The Korean cars have a lot going for them. I keep hoping they'll funnel some money back into the exterior design.

They got the Tiburon :) I also LOVE the way the 4 door Rio looks.

red91sit -

If my Dad-in-law pulls the trigger on another car, we are going to lobby for a Tiburon. He misses his 240SX :( . I didn't like the 1st and 2nd Gen Tiburon, but the current one is very well-designed.

CarloSW2

Actually, a friend and I were talking. We think that Kia is working to continue the trend the English car industry had by making elegant yet dumpy looking cars.

The Armanti could get Wolsey or Riley badging and no one would be any the wiser...

Too bad no real Suzuki "J" cars for the US anymore.

My mom owns a 2000 Hyundai that has been very good to her so far. Even though we live in Florida now, she still drives like she's in New York City, which is terrible for the car and the mileage. The only repair it needed was a new transmission, but that was my fault. It dates back to when I was 16 and thought it would be fun to rev up the engine and do neutral drops. Turns out that it's not too good for an automatic.

Considering how much it's been abused, it's been very good to us. It has 130k miles (almost all city) and still running pretty nice, but it's no Honda or Toyota.

repete86 -

Is that the 5 door hatchback? I have liked that design for awhile because there aren't many "practical hatchbacks" out there anymore. Kind of an '80's design, you know what I mean?

CarloSW2

I used to have a five door hatchback ('88 Toyota Tercel, which is the best car I've ever owned), but this one is a station wagon. I wrote that in response to red91sit's post questioning the reliability of Hyundai. So far I've been impressed with the crap it puts up with and keeps running through, just don't expect it to be a Honda or Toyota.

I also definitely have a soft spot for three door's. I really want to get a tiny three door car and turn it into my project rally car.

:thumbup: :D

Renault 5/LeCar (there is a true European 5, not a LeCar, on eBay right now) and Yugo if you want an older car. All the speed parts for modification are out there.

Newer, get one of the hotrod Mazda 323s.

Cool idea, I always did it with big (2.0l) sedans tho.

This is just pondering for the future. I won't be getting anything soon, but the old 323 4wd model's, Hyundai Excel's, and Dodge Omni's have always interested me. I know that I'm pretty decent at rallycross by being able to do pretty well with stock cars that aren't any good for rally (like my Accord and Hyundai Elantra wagon), so I just have this dream of eating the prorally circuit in an old beater that most people wouldn't want to be caught dead in.