1988 Hyundai Excel Review - Hyundai's FIRST Car In The United States!

remember looking at one and test driving it in 93 as a used car am pretty sure there was no muffler left acceleration was non existent decided to soend more for a civic

the blank buttons are so funny, the 80's version of "this could be us, but you playing"

These were broke down everywhere back then lol

❤ I have Excel 1990 4 speed manual still running with 33 year i love it since 2012 I buy it with 54700 original milles know have 125.000

I like how the new Kias look and would get one, but dont trust them since my dads'08 optima exploded randomly one day and caught fire while he was driving it.

Apparently its a thing Kias do, as after that i heard 2 more people say the same thing happened to their Kias, both different model's. 😬

Maybe its best to look at Hyundai instead.

I'm so glad to see this kind of car in America. It's a car that's almost gone in Korea. Also, I can't imagine old cars moving around because Korea changes cars so fast. These days, 2000 cars are almost disappearing

68 hp baby

their first 'good' car in the us may have been the '93 elantra, with twincam only engines

this car is so rad

Hyundai had Mitsubishi to thank or to blame for the engine!
Not only a back seat, but THREE LAP BELTS! I wonder how often three people sat in the back seat (and how old they were).
When did cup holders begin to become a thing? I have the impression they started as a Mopar minivan feature, but I don’t whether that is accurate.

I think these were the first car that were new in my lifetime that completely disappeared. Like none of them were around after say.....95 or 96? These things just disintegrated.

I trader my excel into the dealership in 1992. I had a 91 in HS

I can tell Zach isn’t old enough to realize the tach/analog clock position and that the car is equipped with AC. I turn 33 in a few days and I remember my parents 87 Excel GL vividly.

This brings back childhood memories. I remember riding in one with a friend to school who’s mother had one. I loved riding it and told my mom I wanted her to buy one. My friend’s mom had the 5 door hatchback version.

I wish I would have found this video when it was originally released. I reached driving age just as these cars were released. Something misspoken is when the car received a 5 speed manual. They always had that available from day one. You're driving the base model in this car, and it had zero frills. This could be had in 3 and 5 door hatchback models. The 1989 model year did finally bring the 4 door sedan into the base trim. The mid level trip was given a GL badge on the back. Bumpers became body color, the 5 speed manual was standard, and a 3 speed automatic became an option, Where that blank is on the left side of the cluster, an analog clock would occupy the slot. If the anemic AC was added, that blank button by the snowflake label is where the switch to turn it on and off would go. A rear wiper was also added to the GL trim, which would occupy a couple of the blank spots on the left side of the cluster. The seats were full cloth in front, and vinyl on the back. GL trim also allowed you to spec a 4 door sedan. If you wanted to be fancy, you would spec the GLS trim which gave you the nicest interior, a tach on the left of the cluster, a digital clock in the center of the dash, and a silver grille in front. You also received fancier hubcaps or could spec for alloy wheels. 1988 Also brought the GS model for the hatchback version like you were driving. It came in a select couple of colors, a body colored grille, decal badging, and highly bolstered front seats of their own style. There is way more detail that can be put into the four trim models and the differences between the four model years the car ran. Every year received small enhancements that gave them the ability to be identified each model year visually. 1986 had a big black egg crate grill surrounding squared sealed beams. 87 brought the two piece grill insert and the halogens like this one. The 3 speed automatic also gained a lockup torque convertor. The silver grill that year also sported the GL trim. 1987 also had a one time run of an SE trim model that evolved to the GS the following year for the hatchbacks. 1988 saw the front grille get a cosmetic change, and the cars go to all red taillights. 1989, the final year for the first gen car, saw the return of a one piece grill, that was black on the base, and body color on the GL, GLS, and GS trim cars. Interior content remained pretty consistent all four years. Mitsubishi actually rebadged these cars for a couple of years as the Precis.

I'd love for one of these in the mid or top trim to show up at my house. I to this day, have a soft spot for these back in the day, terrible little cars. People viewed them as disposable transportation, and treated them accordingly. This is why they're virtually extinct in the world.

I would love to have a brand new car just like this, only better quality, and A/C, because I live in Phoenix, AZ. It doesn't need anything else. I drove air cooled VW Bugs for decades, but they don't have A/C, and I have reached the age where I can no longer do without it. I absolutely love small, 2 door, very basic cars with manual transmissions. I love the fact that it's carbureted, I don't want any computers in my cars. I am currently driving a 1972 Ford Pinto woodgrain wagon, with a fairly new engine, 4 speed transmission, and mostly new steering, brake, and suspension parts, along with aftermarket A/C. Hyundai used to make cars, even if they weren't really great cars. Now they just make computers on huge ghetto wheels with no tires. You couldn't give me one, unless I could sell it and keep the money.

Si desean ver uno en buen estado original, busquen Hyundai Excel Hightower coupe... está restaurado a un estado original y se ve mejor lo que tenían... o busquen en mi canal.

This was my first car back in the 2000’s. Mine was not able to get up to 55mph. The fastest I ever got my excel was 40mph going downhill with a back wind. I remember the back passenger side tire blew out and I didn’t discover that until I got out of the car at home.

I love this car

Dude. The “snowflake switch “ is the a/c switch.

How the hell is that thing still running??!

My dad bought one brand new in 1986, their first year in America. It was great.

Interesting to see how Hyundai and Mitsubishi evolved from the 80s to now lol. They basically swapped places.

This is one of those cars when you see it, have no idea what it is, except that it's some cheap car from the old days

The Ioniq 5 is supposed to vaguely resemble the Pony, but I truly think it looks more like the Excels from the late 80s and early 90s. Learned to drive in a 93 Excel. Loved that little thing.

Inexpensive car, basic transportation, 35 years old! She's only half of 70 years old. What a piece of garbage, right? Great car to last that long!

What a nugget!

My uncle had a 92 with a 5 speed.. i remember the battery hold down breaking on my way home from the beach and having to jam a flipflop under the hood to keep the battery from grounding out on the hood.

I haven’t seen one of these (and the Pony) for a long, long time. They were cheap and disposable. How this one has survived is miraculous.

Your joking Kia and Hyundai are good now LoL have u looked on the side of the roads

Been there, done that, got the T shirt. Worst two years. Got it new in 88 and traded if for a new Camry in 90. Always buy quality and never buy a Hyundai.

That snowflake button is for the A/C compressor. So if the car has that switch and not a blank, it was a factory A/C car.

I like Hyundai. Drove two Elantras and a Sonata once. Even drove a Kia Optima too.

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Brings back memories. My dad had one of these. He kept it very well kept up and at one point took the whole motor apart and rebuilt it. Got 300k miles on it.

Hyundai might be better than they used to be, but they’re still crap.

Owned this for about six years and it turned out to be one of the best cars I ever owned -- not nearly as good as the 2008 Corolla i've owned for 16 years, but still good with minimal repairs.
I remember I liked the turning radius -- perfect for U turns on relatively narrow streets.

My 1989 was the same color but mine had the tachometer and boot around my shifter and my tail lights were all red plus mine came with nice wheels and a sun roof, loved my little car and drove it for several years

I am in Canada and owned 1986 Hyundai Pony back 30 years ago the worst P.O.S. car i ever drove nothing but bad memories so you guys in USA got lucky that you have missed it.

I was 11 when these hit the street in America. Absolutely awesome automobile that took more of a beating than a ford eacort or dodge omni ever could . $ 3,995.00 no haggle price

I learned to drive in this exact car. it was a GL model. my mom got it used in 1993. Automatic and it had A/C and an analog clock where the RPM gauge should be. We fit a freakin riding mower in the back of that thing one time 🤣 The original stereo was a Panasonic and it was a decent stereo with a tape deck. Even though it was a cheap ass car it was a step up from the plane jane K car we had before that. it had AC, bucket seats AND a tape deck! what luxuries lol

Believe it or not, the "Hyundai" logo blank panel where the tach would be was quite common back then on base model cars; this was true for my 1987 Nissan pickup truck and many other vehicles I've either ridden in or owned from that time period. VW's approach on the MKII Jettas and Golfs was to insert a tach-sized analog clock right next to the speedometer! It was ridiculous. Also, that "HYUNDAI" blank in the dead center of the dash was for an optional digital clock.

Most cars didn't have cupholders until well into the 90's. The closest thing to cupholders in many vehicles (Ford, for example) were small cup-sized depressions molded into the back of the glovebox door (which laid flat when opened) - these were only usable when parked (or a drive-in theater), as anything placed there would fall over.

My grandmother bought a brand-new Excel in 1993, which was the updated (rounded off, slightly modernized, fuel injected) version of this car; This thing was an ABSOLUTE STRIPPED-DOWN example; no a/c, no power options, no stereo, and a four speed on the floor. Everyone gave her hell for buying this thing - even her nine-year old grandson (me!). The joke was on us, though - the car lasted eight years, 80,000 miles before the transmission case cracked when my uncle slammed it into a parking lot barrier. In all, it was the most reliable car she ever owned...

I will NEVER Forget!!! In the wake of the infamous Rodney King high-speed chase, l.a.p.d. spokesperson said, and I quote: "Rodney King was traveling at 115 miles per hour down (such and such) freeway." Very next day, Hyundai spokesperson said: "That's ImPossible! Our cars cannot Go That Fast!"!!!!!

I drove a mirror image of this car, even the same color, a couple of times when I was dating a girl in 1988, whose dad bought her a new one. My car at the time was an ‘87 Mitsubishi Starion ESI-R so when we occasionally took her car, I was just blown away at what a pile of garbage it was. Fast forward 40 years and we just bought my wife an Ionic five which is hands-down one of the most amazing vehicles I’ve ever owned and I’ve owned a lot.

I drove one of these. It was called "Pony" here in Europe. A five speed. It was my father's car. I remember it being NOT involving you with the driving in any way shape or from. It was also NOT very economical. Whatever you did, you got 25 mpg, which for an economy car, manual 5 speed, is bad. On the other hand, it had no real downsides and it was reliable. The highlight were the seats. I drove 500 miles in one day, and no problem. I don't remember why my father traded it in after 120.000 miles. I think he wanted an automatic at his old age.

I have one still 89 hatchback 58k miles Super clean all custom wish I could post a picture