Small, V-6 powered coupes…miss them!
- Thread starter addyguy
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Yeah, I always wanted to try a 1.8l V6, but never did. My Dad got a 1994 Mazda 626 with the 60 deg 2.5l kl-de V6 and it was pretty neat at the time. Sounded good at 6k rpm, especially once the pipe to the muffler rusted and broke... He had the auto but it was kind of cool as you could hear the engine cut spark during the shifts if you were on it. That car also had swinging vents and was kind of exotic compared to a chevy, buick or ford sedan of that time.
This brings me back to cruising in my 94 Sunbird GT with the 3.1. Aka the Funbird. Once bounced it off a tree in the winter and there was a grand total of zero damage. Tough cars back then.
Good old Chevy Beretta, my mom had one of those when I was a kid fond memories 
I LOVE the Toyota inline six's in the turbo flavour.Aren't inline 6's more missable than V6's?
wemay
Site Donor 2023
Go to YouTube and watch, "My Old Car" channel. You'll find most of these on there. Their history from start to finish in a light harded presentation.
I don’t miss many of that era. I was more “drivers car” oriented and found most of the fwd v6 sedans just plain sloppy. There were certainly some well-sorted rolling-couches with the 3800 variants running around, and a few I respected, but i personally enjoyed the tighter tolerances on foreign vehicles more desirable.
I did like the offerings of v6 compact trucks… ranger and Dakota especially, with a nod to the Tacoma and s10.
fwd v6 always seems to have such a heavy nose and all the overhang.
I did like the offerings of v6 compact trucks… ranger and Dakota especially, with a nod to the Tacoma and s10.
fwd v6 always seems to have such a heavy nose and all the overhang.
80s GM quality paired with a 'growly' but underpowered engine is not really something to aspire toward.
I once owned a '95 Millenia with the KL-DE. I absolutely loved that car. 7k RPM redline and it loved getting there.
Far as V6 coupes go, my soon to be acquired Reatta fits the bill perfectly. Coupe, 3800 V6, relatively lightweight.
Yeah, I miss the 626 as well, but there is none left around here, or ford probes of that generation. I think ours was actually rusting badly under the windshield pillars in the engine bay. My Dad and then my sister did something around 380k km on it, and the important stuff never broke on it.
That Reatta will be interesting for sure, I remember racing a few bigger 3.8 cars with the 626 and they were always very close.
I also had a '81 Olds Omega coupe 2.8L Brougham which I liked as well, comfy couch bench seat, and felt like a big car, but was a nice size in town.
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Beretta V6 2.8 5-speed manual... not as boring as all those economy cars available back then
Can't have v6's anymore.... or manuals.. Getting old sucks.
Can't have v6's anymore.... or manuals.. Getting old sucks.
Mine was an auto but it was a sweet looking and driving ride. Excuse the flip phone quality pics, that's how we rolled back in the day.
What garbage most of these cars were.
Bulky V6 on already crappy FWD suspension. Only thing that can happen is some mathematician coming up with new unit for understeer.
Bulky V6 on already crappy FWD suspension. Only thing that can happen is some mathematician coming up with new unit for understeer.
Actually oversteer was a bigger problem back then - at least with the sporting variants.
My X-11 2.8 4 speed MT handled exceptionally well for a FWD. Eagle GT's and F-glass hood.
Yes, I prefer RWD but avoid them furrin' money pits.
“Exceptionally well” depends what is competition.
They were like space shuttles compared to the sub 100hp 4 bangers w/o balance shafts they replaced.
I am talking generally those cars, most of them. Corsica, Stratus. I remember when Stratus was purchased by some police departments in Europe. By 30k km all had failed transmissions, and if they had manual, it was engine that lasted just little but longer than transmissions.
No way. Besides we're talking the couple here, which was a completely different vehicle from the sedan.
