1989 was a fantastic year for me, as it was the year I was born. The nearly 48 hours my mom was in labor doing her best to bring me into the world weren’t so great for her, but she continues to insist that I was worth it. It was also a fantastic year for cars. Most importantly, Mazda started selling the Miata, which is arguably the best car ever made.
You can certainly buy cars that are faster and more exotic than the Miata, but pure driving joy plus reliability at an affordable price is a tough combination to beat. And it was a convertible, so owners could enjoy the wind in their hair while they shifted that fantastic manual transmission.
We also saw the E31 BMW 8 Series for the first time in 1989, as well as the R129 Mercedes-Benz SL and the original Acura NSX. Like I said, it was a fantastic year for cars. But why focus on things that are good and enjoyable when we could focus on things that are bad? Everyone enjoys complaining because it’s just more fun. So what what’s the worst car from the year you were born?
In my case, I think I have to go with the Geo Metro since it lacked power, comfort, quality materials and features. There’s a reason you don’t see them around even as often as you see the E31 8 Series.
That said, I’m willing to concede that luxury and long-term durability weren’t exactly the point of the Geo Metro. Being cheap and getting fantastic gas mileage were, and it definitely delivered on those two fronts. In a way, it was the Mitsubishi Mirage of its time, but even the Mirage doesn’t get the kind of fuel economy that the Metro got.
What about you? What’s the worst car from the year you were born?