A beat I'd rather not dance to.

Introduced in 1983 as an '84 model the Tempo was a sales success for many of its 11 years in production, and in its day was quite the proverbial 'eye candy'. Today most of us frown upon Ford Tempo's. The Ford Tempo has set a negative example for many 'once upon a time' American car consumers that now look for cars made overseas.

For 1992 The Ford Tempo was available in 3 trim lines, 2 different engines, and 2 body styles, the GL, GLS, and LX; all available in either a 2 door sedan or 4 door sedan. In 1997 I was the proud owner of a 1992 Ford Tempo GLS 4 door sedan. The other models came standard with a 96 horsepower 2.3 liter engine, while my GLS came standard with a OHV 3.0 Vulcan V6 that pumped out 135 horsepower at 5,500 RPM, and 150 lb-ft of torque at 3,250 RPM, hardly anything to write home about, but compared to the standard engine with the other trim lines, the 3.0 powered Tempo was a real road rocket.

Driving Impressions:

Off-the-line acceleration came smooth and relatively quick, even with the clunky 3-speed automatic transmission (a 5 speed manual is standard). The 135 horsepower matched with a sufficient amount of torque reached at a relatively low RPM made it easy getting up to speed. While this engine also came standard in the sluggish 1992 Ford Taurus, the 3.0 in the Tempo allowed for significant improvement in acceleration thanks to the Tempo's much lighter curb weight.

Handling in the Tempo was not much of a joy. While the GLS sported a relatively sporty suspension, the car would take to the turns just like the base models, which was to say the very most, "languid and boring." The steering was heavy, and the car felt deprived of any sort of excitement whatsoever.

Cruising was also not the 1992 Ford Tempo GLS's strong points, the car was jolting on bumps, and punishing at high freeway speeds due to wind, road, and engine noise. The 3-speed automatic shifted fine, but at high speeds above 55 MPH the transmission was not geared high enough to give a smooth ride. Hills were taken well, rarely did the car have any troubles tackling hills, but again, only 3-speeds of gears really hurt this car's cruising capabilities.

Braking was only adequate, the brakes never gave me a complete feeling of security while coming to a stop, the front disc, rear drum set-up left much to be desired in this department.

Fuel Economy was also not the Ford Tempo's forte, despite only having a 3.0 V6, the 3-speed automatic mated with this engine gave V8 Fuel economy. I received around 18 MPG in the City and and around 22 MPG on the freeway.

Performance Gripes: Where was the 4-speed automatic option? Even the 92 Ford Escort had a 4-speed automatic option. No ABS option. Ford obviously did not have fuel economy, nor handling in mind when they built the Tempo GLS.

Interior accommodation/Design:

The interior of the 1992 Ford Tempo was anything but fancy. "Basic" is the best word to describe the cabin of this car. The dash, even in 1991 seemed very dated, and the instrument cluster was also something you'd expect to find in a much older vehicle. Amenities were adequate for me. Ac, an AM/FM cassette player, power windows and door locks, cruise control, and tilt steering were about as much as you'd find in the creature comfort category. The seats were made of cloth, and offered little support, or comfort (no bolstering whatsoever). The '92 Tempo was offered with annoying automatic seat belts that would constantly get jammed. On a positive note, the 1992 Tempo was quite roomy, front and rear leg room were better than many cars, and the trunk offered loads of room for a small car.

Reliability issues: In the 1 year and 40,000 miles that I owned my 1992 Ford Tempo (110,000 total miles) it was plagued with problems. Here is a list of problems I can think of. Boots replaced, fuel injectors replaced, constant wheel allignments, power steering pump went out, transmission developed shifting problems, paint problems, clogged catalytic converters, automatic seat belts would jam up constantly, and the dash board began to crack.

Price:

New, the Tempo GLS ran for around $13,000, today, thanks to poor resale value, a GLS can be had for around $3,000 or even less. I have seen them in the paper for as low as $1,200 with the claim that 'it runs great'.

Other 1992 Cars To Consider In Random Order :

1. Ford Escort
2. Mazda Protege
3. Honda Civic
4. Honda Accord
5. Chevy Cavalier
6. VW Golf
7. Vw Jetta
8. Toyota Camry
9. Mazda 626
10. Toyota Corolla

- Happy car shopping