Forgotten Cool Cars of the 90s

[Monday]

Makes me kind of miss my LT4 Corvette. Still enjoying my Neon ACR, sold my 2.4 turbo'd ACR (285hp/373tq to the wheels....you want to talk about lighting tires up at highways speeds!). Dad had a 93 SHO, I remember it was cool but I was pretty little at the time. I do remember it was too big of a car for the clutch it had. He also had a Trans Am Firehawk (01'). I liked the car, almost bought it back from the guy he sold it to.



Looking back....I had an awesome car line up before I was 20! Now I have a house. :(

[troidus]

Originally Posted by codyh

I wouldn't call $12k out of reach for the average guy.

Good luck finding many new cars in that price range today.

[CodyY]

maybe not so 90's, but was popular in the 90's. Always one of my favorites

[kdstang]

Originally Posted by JimVonBaden

I saw three worth mentioning, and that at least most could stretch to afford.





Mazda RX7 twin turbo:







Generally the 90's were pretty sucky, with OK cars from all sides. Not much special in the price range the average guy could stretch to afford.

Jim

Not many would call the RX-7 affordable, even today considering its still a top choice along with the Supra for Tooners. Just keep the lug nuts correct and well torqued..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv4m41viy4I..

I do admire the chassis, and although its polarizing, the LS series engine makes this car about perfect.

[mngl1500]

I had a 1990 Ford Probe 2.2 non turbo. It made 110 hp.
I needed the non turbo for insurance pricing after totaling the car I had before buying the Probe.
Mine was white with a sun roof.

At 75,000 miles the tranny died so did a swap with a Mazda 626 tranny.
At 125,000 miles it literally blew a spark plug out and stripped the spark from the head. One helicoil latter it was fine (for a while).
175,000 the head was warped and cracked so me and my friend replaced it with an after market aluminum one.
180,000 mile it ate a belt a week. Got to where we could replace the belt in 15 minutes. After 4 we found the bad pulley and replaced it.

2006 and 250,000 miles on it I sold it and was carless for several months but I now had 2 motorcycles instead but winter was coming.

I miss that car.

[spagthorpe]

Originally Posted by Jeffy

I don't think anyone's mentioned the Toyota Supra yet either. One of Toyota's last great sport cars. The MK III is really under appreciated but the MK IV was popular like the Mazda FD (RX-7)

Loved these, but couldn't afford one when they came out. Still can't, as nice ones haven't really ever gone down in value. Crazy.

[Gummee!]

Originally Posted by mngl1500

I had a 1990 Ford Probe 2.2 non turbo. It made 110 hp.
I needed the non turbo for insurance pricing after totaling the car I had before buying the Probe.
Mine was white with a sun roof.

At 75,000 miles the tranny died so did a swap with a Mazda 626 tranny.
At 125,000 miles it literally blew a spark plug out and stripped the spark from the head. One helicoil latter it was fine (for a while).
175,000 the head was warped and cracked so me and my friend replaced it with an after market aluminum one.
180,000 mile it ate a belt a week. Got to where we could replace the belt in 15 minutes. After 4 we found the bad pulley and replaced it.

2006 and 250,000 miles on it I sold it and was carless for several months but I now had 2 motorcycles instead but winter was coming.

I miss that car.

My little brother had a Probe. Tried like hell to kill it.

Sold it first

M

[Jeffy]

Originally Posted by spagthorpe

Loved these, but couldn't afford one when they came out. Still can't, as nice ones haven't really ever gone down in value. Crazy.

If you look at the previous generation you can usually find deals. The FC/RX7 and MKIII Supra come to mind. Or look for non-turbo versions and or automatics. They usually got for much cheaper and aren't as beat.

[Dukeryder]

The All-Trac Celica is a pretty cool car. I always thought this generation was a little feminine but the All-Trac Turbo was a pretty cool car.

Originally Posted by STROMVADER

A friend of mine had one of these in high school. I thought it was pretty "advanced". 1991 Subaru XT 4WD


The dash at night..

I love those, didn't realize they were even sold in the 90s always considered them an 80s car. It's got the angular 80s styling but still kind of futuristic interior styling.

[bodhisattva65]

Lancia Integrale

[JimVonBaden]

Originally Posted by codyh

I'd have to disagree, I think that the performance car culture finally rebounded from the neutering that the epa gave it in the early 70's during the 90's. Ford finished developing the 5.0, then moved to 2,3,&4 valve mod motors, GM developed the lt1 and then the ls1. The power from smaller motors more than doubled, for example, The honda 4's went from 70ish hp to 160hp in some models. Suspension and brake technology increased also, just not quite at the same rate. The design of most factory hot-rod engines today are just developments of 90's designs. As for price, a 1990 v-8 mustang was around $12k, a new one is around $30k. Even after inflation, I wouldn't call $12k out of reach for the average guy.

Performance wise you have the edge, but in the appearance/appeal arena, the 90's doesn't hold a candle to the turn of the century stuff IMHO!

Jim

PS My 2008 Sky has 260 hp and 260 torque from the factory with a little 2.0 4 cylinder. Nearly 300 HP and 325 torque with a $200 remap.

[CodyY]

Originally Posted by JimVonBaden

Performance wise you have the edge, but in the appearance/appeal arena, the 90's doesn't hold a candle to the turn of the century stuff IMHO!

Jim

PS My 2008 Sky has 260 hp and 260 torque from the factory with a little 2.0 4 cylinder. Nearly 300 HP and 325 torque with a $200 remap.

Yup, and a 98 Camaro with a lid and a dump will walk it.

[Grainbelt]

Originally Posted by CodyY

Yup, and a 98 Camaro with a lid and a dump will walk it.

I usually go for a walk, then open the lid, followed by a dump.

What the fuck are you talking about?

[Dukeryder]

Originally Posted by JimVonBaden

Performance wise you have the edge, but in the appearance/appeal arena, the 90's doesn't hold a candle to the turn of the century stuff IMHO!

Jim

PS My 2008 Sky has 260 hp and 260 torque from the factory with a little 2.0 4 cylinder. Nearly 300 HP and 325 torque with a $200 remap.

My only "issue", which really isn't an issue at all; is that even though HP has come way up over the last 10 years, so has weight!

Can't compare the sky to much because it was a 1 and done. But the Type R Integra could probably beat the new Civic Si through an Auto-X course or a tight road course. So even though it's 15 year old technology the lower weight helps it out quite a bit.

[Mr. Whipple]

Originally Posted by neanderthal

I think any discussion of cool 90s cars that does NOT include the Mercedes W124, Honda/ Acura NSX, E38 BMW 7 series and E39 BMW 5 series, is incomplete.

To whit; the Mercedes W124. In epochal 500E form.

I agree with your sentiment and not to nitpick but this is not a 500E. It is an E500. The grill, hood, and headlights are different from the earlier 1992 and 1993 model year 500E. Other than these minor cosmetic updates it's the same car. I have an early car built in 1991 and imported as a 1992 and love it. The 500 was built entirely by hand in a joint effort between Mercedes and Porsche. The build quality is unrivaled by anything built since regardless of manufacturer or cost.