Technically, the Pony was developed by Hyundai too, but with a lot of hired help. My nephew still drives the car – it now has 150,000 miles on it, and until the used car market goes down I suspect he will keep it (he graduates from college on Tuesday!). (Not about the mexican food, its delicious!). REALLY bad. I mean, if any car was destined to spend its entire life with a crankcase full of black sludge, it was surely a 1987 Hyundai. Isn’t GM a Chinese company now, anyway? By it’s 6th year, it needed a clutch replacement, and the engine mounts were sagging, which made the handling unpredictable. I actually have fond memories of these. If this happened to Mullally at Ford he’d of been roasted, tared and feathered by public opinion. Your 1987 Hyundai Excel GL may also experiences problems with the illumination of the CHECK ENGINE light,which is caused by excessive build-up of motor oil on the spark plug electrode. The last straw was when a front wheel fell off as he was crossing the Mission bridge, due to a CV failure. (first posted 5/7/2012)     Americans are a forgiving sort, and redemption from sin is just the right gesture away. Powered by a very attractive $4,995 ($10k adjusted) starting price, the Excel arrived at an auspicious time, given that the Voluntary Import Restrictions caused shortages of Japanese cars, rapidly rising prices, dealer markups, and waiting lists. And Samsung makes the best phone, hands down. I think my nephew had a 62 model. We sometimes had to wait several weeks for brake parts or sensors. Or help them this time? Ended up buying a 1983 Honda Civic 3 door hatchback via Auto Trader and drove it for 6 years and about 70K miles over that time. 1987 Hyundai Excel. The Canadians took a particular shine to it, and the Pony was a big hit up north, selling over 50k units annually. It’s currently 31 years old! Having made that comment, I saw a 2nd gen Excel yesterday – broken down & abandoned on the side of the road! When the ES300 came out, Lexus had only existed for two years. +1 I tried a Hyundai not because of the media, but because it seemed like a well-built car at a great price. That same year I bought a Yugo. Should’ve photographed it. And what were they like to drive? “Detroit never took crap to the level that Hyundai did”, Chevrolet Vega Lexus CT 200h. I had a roommate in college with one of these. How can they fall for this GM crap? Those are the things I remember! They improved as Mitsubishi let them take their 4G engine technology to add to their knowledge base it seems. Plus, our selection of 1987 Transmission & Drivetrain parts for your Excel are some of the lowest in the market. What amazes me is the degree to which the media cheers them on. Consumer Reports couldn’t get their ’86 above 45 MPH many times because the brakes dragged so badly. I remember well the garbage they produced for many years, but it didn’t stop me from buying my second Hyundai in ’08. I replaced the carb once and never again. I knew I was rolling the dice when I bought it, and was overjoyed when it turned out to be so reliable. We took it on a Tarmac Rally, that was interesting, torque steer city. On top of all that, the Camry VX10 was one of the best sedans available at any price. It broke down countless times during college, but I always chalked it up to his abusive ownership style. A highly specific convenience, but at the time it was pretty darned important and nothing else on the market came even close. She could never rely on that car 100%. 3. Thankfully no one needs to shed a tear for Hyundai these days – they’re a great rags to riches story. I thought the originals looked decent for the day, but I actually liked the subtle changes the mid-cycle refresh brought. Shortly thereafter it fell off a cliff. Hyundai Excel 1987 Wheel size. I have it. Putting quality issues aside, the Excel was a steal compared to the barely warmed-over tiny ex-Fiat Yugo. You don’t have to get them to sign on the dotted line, their word is their honor. In 2013, my daughter and her husband rented a Santa Fe for a road trip with me and I found the thing was so bouncy that both my daughter and I experienced something we never had before. I happily complied and received a check for $1200. It’s real easy to work on. It didn’t inspire in any regard, but neither did it engender loathing. She used the car for shopping and running errands. Drove that Civic 6 years and put some 70K+ miles on it. I think you mean XV10 (rather than VX10), which is the 1991-1996 Camry generation. The previous year I had changed my policy to a zero dollar deductible. Since this car’s a CC and not a COAL, I think it’s safe to point that out here. HyundaiPartsDeal.com offers the lowest prices for genuine 1987 Hyundai Excel parts. Hyundai actually had to settle a lawsuit over these poorly designed belts. He motions to the client to come over and see that the car now was able to shift. Like it not, the ES-Series is a fine automobile. But GM was too arrogant to listen. This generation of Hyundai is the automotive equivalent of that bad taco and why I hate Korean products. Kevin Marzo 2018 However, at about 25K, the engine started to have some serious. If you like throwing levers while you drive, you got two of them instead of one! Never seen a US spec Corolla with a thermo-wax choke. Their cars were very reliable. Browse interior and exterior photos for 1987 Hyundai Excel. If I had a choice between driving a new Hyundai or taking the bus, it would be bus for me. My parents initially loved it, but the honeymoon didn’t last long. After a ten year run, Hyundai was ready to take the plunge into the FWD world; a tricky transition that had tripped up more than one major manufacturer. They made me sign an affidavit that I hadn’t torched it. A thick area of padding on the dashboard where your knees would slam into in the event of an accident, holding you, allegedly into place. I realize what it is, a simple economy car. Can still tell you what went wrong with it over that entire period. In the repair industry it was known as “the Minuki nightmare” they used a unusual thermo-wax choke set up that was not adjustable nor really repairable. A college buddy had one of these, a three door to be exact. Fortunately, a couple of the guys in the service department held him back and the new car manager, who also was out there by circumstance, got him to calm down. Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. Wheel size for the 1987 Hyundai Excel will vary depending on model chosen, although keep in mind that many manufacturers offer alternate wheel sizes as options on many models.The wheel size available will alter the range of tyres available to be fitted. It was even worse than the 1979 Regal (bought in 1981 with 28000 miles…was I too unattentive to figure that out? You have a soul. Parts like AT Case are shipped directly from authorized Hyundai dealers and backed by the manuf Having gone over 200,000 trouble-free kilometers in a Pony (thus was actually not uncommon with the Pony), a buddy invested in a used Excel. I’m not sure you actually drove a Hyundai. In reality, the good cars are never as good as we remember them, and the bad ones are never as bad. Outside of Hyundai-recommended oil change intervals, your Excel may need an oil change if your check engine light is on, you hear engine knocking, smell oil inside the car, or notice an unusual amount of exhaust. Indeed, the Excel had an average reliability rating from Consumer Reports for its first two years, unlike these cars that came out of the gate well below average, meaning owners spent a lot of time at the dealership. Highlighted items are for OEM wheels, the rest are replacement options Page navigation by markets: Heads up! However it was the carb that was more expensive to replace than the car was worth and the fact that when they started going bad they wouldn’t pass emissions tests was what soured many people on the Excel in particular and Hyundai in general. I know one person who still had a Pony in the early 90s here in BC but she traded it for an Escort as soon as she got a regular income again. 1987 Hyundai Excel Repair Manual Online. The Cimarron was a Cavalier with different badges and a Cadillac grille. Really spooked me, and then I bought a ’67 Caddy which turned out to be a total lemon. The other reason is that while the Camry platform is well-engineered, the Cavalier’s J-Body platform, while acceptable in an entry-level Chevrolet, was woefully inadequate as the underpinnings for a Cadillac. Whatever it was, he eventually parked it behind his garage because he was sick and tired of fixing it repeatedly. But I did definitely help it along the path to death. She met some guy-a prison pen pal guy- moved to the Carolinas and the Excel promptly blew its engine- she blamed the guy- when it was only 3 years old and never ran again. Directly on par with my other friends Renault Encores. I have to agree with earlier comments of the Hyundai stigma these cars created, which KIAs and god help you, Diahatsus did nothing to eleviate. That was when Hyundai really turned it around – and finally got some needed street cred. CC Outtakes: A Toy Truck – What Could Be Better For Christmas? I don’t know if that was true, it was just what I was told. His Excel lasted 46 months and 63k miles. The service manager crawls under the Excel, and in two minutes has the tow truck driver drop the car on the ground. Get both manufacturer and user submitted pics. Hyundai’s exports began with the Pony, including Europe, and Canada from 1983 on. Worse, it was sloppily assembled in a cramped, poorly lit factory by workers who had been drinking wine from the start of their shift. Of course the Equus cost nearly ten times more, a price Hyundai back then wouldn’t dare to put on any of its car. Order online today! the problem with the American people they do not know anything even themselves to keep their cars in good condition and as they have money they buy another, "Review From The Backseat: 2013 Lexus GS 350 F Sport (Japanese Spec)", "Groundbreaking News: GM China Said To Build New Factory", Ford Mustang Mach-E: Right Car, Wrong Name. > …hang around long enough and keep putting your face out there, and pretty soon all is forgiven. 2. One day it ran out of gas, and we pushed it to his frat house. The SC400 and ES300 followed in 1991. Changed oil every 3,500 miles and did the brakes myself. I drove one once, fairly briefly, and my only now-dim impressions were of it being a reasonably functional appliance. It certainly did get them off the road and into the wrecking yard sooner than a bi-metallic would have. These were definitely not worse than a Yugo. Buyers had problems right from the start, not later when things wore out like with the Excel (although there was only one recall, an assembly issue with the seat belts; no big surprise perhaps considering how long ago the car had been designed). Luckily my passengers and I escaped with only minor injuries. Here goes: My family had a 1987 Excel GLS in royal blue for about 7 years and 75,000 miles. Not my cup of tea, but an extremely well-engineered, reliable car. The other bit problem was that Mitsubishi engine that suffered the same problem as many Mitsu engines of that era valve guides that failed. Detroit had no excuse to make crap vehicles, but they did anyway, and paid for it in market share. Ironically, Toyota had a crummy ES. Early Hyundai products were certainly no Toyotas, but in fairness they did not get the same owner love, either. As a testament to early Hyundai quality the Mitsubishi running gear was very reliable but the rest of the car was horrid. But there were serious doubts about the Yugo’s provenance and durability from the beginning, and they quickly proved to be all-too true. This reminds me that about two months ago I saw a Canadian ex-pat Pony cruising the roads here in West Florida. Needless to say, a Hyundai wasn’t on my shopping list when I looked for a car to replace it. Well, that applies more to politicians and celebrities than to car companies. Acceleration was really poor, the door panels were tinny and the damn thing cut off during the test drive – twice. Only he had missed the part where the payments jumped. Shoot, I did a search for a Pony CC but thought that one was for the Ford Escort Pony. I was interested in the Korean invasion – could they out-do the Japanese in value for the dollar? Why we couldn’t have simply mandated seatbelt use (which eventually all but one state did anyway) is beyond me. The next big leap forward came in 1975, when the Pony appeared (above). I would buy a hyundai today. Regardless, we had a “crap-ton” of used Excels on the lot, and people were coming in and buying them. The result was explosive, with Hyundai selling 169k Excels in the US that first year. Pity that you can’t appreciate development. But it was not soon before we realized a 3 year old Corolla for the same price was a much better value and more reliable. So much for taking the Hyundai route of improvement! Tell that to Kaiser, AMC, Studebaker, Packard, Tucker, and many others. The best thing I can say about it was (after a quick brake bleeding) it stopped on a dime. How on earth did US regulators let this fly and how did this pass as an “automatic restrain system” which was required during the era, if you didn’t equip a car with airbags. Her radio stopped working, the struts for the hatch gave out and her A/C worked intermittently. I had a 1986 Excel GLS and like NoChryslers had mentioned earlier that the car was very easy to get into, if fact I forgot my keys in the ignition and I did not need a shim to get into the car all I needed was a Popsicle stick. A new friend drove one…. We had an in with the local GM/Chrysler/Hyundai dealership and got most of there trades in package deals. Caught with inadequate research again.. The “used engines imported from Japan” places often had waiting lists for engines for Excels and when they did have the old Colt engines available it usually wasn’t a winning proposition as the price of the engine and instalation was usually more than one in good condition was worth. 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