Gas mileage
Roominess
comfort in seating

the car is so short that it sometimes reminds me of the famous pinto and the problems they had with impact to the rear and gas tank.

Excellent car for the buck. I find no problem in keeping up with traffic on interstate driving. although it lacks in power, you have to expect that in a small motor. And with rising gas prices i am just in awe of the mileage. I have owned everything from a SUV to a Mercedes and i would rely more on this little aspire than all of them.

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escort.
mazda 323
and i would rate the aspire much better.

The seating postion is very comfortable. Gas millage. This car is also very east to work on. Although some parts are pricey. Very realibale

Cheap. You get what you pay for.

Funny looking little car. Pretty basic, but relable. Perfect car for city driving. Can't beat the gas millage. These car can be found dirt cheap, they are a good buy for a student or a second runabout vehical. Not the prettiest car around but relaible

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None

FUEL ECONOMY; very comfortable; the factory AC is the best I have ever seen -- it may be because the car is small but whatever -- it still goes polar quickly; it easily has room to haul all of my stuff to and from college

Not exactly a powerhouse; all of my worldly possessions fit into a Ford Aspire; often compared to a golf cart; bit of a fogging problem in winter

This car has accompanied me through my undergrad years and it's still going strong as I start grad school. It has even survived a long-distance relationship which included a four-hour (one way!) commute on weekends. It is an excellent college or commuter car, and the only way to go with today's rising gas prices. It is also surprisingly roomy and comfortable, moreso than most of my friends' cars. There were a few problems while it was still under warranty, but oddly enough since the warranty ran out it has only needed to have the transmission adjusted once. My local parts stores have never failed to have the necessary parts for maintenance work. I can't imagine using this as a family car, but for the single person or the young couple (even if it's a long distance relationship) this is hands down the best car for the buck.

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Pontiac LeMans -- the Aspire is much, much more reliable

Roomy even for a 6'2" man. Still runs great after 140,000 miles on it. Although the orginal owner let me know that he had it rebuilt after 100,000 miles because it started having small problems. But for me it's still running very well. Low maintaince costs unless you run into replacing transmissions/engine. Gas milage between 32-45 mpg.

Finding parts; basically you have to become an expert finding some parts (usually at junkyards) to save money. Low speed is average, great after 45 mph. If the front end shakes after 60 mph usually just needs tires properly balanced.

Great car if looking for a cheap, reliable car. Be sure if you buy a used Ford Aspire to look very carefully before purchasing. I've noticed several defects and engine rebuilds in used car lots.
Other great things is how comfortable the car is. I love driving my car because it gets me where I need to go all the time. I wish I could just go out and buy a Ford Focus because it looks a lot like the Ford Aspire. But I can really say that the Aspire is really a good buy for people needing a cheap reliavle car... cause thats why I bought mine. But don't pay more than $3000.00 for any Ford Aspire. If you can do that you might just use that money toward a new Ford Focus (like the ZX3 if you like the Aspire).

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1999, 2000, 2001 Ford Focus

Room

It was made cheap

This is a great car if you don't mind replacing the engine at 85,000 miles.
I had the car for a month before I had to replace it. Also the car has electical and brake problems. It does have alot of room inside. The gas milage is not what it should be however (I average around 32mpg)

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Honda civic, Nissan Sentra, Does not even come close

gas mileage, room, manueverability, reliability.

no guts up hills

This car handles great, has great gas mileage, and the best car ever to take on a road trip. I can fit camping gear and four people in it and go just about anywhere. I would not suggest going into the mountains, however. Anything over about 4-5% grade kills it(you would be lucky to get the car over 35mph) The car moves as fast as any other car on the road, its just getting it over the 0-30 hump first. It has always started for me and has never needed anything outside of the occasional tuneup and tire change. I would recommend this car to anyone who isnt very good with the mechanical aspects of a car, as it is very low maintenance and very efficient.

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toyota camry- this is SO much better!!

Rust free body, even after several winters of driving. suprisingly easy to work on, (once you are familar with the set up of the car.) Mileage is great!

Price gouging by Ford, even for minor parts. What's up with the 800.00 Ford fuel pump? (lucky it turned out we didn't need it) NOBODY seems to have reliable locations or schematics for the electrical system.

A well built, solid mini-car, with no major problems after 150,000 miles.(bought new) Built by KIA motors, has no rattles, or loose body parts after all those miles. NOT a car for icy roads, but suprising power with the 5 speed, even on interstates. Overall, for the price, impressed. Should have bought two instead of one at the time of the original purchase, and kept one in storage. Grade A on reliability. "F" on minor glitches, especially regarding the electrical system, ie/ headlight switch, relays, etc.

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compared to previously owned Nissan Sentra, Renault LeCar, Aspire is definitely ahead re/ quality.

Comfortable, great mileage, easy handling, lots of room - I've hauled everything from wingback chairs to full grown shrubs with the back seat folded down

Expensive to replace parts, parts seem difficult to find unless you go to the dealership, I've experienced a brake lock problem that no one else seems to have had.

This has been an extremely reliable car which is good because it would cost more to fix it than to buy a new car of equal size/features. The only recurring problem I've had is with tires going flat. I have the stripped down model (2-door no power accessories) and I get great gas mileage and never worry about starting it. A problem I've had from the start is that the brakes lock in extremely wet weather - ran right thru a stoplight the first time that happened. The dealership supposedly fixed that but it has done it to a lesser degree ever since. I compensate by going extra slowly in torrential rain. Also, when it's really hot outside - 100 degrees or more, which is common in Dallas in the summer, the A/C doesn't cool as efficiently, and it makes the car shake to run the A/C while it's idling, so I sometimes turn it off at stop lights, but aother times it runs great and cools the car. I have only done bare bones maintenace on this car and I've had it 7 years. I'm going for 10. I though about passing it down to my nephew when he starts driving, but I'm certain he couldn't afford the repairs, so I may just trade it in.

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Much better handling/performance than my Chevy S-10; I drove a 1977 Toyota Corolla for 11 years, so the Aspire feels like a Mercedes inside!

Gas mileage. (40+) More power than you would think for a 1.3L engine. Cheap to run. Very reliable. Strong A/C.

EXTREMELY expensive parts.

I went looking specifically for this model, because of it's gas mileage reputation. I commute over 70 miles each way to work, so gas mileage was my motivation. Now that I have the car, a 2-door with manual (5 spd) tranny, I get 40 to 45 miles per gallon on the average! I have been extremely impressed with its performance for an "econobox". I can cruise at 70 to 75 without trying, even with the A/C going on a hot 100 degree day. Up hills, however, it shows it's lack of horsepower. If the incline is more than about 5%, forget it. I have to downshift to 4th or even 3rd sometimes, and crawl up the hill at 35 or 40. The seats are very comfortable, and I would not hesitate to take this car on a long trip. I added a high-end Pioneer stereo and speakers, which made the drive very pleasant. It's a fairly noisy car, so the extra volume is necessary. My wife named it "Dexter" because it reminds her of the cartoon character. Overall, I recommend this car highly. Ok, downside: VERY VERY expensive parts. The only problem I had was an ignition coil, which is built into the distributor, and Ford wants over $600 for the part. I found one on the web at a used parts house for $100 and it's back on the road. Don't even bother trying to buy parts at a Ford dealer. Go to car-parts.com and find a used one.

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Cargo capacity, mileage, comfort for price of vehicle, leg room (front seats only)

small fuel tank, sounds like a wind-up car when A/C is on, noisy, parts price, endurance of vehicle over time

Great car for highway commuting as far as fuel economy. Took this car 1300 miles one-way on three and 1/2 tanks of high-test fuel (without A/C on). Point A to Point B vehicle - basic transportation

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Ford Escort