Minneapolis Street Sighting: Ford Tempo GL

For people growing up in the malaise-era, the Ford of choice for families was the ever-popular Fairmont and Granada and their Mercury twins, or for smaller families, maybe an Escort and its twin the Lynx; for the generation of kids who grew up at the end of the 1980s, the choices were totally different. Gone were the rear-wheel-drive, landau-roofed psuedoluxury cars that graced the same dealerships as the Fox Mustang, and the Bronco II, and its in place was a whole new family of Ford family sedans. This time, without rear-wheel-drive, landau roofs, and pillow seats.

While the Tempo did enter production in the fall of 1983 as a 1984 model, the generation(s) I am most familiar with bowed in 1987 as a 1988 model (like me.) This generation said hello to a new V6 engine, too, displacing three liters and churning out about 140 horsepower.  Meanwhile the base four banger huffed up power in the neighborhood of 105 wandering ponies.  Not exactly what I'd call "fast"; then again, the Tempo was never a sportscar despite Ford slapping on a set of sideskirts, a trunk spoiler and a front airdam and labelling as a sporty sedan.

This version pictured here is a 1992-1994 version, shown in Oxford White with blue velour interior, and it reminds me quite a bit of the cars I saw flanking the school parking lot when I was growing up. Living in a smaller city (okay, about 90,000 people without KU students) and having a Ford dealer as a main dealer made for quite a bit of Fords around, and because the Tempo was often the "deep discount buy", hoards and hoards of them were purchased new or as program cars, but alas, not many have survived.

In the rustbelt, Tempos are almost extinct, and about its its twin, the Mercury Topaz? Forget it. I haven't seen one in well over a few months. I think the last one I saw was probably in early fall. So, yeah, these cars are quite thin on the around. Then again, babies born when the last Tempo rolled down the southern Missouri assembly line would be in their second year of college. 

As with all cars in the rustbelt, this poor Temp is looking rather worse for wear, but then again, what Tempo isn't? The fact that this mediocre Ford four door has survived more than ten years in the midwest' harshest automotive climate is a testament to its quality. Okay, maybe not, since I explained above that these things don't really exist here anymore.

Per usual, my assessment is, well, hey, it survived. Oxford White doesn't really have any "shine" to it, so I can't lambast that, and normally I would lambast dents and rust, but here, it seems to "fit." Because the Tempo is a bad car? No; its just that, like Escorts and Taurus' of years past, these Tempos were bought new for fairly cheap, and this was the last "basic" four-door family Ford you could buy.  So being a bit beat-up just means it was used it should be; a family hauler-- or a daily runabout, and not much else.

Do I wish I could've shot a better example? Maybe, maybe not. I like this particular car, because it reminds me so much of my childhood; the parents of a school bully had one, as did an elementary school art teacher. Both white and both probably GLs. I wonder if they were former rental cars?

I have always liked the Tempo, and I have been reluctant to show it; until now. Hopefully I can find and shoot a better one. Someday.