review
- Ram 2500 2020 Review
- Audi Q8 2021 Review
- Lexus RX 350L 2021 Review
Shop used vehicles in your area
- BMW I3 Auto
- Honda Fit Automatic
- NX300H F Sport
- Used Acura ILX 2018
- Used Acura ILX 2020
- Used Acura ILX 2023
- Used Acura Integra 2015
- Used Acura Integra 2017 For Sale
- Used Acura Legend 2015
- Used Acura Legend 2020
Popular new car reviews and ratings
- New Mercedes-Benz Maybach
- VF7 Car
- Lamborghini Revuelto
- Vinfast VF9
- New BMW X6
- 2024 Genesis Electrified G80
- 2026 INFINITI JX News
- New Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid
- Buick Encore GX 2024
- 2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre
Research other models of
- 2025 Escape
- 2024 Ford F-250 Super Duty
- New Ford Mustang Mach-E
- 2025 Ford Mustang Mach-E
- 2024 Ranger
- 2024 F-250 Super Duty
- New Ford Escape
- Ford Maverick 2024
- New Ford F-350 Super Duty
- 2025 Ford F-250 Super Duty
Other models
- New Mercedes-Benz Eqs-Suv for Sale in Valdosta, GA
- Used Volkswagen Jetta-Sportwagen in Cortland, NY 2014
- Used Volkswagen Beetle-Convertible in Strongsville, OH 2019
- Used Buick Terraza in Puyallup, WA 2007
- New Genesis G70 for Sale in Mchenry, IL
- Used Chevrolet Blazer-Ev in Essex Junction, VT 2025
- Used Mclaren 750S in Mount Vernon, WA 2025
- Used Ferrari Portofino in Sherman Oaks, CA 2021
- Used Hyundai Kona in Laconia, NH 2025
- New Audi Rs-E-Tron-Gt for Sale in Sacramento, CA