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Any love for econoboxes?

My first new car was an 86 Honda crx si. 1900 lbs. 90 hp. Killer tire / brake combo. Only came 5 speed. Nothing auto . No cruise , no power steering ( light enough that it didn't need it) just switches and levers for climate control. Fast for it's time , though it'd be a slug now. I gave it up around 2002. 174000 miles on it. Clutch was just beginning to slip slightly. I probably changed timing belt around 100k, I think a starter and battery ,besides oil changes. Started on the first crank every time . 38 mpg @70 with the air on. I probably wouldn't enjoy it as much today . I'm softer and enjoy my creature comforts more. Probably the last generation of cars before they added all the techno nannies ( abs, air bags, traction/stability control, drive by wire throttle, stearing). Sucked in the snow. Not heavy enough and tires were wide. It just floated. Probably would've been better with different wheels and tires but we didn't get enough snow by me to warrant the bother.
Stock photo off web, mine didn't have mud flaps, but was red also.
 

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Love/hate relationship with this one:

IMG_6740.jpeg

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German design, French Peugeot engine and screwed together in Britain.

Fun little car, but that Peugeot engine is made of glass….I’ve had to tear it down twice in the 3-4 years we’ve owned it.

Fragile. Fun….but fragile.
 
Farmhand said:
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.
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Had a 1980 Chevy Mona hatchback with an iron duke 4 cyl with a 4 speed it was a blast to drive ! Sporty & nimble my other car 1977 Monte with a built up 350 was a totally different experience it could bury the speedo and it still felt like you were sitting on a couch in your living room ! Both were nice cars !
 
As long a we're reviving the thread, I'd like to shout out the Toyota Yaris. One of relatively few cars that I bought new, chosen specifically for its light weight compared to other 4-door hatchbacks of the time. I like lightness. Maybe I'm distantly related to Colin Chapman.

I had a modest-speed head-on (icy road, but my fault nonetheless) against a substantially heavier car, and the Yaris did what it was presumably designed to do: crumpled up like a paper bag, and air-bagged the heck out of the driver. (Victim driver was also fine, I'm happy to report. Her car was probably repairable, for better or worse.)

I thought that was a good omen, so I replaced that car with another Yaris. I still really appreciate the light weight, and I've managed to keep from crash-testing this one, so far. It does pretty much everything I need from a transportation appliance, and is by far economical enough that I can just spring for a rent-a-truck that on the rare occasions that I need more hauling capacity.

Oh, one more thing! Having a fairly conventional automatic transmission, you can pump up the torque converter at a stop. Combined with the light weight, that makes for a pretty decent "hole shot". Gotta take care to minimize wheel-spin, of course. There are some things FWD just can't be good at.
 
chazix said:
As long a we're reviving the thread, I'd like to shout out the Toyota Yaris. One of relatively few cars that I bought new, chosen specifically for its light weight compared to other 4-door hatchbacks of the time. I like lightness. Maybe I'm distantly related to Colin Chapman.

I had a modest-speed head-on (icy road, but my fault nonetheless) against a substantially heavier car, and the Yaris did what it was presumably designed to do: crumpled up like a paper bag, and air-bagged the heck out of the driver. (Victim driver was also fine, I'm happy to report. Her car was probably repairable, for better or worse.)

I thought that was a good omen, so I replaced that car with another Yaris. I still really appreciate the light weight, and I've managed to keep from crash-testing this one, so far. It does pretty much everything I need from a transportation appliance, and is by far economical enough that I can just spring for a rent-a-truck that on the rare occasions that I need more hauling capacity.

Oh, one more thing! Having a fairly conventional automatic transmission, you can pump up the torque converter at a stop. Combined with the light weight, that makes for a pretty decent "hole shot". Gotta take care to minimize wheel-spin, of course. There are some things FWD just can't be good at.
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My mechanic has a Yaris or a Korean econobox as a loan car when mine gets serviced. I always ask for the Yaris. Cheap and cheerful and a lot of fun.

I had the original econobox in my younger days. British Mini. that was a lot of fun too, no need for brakes around corners.

Mini.jpg
 
chazix said:
As long a we're reviving the thread, I'd like to shout out the Toyota Yaris. One of relatively few cars that I bought new, chosen specifically for its light weight compared to other 4-door hatchbacks of the time. I like lightness. Maybe I'm distantly related to Colin Chapman.

I had a modest-speed head-on (icy road, but my fault nonetheless) against a substantially heavier car, and the Yaris did what it was presumably designed to do: crumpled up like a paper bag, and air-bagged the heck out of the driver. (Victim driver was also fine, I'm happy to report. Her car was probably repairable, for better or worse.)

I thought that was a good omen, so I replaced that car with another Yaris. I still really appreciate the light weight, and I've managed to keep from crash-testing this one, so far. It does pretty much everything I need from a transportation appliance, and is by far economical enough that I can just spring for a rent-a-truck that on the rare occasions that I need more hauling capacity.

Oh, one more thing! Having a fairly conventional automatic transmission, you can pump up the torque converter at a stop. Combined with the light weight, that makes for a pretty decent "hole shot". Gotta take care to minimize wheel-spin, of course. There are some things FWD just can't be good at.
Click to expand...
HEY! I had a Yaris too! Loved mine. Contemplated doing insane things like the "big block" swap (2zr-fe). But I too unfortunately decided to test its crash-ability lol. #threadnecromancy
 
Owned quite a few and loved every one. Great economy and utility plus the ones I've owned handled really well. Drove my 1980 Ford Fiesta hard on curvy roads. It was a car you couldn't kill even though the last 2 years I was wishing it dead because I wanted a new car. Said adios at 196,000. It never left me stranded.
 
I absolutely loved my Citroen AX. Cheap and functional. Pretty reliable. (Let's not talk about safety/crash protection though..)
That it was quite light (687kg/1515pounds) meant (next to low road tax, low insurance and a moderate fuel bill) that you could actually have fun with it's meagre 60 horses and indeed rag the thing in many situations without causing trouble, danger of speed tickets.
Such a shame that this category of cars doesn't exist any more.
 
Johnno_Oz said:
A Morris (or Morrie as we nickname them down here) 1100...... "It Floats On Fluid"
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From where I stole the pic (In my defense, I did say "Not my pic, but accurate to the one I drove, right down to the color" :D)


https://rustybuttrusty.com/2015/10/07/automatic-american-1969-austin-america/

The article describes that car as being an Automatic only, but I'm most certain that the one I had was a standard shift. A relative bought it brand new, blew the reverse gear not even a year later, and gave it to me when they were disgusted by the lack of warranty service here in the States for it. It was so light I literally was able to back it up by opening the door and pushing on the ground with my foot..... ;)
 
init4fun said:
From where I stole the pic (In my defense, I did say "Not my pic, but accurate to the one I drove, right down to the color" :D)


https://rustybuttrusty.com/2015/10/07/automatic-american-1969-austin-america/

The article describes that car as being an Automatic only, but I'm most certain that the one I had was a standard shift. A relative bought it brand new, blew the reverse gear not even a year later, and gave it to me when they were disgusted by the lack of warranty service here in the States for it. It was so light I literally was able to back it up by opening the door and pushing on the ground with my foot..... ;)
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Yeah they had a standard shift in Australia but also probably had a BMC automatic. It was the same motor and gearbox setup as the Minis. I didn't know they were called the Austin America in The States.

Mum & her friends took turns car-pooling us kids to school. One of her friends had a green Morris 1100 like this. Fun little things.

morris-1100-onroad.jpg
 
My uncle was SO pissed off when the reverse gear failed, and then the final straw was that they wanted $500 to fix it (a princely sum in 1970) which is when I ended up with it. My most vivid memory (other than it having no functioning reverse) was the absolutely TINY clutch & brake pedals. I always wore motorcycle boots at the time cause my primary vehicles were motorcycles, not cars back then and I hit the brake many times stepping on the clutch ;)
 
tourmax said:
Love/hate relationship with this one:

View attachment 3407912

View attachment 3407913

German design, French Peugeot engine and screwed together in Britain.

Fun little car, but that Peugeot engine is made of glass….I’ve had to tear it down twice in the 3-4 years we’ve owned it.

Fragile. Fun….but fragile.
Click to expand...

I love the R55 and I'd love to own one someday. People put Honda K engines in them.

I went with an F60, which is decidedly not an econobox being a $38,000 car when it was new......5 years ago
 
I have a 97 Geo Metro 4 cylinder automatic with a/c and air bags.
I run it around town and on the interstate but never drive it on two-lane roads. The thought of a head on collision in that car keeps me off the two-lane roads.
It runs just fine, gets 30/40 mpg, and we never work on it. 160k miles and climbing.
The only thing it needs that it didn't come with is ear plugs.
 
I inherited a '91 Honda Civic in 2009 with ~27K miles on it. Kept it until 2021 when it had 192K on it and traded it for a much newer Toyota Corolla which gets driven almost daily. At today's gas prices good mileage is greatly appreciated.
 
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