Is The Compact Car a Lost Art?

"-Amateur" (amateur) 01/12/2014 at 22:08 • Filed to: None

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Compact cars were a different breed back then. They stood for something special. Now the game has changed and art of the compact is perishing.

Compact cars were honest means of transportation. It was meant as a no frills transportation for the lowest msrp in a given manufacturer's line-up with little to no optional accessories.

Compacts were:

Lightweight, low on power, great on gas mileage, cheap to maintain, and had great visibility. They weren't high on the comfort side, but to a college kid or a struggling parent trying to make ends meet, who cares? As long as the car got me from point A to B, that's all that mattered.

Dependability has improved dramatically as compact cars of days long gone couldn't be counted on to survive more than 100,000 miles.

They were also cool and many of us have memories of compacts near and dear to us, for better or worse.

My dad had a white Yugo. Even as a child in the back seat, I recognized this car was pure junk. It always overheated but I remember my mom learning to drive for the first time in her life on it, with a stick shift no-less.

Compact cars didn't exactly give you a lot of headroom back then, but they had pizzazz . It was a glorious time to be a compact back then. Safety regulations were minimal then, and the cars were so lightweight and flimsy that body flex was a part of the handling characteristic.

Take this Honda CRX HF. It weighed only 1700 lbs and got 42 mpg city/ 51 mpg highway. I'd take this over a Prius any day.

The key difference that made compacts different back then was us. We as a consumer didn't expect much out of a compact car. We understood what it was and took it as it is. No, the game didn't change...we changed.

The Mirage is testament to that. It is literally a reincarnation of what a compact used to be like. It's low on power, has good fuel economy, super lightweight at 1900 lbs, has the refinement of a tractor and is uber cheap...yet people rip on how horrible this car is.

We'd rather have creature comforts, copious amounts of sound insulation, leather seats, Bluetooth and touch screens. Yep, gotta have the satellite radio and the optional premium audio package.

Don't worry consumer, we have the Ford Fiesta Titanium just for you. It starts at $18,300. The Mini Cooper also starts at a hefty $19,700.

Compacts cars of yesterday were low slung machines. They had a low center of gravity and drove like go-karts. I don't know if you've ever stepped outside in the past 5 years, but they are like whales today.

Nissan Sentra cira 1994:

Nissan Sentra today:

Today's compacts are a different breed. Back then, compacts maximized the very space in their low slung bodies. Now, manufacturers simply create space by raising up that belt-line and this creates awkwardly proportioned vehicles.

Compacts today are very popular, still very fuel efficient, full of creature comforts with a slew of optional features and they are significantly safer and more powerful. They are high volume sellers and have become so much more than just a simple A to B mode of transportation. The dependability of today's compacts far surpass those of yesterday. So in essence, with so much going for today's compacts, maybe the compact car should forever remain a lost art?

Tom McParland > -Amateur 01/12/2014 at 22:19

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I remember I got to drive a friend's MK1 GTI in college... it was simple, fun, and awesome.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > -Amateur 01/12/2014 at 22:38

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I strive to restore an old Mini locked away in a garage in the countryside.

jariten1781 > -Amateur 01/12/2014 at 22:52

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Another big reason for the increased price /comfort of new compacts is the longevity of cars. Compacts biggest competitors are other compacts and used cars. Since used cars in the 80s were massive pieces of junk by 80k miles the new compacts back then could be more simple and still be competitive. Now a car with 80k still has a LOT of life in it so the new compacts have to be larger and nicer to compete.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > -Amateur 01/12/2014 at 22:57

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Well ask yourself this question - you've got a 150 mile drive ahead of you. Mk1 golf or new honda fit - which one would you choose? Better question - you're going to be in an accident. Which one would you choose? These cars got bigger and heavier and more content because the new ones are safer, more comfortable, easier to use, and still very efficient. Like any hobby born from a mundane item, we enthusiasts like things different from the mainstream. Many people see manual transmissions in a car as a detriment and balk at the suggestion of light weight being a good thing. Enthusiasts make up a very small part of the new car market so it makes sense that they've evolved as they have.

Thankfully, used/inefficient cars aren't illegal to buy. Just buy what makes you happy.

Orange Exige > -Amateur 01/12/2014 at 23:09

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Not gonna lie, that 2 door 94 Sentra you have pictured is actually really nice looking.
Not big on those rectangle fogs, but it's got character.
I was gonna ask if they had the SE-R back then but decided to be smart and check it out myself...
Apparently that 2 door is the SE-R:
"the Sentra SE-R came with 140 hp (104.4 kW) at 6400 rpm and 132 lb·ft (179 N·m) of torque at 4800 rpm. It could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (100 km/h) in 7.6 seconds and the quarter-mile in 15.8 seconds. It came with 4-wheel disc brakes and had a MacPherson strut independent suspension. Further improving the handling was a viscous limited-slip differential, which was standard equipment on the SE-R."

lucky's pepper > -Amateur 01/12/2014 at 23:12

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It's a combination of three things: safety regs+gas prices+enviro-nazis.

We all know all the safety stuff the government now mandates adds a ton of weight so the cars are no where near as lite as they used to be. Soaring gas prices are requiring people who used to drive mid and full size cars to buy smaller and more efficient cars. The never ending "we're all going to die because your car doesn't get 40 mpg so it's killing both the rain forests and polar bears" garbage from the environmentalists has guilted people who previously would have bought larger cars into buying smaller ones. These new buyers demand more luxury appointments then small cars used to provide. So now tiny cars that used to be lite and cheap econoboxes are now chubby little luxury cars.

lucky's pepper > Orange Exige 01/12/2014 at 23:17

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If you weren't driving (or even alive) back then, the SE-R was a great little car. Buddy had one and it was a hoot. Not a lot of power but the engine was soooo willing and eager. Smooth shifting transmission, good handling, good brakes. It was everything a car enthusiast could want.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > jariten1781 01/12/2014 at 23:22

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Yep. 10 year old cars make perfect first cars, even at 150k miles. Plentiful parts and well documented repairs with the assistance of online forums and guides only help them keep some sort of value. Why pay 14k for a bare bones, nothing on it car when you can get a nice mid-sized with some miles on it for the same price? For some people it makes sense but for others, it won't. It isn;t the best car i the world, but the outgoing W-body impala can be had for dirt cheap with some miles on it and be run on a tight budget.

Orange Exige > lucky's pepper 01/12/2014 at 23:25

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haha I was alive! (barely...)

Definitely wasn't driving though and I don't think I've ever seen an older 2 door SE-R before. 140 hp ain't too bad for a compact car from the early 90s. Seems like a sweet car.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > lucky's pepper 01/12/2014 at 23:27

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While I am not an "enviro-nazi", you have to say one thing for the green movement - it has accelerated domestic engine development ahead very rapidly. Even as recent as the early 2000s, could you imagine ford doing a twin turbo V6? Or GM putting turbos on all its 4-cylinders? In an attempt to make lemonade out of lemons, we enthusiasts have to credit the eco-push with encoruaging automakers to give us these wonderful new engines that are loads better than what we had in the 80s and 90s. Now if only the japanse could step up their game and be competitive again.....I can't recall the last time a japanese maker made a very good "new" engine since the renesis rotary and that's been killed off. Honda hasn't done anything new or exciting, toyota is just sorta sitting there, subaru is on cruise control, nissan is putting terrible CVTs on everything and looking like a bunch of fools.......Hopefully GM, Ford, VW, Fiat/Chrysler, and others put enough pressure on them to step their game up. The fiesta ST gives you up to 200hp in overboost mode while delivering almost 40mpg on the highway. Time for the JDM to step its game up!

wkiernan > -Amateur 01/13/2014 at 10:10

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The first generation Scion xB (Japanese market Toyota bB) certainly maximized the space inside itself. My wife had a 2000 Corolla which she replaced with an '04 xB. The xB was two feet shorter than the Corolla on the outside yet the interior was about half again bigger. They're very comfortable, the interior is attractive, and visibility is superb. I'd like to get a first generation xB as a second car but they're hard to find with a stick-shift and the prices for used ones are really high.

duurtlang > -Amateur 01/13/2014 at 10:44

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1980s and before compacts can't really be compared with the 'compacts' of today, they should be compared with current subcompacts. VW Polo, Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit, Nissan Micra, Toyota Yaris. Nor should the modern Mini be in this equation, as that's a luxury car which isn't built for efficiency or a low price.

Simple cars can still be had. Besides the obvious offerings in third and second world countries even Europe still has a lot of them. It's the effect of the culture of ordering cars in stead of buying one size fits all cars off lots plus gas prices that are double (or more) the US prices. A Dacia Sandero is a clear example of a simple but roomy car with a very low base price and a very low base equipment level while still offering safety that was modern a few years ago.

About the durability of older compacts; I realize in the 1970s and before it was uncommon, but in the 80s there were quite durable compacts. I only parked my mk2 Golf semi-permanently last year because I wanted something more comfortable/faster/frugal. It still has a lot of life left, with 290k (km) on the odometer. In its entire life it never broke down and only failed to start once (dead battery in harsh winter). And all that for a car with a mere 54 hp with a 4 speed manual that resulted in 4000k rpm at highway speed (120 kmh/75 mph).

Hawkstrike6 > -Amateur 01/23/2014 at 20:50

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There is a reason old compacts got labelled with the term "penalty box", you know.

Progress ain't all bad.

Pedro > Orange Exige 01/24/2014 at 08:33

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I learned to drive on a non SE-R 94 automatic, and that was a fun car. It weighed under 3000 lbs (maybe under 2500, I forget) and with 105 horsepower, it was loads of fun. Handling was good on that car, I can only imagine how much better the SE-R was

DipodomysDeserti > -Amateur 01/24/2014 at 08:36

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I've seen those FIAT 500 Pops going for $12k new. Maybe a little too stylish and a tad heavier than the classic subcompact cars, but they seem to fit the bill. On a side note, it's nice seeing a CRX with a fresh coat of paint. I'm so used to seeing them a shitboxes.

Schaef_Camaero Z/28 > -Amateur 01/24/2014 at 11:51

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No frills transportation for the lowest msrp in a given manufacturer's line-up with little to no optional accessories. Lightweight, low on power, great on gas mileage, cheap to maintain, and had great visibility.

This describes my 1991 Ford Festiva perfectly