10 Cheap Everyday Cars That Will Help You Relive The 1990s

Nostalgia is a funny thing. It has a funny way of randomly triggering recalls of fond memories and strong emotions of the past. It’s as if it somehow creates a connection to a time we’ve moved away from. Even funnier is how it can be stirred by almost anything. For most people, it would probably be music that sets it off and for some, its tokens and memorabilia they associate with a recollection of former times. But for many car enthusiasts, certain cars can elicit nostalgia. A fondness for a specific decade or generation they’re particularly attached to.

For enthusiasts though, nostalgia isn’t just confined to a memory but also the experience of cars they fell in love with or maybe learned to drive in. In extreme cases, these cars, associated with dreams and goals when they were younger sometimes triggers not only nostalgia, but the Medulla bad idea as well. The organ found within the automotive enthusiasts’ brains that make bad car-related ideas seem logical; like say taking on a basket-case project car.

For many, the trigger for nostalgia is caused by cars from the nineties, and for good reason. There’s quite a wide spread of cool and fun cars from the decade that weren’t full of gimmicks and made their case with genuinely good engineering. Here are some cars that effectively spark nostalgia for the 1990s.

RELATED: 10 Supercars From The ’90s That Deserve A Comeback

10 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata

Estimated Used Price: $10,000

The original Miata was groundbreaking when it was announced in 1989 as a 1990 model. Conceptually based on the British definition of a sports car, it was light, affordable, reasonably powered, and usable as a fun every day car. Staying true to sports car genetics, the NA Miata wasn’t fast by any means, but focused on fun and was enjoyable to drive even in slow city traffic.

Specifications

(Performance specifications sourced from Car and Driver)

What made the original MX-5, such a hit was its simplicity and focus on the task of fun motoring. Numbers be damned, it was as if the engineers at Mazda found the magic formula for a true driver’s car. Famously based on a Lotus Elan, the little Japanese roadster also cured the reliability and build quality issues of the early British sports cars it was based on. It’s no surprise that even over 30-years on, the original NA Miata is still highly sought after and transports you three decades back.

9 1992 BMW 3-Series E36

Estimated Used Price: $10,000

The E36 generation 3-Series continued the sporty oriented driving dynamics of BMWs that came before it. With a new chassis, even the non-M3-series models leaned heavily on the automaker’s “ultimate driving machine” tagline. Even now, that the E36 is very evidently from the nineties, styling cues from older generations were still clear in its design.

Specifications (325i Sedan)

(Performance specifications sourced from Automobile-Catalog.com)

Praised for its inherent balance and vast improvement over the previous E30 generation, the E36 was slightly larger, affording more interior and luggage space as well as a bigger engine bay for larger displacement engines. Its emphasis on handling was a benefit of a new suspension set-up and placing the wheels as far outboard as possible, which proved to make the E36 a favorite among drivers that appreciated a taut, well put together sedan.

RELATED: Mercedes-Benz W124: A Timeless Beauty That Still Exudes Elegance and Class

8 1990 Lexus LS400

Estimated Used Price: $8,000

The LS400 was the luxury sedan that showed the world that Japan could go toe-to-toe with premier European automakers when it came to luxury and engineering in the nineties. Being the car that debuted Lexus as a company, Toyota spared no cent in developing its upmarket brand’s flagship luxury sedan, and the LS400 was the stellar result of all their hard work.

Specifications

(Performance specifications sourced from Car and Driver)

Boasting of an all-new platform and an equally new buttery smooth 4.0-liter V-8, the LS400 was aimed directly at the best luxury sedan money can buy. The Mercedes-Benz S-class had a target on its back. Spacious, quiet and reliable, just as it should be Toyota’s premier brand. And at almost half-price, the flagship Lexus earned the favor of many, taking chunks of sales away from the established German automakers that lorded over the segment.

7 1994 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Estimated Used Price: $8,000

While the W124 E-class was designed and launched in the mid-eighties, its design was so advanced and relevant, it spent a big chunk of its life in the nineties with production finally coming to an end in 1997. Based on the W201 190 E designed by Bruno Sacco, the W124 debatably carried the rounded and angled styling better than the “baby Benz” it was based on.

Specifications (E320 Sedan)

(Performance specifications sourced from Automobile-Catalog.com)

From the time it was released, til this day, many would argue that the W124 generation Mercedes is the best car the German automaker has ever made, some would even say that it’s the coolest sedan ever made. That’s because the W124 turned the automotive industry upside down with its safety-centric, well-thought-out design and revolutionary engineering. It was comfortable, quiet, reliable, and flexible and its styling would lend itself well to a coupe, wagon, and even a cabriolet while maintaining beautiful proportions perfectly.

RELATED: 10 Best Sports Cars Of The 1990s

6 1990 Honda Accord

Estimated Used Price: $6,000

More than the sum of its parts, the 1990 Accord was a favorite for traits that were unquantifiable in its time. Providing a quiet and comfortable ride and with a smooth engine, the Honda Accord was an underdog on paper when compared to the Toyota Camry which offered much more features and a V-6 engine.

Specifications

(Performance specifications sourced from hondanews.com)

Powered by a humble 2.2-liter four-cylinder, the Accord wasn’t going to win any light-to-light races, but it wasn’t what sold buyers to the Honda. It was a no-frills, comfortable, reliable transportation that appealed to the masses because it was sufficient for almost anyone’s day-to-day use at the time and, undeniably, quite good-looking while at it.

5 1997 Honda Civic

Estimated Used Price: $5,000

The Honda Civic was a pillar of tuner culture and the sport compact car scene in the nineties. Modified for performance and style, the Civic was featured on all tuner publications of the period, spilling over to the early 2000s. Kitted with B-series engine swaps, superchargers and turbo kits, it’s hard to look back at nineties car culture while ignoring the humble economy Honda.

Specifications (DX Hatchback)

(Performance specifications sourced from Car and Driver)

But that isn’t everything that the sixth-generation Civic can be credited with. Better platform sharing between body styles meant the even the Civic hatchback was more spacious than the previous generation. It was also the first car to comply with the notorious California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulations and was also quite fuel efficient. That being said, the Honda Civic is a versatile car from the nineties that served as a responsible, basic transportation to many and a dedicated track toy and fun tuner car to some.

RELATED: Why The 1990s Was An Epic Period For Car Enthusiasts

4 1992 Ford Taurus

Estimated Used Price: $5,000

Taking the top seat from the Honda Accord, the second generation Ford Taurus was the best-selling car in the U.S. from 1992 until 1994 where production died the following year. Partly credited for the nineties’ resurgence of the wagon body style, the second generation Ford Taurus was designed with a more aerodynamic body and simpler interior that made it easier to live with.

Specifications (Wagon)

(Performance specifications sourced from Automobile-Catalog.com)

With its SHO variant, or “super high output”, Ford sent its V-6 to Yamaha to help them extract more performance for the more sporting sedan in the line-up. What Yamaha sent back was a 220-horsepower optimized version of its asthmatic-up-top engine. Offered in sedan and wagon shapes, the Ford Taurus was a staple of the nineties for its versatility, simplicity, and improved quality, which helped Ford get back on its feet after suffering losses to the better-built Japanese offerings.

3 1993 Toyota Camry

Estimated Used Price: $5,000

Based on the Lexus ES platform, the Toyota Camry brought exceptional Lexus quality to buyers at an affordable Toyota price. The third-generation was part of the beginnings of the best-selling sedan in the country and was larger now classified as a mid-size sedan. Though its contemporary styling wasn’t attention-grabbing, its rounded body was new for the time.

Specifications (SE Sedan)

(Performance specifications sourced from Edmunds.com)

In its SE trim that was new for 1993, the Camry was given a slightly more sporting package along with its standard 3.0-liter V-6 and manual transmission. Retuned suspension for better grip and a revised final drive ratio to improve its performance of the line completed the SE trim changes. Offered as a wagon or as a sedan and with two different engine options, and with many still on the road today, its no surprise the Toyota Camry was a hit in the 1990s.

RELATED: 10 High-Performance Cars That Reshaped The 1990s

2 1995 Volvo 850

Estimated Used Price: $5,000

Known for their decidedly conservative, blocky designs and safety oriented engineering, it was a surprise to many when Swedish car company Volvo started hot-rodding their boxes with turbos from the factory. When the 850 was introduced in 1992, it brought with it a host of brand-new features to set it apart from the competition as well as a record for being the most costly Swedish industrial project in the day.

Specifications (Turbo Wagon)

(Performance specifications sourced from Edmunds.com)

The innovations of Volvo that differentiated the 850 were Volvo’s Side-Impact Protection System or SIPS, auto-tensioning seat belts, new rear suspension set-up they called “Delta-link” which gave it passive rear-wheel steering under load, and a new inline-five engine. Comfort, luxury safety and its evolved, refined styling the 850 was quite a hit. And even today when SUVs are all the craze, the Volvo 850, more so in its wagon configuration is a relic from the nineties that’s still fitting in 2023.

1 1995 Dodge Neon

Estimated Used Price: $4,000

This is spartan. No, not Sparta…spartan. As an entry-level economy car, the Dodge Neon was expectedly plain and almost bare. But at its very reasonable price at its debut, one couldn’t complain. More so when you discover that the design of the Neon made it naturally easy to live with. Its large greenhouse and wide door openings, made ingress and egress easy and was quite spacious for a compact economy sedan.

Specifications

(Performance specifications sourced from Edmunds.com)

With no door pockets, trunk release lever, and folding rear seat, the Dodge Neon was as spartan as cars came. But what made up for the Neon’s simplicity aside from its roomy interior was its engaging little 2.0-liter that was punchy and willing to rev its guts to the redline. Along with its affordability and spacious interior, as well as a fun and quirky design, the Dodge Neon was well-liked way past the nineties which even inspired Dodge to build a performance version; the SRT-4.