What car sold in the 1990s that is a keeper?

[Gerbo]

I am wondering if the Corolla GLI bigbody has already achieved the "modern classic" status that is worth keeping for generations. If not, what is?

[renzo_d10]

Yup, the corolla big body is a worth keeping vehicle. ( I own one. )

But . . .

I find the civic also a great / worth keeping vehicle.

Well, all cars are worth keeping if taken of properly.

[lui]

galant gti din parang maganda tsaka civic hatch eg

[tidus1203]

If you're one of the few who has a Civic SiR that's a keeper for me in the 90's.

[number001]

1992-1997 Corolla (Big Body) 1.6 GLi m/t

1993-1995 Civic EG 1.6 ESi m/t

1994-1997 Accord 2.0 or 2.2 VTEC m/t

1990-1994 Galant (last model year with skirts on the bumper was the best)

Mazda Miata

1997-1999 Expedition - if mechanical parts lasted this long without too much repairs.

[p_borj]

sa akin ito naman.

Honda Civic ESI - I hate Honda's pero talagang ito ang worth keeping IMO.
Honda Civic SIR 99
Mitsubishi Galant Shark 99

[artpogi]

not including Euro cars, it'll be the Honda SiR and Galant GTI for me.

[niky]

Common cars?

I'd put my money on the B13 Sentra ECCS (a fully restored one, with correct mags and side stickers, is a real head turner), the EG Civic hatchback, the SiR... of all the 4AFE Corollas... my personal preference is the AE89.

After that... the Galant GTi... then maybe the last of the old-body Accord VTi-Ls (manual only, please).

The "Shark" Galant series cars were very problematic compared to the GTi... the GTi was more robust, had a more powerful iteration of the 4G63 (DOHC... and not strangled by emissions regulations, as later engines were... late 90s to early 00 Mitsubishi gas engines are pretty pathetic) and didn't eat balljoints every three months... . I don't like the "big body" Corolla as much as the older one or lovelife... just doesn't have that classic look the models before and after it have... the Lovelife looks absolutely fantastic with the Euro light conversion... but this is just personal preference.

Honda ESi? Really nothing special about it... the hatchback, at least, has an interesting and flexible interior... sort of like a small Jazz.

As for less common cars... hmmm... I kind of prefer mid-90s BMWs to mid-90s Mercs (the best Mercs, IMHO, are the 1980's models)... the E46 3-series and E60 5-series both classically handsome cars... but at this point, these models are awfully hard to care for.

Still... first love is the Sentra ECCS... classically beautiful car... wonderfully punchy 1.6 liter engine... sophisticated suspension... fully loaded. Sigh...

[speed unlimited]

Toyota Corolla I.6 GL 16 Valve.

[ghosthunter]

B13 Nissan Sentra 1.6L with GTS kit

[chuaed]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eZNnVrVUAQ"]YouTube - Fifth Gear Mazda MX-5 Shootout[/ame]

[roberto_minosa]

My own list...

>>The Corolla small-body!!! It doesn't look as fat as the big-body. Ridiculously easy to dress up. Gimme one with a silvertop 4A-GE please...

>>The late 80's Galant!!! The coolest Galant ever. Looks mean as hell.

>>The EF and EG Civic hatches!!! EF hatches are quite rare nowadays, and the EG hatch still looks cool for me. Nothing beats a low-stance EG hatch with big wheels.

>>The SiR!!! An all-original example is the keeper.

>>The Celica GT-Four!!! The last of the real performance Toyotas. It'll be a classic soon...

[kha]

mitsubishi galant gti
mazda miata
honda civic sir

[rai711]

How about big body corolla with blacktop engine, 6 speed???
levin, sprinter or BZ touring look or kit.

[afrasay]

Toyota Land Cruiser 80 series, Nissan Patrol, Mercedes-Benz W124.

[badkuk]

corolla big body should be on that list...best selling corolla to date, something like 25million sold. Tiyak di mawawalan ng piyesa yan anytime soon B)

[OldSchoolHack]

Siyempre Mazdaspeed 323 Familia. Nice sleek looks and extremely nice to configure and upgrade. And still usable.

And the Honda Civic...Esi, Lxi...etc. Same reasons.

And of course the king of the taxi cars in the era...the Toyota Bigbody Corolla. Nothing has so much space and brings a comfortable ride as this car. Ordinary but extremely usable. You can still see a lot of taxi's of this kind running the streets.

[ssaloon]

Galant GTi, AE92, AE101, EK SiR.

[niky]

corolla big body should be on that list...best selling corolla to date, something like 25million sold. Tiyak di mawawalan ng piyesa yan anytime soon B)

For a car to be a "keeper"... it not only has to be reasonably easy to maintain... it has to have some indefinable quality that will make you want to keep it... whether it be the looks, the comfort, the power or the heritage.

A stock big body doesn't. It's not as much fun to drive as a Familia or a Civic, and not as "fully-loaded" as a Sentra... and it doesn't have a sporty heritage.

The older Corolla has a more timeless look, and with the FX-style headlights, is definitely a handsome car. The newer small-body has a rally heritage, a ton of cosmetic cusomizations available (two or three different kinds of Euro-headlight conversions) and is also more "classic" looking than the big-body.

-

If you're only getting a car because it's easy to maintain or convenient... it's not a "keeper"... you're going to get rid of it as soon as you can afford a newer car. Big body... ESi... they're just sedans. They're nice... but the newer versions are nicer. There's nothing exceptional about their engines, suspensions or looks.

If you're getting it because it has some indefinable character that you can't find elsewhere... then you can keep it for another ten or twenty years or more... that's why I voted for the ECCS and older Corolla... they have the classic proportions you can't find on cars anymore... especially the rear hip point... (where the rear windshield meets the body over the rear wheel)... which is ridiculously thick on newer cars.

[basti08]

Cefiro GTS-R (A31)/1997 model (A32)
Civic EG ESi/Hatchback
Galant GTi
Civic SiR
Sentra B13
Familia/Lantis
Miata
94 Pajero
Starex
Vitara


oooopppsss...not a Toyota on my list