If I Could Turn Back Time - Sports Cars Edition

Love the throwback. Makes me miss my old '95 Talon(s).

My 2nd one here (circa 2005-2008). It got me from NC to Arizona when I moved there in '07. Just the ESI (non-turbo) model but it was a 5 speed manual. The autos in those were garbage. It was great on gas and gave me minimal hassle. No way I could sit in one now but I will always have a soft spot for them. Love the write up @Drew Dowdell!

Had a '93 Laser as well but it was an auto and was the slow poke model lol. It was my first car that was solely in my name back in '94 and I owned it for a year before I traded it on my first '95 Talon. It was the exact same trim model as my red one, only it was white and black. 

Having gone to college in Japan, I truly fell in love with the Skyline series. Would have loved one here, but did really like the Nissan 240SX they had, but like all cars small, it just does not fit this Shrek of a man, so I will admire them while driving my SUVs. 😛

I'd be looking for a 1990 Nissan 300ZX which was available in the fall of '89 IIRC.  Always liked these cars.

Of this group I'd have to say the Miata.  Not having driven any of them or having any experience with them, the Miata is the one that is still here so I assume is the best and most desirable.  Although I'd think the Toyota MR2 or Supra are better than this group.  And there is the Fox body Mustang, unless we are calling that pony car and not sports car.

55 minutes ago, David said:

Having gone to college in Japan, I truly fell in love with the Skyline series. Would have loved one here, but did really like the Nissan 240SX they had, but like all cars small, it just does not fit this Shrek of a man, so I will admire them while driving my SUVs. 😛

I once owned an '89 MR2 and my 6'5" cousin had to be shoehorned into that thing lol. (only once though). All those cars were tight quarters for anyone over 6 feet, in general. 

There is an advantage of being a short person.   At 5 feet 6 and a half to three quarters nearing and almost BEING 5'7", I got no problems fitting in these cars.  Let the fun times roll!   

From the list that was given to us, Id gladly take the Mitsubishi Eclipse/Eagle Talon/The Plymouth Laser triplets.  With those Turbos spooling please.   A friend had an Eagle Talon TSi AWD. I believe it was a 1990.  

2nd gens were awesome!  Loved those!   AWESOME that you got to experience them @surreal1272!!!  And the MR2!

I had a 1989 2.8V6  T-Top Firebird in 1993-1994.  Now, between my '89 V6 Firebird and a '89 Eagle Talon Turbo, I think Id get myself THE Turbo.

But NOT the Eagle Talon...  Pontiac's version of a turboed car.   

 @Robert Hall's  choice of the Nissan 300ZX TT would be in 2nd place for me. 

The Eagle Talon TSi would be tied in 3rd place with my V6 Firebird and Pontiac's other turbo car for 1989.  So 3 cars in 3rd place.

Rounding up the list would be the Nissan 240SX.   

We dont have cars like these anymore.  Fun fun fun things to drive...   

56 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

There is an advantage of being a short person.   At 5 feet 6 and a half to three quarters nearing and almost BEING 5'7", I got no problems fitting in these cars.  Let the fun times roll!   

From the list that was given to us, Id gladly take the Mitsubishi Eclipse/Eagle Talon/The Plymouth Laser triplets.  With those Turbos spooling please.   A friend had an Eagle Talon TSi AWD. I believe it was a 1990.  

2nd gens were awesome!  Loved those!   AWESOME that you got to experience them @surreal1272!!!  And the MR2!

I had a 1989 2.8V6  T-Top Firebird in 1993-1994.  Now, between my '89 V6 Firebird and a '89 Eagle Talon Turbo, I think Id get myself THE Turbo.

But NOT the Eagle Talon...  Pontiac's version of a turboed car.   

 

 @Robert Hall's  choice of the Nissan 300ZX TT would be in 2nd place for me. 

 

The Eagle Talon TSi would be tied in 3rd place with my V6 Firebird and Pontiac's other turbo car for 1989.  So 3 cars in 3rd place.

 

Rounding up the list would be the Nissan 240SX.   

We dont have cars like these anymore.  Fun fun fun things to drive...   

 

 

 

 

Fun, Fun, Things to drive if your SHORT! 😜

I remember back in 1990 briefly driving a new Miata...my late brother was then a salesman at a small VW/Mazda dealer, they had gotten a red Miata. I took it on a test drive, was fun on a winding Ohio backroad but I felt too big (at 20 I was 6'0" and about 180lbs) for it..felt very cramped inside compared to my familiar Fox Mustangs. 

My sister had a '90 300ZX turbo, I drove it a couple times when visiting her in Boston, she had it only a year or so before trading on a more practical Saab 900.  Was pretty nice IIRC. 

I miss sporty 2dr hatchbacks and trunked coupes...30 years ago there were so many choices, most w/ manuals available. 

Well the point of this is that these were the new releases in 1989.  We still have 3 more categories to go.

From this list, I think I'd take the Miata for a couple reasons. There's an ENDLESS aftermarket support and it's RWD. 

If there's something I didn't like about it, there will be an aftermarket upgrade or conversion kit (LS swap  ) But, 115hp in a car that only weighs like 2100lbs still can't be all that bad. I know I've had a motorcycle with more power but 2100lbs is damn light. 

25 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Well the point of this is that these were the new releases in 1989.  We still have 3 more categories to go.

In my case, I completely understood the concept, and I cant wait for the other conversations to start.  In my case, in 2022, , for me to turn back time and choose from the list you gave, the 1st editions of brand new models, like I stated,  would be the Mitsubishi/Mopar triplets.  

But since I did own a 1989 V6 Firebird...turning back the time  for me is just returning back to a model year vehicle I actually owned.   Maybe I didnt buy the Firebird new in 1989 and bought it used just a couple of years later. But still.  And yes, the Firebrid at that time was definetly not a new model entry, it was 22 years old at this time.  But in 1989 , the sports car that I lusted after was a Trans Am.   Be it the Turbo 20th Anniversay or the new 4rth gen F Body Trans Am when I bought my V6 Firebird used from a friend.   And while in 1989, I did love a Mitsubishi Eclpise and Eagle Talon, I much much MUCH preferred THE Trans Am.    So that would be my story for when I was 16-17 years old in 1989 and 20 when I I actually owned a 1989 model car. 

2 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

I miss sporty 2dr hatchbacks and trunked coupes...30 years ago there were so many choices, most w/ manuals available. 

Me too.

Despite my then, American car bias, today, I sorely miss all those sporty 2dr hatchbacks and coupes regardless of where the country of origin these cars were from.  Nothing like that is being made anymore.  And those kinds of cars back then, were more or less affordable for a 20 year old to buy. At least in base form.  My friends in the 1990s all drove these kinds of cars. And most of us were not rich kids either. Just kids with  regular, shytty jobs flipping burgers, selling shoes or stocking shelves...   Like the shytty jobs kids have today paying for their schooling and trying to buy a vehicle to get to school and work and maybe a date here and there. 

I had fun w/ RWD coupes in my teens and twenties...for the 1st half of the 90s I drove my '86 Mustang LX notchback and my '87 Mustang GT (both in my tiny avatar pic)...fun, RWD, manual.   After the '86 was totaled in '94, I got my first SUV (Bronco II 4x4 w/ a manual).   Then in '98 my last manual coupe ('96 M3).    Wasn't until I was 30 that I got into Grand Cherokees for my primary vehicle.

Looking forward to driving my '87 GT next year (getting refreshed this winter along w/ the '69 Mustang and '67 Cougar).   

Maybe I can dig out my '90s CDs and mix tapes and remember when I had hair...;)

1 hour ago, oldshurst442 said:

In my case, I completely understood the concept, and I cant wait for the other conversations to start.  In my case, in 2022, , for me to turn back time and choose from the list you gave, the 1st editions of brand new models, like I stated,  would be the Mitsubishi/Mopar triplets.  

But since I did own a 1989 V6 Firebird...turning back the time  for me is just returning back to a model year vehicle I actually owned.   Maybe I didnt buy the Firebird new in 1989 and bought it used just a couple of years later. But still.  And yes, the Firebrid at that time was definetly not a new model entry, it was 22 years old at this time.  But in 1989 , the sports car that I lusted after was a Trans Am.   Be it the Turbo 20th Anniversay or the new 4rth gen F Body Trans Am when I bought my V6 Firebird used from a friend.   And while in 1989, I did love a Mitsubishi Eclpise and Eagle Talon, I much much MUCH preferred THE Trans Am.    So that would be my story for when I was 16-17 years old in 1989 and 20 when I I actually owned a 1989 model car. 

 

 

I've said before that I really loved the Talon, particularly the late second-gen one... but I wouldn't say no to a first gen.

Yes it was a Japanese designed car, but for some reason the Talon seemed slightly Euro to me, particularly on the interior.

What tended to kill these was the timing belts. They had an unusually short life.

On 11/8/2022 at 11:15 AM, Drew Dowdell said:

I've said before that I really loved the Talon, particularly the late second-gen one... but I wouldn't say no to a first gen.

Yes it was a Japanese designed car, but for some reason the Talon seemed slightly Euro to me, particularly on the interior.

What tended to kill these was the timing belts. They had an unusually short life.

Have driven the 2nd gen Talon TSI AWD a few times and that car was a blast to drive. The AWD in that really got it off the line in a hurry and greatly improved the handling over the FWD only models. I loved my Talons but part of me wishes that I had pulled the trigger on one of those TSI models. The only reason why I didn't was because I didn't need the temptation of collecting speeding tickets as a career choice lol.

On 11/7/2022 at 6:08 PM, Robert Hall said:

I'd be looking for a 1990 Nissan 300ZX which was available in the fall of '89 IIRC.  Always liked these cars.

My son in law loves them. 

On 11/8/2022 at 11:15 AM, Drew Dowdell said:

I've said before that I really loved the Talon, particularly the late second-gen one... but I wouldn't say no to a first gen.

Yes it was a Japanese designed car, but for some reason the Talon seemed slightly Euro to me, particularly on the interior.

What tended to kill these was the timing belts. They had an unusually short life.

And everything else. Not a terribly reliable car.