If you bought a used car, you'd show it off to your friends and be like: "Check out my new car!!😊"! When I bought my 2003 Saturn Ion 3 with factory equipped cassette, cd player, AND a/c, I called her My Cadillac!!😎😎
My dad was at lowest of lows back in the 90s. His shitbox Subaru was totaled by a drunk driver and he had no car and no money to get a car. His dad came in and offered to get him a car and gave him 2 options: the Geo metro, or the ford festiva. My dad picked the festiva and started to get his life back together. Got better job, got married had kids and now he is set for life, and you could say it was thanks to the festiva.
My first Brand New car was a '91 Ford Escort Pony. The 1.9 SEFI Mazda engine is BulletProof. But watching videos of loyal Festiva owners, a piece of me wishes I had bought a First Generation (1986-92) Festiva. Some of their owners are eccentric in a good way.😎🤓 Please tell me your old man kept his??
My Ex drove a ‘90 Pontiac Firefly (the non-turbo manual base model). Noisy, frustrating at times and oddly smelled funny… but enough about Her. The car was great. I (we) drove regularly from Toronto to Montréal. I’ve never had a better or seen another vehicle that used so little petrol. Probably around 45(?) miles per gallon - even when driven mildly aggressive. Oh yeah… She (the Ex again) was also aggressive too. Thanks for the video.
John 3 16-21! 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
I had a '95 Neon Highline with a 5-speed and hand crank roll-up windows. It was on 13" wheels. But it had a CD player, cruise control and air conditioning. And getting 40mpg wasn't unheard of with it if you drove it carefully enough. It was a good car.
John 3 16-21! 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
I bought a 1992 Isuzu pickup with only a rear bumper for $6,600. I bought it in November of that year and the dealer wanted to get rid of it. I only replaced a headlamp and the fuel filter the whole time l owned it.
My neighbor had a Metro when I was a kid, blue with plastic bumpers. One time I rode with him to the store, but we discovered that the underpass close to our house was significantly flooded. There was zero chance of us making it. However, he made sure I had my seatbelt on and hit the gas. We floated/skimmed right across the water to the other side. It was a brand new car at the time...but I guess it was cheap enough that he wasn't worried. There is something to be said about being light weight. I would love to see videos about the comparative weight of vehicles throughout the decades.
You mean back in the day when everyone in the household didn't need their own bedroom, TV, computer, cell phone, play station, every app available, subscriptions to all forms of TV and went to a restaurant maybe a few times a year and didn't travel all over the place staying in hotels and eating out so your kids can play a basketball or baseball game. Yeah, I remember.
Poor money management. My grandpa earned 7k (different currency) in the 80s, and rent was already 800 a month. How he managed it, I dont know. @@joeyjohnsonson4341
I remember taking mine to a mechanic for a service. I got a phone call saying changing the spark plugs would cost me a fortune because the 4th must be underneath the engine. I explained its a 3-cylinder. The mechanic was stunned. LOL.
I know it's not in this list, but I remember when Kia Rio's first came around in 2001. They were $9999 in 2001. Under $10,000 for a new car. Although it was the last car with MANUAL steering.
My frugality-driven uncle bought one of these as a daily and raved about the mileage. He put over 45 thousand aggressive miles on it in a year and it was starting to rattle a bit. Unc hit a dog doing about 30mph and totaled the car. It was undrivable, with a cracked windshield and some impressive crumpling of the front end. The dog , a cocker spaniel, survived with a moderate limp and left the scene under their own power.
Kia's sister company is Hyundai and they're first hit was the Excel. It deserves to be on the list but anyways, it could definitely be number 11. I had one and I won't forget it.
My dad bought my mom a 1971 Dodge Dart swinger special. Beautiful gold metallic, power steering, power brakes, slant 6 automatic trans. NO RADIO. Over 20 mpg. It would blow the doors of any Datsun or Toyota. Inexpensive wonderful car 😉
I had a 92 Geo Metro 4dr Automatic transmission AND AC. If you had 4 people in the car on the highway and were going up a hill, you needed to turn off the ac and floor it. Still would lose about 10mph. 65 to 55 at the top. I usually got mid 30s MPG. But the best was on a trip to MN, going through Chicago doing 75 to 80MPH (you would get run over if you didn't) I averaged a little over 40mpg. It was a fun little car. Tires were 155 sr 12.
In 1993 I bought a brand new base model Chevy S-10 pickup (real pickup, 2 doors, long bed) I did get the 2.8L V6 engine, I needed a bit more power than the 2.5L four. But I could have gotten a 4.3L V6, and chose not to. The 2.8L has been just fine. I also got air conditioning. I live in Phoenix, AZ, where it is 110 degrees 5 months of the year. That's it. Not a single other option. It has a manual 5 speed transmission. It came with an AM radio standard. It came with 14" steel wheels and dog dish hub caps, which it still has. I have added a rear bumper and a sliding rear window. I paid under $9000 OTD. I lucked out by getting the 1993. Not only does the original body style look much better than the 1994 Japanese style body, but I got the last year before airbags and ABS. I still have this truck, with 277,000 miles on it. I have replaced the clutch once. It still runs fine. Being in AZ, it has zero rust. I will replace the engine, transmission, whatever it takes to keep this truck going. I absolutely love it. All of the cars in this video is what we desperately need today. They are just normal cars, without all the TRASH technology of the GARBAGE car companies are making today. It is amazing, and downright scary just how far downhill vehicles have gone in such a short time.
The entire american infranstructure is built on the notion that everyone would be driving. Sprawling suburbs, cities hours away, no amtrak, even in sprawling metropolises in the westcoast you need a car. The only viable cities you dont need a car are old east coast cities that were built around horses and buggies. Dont get me started about canada, its worse.
The base Escort was a Pony, keeping in line with all of the "horse/cowboy" type names in Ford history. The Mustang, the Pinto, the Bronco, the Maverick, etc.
@@metalmike570 I *think* that the Hyundai Pony was rear wheel drive and sold in Canada but not here in the USA. The Excel was the model sold here in the USA and was front wheel drive.
I've owned Geo Metro's from '95, till 2020.. They were GREAT little cars, (for what they were). The power out of those 3 little squirrels .....wow, was TREMENDOUS! For around town, they were great. On one of mine that I had found, an XFI transmission, had it rebuilt, installed, from Phoenix, to Yuma, Az, I got 74.6 miles per gallon, doing 68mph, with a slight headwind of about 7mph. Going from Yuma, to San Diego sucked though , at times, I had to downshift into 3rd gear (from 5th), because of the slight power.
Agreed, the Metro was a fantastic little car. It was roomy inside too. They must've anticipated people complaining about that, because it had tons of headroom & the front seats slid wayyy back into the back seat. I'm a tall guy, the Metro was one of the only cars I've ever had that i didnt have to run the seat all the way back to the stops.
Right after H.s. graduation, my family gifted me a brand new 90 Hyundai Excel hatchback. 90 horsepower and had the nerve to put an economy button on it(which made it even slower)! I tinted it out and luckily, it was the beginning days of big sound systems. I put 2 12's in the hatch and got all kinds of attention lol. My buddy had a metro hatch stick shift. He blew his motor and we practically pulled the motor out without an engine hoist. My back still gives me problems to this day. 😂
In 1991 my now ex-g'friend bought what I call the Geo Metro station wagon (5-door hatch). People don't believe me when I say she could spin the tires on takeoff. She drove like red lights and stop signs were suggestions.😯
@@HaveGunWillTravel00 Th Excel was Hyundai's first hit in the USA. One of the cheapest and strongest little cars, I had one too. The only thing was mine needed a wheel alignment, it was pulling badly to the right. So what does my wife do, she ran it up the curb and hits a pole!! Totalled. She was okay but was shook up of course. These days she drives a Hyundai Tucson, a million times better.
My mom had a Dodge Colt. No frills and certainly not fast, but a really reliable and solidly built car. I think the fact that she had the five-speed manual helped with the peppiness.
Yay neon made the list! My super clean 99 R/T sits in the garage, former Auto X playcar. They might have been throw away cars but they had guts for the day. So much so they dominated in SCCA racing for a good amount of time.
I bought a 1991 Geo Metro convertible (yellow!) new. That car was a blast to drive! No mechanical problems during the nine years and 100K+ miles I put on the odometer. Had it until I collided with a red-light runner on my way home from the supermarket. ❤d that little ride! Averaged about 40 mpg consistently.
@@GreenHawkDrive it was a low-speed impact. I came out unscathed. It actually had airbags! Given the age and mileage on the Metro, it was a total loss.
bought a brand new cavalier in 1990...2.2 4 cylinder engine, 99hp....it had no power brakes or power steering, no radio, no A/C, roll up windows,etc...brand new it was $8600...loved it! it was durable and dependable...never had a problem!
I hate to tell you Generation Y & Z'ers this but All of the manufacturers charged extra for passenger-side mirrors on base models WELL into the 80's and early 90's. Even Honda and Toyota. Exceptions probably included Cadillacs, Lincolns, LTD Crown Victorias, and the like. Because back then you Still had to check your blind spot. As such they weren't seen as essential equipment. I DO remember they were optional on late 70's and early 80's Caprices and Impalas. In defense of the First Generation (1981-90) Escorts, there were composite/halogen headlights added in 1985 and another refresh in 1988.😎🤓And in Chicago, if your car had air conditioning AND a cassette player, you were KING Of The WORLD!!😊
@@Maximus20778 Well I mean I hate to bust y'all's bubble. A LOT of what's standard equipment on a car today wasn't so in the 90's and even a radio with only AM reception was standard on an '03 Saturn Ion 1. I bought the 3.
$500 cars were my jam, those days are gone. An unloved Honda, $4-600, put a few more hundred into it, great vehicle for a year. I do miss those’d days.
They can still be had, I've done it twice this year alone. Bought a 2009 Hyundai Accent base model (3 door hatch, manual transmission , manual everything) for $375 at an auction. Didn't crank, but it bump started and drove off the lot. I bump started it exclusively for about a week until the starter I ordered arrived ($70 or so, I did the labor myself). Ended up spending a weekend fixing it up and flipping it. And I bought another one just yesterday, a 1996 Infiniti G20 base 5 speed. Got this one even cheaper, $300 at the same auction. And this one allegedly runs and drives. It will need work of course, but all cheap cars do. Back in 2019, I dailyed a 1994 Honda Civic EX 5 speed coupe I bought for $250. It had 273,000 miles, countless dents, a rebuilt title, a tendency to burn oil, and an unresponsive fuel gauge, but it ran like a clock. Even with me treating it like a rally car on my pizza delivery runs. I miss that car.
I don't know if I've ever seen one of your videos before, but I have to say I LOVED AMC! I was stationed at the Great Lakes Navy base when I was a young lad just out of high school and brand new in the military and me and my buds had finished training and were all leaving to go to our first ships but first we went up to Kenosha for the weekend because one of our best bros was marrying a girl from there and we were all going to be in the wedding. Long story short he knew what an AMC nut I was and they made sure to drive me down that road! We were all half lit so I was cheering and stomping my feet all excited because I was checking out the factory where my Rambler and Hornet were made. We all got out and danced a little jig under that bridge-tunnel-overpass thing. Man it was awesome. In the years since I've had another Hornet - a Sportabout wagon, in fact, which was the absolute most reliable used car I've ever owned, and a Jeep J-10 pickup truck with the Honcho trim package which I LOVED! I tell ya man, I check on Google every now and then and if I found a good priced Hornet or Pacer in decent shape I just might get me one more AMC before I rock off into the sunset! 😊
My first car was a '93 Festiva L 5-speed. I mowed lawns all summer and bought it in 1997 for $700, with 40K on the clock and in great condition. (Shows how much the value depreciated in 4 years!) It was bare-bones, no AC, no options, no passenger mirror, and if I remember correctly, it had 12-inch tires. They cost about $100 to replace all 4! I made a lot of good memories in that little car though. It taught me how to drive a stick, and I let several friends learn on it too. We'd pile into that thing regularly, and take it to the woods and beat the hell out of it! Reverse-donuts in the sand, and it was nimble on trails. If we got stuck, it was light enough that we'd all get out and just lift it out of the holes! At one point I even put a killer stereo in it with subs in the back, as we all did back then. It lasted me about 2 years until all my abuse caught up with it. In the end at 70K, it was leaking 2 quarts of oil per hour from the rear main seal, and the clutch was shot, surely due to red-lining it racing dirt tracks and other dumb stuff a 16 year old does. Limping it to the junkyard, I stopped by a yard sale, and I ended up trading it for a stereo and $50. My next car was an '87 Crown Victoria, and I LOVED that car. If I were to buy one car again, it would be the Crown Vic. It was like driving a Lazy-Boy on a cloud.
My parents bought an '89 LeMans LE, brand new, right before my dad got stationed in Germany. It was the sedan version, not sure about the engine but that little guy would handle the autobahn on the regular without issue. In fact, I don't remember it ever having any major mechanical issues the 6 years we had it.
@@metalmike570 it was a sub-compact. Plenty for myself (4-8) and my baby brother (0-4) in the back seat, but it was still not a big car. I don't think it ever came in a V6 though. It wasn't exactly "quiet" on the autobahn, but it handled it beautifully. I'm sure my dad picked it because of it's European/Korean roots, and since we were moving to Europe finding a mechanic wouldn't have been much trouble. He also bought an old brown colored manual 3-series to get around in so my mom could have the LeMans at home for us. THAT car is probably responsible for my love of cars and speed to be honest lol
Memory lane! My first car was a ‘91 Ford Festiva L. My sister and I both learned to drive on that car. Dad got it for $4,995 with a trade-in. It had something like a 9-gallon gas tank, so it was ~$10 to fill it from dead empty. It was a perfect rectangle inside and had amazing acoustics…we have a huge sound system in the truck for a number of years. Lasted 13 years, finally gave it up after our 4th set of wheel bearings seized. Absolutely loved that car!
This video really brings me back since my mom owned a Chevy Cavalier, a Dodge Colt, A Dodge Omni and for a while leased a Pontiac Firefly... So basically most of the 90's when we had wheels it was in one of these cars on the list... She also wanted to buy a Ford Aspire but her credit wasn't good so we probably dodged a bullet/lemon with that one!
And for the record the Pontiac Firefly/Geo Metro here in Canada got around 50 MPG highway and it was super cheap to run since gas at the time was about 39.9/L or $1.30/gallon CAD or under $1.00 USD/gallon at the time... This was 1994/1995...
I love that in the 90's, car companies cared about people enough to offer them affordable cars on the lot as well. Now-a-days, the cheapest new cars you can buy on the market will run you 20-25k minimum. Allowing people who are lower income to ALSO own their own brand new 0 milage cars without having to worry the previous owner didn't take care of it or that it would break down was something I wish we still cared about as a society, but it is all about money and making the top 1% rich family dynasties even richer.
My piano teacher had a Ford Escort and my friend's father had a Ford Festiva. The Festiva lasted 400,000 miles, and was a manual. When we learned to drive, we revved the heck out of that and drove it like we were trying to break it (to clarify, he bought the car from his father as a second vehicle, so we weren't beating up his dad's car ). It was actually quite peppy. He sold it for 600 dollars after we were done playing around with it.
I have a 94 Chevy Cavalier, 75k miles runs great, 1 previous owner, got it at 46k driven 30k miles with no issue besides a water pump replacement. I got a Base Coupe too!
The cavalier is such a fun little car. Easy to drive, basic but sporty (super easy to break into, thankful for the dozens of times i've locked myself out), and just cool
I love that you and me have the same taste and interest for cars in the era. My first car was a brand new from Mitsubishi Blainville , 2016 Mirage base es manual with no options for $8995 CAD
@metalmike570 my sister had 1, 2 door hatchback fugly thing so she had the windows double limo tinted cause it was like being in a fish bowl inside that thing. 1st year she had also think was like a 91' she had. Hyundai has come a loooong way
Great video! I agree that it was difficult sometimes to tell how Dodge and Plymouth stacked up. It did seem that Plymouth was the entry-level brand, but looking back to the 60s, Plymouth had muscle car pretenses before Dodge, or at about the same time. And if Plymouth was the entry-level marque, it puzzled me as to why it was in the same division and sold at the same dealerships as Chrysler, the premium offering-except that it gave Chrysler dealers a way to sell to first-time buyers. Dodge dealers had vehicles of every size. As for the Colts and Neons, I think they were priced the same whether badged as Dodges or Plymouths. Apparently it had been determined that the brand nameplate was less important thing in the buyer’s mind. Back in the 70s the Mitsubishi captive imports (Plymouth Sapporo and Dodge Challenger, Plymouth Champ and Dodge Colt) were priced the same and differed in trim and colors. Omnis/Horizons and Aries/Reliants were probably priced the same also.
In Canada we had the Pontiac Fire Fly. It was a dressed up Geo Metro. I put 91,000 miles on it and never replaced anything except the tires. I put a little set of white walls on it. Pretty dressed up. It was a lot of fun. It would go 87 mph with the top up, and 84 with the top down. It had no backseat. There was a passway from behind the driver seat into the trunk, and if two people sat on the floor facing backwards they could put their feet into the trunk. I had a lot of fun with that car. You could not pass anything in it on a two lane roads or death was near. Where I live is very flat, so driving was not a problem, but once I went on a road trip that had a few mountains in it and with the accelerator pedal to the floor and the transmission in second gear there was a huge line of cars behind me. Very embarrassing. I’d buy another one tomorrow if I could.
@@the_kombinator It was. I´m not canadian, but i read somewhere that for a short period GM sold some of its cheaper models under the "Asuna" (or Asüna) brand in Canada. The Le Mans / Kadett / whatever was sold as the Optima or Passport Optima.
I still have the window sticker to my dad's 1991 Chevrolet Cavalier VL, no radio, no passenger side mirror, stick shift. The only "option" was all-season tires. I can definitely relate to the struggle of finding pictures. I still can't find a picture of the dark blue exterior paint, only light blue. Interestingly, adjusted for inflation, a base 2024 Camry is 25% cheaper than a base 1998 Camry. But good luck finding a base 2024.
I like when Carroll Shelby got a hold of those Dodge Omnis and the Chargers....the GLH and the GLHS!...I've seen these things built that they would just burn the front tires off!....the aftermarket is pretty strong for these cars too!
“It’s a ford…it’s a Festiva!” Still remember that commercial lol My first car in 1993 was an 1986 Plymouth Horizon. Was a great first car and I drove the wheels off it for 2 years. Water pump went late one night on the side of 95 in north Philly and it was 12° out (so no heat and then it eventually blew up and I had to get towed home). But other than that, never had an issue with it. Sold it to some kid in my neighborhood and saw it around for years after that.
*I owned BOTH the ASPIRE and the FESTIVA, and liked both.* Both were 5-speed manuals. I got a 1990 Festiva in 1991 that was just unsold. Then they offered a discount on it and I paid $4,700 for the brand new car. It had 63 HP. It had rear window defrost. I got 43 MPG in MIXED driving. I LOVED that aspect about it. I bought it for the gas mileage and since it was a new car I would not have to do repairs on it every other weekend. Also, it got out of it's way just fine, if you know how to drive a stick well. I surprised many V6 mustangs that were made at the time. They could not pull away. Remember, it was a very light car. It was killed by a Buick and that is when I bought a 1996 Aspire. The Aspire had rear window defrost and air conditioning!!! It also had the "radio prep package" (wiring and antennae but no radio or speakers. I installed my own that were better than factory). I decided I did not want a car without Air after the Festiva. I pulled a 14 foot rowboat with this car. While doing so, I would be stopped at a traffic light and when it turned green I would switch off the AC so that I could accelerate away, and once I got to speed I would switch the AC back on. The interior of the car seemed MUCH MORE like a car than the Festiva, though still very cheap, but it looked better. The Festiva's interior screamed "BASIC TRANSPORTATION" rather than "car." The Aspire was a little slower than the Festiva because the Festiva had 12" wheels whereas the Aspire had the "big" 13" wheels, which had more leverage against the engine. I had no problem with either of these cars, except for when I left the Festiva parked on the side of the road overnight, in the dead of winter, facing North, and we had halacious winds that took the temperature down to 80 BELOW ZERO. When I started the car to go to work the cooling system was frozen and the timing belt jumped a few teeth. That was not the fault of the car though, and it was repaired. I should not have left the car facing into the wind out in the open with that kind of wind chill. Other than that, zero problems with these cars. Both were made for Ford by Kia, with a 1.3L engine.
I had a 89 Escort ES I bought new in 89. I remember getting it for 7500 bucks. I really liked it. It did good in snow and got really good gas mileage. I remember alot of these cars you showed. I remember looking at a Suzuki Swift GTi back in 89. Don't remember what the price was,but found out it was what the Geo Metro was. Except it had a 16 valve 4 cylinder versus the Geo Metro 3 cylinder engine. Another reason you don't find too many cars pre 2000s is because of the "Cash for Clunkers" deal the government put out to get rid of older fuel inefficient cars and trucks. Always wanted to get a Neon SRT4 or a Rampage 2.2. Great video!👍
The first car I bought when I got a decent paying job was my red '91 Chevy Cavalier RS 4 door sedan, and it was so nice. It was so exciting to get my own car and I still have great and fond memories of that car!
One of my good friends got a Geo Metro stick (manual transmission) back in '93. Probably rode home from school with her a couple hundred times in that car. MPG was a huge thing in the early 90s so she actually kept track. I remember she regularly got over 50mpg. It was slow and gutless but it could drive forever!
2:01 my dad had a Dodge Neon absolute base model - no power steering, no power windows, no power locks, manual transmission. I got it from him a decade later. Fuel gauge stopped working so you just had to fill it based on when the trip odometer reached 300 miles. 10:43 - before the Neon, my dad owned one of the last Omnis. Absolute tank of a car. Felt sporty even if it wasn't. Once again, specially ordered the most basic package imaginable. Came with a tape player though.
Had a 1999 Dodge Neon Highline. 2.0 DOHC, 5 speed manual. Only thing I did was put lightweight wheels on it from the factory steel wheels. I ran premium fuel. One summer I got 40 mpg a couple of times. Mainly upper 30s. 75% highway. What was nice is the car was very light and it had power with that motor, 150 hp is what the 2.0 DOHC was rated at, probably the quickest car in your list. It had 165,000 mi on it when I sold it. No major problems. Car was such a blast to drive! Only thing that concerned me was the safety in it If I were to get into a bad accident I would be toast more than likely.
Excellent video Greenhawk! I never owned any of these but I do remember the Escort GT and how good it looked. It's amazing to me that the base level prices parallel the current base models. Of course those are so well equipped to those rides back in the day. I would love to see your 80s comparison even if you don't get 5,000 likes but I sure hope that you do!
Man, I love this content. It’s just amazing what you can do with AI these days. Car is not having passenger side rear view mirrors was pretty common from my memory. Nothing beats when GM made those cars that had windows that didn’t roll back down in the back, that was great. Those funky hatchbacks that weren’t actually hatchbacks. I know it’s worn out but it’s just never gonna get old to me that people think that you’re AI because it’s so obviously not
Hey Mr Drive, i used to own an Austin Metro City X with only one side mirror, it had a 998cc motor, and power nothing! I bought it for £150, I put a huge 15" subs in it, 9" wide superlite wheels and a MG turbo body kit, it looked awesome, drove like crap! 😅 Great vids man, don't let the grumpy old haters get you down bud 🤘
My grandmother had an 89 Festiva with a 5-speed. We took a road trip from California to Michigan, got great gas mileage and was surprisingly not tortured by it. Kind of wish I had it these days. Super basic, white, grey interior, good little car that would pretty easily burn out in first.
Interesting! I remember trying to sell a Geo Metro many years ago. That 3cylinder engine was not quiet at any level! Great video! I was a nice walk down memory lane!
@@bullramis4179 Thanks for responding! What is old is new again at GM. I do have an optimism that the new 1.2 litre/3 cylinder turbo engine is going to be reliable.
My coworker has a 1st gen Escort hatch. Yes you read that right. HAS one. It’s super clean and it’s stanced on some good looking wheels. I personally wouldn’t stance any car but this car is so slow it fits it perfectly. 😂
@@GreenHawkDrive best believe it! I wish I could attach pictures on RUclips. There is no aftermarket support for this car so everything he did to it other than the wheels had to be self fabricated or bought from another car that had the aftermarket support and then adapted to his Escort. I would know I had to help him on the control arms and springs. But him and his dad did majority of the work such as making a custom plate for the coil overs to attach to and custom sway bar and end links and steering knuckles for the coils overs and other suspension stuff and axles. It’s super clean and like I said I’m not really into stanced cars but this one looks so good. This particular model does not have A/C or power steering. It’s white with gold rims. It’s his pride and joy lol it’s the definition of built not bought.
Of you look at these cars with a Europeaan glass on you see a lot cars they have a different name but the same car: Geo metro- Suzuki Swift The Dodge - Mitsubishi colt Ford escort -Ford escort Dodge Neon-crysler neom Dodge omnium-talbot horizon Also chemo cars in europe …… Nice video! Thanks greats from the Netherlands
in 1989 I purchased a brand new 1990 Colt for $4900 with AM/FM and air conditioning. It was a cool little car. I was in my early 20's so this was a huge upgrade over the 1979 Olds Cutlass that I was driving.
I bought a 2007 Pontiac with 3 options. A radio upgrade, floor mats, and a shinny wheel package. I'm now driving a base model Cadillac with only 2 options. The color, and a heated seat. Hard to imagine that Cadillac didn't have heated seating in a base model. I had to wait a year for delivery, due to covid, but I'm a firm believer in buying what you can afford. Instead of taking what the dealers want to unload on you.
My 84 Corolla 87 Chevy Nova 91 Civic wagon and 96 Tercel all didn't have passenger mirrors it was popular on base model economy cars of the time. Tbh I'm shocked my yugo has a factory passenger mirror.
Yeah, the poverty-spec Civic (the CX hatchback) was offered without a passenger-side mirror even in the 5th generation model, from 1992 to ‘95. I had a ‘96 CX but it did have the mirror. Base models were sold without radios well into the ‘00s, I recall seeing an ‘06 Civic DX with a blank panel in the space where the stereo headunit would be, so you’d have to opt for a dealer-installed unit or aftermarket.
Bought a brand new 1990 Geo Metro XFI and drove it for approximately 8 years. Utterly reliable and I got as high as 63 mi per gallon on the highway. Would love to own it still today! No air conditioning or radio from the factory. Had to install a super deluxe AM FM cassette and speakers myself with the help of a friend. It was custom!
In 1990 I owned a 3 cyl 4 speed 86 Chevy Sprint (Geo Metro).with 60K.. I did get over 55 mpg and as cheap as that car was I paid $700 as a winter beater, and sold is 3 years later with 119K for $1500. I loved that death trap and I still remember $6 every other week for gas. I had a GT Mustang and a Classic ‘61 Dart as my nice weather cars and I still drove the Sprint because it was a blast to sling around and use all of its power.
I worked as a tech, and still do, back in the 90's and those 3 cylinder Geo Metro's got 50 mpg on the highway easy with 51-52 the norm. Funny story-Had a lady come in the shop with her 3 speed automatic Geo Metro complaining that it often wouldn't shift into high gear. The catch was that she weighed about 350-400 lbs and could barely get the door closed on her GEO. I mean she was huge. It wasn't easy telling her that her 3 cylinder was down shifting to second due to load. LOL
I had a 1991 Mercury Tracer that I bought in 1999 for $1200. Shortly after I picked it up, I did a little bit of research on the car and learned that while the standard engine was the Ford 1.9L pushrod four cylinder, what I had in mind was a DOHC 1.8L Mazda engine that made nearly twice as much power as the 1.9L. Ooh and she was a SCREAMER too. With a 7000 RPM redline, a 5spd, four wheel disc brakes, and fully independent suspension, she ran and rode far beyond her weight class. I even once beat a 1987 Mustang that had a V6 automatic in a drag race. That poor horse never even stood a chance.
It's wild that I've not owned any of these but had at least one friend who owned all of these. I always wanted a manual Aspire. Old man Leon from Scout Camp drove a pink Aspire with an 8 inch bass tube. I always wanted a tiny hatchback with too much stereo in it. A friend's mom owned a Festiva. It looked embarassing but in hindsight it was a smart choice for daily driver and beater car. Her mom (friend's grandmother) had a 3-cyl automatic Metro. It was surprisingly fun to drive. I didn't really fit but it was hilarious doing a burnout in that car.
I bought a 1988 Festiva L in 94 with 93K miles. I drove it until 2001, and it still ran and looked fine. I only ever replaced the tires, brakes, and radio. A/C broke at some point, but oh well. I managed 45 MPG on the highway with the 4-speed manual.
I bought a new 96 Plymouth Neon. It was pretty basic but it was a peppy car. The 4-cylinder pumped 132 horses through a 5-speed manual. It didn't give me any trouble until the head gasket blew at 38,000 miles.
About a year or so ago, I saw a nearly mint condition base model 1st generation Dodge Neon in the wild. Blew my mind, I literally have not seen one that clean since they were new! I remember wanting one when I was a kid because it was just an honest, small American car. Then I got older, and wiser.
In 1994 I bought a brand new Toyota 2wd pickup when I got out of high school. It was $8995 with 9 miles on it from Oak Ridge Toyota in Lynchburg VA. Still remmeber the salesmans name. RIP Joe Meeks.
I had a 1989 Chevy S-10 truck. 2.5 4 banger, whopping 115 HP. Didnt even have power steering, bench seat, vinyl floor. Had a heater..lol. but that truck ran forever it seemed. Sold it with 200k plus miles. Saw it 5 years later at a lumber yard, still going
Blow this channel up!!! I can only imagine how great you could make your content with more capital. I'll say it again, great job keep up the great work.
The 5 speed 3 cylinder Chevy Sprint (Canada) barebones model that my ex brother in law had would average 62 mpg (combined city highway) the 3 cylinder engine mated to the 5 speed manual gearbox made it "peppy"
This is like turning back the clock to some pretty special times in my life. A lot of firsts in these cars- three of them were owned by girls I dated in high school.
I had a 1983 dodge Omni/plymouth horizon clone in 5 door hatch back form. I would say the car is a piece of junk but it was cheap and got me through my college years and a cross country road trip. When you are young, you just don't know any better. What a memorable car
When you could afford to be poor
If you bought a used car, you'd show it off to your friends and be like: "Check out my new car!!😊"! When I bought my 2003 Saturn Ion 3 with factory equipped cassette, cd player, AND a/c, I called her My Cadillac!!😎😎
I drive a Pontiac Vibe I bought a couple years ago for $1,400. You can still afford it, just won't be a new car.
@@raymond_sycamore You got a keeper. I still see quite a few Vibes here in the Chicago Road Salt Belt. Plastic doesn't rust.
@@landonbenford8369 the entire exhaust pipe has rusted out on it 🤣😂
@@raymond_sycamore N.p. Velasquez Mufflers & Brakes'll fix it!😎😎
My dad was at lowest of lows back in the 90s. His shitbox Subaru was totaled by a drunk driver and he had no car and no money to get a car. His dad came in and offered to get him a car and gave him 2 options: the Geo metro, or the ford festiva. My dad picked the festiva and started to get his life back together. Got better job, got married had kids and now he is set for life, and you could say it was thanks to the festiva.
My first Brand New car was a '91 Ford Escort Pony. The 1.9 SEFI Mazda engine is BulletProof. But watching videos of loyal Festiva owners, a piece of me wishes I had bought a First Generation (1986-92) Festiva. Some of their owners are eccentric in a good way.😎🤓 Please tell me your old man kept his??
@@landonbenford8369 sadly he did get rid of it as do most people, but he did continue to buy econo cars like his 03 Corolla and then a Prius.
W dad
Awwwwe, poor shitbox Subaru!
Congrats to your Dad, a Cinerella story.
Nice! Salute to Pops!
I remember a newspaper ad in the 90’s for the Geo Metro. It showed a picture of the car and simply stated, “Hey, it’s better than taking the bus “. 😅
Lmao I’m not sure if you’re kidding or not 😂
Lmao I’m not sure if you’re kidding or not 😂
you wont see an ad like that today
all cowards now
I had a friend that drove a Geo into the ground. Commuted 97 miles each way 5 days a week.
My Ex drove a ‘90 Pontiac Firefly (the non-turbo manual base model). Noisy, frustrating at times and oddly smelled funny… but enough about Her. The car was great. I (we) drove regularly from Toronto to Montréal. I’ve never had a better or seen another vehicle that used so little petrol. Probably around 45(?) miles per gallon - even when driven mildly aggressive. Oh yeah… She (the Ex again) was also aggressive too. Thanks for the video.
Lmao you got me in the first part.
John 3 16-21! 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
I had a '95 Neon Highline with a 5-speed and hand crank roll-up windows. It was on 13" wheels. But it had a CD player, cruise control and air conditioning. And getting 40mpg wasn't unheard of with it if you drove it carefully enough. It was a good car.
Still laugh at that scene in Vegas Vacation where the prize cars are a Viper, Hummer, Mustang, and for some reason an Aspire xD
Truth
For those that "Aspired" to win an actual prize 😂
I never noticed that, but you’re right
haha right?? like why lol
John 3 16-21! 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
My first brand new vehicle was a 1992 Ford Ranger XLT 4 cylinder with 2wd, power steering, power brakes and a 5 speed manual. I paid $7,200 for it.
With todays market, it would probably be worth just as much today if it were very clean and sub 100k miles lol
@@hueyfreemaniii6214 even adjusted for inflation it would be worth more
Ive been abusing those 2.3 5speed rangers since the late 90's. Off road toy, truck, gokart all in one.
Now it's 58 grand!
I bought a 1992 Isuzu pickup with only a rear bumper for $6,600. I bought it in November of that year and the dealer wanted to get rid of it. I only replaced a headlamp and the fuel filter the whole time l owned it.
The economy sucks so bad now that I still drive a cheap 90s econo shit box
Bro I would love to have a 90 econo shitbox. My 06 Ram v6 is reliable and simple but not economical
I love my 99 Tercel, cheap to repair run and gets decent mpg will having enough power to go up a hill lol
@@kameronmckinnon5527 I got a 99 Mitsubishi Mirage so I’m barely getting up those hills lol
Fix it and baby it, the lack of tech in that car is a BIG advantage.
Wishing I could find one...
He never misses. Quality content as always
Thanks man!
i agree!!
My neighbor had a Metro when I was a kid, blue with plastic bumpers. One time I rode with him to the store, but we discovered that the underpass close to our house was significantly flooded. There was zero chance of us making it. However, he made sure I had my seatbelt on and hit the gas. We floated/skimmed right across the water to the other side. It was a brand new car at the time...but I guess it was cheap enough that he wasn't worried. There is something to be said about being light weight. I would love to see videos about the comparative weight of vehicles throughout the decades.
What an interesting story man, thanks for sharing it
Light weight combined with front wheel drive means pretty much the entire weight of the car is on the drive axles. Which makes for great traction.
Remember when you could get by on a full time job?
You mean back in the day when everyone in the household didn't need their own bedroom, TV, computer, cell phone, play station, every app available, subscriptions to all forms of TV and went to a restaurant maybe a few times a year and didn't travel all over the place staying in hotels and eating out so your kids can play a basketball or baseball game. Yeah, I remember.
@@rickbackous1041 💯
@@rickbackous1041 a full time job today gets you a crappy 1 room apartment with no vacations or eating out. I think you've got it flipped
Still can
Sorry about you life
Poor money management. My grandpa earned 7k (different currency) in the 80s, and rent was already 800 a month. How he managed it, I dont know. @@joeyjohnsonson4341
I still see more GEO metros on the road than all the others.
I remember taking mine to a mechanic for a service. I got a phone call saying changing the spark plugs would cost me a fortune because the 4th must be underneath the engine. I explained its a 3-cylinder. The mechanic was stunned. LOL.
I still see the 2nd gens quite frequently in Idaho.
Really? I never, ever see them. From this list, I definitely see the Saturn most.
@@silverxstar01 away from the rust belt, they last forever. Living in a remote area, they are popular for commuting. Cheap high fuel milage cars.
@@muddywater6856 I do live in the northeast, so that would explain it. Would be cool to see a Metro or two puttering around, but alas.
I know it's not in this list, but I remember when Kia Rio's first came around in 2001. They were $9999 in 2001. Under $10,000 for a new car. Although it was the last car with MANUAL steering.
My frugality-driven uncle bought one of these as a daily and raved about the mileage. He put over 45 thousand aggressive miles on it in a year and it was starting to rattle a bit. Unc hit a dog doing about 30mph and totaled the car. It was undrivable, with a cracked windshield and some impressive crumpling of the front end. The dog , a cocker spaniel, survived with a moderate limp and left the scene under their own power.
Kia's sister company is Hyundai and they're first hit was the Excel. It deserves to be on the list but anyways, it could definitely be number 11. I had one and I won't forget it.
My dad bought my mom a 1971 Dodge Dart swinger special. Beautiful gold metallic, power steering, power brakes, slant 6 automatic trans. NO RADIO. Over 20 mpg. It would blow the doors of any Datsun or Toyota. Inexpensive wonderful car 😉
I had a 92 Geo Metro 4dr Automatic transmission AND AC. If you had 4 people in the car on the highway and were going up a hill, you needed to turn off the ac and floor it. Still would lose about 10mph. 65 to 55 at the top. I usually got mid 30s MPG. But the best was on a trip to MN, going through Chicago doing 75 to 80MPH (you would get run over if you didn't) I averaged a little over 40mpg. It was a fun little car. Tires were 155 sr 12.
5:50 Ford Escort, not to be confused with the European Ford Escorts, a slightly different car.
More than slightly
@@danielbilorian2243 Almost completely.
Finally I found a channel that uses model/trim specific photos . Great video, just subscribed!
In 1993 I bought a brand new base model Chevy S-10 pickup (real pickup, 2 doors, long bed) I did get the 2.8L V6 engine, I needed a bit more power than the 2.5L four. But I could have gotten a 4.3L V6, and chose not to. The 2.8L has been just fine. I also got air conditioning. I live in Phoenix, AZ, where it is 110 degrees 5 months of the year. That's it. Not a single other option. It has a manual 5 speed transmission. It came with an AM radio standard. It came with 14" steel wheels and dog dish hub caps, which it still has. I have added a rear bumper and a sliding rear window. I paid under $9000 OTD. I lucked out by getting the 1993. Not only does the original body style look much better than the 1994 Japanese style body, but I got the last year before airbags and ABS. I still have this truck, with 277,000 miles on it. I have replaced the clutch once. It still runs fine. Being in AZ, it has zero rust. I will replace the engine, transmission, whatever it takes to keep this truck going. I absolutely love it.
All of the cars in this video is what we desperately need today. They are just normal cars, without all the TRASH technology of the GARBAGE car companies are making today. It is amazing, and downright scary just how far downhill vehicles have gone in such a short time.
Japanese body style???
@@BassRacerx The first gen S-10 is very square. The second gen (1994 and up) is very rounded, and at least to me has a very Japanese look to it.
they're never going to give us cheap cars again. They don't want us driving, honestly.
Rightfully so.
>You vill own nothing and you vill be happy
The entire american infranstructure is built on the notion that everyone would be driving. Sprawling suburbs, cities hours away, no amtrak, even in sprawling metropolises in the westcoast you need a car. The only viable cities you dont need a car are old east coast cities that were built around horses and buggies. Dont get me started about canada, its worse.
@@Hagebuddne983 gfu
@@mf.danger9235 I WANT A CAR. why do all you socialists dream of not driving?
I owned TWO Geo Metros and had NO ISSUES!
The base Escort was a Pony, keeping in line with all of the "horse/cowboy" type names in Ford history. The Mustang, the Pinto, the Bronco, the Maverick, etc.
Did you know that Hyundai Excels were popular then, and should have been on the list.
Hyundai says the Excels overseas were called Pony too.
@@metalmike570 I *think* that the Hyundai Pony was rear wheel drive and sold in Canada but not here in the USA. The Excel was the model sold here in the USA and was front wheel drive.
@@danielreigada1542 Yet in Canada in would definitely need FWD. Yet you
could be right, but I never heard it was rear wheel drive outside of the USA.
The stripped version of the Pinto in the late 1970s and 1980 was called the Pinto Pony. That is where Ford originally used the Pinto name.
I've owned Geo Metro's from '95, till 2020.. They were GREAT little cars, (for what they were). The power out of those 3 little squirrels .....wow, was TREMENDOUS! For around town, they were great. On one of mine that I had found, an XFI transmission, had it rebuilt, installed, from Phoenix, to Yuma, Az, I got 74.6 miles per gallon, doing 68mph, with a slight headwind of about 7mph. Going from Yuma, to San Diego sucked though , at times, I had to downshift into 3rd gear (from 5th), because of the slight power.
Agreed, the Metro was a fantastic little car.
It was roomy inside too. They must've anticipated people complaining about that, because it had tons of headroom & the front seats slid wayyy back into the back seat.
I'm a tall guy, the Metro was one of the only cars I've ever had that i didnt have to run the seat all the way back to the stops.
Right after H.s. graduation, my family gifted me a brand new 90 Hyundai Excel hatchback. 90 horsepower and had the nerve to put an economy button on it(which made it even slower)! I tinted it out and luckily, it was the beginning days of big sound systems. I put 2 12's in the hatch and got all kinds of attention lol. My buddy had a metro hatch stick shift. He blew his motor and we practically pulled the motor out without an engine hoist. My back still gives me problems to this day. 😂
In 1991 my now ex-g'friend bought what I call the Geo Metro station wagon (5-door hatch). People don't believe me when I say she could spin the tires on takeoff. She drove like red lights and stop signs were suggestions.😯
I don't know why they don't make these again.
@@HaveGunWillTravel00 Th Excel was Hyundai's first hit in the USA. One of the cheapest and strongest little cars, I had one too. The only thing was mine needed a wheel alignment, it was pulling badly to the right. So what does my wife do, she ran
it up the curb and hits a pole!! Totalled. She was okay but was shook up of course.
These days she drives a Hyundai Tucson, a million times better.
My mom had a Dodge Colt. No frills and certainly not fast, but a really reliable and solidly built car. I think the fact that she had the five-speed manual helped with the peppiness.
My mom bought one too, an 87. The colt was a Mitsubishi rebadge. Thing never broke down and she had it until 00 when she leased a Tacoma.
Yay neon made the list! My super clean 99 R/T sits in the garage, former Auto X playcar. They might have been throw away cars but they had guts for the day. So much so they dominated in SCCA racing for a good amount of time.
That’s awesome you still have one
That's awesome I loved my neon!
Chrysler actually made an SRT version of the Neon...it was a pretty fast little car!
I bought a 1991 Geo Metro convertible (yellow!) new. That car was a blast to drive! No mechanical problems during the nine years and 100K+ miles I put on the odometer. Had it until I collided with a red-light runner on my way home from the supermarket. ❤d that little ride! Averaged about 40 mpg consistently.
Man, how well did the Metro protect you?
@@GreenHawkDrive it was a low-speed impact. I came out unscathed. It actually had airbags! Given the age and mileage on the Metro, it was a total loss.
bought a brand new cavalier in 1990...2.2 4 cylinder engine, 99hp....it had no power brakes or power steering, no radio, no A/C, roll up windows,etc...brand new it was $8600...loved it! it was durable and dependable...never had a problem!
I had a `95 Saturn SL-1. Great car, I loved it!
I hate to tell you Generation Y & Z'ers this but All of the manufacturers charged extra for passenger-side mirrors on base models WELL into the 80's and early 90's. Even Honda and Toyota. Exceptions probably included Cadillacs, Lincolns, LTD Crown Victorias, and the like. Because back then you Still had to check your blind spot. As such they weren't seen as essential equipment. I DO remember they were optional on late 70's and early 80's Caprices and Impalas. In defense of the First Generation (1981-90) Escorts, there were composite/halogen headlights added in 1985 and another refresh in 1988.😎🤓And in Chicago, if your car had air conditioning AND a cassette player, you were KING Of The WORLD!!😊
Great times!
Same in Europe! Passenger mirrors were an option on most base models (even Audi, BMW and Mercedes) as they weren't mandatory until the late 80s.
It’s strange that even BIG cars once had a drivers-side mirror only.
Wym hate to tell us?
@@Maximus20778 Well I mean I hate to bust y'all's bubble. A LOT of what's standard equipment on a car today wasn't so in the 90's and even a radio with only AM reception was standard on an '03 Saturn Ion 1. I bought the 3.
$500 cars were my jam, those days are gone. An unloved Honda, $4-600, put a few more hundred into it, great vehicle for a year. I do miss those’d days.
They can still be had, I've done it twice this year alone. Bought a 2009 Hyundai Accent base model (3 door hatch, manual transmission , manual everything) for $375 at an auction. Didn't crank, but it bump started and drove off the lot. I bump started it exclusively for about a week until the starter I ordered arrived ($70 or so, I did the labor myself). Ended up spending a weekend fixing it up and flipping it.
And I bought another one just yesterday, a 1996 Infiniti G20 base 5 speed. Got this one even cheaper, $300 at the same auction. And this one allegedly runs and drives. It will need work of course, but all cheap cars do.
Back in 2019, I dailyed a 1994 Honda Civic EX 5 speed coupe I bought for $250. It had 273,000 miles, countless dents, a rebuilt title, a tendency to burn oil, and an unresponsive fuel gauge, but it ran like a clock. Even with me treating it like a rally car on my pizza delivery runs. I miss that car.
@@SkylineFTW97 What auctions do you go to? Doesn't sound like you've got a dealer's license?
@@joeyjohnsonson4341 No dealer's license. Only local public and police auctions that anyone with a driver's license can attend
I don't know if I've ever seen one of your videos before, but I have to say I LOVED AMC! I was stationed at the Great Lakes Navy base when I was a young lad just out of high school and brand new in the military and me and my buds had finished training and were all leaving to go to our first ships but first we went up to Kenosha for the weekend because one of our best bros was marrying a girl from there and we were all going to be in the wedding. Long story short he knew what an AMC nut I was and they made sure to drive me down that road! We were all half lit so I was cheering and stomping my feet all excited because I was checking out the factory where my Rambler and Hornet were made. We all got out and danced a little jig under that bridge-tunnel-overpass thing. Man it was awesome. In the years since I've had another Hornet - a Sportabout wagon, in fact, which was the absolute most reliable used car I've ever owned, and a Jeep J-10 pickup truck with the Honcho trim package which I LOVED! I tell ya man, I check on Google every now and then and if I found a good priced Hornet or Pacer in decent shape I just might get me one more AMC before I rock off into the sunset! 😊
Cool story! Good times man!
My first car was a '93 Festiva L 5-speed. I mowed lawns all summer and bought it in 1997 for $700, with 40K on the clock and in great condition. (Shows how much the value depreciated in 4 years!) It was bare-bones, no AC, no options, no passenger mirror, and if I remember correctly, it had 12-inch tires. They cost about $100 to replace all 4! I made a lot of good memories in that little car though. It taught me how to drive a stick, and I let several friends learn on it too. We'd pile into that thing regularly, and take it to the woods and beat the hell out of it! Reverse-donuts in the sand, and it was nimble on trails. If we got stuck, it was light enough that we'd all get out and just lift it out of the holes! At one point I even put a killer stereo in it with subs in the back, as we all did back then. It lasted me about 2 years until all my abuse caught up with it. In the end at 70K, it was leaking 2 quarts of oil per hour from the rear main seal, and the clutch was shot, surely due to red-lining it racing dirt tracks and other dumb stuff a 16 year old does. Limping it to the junkyard, I stopped by a yard sale, and I ended up trading it for a stereo and $50. My next car was an '87 Crown Victoria, and I LOVED that car. If I were to buy one car again, it would be the Crown Vic. It was like driving a Lazy-Boy on a cloud.
Those were fun cars. My friend had one. We drove the heck out of it. It had 400,000 miles when he sold it.
My parents bought an '89 LeMans LE, brand new, right before my dad got stationed in Germany. It was the sedan version, not sure about the engine but that little guy would handle the autobahn on the regular without issue. In fact, I don't remember it ever having any major mechanical issues the 6 years we had it.
Maybe it had the V6. Not that small of a car.
@@metalmike570 it was a sub-compact. Plenty for myself (4-8) and my baby brother (0-4) in the back seat, but it was still not a big car. I don't think it ever came in a V6 though. It wasn't exactly "quiet" on the autobahn, but it handled it beautifully. I'm sure my dad picked it because of it's European/Korean roots, and since we were moving to Europe finding a mechanic wouldn't have been much trouble. He also bought an old brown colored manual 3-series to get around in so my mom could have the LeMans at home for us. THAT car is probably responsible for my love of cars and speed to be honest lol
@@sniklaceladelyk Interesting, then what do you drive now?
@@metalmike570 I daily a '15 Accord but I have an old Audi TT that's my toy. Stage 3 clutch/flywheel and upgraded cooling with an overboosted turbo.
@@sniklaceladelyk Audi's are luxurious, at least that's what I think I see, it sounds fast. Is it a manual transmission?
Memory lane! My first car was a ‘91 Ford Festiva L. My sister and I both learned to drive on that car. Dad got it for $4,995 with a trade-in. It had something like a 9-gallon gas tank, so it was ~$10 to fill it from dead empty. It was a perfect rectangle inside and had amazing acoustics…we have a huge sound system in the truck for a number of years. Lasted 13 years, finally gave it up after our 4th set of wheel bearings seized. Absolutely loved that car!
This video really brings me back since my mom owned a Chevy Cavalier, a Dodge Colt, A Dodge Omni and for a while leased a Pontiac Firefly... So basically most of the 90's when we had wheels it was in one of these cars on the list... She also wanted to buy a Ford Aspire but her credit wasn't good so we probably dodged a bullet/lemon with that one!
And for the record the Pontiac Firefly/Geo Metro here in Canada got around 50 MPG highway and it was super cheap to run since gas at the time was about 39.9/L or $1.30/gallon CAD or under $1.00 USD/gallon at the time... This was 1994/1995...
I love that in the 90's, car companies cared about people enough to offer them affordable cars on the lot as well. Now-a-days, the cheapest new cars you can buy on the market will run you 20-25k minimum. Allowing people who are lower income to ALSO own their own brand new 0 milage cars without having to worry the previous owner didn't take care of it or that it would break down was something I wish we still cared about as a society, but it is all about money and making the top 1% rich family dynasties even richer.
The Pontiac/Daewoo was a rebadged European Opel Kadett.
Fun to watch. Thank you.
Thanks for the great content. I remember those days with a smile on my face. How far we have come. Keep up the good work
My piano teacher had a Ford Escort and my friend's father had a Ford Festiva. The Festiva lasted 400,000 miles, and was a manual. When we learned to drive, we revved the heck out of that and drove it like we were trying to break it (to clarify, he bought the car from his father as a second vehicle, so we weren't beating up his dad's car ). It was actually quite peppy. He sold it for 600 dollars after we were done playing around with it.
I have a 94 Chevy Cavalier, 75k miles runs great, 1 previous owner, got it at 46k driven 30k miles with no issue besides a water pump replacement. I got a Base Coupe too!
The cavalier is such a fun little car. Easy to drive, basic but sporty (super easy to break into, thankful for the dozens of times i've locked myself out), and just cool
I love that you and me have the same taste and interest for cars in the era. My first car was a brand new from Mitsubishi Blainville , 2016 Mirage base es manual with no options for $8995 CAD
Motorweek! Love watching the retro reviews.
Don't forget the Shelby GLH Omni(Goes Like Hell) model
The last GLHS was produced in 1986. Even though the Omni made it to 1990, the GLHS did not so it shouldn't be included on this list.
@johnjones393
Was still on the Omni chassis and they went thru the trim levels of the cars it should have still been mentioned. Imo
@@johnjones393 Hyundai Excels weren't on the list and I think it's an oversight. It's an American car im my opinion.
@metalmike570 my sister had 1, 2 door hatchback fugly thing so she had the windows double limo tinted cause it was like being in a fish bowl inside that thing. 1st year she had also think was like a 91' she had. Hyundai has come a loooong way
Great video!
I agree that it was difficult sometimes to tell how Dodge and Plymouth stacked up. It did seem that Plymouth was the entry-level brand, but looking back to the 60s, Plymouth had muscle car pretenses before Dodge, or at about the same time. And if Plymouth was the entry-level marque, it puzzled me as to why it was in the same division and sold at the same dealerships as Chrysler, the premium offering-except that it gave Chrysler dealers a way to sell to first-time buyers. Dodge dealers had vehicles of every size.
As for the Colts and Neons, I think they were priced the same whether badged as Dodges or Plymouths. Apparently it had been determined that the brand nameplate was less important thing in the buyer’s mind. Back in the 70s the Mitsubishi captive imports (Plymouth Sapporo and Dodge Challenger, Plymouth Champ and Dodge Colt) were priced the same and differed in trim and colors. Omnis/Horizons and Aries/Reliants were probably priced the same also.
In Canada we had the Pontiac Fire Fly. It was a dressed up Geo Metro. I put 91,000 miles on it and never replaced anything except the tires. I put a little set of white walls on it. Pretty dressed up. It was a lot of fun. It would go 87 mph with the top up, and 84 with the top down. It had no backseat. There was a passway from behind the driver seat into the trunk, and if two people sat on the floor facing backwards they could put their feet into the trunk. I had a lot of fun with that car. You could not pass anything in it on a two lane roads or death was near. Where I live is very flat, so driving was not a problem, but once I went on a road trip that had a few mountains in it and with the accelerator pedal to the floor and the transmission in second gear there was a huge line of cars behind me. Very embarrassing. I’d buy another one tomorrow if I could.
I actually spotted a neon this week being worked on at a local mechanic shop.
ChicagoLand Road Salt killed all the ones around here.☹
@@landonbenford8369 the last time I saw one before this week was easily two decades ago. Very rare car to find indeed.
@@landonbenford8369that's what killed mine!
I had a 1998 Dodge Neon R/T. Even as a Honda guy, I love the 1st gen Neons.
Not a 90s model, but owned in the 90s, a 1986 Cavalier Z24 Hatchback. One of the few cars I would take back in an instant.
I owned 3 first generation Saturns We also went to the Homecoming in Tennessee summer of 1999 😅
Right on man! Didn’t they make a special edition for that event?
@@GreenHawkDrive yeah that had special wheels and black background Saturn emblems instead of red
Dude!! ANY First Gen. Saturn I consider to be a museum piece, now!!
Pontiac Le Mans looks quite good. Just an Opel Kadett.
but built under licsence by Daewoo
I'm surprised it didn't make it here.
Then again, I'm the only one with a Daewoo Matiz in Canada ;)
@@the_kombinator The Matiz is a great econobox. We had one here in the UK and it was a ballsy little car.
@@Steve-gc5nt Last time I went to Romania, it seemed that like 40% of the country ran on those ;)
@@the_kombinator It was. I´m not canadian, but i read somewhere that for a short period GM sold some of its cheaper models under the "Asuna" (or Asüna) brand in Canada. The Le Mans / Kadett / whatever was sold as the Optima or Passport Optima.
I still have the window sticker to my dad's 1991 Chevrolet Cavalier VL, no radio, no passenger side mirror, stick shift. The only "option" was all-season tires.
I can definitely relate to the struggle of finding pictures. I still can't find a picture of the dark blue exterior paint, only light blue.
Interestingly, adjusted for inflation, a base 2024 Camry is 25% cheaper than a base 1998 Camry. But good luck finding a base 2024.
14:00 i remember the Geo Metro by Mike Judge's sitcom King of the Hill in the very first episode. that car looked like an amphibian
Grew up with Festiva L in the house. I recall loving that little box and going on road trips in it. I also recall it having zero issues. Ever.
I miss the days of a cheap escort. I got quoted $2,000 for a half hour last time I inquired. I just beat it instead.
So you opted for a Suzuki swift?
LMAO
@@milesdyson I'm turning Japanese I am turning Japanese
I like when Carroll Shelby got a hold of those Dodge Omnis and the Chargers....the GLH and the GLHS!...I've seen these things built that they would just burn the front tires off!....the aftermarket is pretty strong for these cars too!
“It’s a ford…it’s a Festiva!”
Still remember that commercial lol
My first car in 1993 was an 1986 Plymouth Horizon. Was a great first car and I drove the wheels off it for 2 years. Water pump went late one night on the side of 95 in north Philly and it was 12° out (so no heat and then it eventually blew up and I had to get towed home). But other than that, never had an issue with it. Sold it to some kid in my neighborhood and saw it around for years after that.
*I owned BOTH the ASPIRE and the FESTIVA, and liked both.* Both were 5-speed manuals. I got a 1990 Festiva in 1991 that was just unsold. Then they offered a discount on it and I paid $4,700 for the brand new car. It had 63 HP. It had rear window defrost. I got 43 MPG in MIXED driving. I LOVED that aspect about it. I bought it for the gas mileage and since it was a new car I would not have to do repairs on it every other weekend. Also, it got out of it's way just fine, if you know how to drive a stick well. I surprised many V6 mustangs that were made at the time. They could not pull away. Remember, it was a very light car. It was killed by a Buick and that is when I bought a 1996 Aspire.
The Aspire had rear window defrost and air conditioning!!! It also had the "radio prep package" (wiring and antennae but no radio or speakers. I installed my own that were better than factory). I decided I did not want a car without Air after the Festiva. I pulled a 14 foot rowboat with this car. While doing so, I would be stopped at a traffic light and when it turned green I would switch off the AC so that I could accelerate away, and once I got to speed I would switch the AC back on. The interior of the car seemed MUCH MORE like a car than the Festiva, though still very cheap, but it looked better. The Festiva's interior screamed "BASIC TRANSPORTATION" rather than "car." The Aspire was a little slower than the Festiva because the Festiva had 12" wheels whereas the Aspire had the "big" 13" wheels, which had more leverage against the engine. I had no problem with either of these cars, except for when I left the Festiva parked on the side of the road overnight, in the dead of winter, facing North, and we had halacious winds that took the temperature down to 80 BELOW ZERO. When I started the car to go to work the cooling system was frozen and the timing belt jumped a few teeth. That was not the fault of the car though, and it was repaired. I should not have left the car facing into the wind out in the open with that kind of wind chill. Other than that, zero problems with these cars. Both were made for Ford by Kia, with a 1.3L engine.
I had a 89 Escort ES I bought new in 89. I remember getting it for 7500 bucks. I really liked it. It did good in snow and got really good gas mileage. I remember alot of these cars you showed. I remember looking at a Suzuki Swift GTi back in 89. Don't remember what the price was,but found out it was what the Geo Metro was. Except it had a 16 valve 4 cylinder versus the Geo Metro 3 cylinder engine. Another reason you don't find too many cars pre 2000s is because of the "Cash for Clunkers" deal the government put out to get rid of older fuel inefficient cars and trucks. Always wanted to get a Neon SRT4 or a Rampage 2.2. Great video!👍
The first car I bought when I got a decent paying job was my red '91 Chevy Cavalier RS 4 door sedan, and it was so nice. It was so exciting to get my own car and I still have great and fond memories of that car!
One of my good friends got a Geo Metro stick (manual transmission) back in '93. Probably rode home from school with her a couple hundred times in that car. MPG was a huge thing in the early 90s so she actually kept track. I remember she regularly got over 50mpg. It was slow and gutless but it could drive forever!
I appreciate the time you put into the top 10 videos. They really are great, but nothing wrong with the more focused ones.
2:01 my dad had a Dodge Neon absolute base model - no power steering, no power windows, no power locks, manual transmission. I got it from him a decade later. Fuel gauge stopped working so you just had to fill it based on when the trip odometer reached 300 miles.
10:43 - before the Neon, my dad owned one of the last Omnis. Absolute tank of a car. Felt sporty even if it wasn't. Once again, specially ordered the most basic package imaginable. Came with a tape player though.
Had a 1999 Dodge Neon Highline. 2.0 DOHC, 5 speed manual. Only thing I did was put lightweight wheels on it from the factory steel wheels. I ran premium fuel. One summer I got 40 mpg a couple of times. Mainly upper 30s. 75% highway. What was nice is the car was very light and it had power with that motor, 150 hp is what the 2.0 DOHC was rated at, probably the quickest car in your list. It had 165,000 mi on it when I sold it. No major problems. Car was such a blast to drive! Only thing that concerned me was the safety in it If I were to get into a bad accident I would be toast more than likely.
8:39 that's an INSANE amount of body roll😮
Thing is literally DRIFTING and SLIDING
@ChryslerHyper I guess sway bars are an option?
@ wouldn’t be surprised 😹
Excellent video Greenhawk! I never owned any of these but I do remember the Escort GT and how good it looked. It's amazing to me that the base level prices parallel the current base models. Of course those are so well equipped to those rides back in the day. I would love to see your 80s comparison even if you don't get 5,000 likes but I sure hope that you do!
Man, I love this content. It’s just amazing what you can do with AI these days.
Car is not having passenger side rear view mirrors was pretty common from my memory. Nothing beats when GM made those cars that had windows that didn’t roll back down in the back, that was great. Those funky hatchbacks that weren’t actually hatchbacks.
I know it’s worn out but it’s just never gonna get old to me that people think that you’re AI because it’s so obviously not
I owned a Festiva here in Australia several years ago and absolutely loved it; I only sold it because we needed a bigger car.
Hey Mr Drive, i used to own an Austin Metro City X with only one side mirror, it had a 998cc motor, and power nothing! I bought it for £150, I put a huge 15" subs in it, 9" wide superlite wheels and a MG turbo body kit, it looked awesome, drove like crap! 😅
Great vids man, don't let the grumpy old haters get you down bud 🤘
Hey, thanks man!
My grandmother had an 89 Festiva with a 5-speed. We took a road trip from California to Michigan, got great gas mileage and was surprisingly not tortured by it. Kind of wish I had it these days. Super basic, white, grey interior, good little car that would pretty easily burn out in first.
That SR Tacoma attack felt personal. I have one as a daily. It's a purpose built work/fleet truck.
Interesting! I remember trying to sell a Geo Metro many years ago. That 3cylinder engine was not quiet at any level! Great video! I was a nice walk down memory lane!
Ya, my chevy sprint had same 3 cylinder 1.0. I put 120k miles before engine became loud. I put 20-50 weight oil to keep it quite!
@@bullramis4179 Thanks for responding! What is old is new again at GM. I do have an optimism that the new 1.2 litre/3 cylinder turbo engine is going to be reliable.
My coworker has a 1st gen Escort hatch. Yes you read that right. HAS one. It’s super clean and it’s stanced on some good looking wheels. I personally wouldn’t stance any car but this car is so slow it fits it perfectly. 😂
What the! A stanced first gen escort, I don’t believe it😂
@@GreenHawkDrive best believe it! I wish I could attach pictures on RUclips. There is no aftermarket support for this car so everything he did to it other than the wheels had to be self fabricated or bought from another car that had the aftermarket support and then adapted to his Escort. I would know I had to help him on the control arms and springs. But him and his dad did majority of the work such as making a custom plate for the coil overs to attach to and custom sway bar and end links and steering knuckles for the coils overs and other suspension stuff and axles. It’s super clean and like I said I’m not really into stanced cars but this one looks so good. This particular model does not have A/C or power steering. It’s white with gold rims. It’s his pride and joy lol it’s the definition of built not bought.
Dude, I have to see photos. My instagram is greenhawkdrive, my email is greenhawkdrive@gmail.com
Of you look at these cars with a Europeaan glass on you see a lot cars they have a different name but the same car:
Geo metro- Suzuki Swift
The Dodge - Mitsubishi colt
Ford escort -Ford escort
Dodge Neon-crysler neom
Dodge omnium-talbot horizon
Also chemo cars in europe ……
Nice video! Thanks greats from the Netherlands
American escort is completely different from european model
in 1989 I purchased a brand new 1990 Colt for $4900 with AM/FM and air conditioning. It was a cool little car. I was in my early 20's so this was a huge upgrade over the 1979 Olds Cutlass that I was driving.
I bought a 2007 Pontiac with 3 options. A radio upgrade, floor mats, and a shinny wheel package.
I'm now driving a base model Cadillac with only 2 options. The color, and a heated seat. Hard to imagine that Cadillac didn't have heated seating in a base model.
I had to wait a year for delivery, due to covid, but I'm a firm believer in buying what you can afford. Instead of taking what the dealers want to unload on you.
My 84 Corolla 87 Chevy Nova 91 Civic wagon and 96 Tercel all didn't have passenger mirrors it was popular on base model economy cars of the time. Tbh I'm shocked my yugo has a factory passenger mirror.
Yeah, the poverty-spec Civic (the CX hatchback) was offered without a passenger-side mirror even in the 5th generation model, from 1992 to ‘95. I had a ‘96 CX but it did have the mirror. Base models were sold without radios well into the ‘00s, I recall seeing an ‘06 Civic DX with a blank panel in the space where the stereo headunit would be, so you’d have to opt for a dealer-installed unit or aftermarket.
1st time see your video i love this format , i will subscribe
Thank you, I appreciate it!
I had a 1990 Cavalier Z24, it was an amazing fun car to drive!
Bought a brand new 1990 Geo Metro XFI and drove it for approximately 8 years. Utterly reliable and I got as high as 63 mi per gallon on the highway. Would love to own it still today! No air conditioning or radio from the factory. Had to install a super deluxe AM FM cassette and speakers myself with the help of a friend. It was custom!
I love watching. Kudos on such good work on top of being full time college student, especially if your major is in the hard sciences.
Thanks man and it sure is😂
Nice RCR footage on the Omni. 🤘🏻
In 1990 I owned a 3 cyl 4 speed 86 Chevy Sprint (Geo Metro).with 60K.. I did get over 55 mpg and as cheap as that car was I paid $700 as a winter beater, and sold is 3 years later with 119K for $1500. I loved that death trap and I still remember $6 every other week for gas. I had a GT Mustang and a Classic ‘61 Dart as my nice weather cars and I still drove the Sprint because it was a blast to sling around and use all of its power.
I worked as a tech, and still do, back in the 90's and those 3 cylinder Geo Metro's got 50 mpg on the highway easy with 51-52 the norm. Funny story-Had a lady come in the shop with her 3 speed automatic Geo Metro complaining that it often wouldn't shift into high gear. The catch was that she weighed about 350-400 lbs and could barely get the door closed on her GEO. I mean she was huge. It wasn't easy telling her that her 3 cylinder was down shifting to second due to load. LOL
I had a 1991 Mercury Tracer that I bought in 1999 for $1200. Shortly after I picked it up, I did a little bit of research on the car and learned that while the standard engine was the Ford 1.9L pushrod four cylinder, what I had in mind was a DOHC 1.8L Mazda engine that made nearly twice as much power as the 1.9L. Ooh and she was a SCREAMER too. With a 7000 RPM redline, a 5spd, four wheel disc brakes, and fully independent suspension, she ran and rode far beyond her weight class. I even once beat a 1987 Mustang that had a V6 automatic in a drag race. That poor horse never even stood a chance.
We had an 88 Escort GT in the family. Wow! Not the best quality but it was leased! Great video
was an enjoyable first video, keep it up!
It's wild that I've not owned any of these but had at least one friend who owned all of these.
I always wanted a manual Aspire. Old man Leon from Scout Camp drove a pink Aspire with an 8 inch bass tube. I always wanted a tiny hatchback with too much stereo in it.
A friend's mom owned a Festiva. It looked embarassing but in hindsight it was a smart choice for daily driver and beater car. Her mom (friend's grandmother) had a 3-cyl automatic Metro. It was surprisingly fun to drive. I didn't really fit but it was hilarious doing a burnout in that car.
I bought a 1988 Festiva L in 94 with 93K miles. I drove it until 2001, and it still ran and looked fine. I only ever replaced the tires, brakes, and radio. A/C broke at some point, but oh well. I managed 45 MPG on the highway with the 4-speed manual.
I bought a new 96 Plymouth Neon. It was pretty basic but it was a peppy car. The 4-cylinder pumped 132 horses through a 5-speed manual. It didn't give me any trouble until the head gasket blew at 38,000 miles.
i thought this was one of those content farm ai videos, thank you for something refreshing
I was thinking of moving to Canada from Scotland in 1996, a Ford Aspire was $5995 Canadian just Under £3000 Uk at the time.
About a year or so ago, I saw a nearly mint condition base model 1st generation Dodge Neon in the wild. Blew my mind, I literally have not seen one that clean since they were new! I remember wanting one when I was a kid because it was just an honest, small American car. Then I got older, and wiser.
In 1994 I bought a brand new Toyota 2wd pickup when I got out of high school. It was $8995 with 9 miles on it from Oak Ridge Toyota in Lynchburg VA. Still remmeber the salesmans name. RIP Joe Meeks.
I had a 1989 Chevy S-10 truck. 2.5 4 banger, whopping 115 HP. Didnt even have power steering, bench seat, vinyl floor. Had a heater..lol. but that truck ran forever it seemed. Sold it with 200k plus miles. Saw it 5 years later at a lumber yard, still going
Blow this channel up!!! I can only imagine how great you could make your content with more capital. I'll say it again, great job keep up the great work.
Thanks man!
The 5 speed 3 cylinder Chevy Sprint (Canada) barebones model that my ex brother in law had would average 62 mpg (combined city highway) the 3 cylinder engine mated to the 5 speed manual gearbox made it "peppy"
Another excellent video! Thanks for posting.
Thanks for watching!
This is like turning back the clock to some pretty special times in my life. A lot of firsts in these cars- three of them were owned by girls I dated in high school.
I had a 1983 dodge Omni/plymouth horizon clone in 5 door hatch back form. I would say the car is a piece of junk but it was cheap and got me through my college years and a cross country road trip. When you are young, you just don't know any better. What a memorable car
It is mind blowing different cheap cars from the 90s compare to cheap cars of today!
I had an neon acr 4 door Custer purple car that ran 13's all day in the quarter mile
Considering I got a Hyundai Pony to run a 15.8 at St Thomas, I believe it. :P