Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Tempo is described by its seller as coming from an era “When cars were cool and had personality.” Part of this Ford’s personality can be found in its rare for the model five-speed manual gearbox. Let’s see if this old-school Ford still has what it takes to make an impression.
It’s a commonly held belief that monopolies are bad and that competition is healthy for the market in general, as well as for businesses, fostering better offerings. That’s only the case, however, when those offerings are… well, competitive.
Case in point, the 1988 Lotus Esprit Turbo we looked at last Friday. At $35,000, it seemed, at first glance, to be a fairly compelling sports car deal. Upon further reflection, though, it wasn’t that the Lotus called that asking price into question; it was the vast number of competing cars within that price range that offer not only a similar experience but far more bang for the buck that did so. Based on the comments, that competition proved to be the Esprit’s Achilles Heel, driving it to a 78% No Dice loss.
Up Tempo
Seeing as last Friday’s Lotus was a finicky and fragile sports car, let’s start off this week with something vastly different, a stoic old-school American compact family sedan. As a personal aside, back when I was much younger, I attended a soiree at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, put on in partnership with Ford, showcasing the company’s lineup of newly designed aerodynamic models. The aero Thunderbird was already well-known at the time, but this show was one of the first times that Ford’s new Tempo and Mercury Topaz models were shown to the public. That was also my opportunity to meet then Ford spokesperson and former racer Jackie Stewart, so I don’t actually remember much about the cars from the show at all.
Ford introduced the Tempo in 1984 as a replacement for the Fox Body Fairmont. It wasn’t a direct replacement, though, as the new car was one size down from its predecessor. With its transverse engine and FWD layout, the sedan and coupe were reasonably roomy, and the aerodynamic bodywork that presaged the earth-shaking debut of the Taurus a year later was certainly more modern than that of the older car.
Plain Jane
This 1993 Ford Tempo GL shares much of its underpinnings with the original car, but its bodywork, save for the windshield and doors, is all new, as the cars were redesigned for the 1987 model year. The fundamental ethos of the Tempo—of a sensibly-priced, not-too-fancy family sedan—continued with the redesign.
According to the seller, this 120,000-mile Tempo was “Clearly owned by old people,” noting as evidence the dealer maintenance history stuffed in the glovebox. Those old folks must have been the outliers on bingo night, as this car is equipped with the rarely-optioned five-speed manual transmission. Mated to that is a 2.3-liter inline four-cylinder engine producing 98 horsepower and 126 pound-feet of torque. And before you ask, no, it’s not the ubiquitous SOHC Pinto 2.3. This is an OHV four of the exact same displacement, derived from the Thriftpower inline six. Ford chose to offer both engines simultaneously, as it was cheaper to build the OHV four on the same production line as the six than it would have been to retool the line to produce more OHC engines. According to the seller, this car benefits from a recent tune-up (including fluids, plugs, and gaskets) and a new clutch.
Has receipts
As noted, the car comes with a stack of receipts for work previously done, along with all its original owner’s manuals and paperwork. It is promised to all function as it should, right down to the old-school R12 AC.
Aesthetically, it’s pretty decent appearing, too. The glacier-white paint appears solid and is accented by black pinstripes down each flank. In a bit of throwback kitsch, the boot lid is adorned with a fairly useless chromed luggage rack. Keeping up our theme of frustrating unidirectional wheels, the plastic hubcaps on this car are of a blade design that angle in different directions on its left and right sides.
Inside, the cabin is upholstered in glorious mouse fur, which appears to be in perfectly serviceable condition. One downside to most cars of this era is the government-mandated passive restraint system, a sliding shoulder belt that rides up and over the A-pillar, which this car has. If that can be overlooked, the cabin should be reasonably livable as it does feature power windows and locks, and the aforementioned AC. A modern stereo head unit has also been installed, offering Apple CarPlay, which creates a bit of dashboard dissonance.
Down to basics
To be perfectly honest, these were never great cars to begin with. Ford built the Tempo to a price, and that meant coarse engines, unsophisticated handling dynamics, and cheap-seats materials and features. Despite that, there’s a certain charm to an old, cheap car like this, something not lost on the seller, who touts it to be “Super cool car and a great candidate for a teenager or a commuter.”
At $2,700, that cool personality isn’t very expensive, either. The question, though, as was the case with the Lotus, is whether it’s the best expenditure of those funds. Could a newer, better car be purchased for around that much? Or, is this old Ford kitschy enough to make that price a good value, and a solid deal?
You decide!
Nice Price or No Dice:
Seattle, Washington, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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