Topic: Great 90's cars

[JohnnyMac]

Interestingly, the MX-3 was a failure in the U.S. but was a huge sales success in Canada. I recall reading that it was the best selling "sports car" in Canada at one time, ahead of the Mustang. It was discontinued after 1995 in the U.S. (where the V6 had already been dropped after 1994), but continued on in Canada for a couple more years.

I almost bought the MX-3 in 1995, but then stumbled across a demo 1994 MX-6 sitting in the showroom at Erin Mills Mazda with only 900km on the clock that was priced substantially less than a new MX-3... so I ended up with the MX-6. That's the longest car I've ever owned actually, from June of 1995 to May of 2008.

I really like that generation of MX-6's too.  Wouldn't it be nice if Mazda did a 2 door Mazda 6 and renamed it the MX-6 with a turbo 2.5L and maybe AWD this time.  Mazda really made some good stuff during the 90's.  Now the only real interesting things that they sell are the Miata and maybe the Mazda 3.

[Gurgie]

Interestingly, the MX-3 was a failure in the U.S. but was a huge sales success in Canada. I recall reading that it was the best selling "sports car" in Canada at one time, ahead of the Mustang. It was discontinued after 1995 in the U.S. (where the V6 had already been dropped after 1994), but continued on in Canada for a couple more years.

I almost bought the MX-3 in 1995, but then stumbled across a demo 1994 MX-6 sitting in the showroom at Erin Mills Mazda with only 900km on the clock that was priced substantially less than a new MX-3... so I ended up with the MX-6. That's the longest car I've ever owned actually, from June of 1995 to May of 2008.

I really like that generation of MX-6's too.  Wouldn't it be nice if Mazda did a 2 door Mazda 6 and renamed it the MX-6 with a turbo 2.5L and maybe AWD this time.  Mazda really made some good stuff during the 90's.  Now the only real interesting things that they sell are the Miata and maybe the Mazda 3.

Back then everyone had a 2 door coupe version of their 4 door sedan... sadly those days are not longer en vogue...

[ktm525]

People be getting old. Now ingress/egress is the top of the list!

[Jaeger]

Nice, the '91 facelift got the DOHC version of the engine so yours had a bit more power than mine. Too bad they never sold them here with the SR20DET turbo.

Yep - even mine could have used a bit more punch.

[OliverD]

Back then everyone had a 2 door coupe version of their 4 door sedan... sadly those days are not longer en vogue...

Back then, sometimes they introduced the coupe version before the sedan. When the "GM10" cars debuted in 1987, the first ones were all coupes for the first two years of production. Sedan versions of the Regal, Cutlass Supreme, and Grand Prix weren't added until the 1990 model year.

[Gurgie]

Back then everyone had a 2 door coupe version of their 4 door sedan... sadly those days are not longer en vogue...

Back then, sometimes they introduced the coupe version before the sedan. When the "GM10" cars debuted in 1987, the first ones were all coupes for the first two years of production. Sedan versions of the Regal, Cutlass Supreme, and Grand Prix weren't added until the 1990 model year.

Grand Prix was a coupe only from 1962 - 1988 actually 

[OliverD]

Touché. 

[blur911]

I had three 1990 Audi quattros, a 1990 Probe GT I bought new (mechanically identical car to Mazda MX-6 GT, crazy torque steer when the turbo spooled up) and then skipped the whole rest of the 90's until last summer when I got a 1999 Miata.

[OliverD]

Off the top of my head, mainstream sedans that had a coupe version in 1990, ignoring hatchbacks:

Buick Skylark
Buick Century
Buick Regal
Chevrolet Cavalier
Chevrolet Corsica (Beretta)
Chevrolet Lumina
Ford Tempo
Honda Accord
Mazda 626 (MX-6)
Mercury Topaz
Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera
Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
Pontiac Sunbird
Pontiac Grand Am
Pontiac Grand Prix
Volkswagen Jetta

Probably missing a few too. Later in the '90s a bunch more came too. Colt, Camry, Civic...

[valuator]

Off the top of my head, mainstream sedans that had a coupe version in 1990, ignoring hatchbacks:

Buick Skylark
Buick Century
Buick Regal
Chevrolet Cavalier
Chevrolet Corsica (Beretta)
Chevrolet Lumina
Ford Tempo
Honda Accord
Mazda 626 (MX-6)
Mercury Topaz
Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera
Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
Pontiac Sunbird
Pontiac Grand Am
Pontiac Grand Prix
Volkswagen Jetta

Probably missing a few too. Later in the '90s a bunch more came too. Colt, Camry, Civic...

I really don't miss these.....were any of them any sportier than the sedan equivalent?

[ktm525]

Sunbird GT had a HO turbo engine that I am not sure was available with the sedan. Again a classic on/off eighties turbo engine.

[Jaeger]

I can't say I have any real craving for a return to manufacturers kicking out two door versions of their sedans.  For the most part, they weren't any sportier or any better looking than their sedan counterparts - just less comfortable and less practical.  Like if someone is trying to tell me that today's Civic Coupe is Sportier than a Civic Sedan in equivalent trim, well, I'll just chuckle.  I'd much rather see more dedicated coupes.  I remember when I was shopping for my Altima 3.5 SE, the salesman tried to get me to look at the coupe version.  Him: It's more sporty!  Me: How, exactly?  Him: Uhhhhhhh.....  I'm not seeing much "sport" in a cramped back seat.  It's almost like the whole concept rests on this laughably twisted logic:  most really sporty cars have two doors, so if we take a not very sporty 4 door sedan and take away two doors, we make it more sporty!   

[ktm525]

Coupes just sleeker not necessarily more sporty.

The Infiniti coupe based on the G35 was a damn looker in the early 00s.

[Jaeger]

Coupes just sleeker not necessarily more sporty.

The Infiniti coupe based on the G35 was a damn looker in the early 00s.

Exception that proves the rule?  From Oliver's list, one could certainly make that argument.  And two doors are hardly a prerequisite for sleek.  Audi A7.  Any Volvo sedan.  I'll grant that the current G-coupe (whatever it's currently called) is a very sharp looking beastie - more so than the sedan.  But again - I can't think of many contemporary two door version of an existing sedan that I prefer outright to the sedan.  So I'm not convinced that if we got a proliferation of 2-door Camrys, Altimas, Sonatas and Malibus, there would be a net improvement to the automotive landscape.  More dedicated coupes like the Toyobarus, the Z and the pony cars?  Oh hell yes.

[Blueprint]

I will give you the rest, but the Mercury Cougar is certainly a coupe...but it is in no way "sporty" Honestly a terrible driving experience from what I can remember. I shopped these when getting my first car, thought they looked kinda cool, and quickly ran the other way towards a Grand Prix.

A co-worker had one, red V6 manual, and as a passenger it felt pretty good!

Chaos, this one has your name on it (and free shipping from Italy to a US port  ):

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1993-lancia-thema/

[Jaeger]

PS - anyone remember the sleek and sexy 2 door Ford Explorer 'Sport'?  Yeah - explain that to me please... 

[Blueprint]

Yup, the MX3 was a sweet little coupe, bu I had a crush on this rival:



... but in the '90s I was driving an '80s car:



Mine was white with the base steelies.

Traded on a new '95 car:

[draghon]

PS - anyone remember the sleek and sexy 2 door Ford Explorer 'Sport'?  Yeah - explain that to me please... 

The S10 Blazer and Jimmy were also available as "sleek" two door models. Probably a carryover from the 80s (and earlier) when a lot of SUV's were two doors. (Bronco, Bronco II, Blazer, 4-Runner, etc.)

[ChaosphereIX]

I will give you the rest, but the Mercury Cougar is certainly a coupe...but it is in no way "sporty" Honestly a terrible driving experience from what I can remember. I shopped these when getting my first car, thought they looked kinda cool, and quickly ran the other way towards a Grand Prix.

A co-worker had one, red V6 manual, and as a passenger it felt pretty good!

Chaos, this one has your name on it (and free shipping from Italy to a US port  ):

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1993-lancia-thema/

Yes, yes it does. Fantastic car would love to have one...although I prefer the Alfa Romeo design a bit more.

Also if going Thema from that era, the 8.32 is the only one I would go for. Such a beast of a car.

[OliverD]

PS - anyone remember the sleek and sexy 2 door Ford Explorer 'Sport'?  Yeah - explain that to me please... 

Well it was smaller, so in theory it was better off-road. I did like the look of those two door Explorers. Plus the Mazda Navajo version that was sold in the U.S. for a few years.