Any love for econoboxes?

[Farmhand]

I have a soft spot for little Japanese cars, especially 70s/80s Tercels, Civics, etc. And anything Datsun. When I see one still on the road I just have to smile- there's something about those cars that I like. My first car was a VW Rabbit, two door, gas engine, three speed automatic.
Ironically, I'm 6'4" and prefer small cars. My favorite so far was my 2000 Toyota Echo that finally died of cancer- the Maine name for rust. It was like a go kart with heat and got 40 mpg. And I could park it just about anywhere.

 

[nyhifihead]

big fan of anything 80s toyota, nissan, mazda, late 80s arguably the golden era of japanese cars with the rx7, supra mk3 , ae86, 240sx, 300zx

datsun 240z is also such a beautiful car

 

[hjames]

We're on our 4th Honda car (the 1990 and 2000 Civics were bought new).
I had a 1990 Civic SI first, got a 2000 Civic SI (my wife still drives it),
a 2004 Honda CRV I bought in a hurry when the 2000 Si got stolen (later recovered),
and now a 2012 Honda Fit ... all of them 5 speeds ...
My preference being small sport-wagons (the 1990 Civic and now the Fit) -
room to carry lots of stuff (speakers!!), maneuverable, and cheap on gas!

 

[Falstaff]

The smallest and most fun car I have ever owned was an 84 Honda Civic 1500s 2 dr hatchback 5 speed. It was like driving a go-kart. Great gas milage too. I would love to find another in good shape but they still command a price.

 

[prighello]

Had a 91 Acura Integra 5 speed back in the day; loved that car. Old GF had a 87 Toyota MR2 5 speed that was a blast to drive! Boy do I wish they made an affordable car like that today. My current car is sort of an econo box; a Mazdaspeed3.

 

[grillebilly]

Love cheap cars you don't have to worry about washing, where you park it and don't have to lock the doors. If they have three pedals on the floor, better yet.

 

[elcoholic]

Bought a new first year '74 Civic. 60hp 1650 lbs and an 86" wheelbase. It really was a go cart. The real mini was 80" and the new mini is 98" for comparison. I once entered it a slalom race with my friend who ran his MGB. My civic was bone stock. I lowered the tire pressure and inverted the air cleaner lid. It was a tight course. The Civic was bested only by a couple of minis and a Lotus Europa. Sadly it was totaled in 77.
And replaced by new Accord.

 

[Farmhand]

I got thinking about this while listening to an automotive call-in program on the radio. Someone asked if there was any chance of seeing the return of the small pickup, with a 4 banger, manual windows, no a/c and a vinyl interior. Think Mazda Sundowner/Ford Courier (i used to get rides home from high school in the bed of one of those, with as many other people as would fit) or Chevy Luv. The expert said that no manufacturer had anything like that in the works. They're busy building nine speed automatic transmissions and Facebook interfaces.
Our local Toyota dealer has a '73 (first year!) Datsun B210, with the original window sticker. The price was something under $3000. Black vinyl bucket seats, carpet, 4 speed manual, crank windows. The interior styling is actually pretty cool.
This summer I saw an '85+/- Tercel 4wd wagon, and it looked minty- of course it had California plates on it.

 

[slow_jazz]

When I got married my wife had a small Plymouth Duster from late 80's.

4 cylinder with hatchback and automatic.

Best car I've ever owned for snow driving. That car went thru anything. You could change spark plugs in it in under 30 minutes.

 

[prighello]

When I got married my wife had a small Plymouth Duster from late 80's.

4 cylinder with hatchback and automatic.

Best car I've ever owned for snow driving. That car went thru anything. You could change spark plugs in it in under 30 minutes.

Isn't that the sister car to the Dodge Daytona. If so they made an awesome turbo version.

 

[elcoholic]

After living in tokyo for a few years a buddy of mine brought back a wife, a Sansui console stereo and bitchen Datsun 510 from Japan. They could be had there with the 2000 Roadster running gear. I'd love to have one of those now.

 

[typesix]

Isn't that the sister car to the Dodge Daytona. If so they made an awesome turbo version.

All sister cars under the skin, there were many variations of the K car frame. The Duster I think used to be called the Sundance, which was meant to replace the Horizon(which was not derived from K car). Daytona was more sporty looking and only 2 doors.

 

[Djcoolray]

Oh heck yah....

I had a Datsun 510 2-door so low it was sitting in the weeds, orange with a black interior. Then I had a '97 Civic EX with an Accura 1.8 engine and a GSR tranny and it all bolted right in like playing with tinker toys, you just have to put a VTEC engine into a VTEC car.....in corvette black lacquer paint and a grey interior!

 

[Redikilowatt]

I got thinking about this while listening to an automotive call-in program on the radio. Someone asked if there was any chance of seeing the return of the small pickup, with a 4 banger, manual windows, no a/c and a vinyl interior. Think Mazda Sundowner/Ford Courier (i used to get rides home from high school in the bed of one of those, with as many other people as would fit) or Chevy Luv. The expert said that no manufacturer had anything like that in the works. They're busy building nine speed automatic transmissions and Facebook interfaces. . . .

Ford is bringing back the Ranger in 2019 and perhaps earlier in other countries. Of course, it probably won't be a 4 banger with stick shift!

I had a '78 B210 that was really fun to drive and got good mpg . . . later had an '80s Honda. My wife to-be bought purchased a new Datsun B310 in 1979, Corolla 1990, and Maza Protege in 1999. All of the above were fun to drive (5 speed manual), reliable, and great mpg

Roger

 

[nj pheonix]

My 1st new car. An 86 CRX si. i really liked that car. Not much of a family car. Got rid of it around 95 with 180k on it. original clutch just starting to slip. I think 1 starter, several sets of tires and brakes and a few mufflers . They rotted out from condensation if you took a lot of short trips ( like most of us do).

Edit Now that I think about it , I'm pretty sure i put a timing belt and a water pump prophylactically at a 100k or so.
Too bad the safety nannies made cheap fun cars illegal

 

[Lavane]

I had a early 70's Corona. That little crap box ran for ever. I finely sold it after using it for years as a commuter car. The only reason I sold it was the hood flew up and folded over the windshield. The hinges ripped through the firewall. I also have a soft spot for some reason for the Datsun B210 bread box on wheels.

 

[Wildcat]

I need taller vehicles today for hauling purposes (and arthritis, as some days, it's a bit painful to climb out of a car). But, I still don't mind the idea of a smaller car. My other half has an '04 Civic (after we lost the Acura TL in a flood). If she upgrades soon, I might get it for my youngest.

I noticed my '92 Civic was nearly as big inside as the '88 Accord Coupe. I wish I had kept the '88, since I would have been able to fix it up mechanically and driven it in the cruises around here. It stripped the timing belt due to an oil leak and, I later found out, that engine was not an interference design, and I could have thrown the new belt on, set timing, and driven it. Instead, it sat for years on stands in the garage, until I had to sell it off after needing to move.

 

[prighello]

I need taller vehicles today for hauling purposes (and arthritis, as some days, it's a bit painful to climb out of a car). But, I still don't mind the idea of a smaller car. My other half has an '04 Civic (after we lost the Acura TL in a flood). If she upgrades soon, I might get it for my youngest.

I noticed my '92 Civic was nearly as big inside as the '88 Accord Coupe. I wish I had kept the '88, since I would have been able to fix it up mechanically and driven it in the cruises around here. It stripped the timing belt due to an oil leak and, I later found out, that engine was not an interference design, and I could have thrown the new belt on, set timing, and driven it. Instead, it sat for years on stands in the garage, until I had to sell it off after needing to move.

I sure don't miss timing belts; especially on interference engines. We'd get folks coming at a shop I worked at in the 90s with valves all bent up from the belt going. PITA.

However, I do miss how large the inside of small cars used to be before all the safety regulations filled them with reinforcements and airbags. My current Mazda is a hatchback with less interior space that a 80s/90s hatchback. The B and C pillars are freaking huge and the rear trunk deck starts inches above the top of the bumper; I recall it used to be well below that in older cars.

Seems like starting in the 2000s cars started getting bigger on the outside and smaller on the inside with really tall belt lines; remember when you could rest your arm, down, on the windowsill? Remember when you had great visibility due to upright glass; greenhouse style. Remember when your dashboard wasn't three feet deep and the car came with a cigarette lighter? I really wish for the old designs to come back but that won't ever happen.

 

[Wildcat]

I sure don't miss timing belts; especially on interference engines. We'd get folks coming at a shop I worked at in the 90s with valves all bent up from the belt going. PITA.

My K24A engine has a timing chain, so I'm set. (I do need to inspect the tensioner come springtime, though.) I don't think the belt is a big deal--the POS Ford I used to own had a belt that stripped on me after maybe 60k miles, leaving me stranded (which was a regular occurrence in that crap can). But otherwise on my Hondas it's no big deal to change since I have the tools and the time to do it (which many don't, so I'm at an advantage)...but yeah, too many can't be bothered to read the maintenance schedule apparently, and lunch their engines.

Seems like starting in the 2000s cars started getting bigger on the outside and smaller on the inside with really tall belt lines; remember when you could rest your arm, down, on the windowsill? Remember when you had great visibility due to upright glass; greenhouse style.

That is partly why I prefer the SUV I have now--I can open the windows up and enjoy the air, and not have my arm up near my ears. On my old CR-V, the rear doors were large enough that the rear windows could roll completely down. I haven't seen a vehicle like that in ages.

 

[SPAM]

All sister cars under the skin, there were many variations of the K car frame. The Duster I think used to be called the Sundance, which was meant to replace the Horizon(which was not derived from K car). Daytona was more sporty looking and only 2 doors.

Daytona's sporty turbo sister was Chrysler Laser. Mom had one of those.
Not to be confused with later Plymouth Laser which was a joint venture with Mitsubishi.

Loved my 1980 Horizon with the VW long block.
Loved loved my '89 Omni too, the only car I've bought brand new, literally from the showroom floor.
Loved loved loved my '89 Horizon. That one had 83.5k when I got it, to which I added 197k more before the head gasket blew.
I replaced its timing belt twice-- the second time was done 'in the field'. No A/C nor steering pump, that car was soooo easy to work on!