One of my cars in the junkyard..

[wander2039]

This is the first time I've seen one of my cars in a junkyard. Bought in Nov of 06 for 300. The guy thought it was the clutch ended up the wheel bearings on the front. Yeah as you can see how it on the tow dolley I found that out. Also the fuel pump was locked up. Ran and drove great after those were replaced. I thought I only had it a year but according to the pics a year and half and about 20k. Sold it with 210k to a teenage girl for $800. Looks like it had a hard time.. I kinda figured it would but truthfully it was really rusty anyways. Came from Ohio originally. The passenger fender and door had been replaced. The interior and engine really dirty. Sad to see it crushed but I figured it would eventually.

 

[Steve S]

Don't be sad it will come back as something made in China.

 

[Mr Nice]

Did you come across you former car by accident ?

Must have felt bad to see her in such bad shape.

 

[Panzerman]

Weird-huh? Like seeing a ex girlfriend. I had a beautiful Cadillac Coupe Deville when I was kid. Years later, I saw it at the fair, in a demolition derby, it hurt even more, it won. I sold it because it had a 100,000 miles on it and I was afarid it was going to give me problems. I checked it out after the demo derby, it had 276,000 miles on it and they drove what was left of it up to the rollback truck-sucks.

 

[rshunter]

I remember when the Aspire came out. The thing that stood out was that they all smelled of kimchi, being manufactured by (pre-Hyundai) KIA. I'm glad to know that they made some owners happy. To be honest, I think it stands as an example of the progress of Korean car building, over their earlier products. It also shows how far the latest Korean cars have come.

I worked for Ford at the time, and we had a joke about how the car got its name. "Why do they call it the Aspire? Because once you've driven one, you'll Aspire to anything else!" Yeah, in retrospect it's a bit mean, but we were comparing it to the other cars we were able to play with. Truly a car that deserved more credit than it got...

 

[wander2039]

Yeah my heart dropped a little. But I had expected to see it eventually... I'd rather see my ex-girl friend there lol. I go to the 3 PNP yards around KC once a month to scrounge for Mazda parts. I've seen three cars I knew so far. The teenage girl I sold it to had it on Craigslist last year for $500 but the wife wouldn't let me buy it back. The girl was going into the Air Force so at least it served her needs for the short time. Probably most of the damaged happen with the last owner. The Aspire's don't have quite the nature of the Festiva's but they do have their positives. Small cars don't get alot of credit here in the USA period. Over seas though these cars were like Lincolns.

 

[XS650]

Originally Posted By: Eric Smith
The Aspire's don't have quite the nature of the Festiva's but they do have their positives. Small cars don't get alot of credit here in the USA period. Over seas though these cars were like Lincolns.


I rented Aspires a couple of times. I like the upright seating position and they were comfortable to drive long distance.

 

[daves87rs]

Had to see my wagon there....it made me want to buy it back...

 

[crazyoildude]

wow i wish we had some good junkyards here in nj

 

[Silk]

Cars often reach me as the last stop before the junk yard.Sometimes I sell them for scrap.The car I'm driving now I couldn't even give away,so thought I would get it back on the road and drive it until it stops.Remove the plates and walk away.

 

[Camu Mahubah]

Originally Posted By: rshunter
I remember when the Aspire came out. The thing that stood out was that they all smelled of kimchi, being manufactured by (pre-Hyundai) KIA. I'm glad to know that they made some owners happy. To be honest, I think it stands as an example of the progress of Korean car building, over their earlier products. It also shows how far the latest Korean cars have come.

I worked for Ford at the time, and we had a joke about how the car got its name. "Why do they call it the Aspire? Because once you've driven one, you'll Aspire to anything else!" Yeah, in retrospect it's a bit mean, but we were comparing it to the other cars we were able to play with. Truly a car that deserved more credit than it got...


Did they really smell of Kimchi? Your pulling our leg right?

 

[rshunter]

Originally Posted By: Camu Mahubah

Did they really smell of Kimchi? Your pulling our leg right?

Believe it or not, the first ones we got our hands on reeked of the stuff. I have no idea why but they did. I actually joked with one of the other guys that the port workers must have had lunch in the darn things. Either that, or they were passing wind like a landing zeppelin venting lifting gas. I avoided the things after that, at least until they'd had plenty of time to air out.

P.S.: I even looked under the seats of the first one to see if someone had left their lunch behind. They hadn't...

 

[addyguy]

My folks test-drove an Aspire before they bought there 1994 Ford Tempo - the gutlessness of the Aspire scared my step-dad, and he thought the car was dangerous!

 

[wander2039]

Must of been an auto. They are kinda sluggish bump the timing you might be surprised. Never really noticed the smell in a Aspire but they do have a different smell to them.

 

[wander2039]

Originally Posted By: XS650
Originally Posted By: Eric Smith
The Aspire's don't have quite the nature of the Festiva's but they do have their positives. Small cars don't get alot of credit here in the USA period. Over seas though these cars were like Lincolns.


I rented Aspires a couple of times. I like the upright seating position and they were comfortable to drive long distance.


That's what I was thinking of. Longer trips are nicer with the Aspire's versus the Festiva. Thicker body and seat cushions and a little bit more aerodynamic.

 

[rshunter]

There's definitely something to be said about a simple, back-to-basics, small hatchback. Too many people judge a car based on a common all-encompassing standard, rather than appreciating it in the context of its intended purpose. Whether it's a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, or a Citroen 2CV, they each have their virtues and little details that impress.

 

[mjoekingz28]

63hp in a 2050lb car is really all one needs if in a 5 speed. But you do have to know how to merge, which I think WE can do, but many cannot.

The Aspire will leap off the line and charge hard to a top speed of about 90mph. What more do you need?