Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/02/07/the-only-car-from-the-1980s-i.html
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The 80s were bad, but not all the cars were horrible. The early 80s Celicas with the 22R engines were nice. Fuel-injection, five-speed, RWD. A decent little car.
If you had a good mechanic, the Golf of that period got great mileage, better than a lot of contemporary vehicles, because it was so light. If I lived in Europa, I’d probably drive the current Skoda derivation of the late 80s Golf.
And I regret, at least once a month, selling my 80s Toyota PU (Hilux). That thing was amazing. I put 200,000 miles on it, and only had to replace points and plugs, a clutch master, the clutch slave twice, and one adjustment/clean-up of the carb. And a bearing on the water pump. Total parts costs probably around/under $100. Not bad for more than 20 years of use. I loved that little truck.
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The vehicle of choice of the insurgency!
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I ran across this 1980 beaut today and thought of you:
They still make them albeit more rugged:
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I had a 1984 Mazda 626 five-speed and it was the best car I have ever owned.
Second was a 1989 Volvo 740 diesel station wagon with a five-speed.
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I had a 1982 Alfa Romeo GTV-6 and it was … uh … a blast to drive when it was running properly.
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I had a '90 Mazda Protege that I liked, but it was plagued with electrical problems.
I really miss the lighter cars you could get up through the '90s. You can still get them in Europe, like the VW Polo, all those SEATs and Skodas. But not here in the US, sadly.
My BIL almost killed himself in a GTV-6, too hot into a turn in the Alps. Oops!
My wife said she drove it from pegged-out from Linz to Nuremberg more than once. She said it was scary-fast.
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Have you had a chance to drive an early 1980s BMW E21 series ? The 320i coupe matched with their five speed Getrag transmission is another great car from the 1980s.
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My favorite ever car was a 1987 Mitsubishi Montero. I miss that car.
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I once bought a used car from Florida. I went to clean it out and there were mummified anoles under the seat.
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The wheels look kinda wrong.
Also, this:
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Miatas existed in the 80s, Honda CRXs, Celica Supras, Datsun 280Zs, MR2s…yeah really 2-seaters were where the fun was at. Small import 2WD trucks were a bonus.
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I’d take this li’l ‘80s darlin’ back (this one isn’t mine but it’s a dead ringer other than the wheels):
Light, simple, quick, good-looking, and always subtlely encouraging bad behavior.
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It was fun to drive when the driveshaft couplings weren’t exploding and the fuel lines weren’t dissolving. And then there was the time the clutch disintegrated on the way home from work. That trip home was quite an adventure but I made it. But there was this one sweeping turn on the way home where I’d drop it into third gear and floor it and hear the wail of the V-6 and all was forgiven (for the moment).
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The only car? I have to say:
My musical tastes still include classic rock, so what do you expect.
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Agree completely. My 1989 CRX was my all time favorite vehicle.
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