FUn story ..One of the old timers at my shop bought one of these new the first year they came out. Everyone gave him crap saying it was a sardine can. He drove it everywhere. One day on the way to work at 4am he was hit on a 35mph road by a truck traveling over 75mph. The car was trashed and in a ditch. The truck hobbled back to life and drove off. He was in the Hosp for a few days and had pain from it until he retired. After realizing the police weren't going to help much because they had nothing to go on he told the lot holding the car he needed to get something out of it and after that it could be scrapped. He had bare minimum insurance on it since he paid cash for it new. Lucky for him the lot had a new neighbor and they were leveling a hill with earth moving equipment in the driest and dustiest part of the year. He arrived at 7am and him and lot manager noticed a perfect imprint of the trucks front license plate in what was left of the rear bumper that was slapped on the roof of the car. The combination of dust and dew showed the plate numbers clearly. The sheriff of the county the wreck happened in came and took pics. It was clear as day.. Within 2 hours the sheriff had the guy arrested for felony hit and run at a business he owned.. He also towed his truck that had already been fixed and Painted all within 2 weeks or so. The mangled front plate was re attached to the new bumper... My buddy went after his insurance and the driver. Once it was said and done his car was replaced and all of his medical bills were taken care of.. Till the day he retired he always kept a polaroid of the bumper in his tool box. He always drove big ass cadillacs after that..

In 1991 I bought a 4 door excel with hatchback for $2,500. It only had 27,000 miles. My parents drove it to Mexico, flipped it over and the car made it back to California. Good little car.

I remember when the Excel Came out thinking no one will appreciate the name “Hyundai” It went from a low income car to reveling the best in it’s class.

And look how big Hyundai is today being a real contender against the establishment. One of my favourite brands now. Great video

I think you should have made a mention to Hyundai and Kia's 10 year / 100,000 mile warranty. I feel without this, the brand wouldn't have survived, at least in america. With this warranty it eliminated the risk of worrying about it breaking down and slowly allowed them to increase quality and to this day remains a main stay of both brands with "america's best warranty".

I almost made the mistake of buying one of these in '86, but when the salesman suggested I get the manual cause otherwise with a/c on, I would not make it up a hill with passengers on board, so i got out of there quickly

Love The marketing ads you include

Those new Genisis are no joke. Fast and luxurious. If I could afford one I'd get one.

OMMMMGGGGGG.flashback! I remember in 1987, my dad and I drove from our small west Texas town to Red McCombs Hyundai in San Antonio to pick up a new 4-door BROWN with grey interior Excel. We had it for a few years until we moved to Houston and my parents got rid of it because they were easy to break in to, and someone had actually broken into our car and stole the Panasonic stereo that it came with LOL. I still remember the little chime the car made when a door was open

My mother had one of these, I learn to drive in one, once I was rear-ended at 15-ish mph, I was scared to get out of the car and check the damage but the other car got destroyed and the Excel was like nothing had happened; another time my dad crashed it, my mom crashed it too, I burnt the clutch, we rebuilt the engine, alternator was crap, sunroof leaked, but that little car was always coming back to life, I learnt a lot from it, it took it to college, good memories. At the end we sold it, we had it for more than 10 years. Glad to know there's a proper history video about it.

I can't even remember the last time I saw an Excel. They used to be everywhere in the late 1980's.

That was my very first car. 1988 Hyundai Excel GL 4 door hatchback. With 5 speed manual transmission.

When Hyundai launched in the US, who would've guessed they'd outlast Pontiac and Oldsmobile?

I had a 85 renault encore. I loved that POS.

I have four Korean cars right now - Two 87 Ponys (one heavily modified), a 1999 Daewoo Matiz, and a 2005 Sonata. They're all pretty good.

Beyond the Pony Canada also in 85 got the Stellar so the Excel was actually the 3rd Hyundai for Canada.

I owned a 1987 Hyundai Excel GL 4-door sedan. A car that served me well for 10 years. I bought it in 2004 and sold it in 2014. This was the car I used in a trip to the beach when I asked my now wife to be my girlfriend. Oh, she loved that old car, she was very sad when we sold it. Cheers from El Salvador!

I first saw the Excel in the parking lot at work( they were not sold in my state) I researched them and was surprised that the parent company was Huge everything from microwaves to ships of war.. I knew I would see more of them

Thank you for taking up on my suggestion. I really do appreciate it. It was a fun experience to remember my Hyundai Excel GS. It only caught fire once..... LOL! It got me through University and the first few years after. I put 200,000 miles on it. Yes, things did fall off it, but I remember that car with great affection. LOL.

My dads first 1st import was a brand new 1986 Hyundai Excel in silver with manual transmission. He said it's was a great car. He only paid $5995

Since you already brought up Mitsubishi in this episode. How about doing a episode about the Mitsubish Galant!

I would love to see a video on the 1991-1994 Nissan Sentra - I had a 92 and 94 with original motor+trans lasted over 315k miles and still ran great.

I was just talking about the Excel the other day. Way back in 1987, I turned 16. My dad saw an ad in the paper for the Excel and its bargain bottom price caught his eye. Went out the next day with my mom and they bought one. I believe it was a hatch. Anyway, I remember how impressed I was with it having a digital clock as well as noticed how noisy the engine was at any speed. A 4-cylinder Singer sewing machine on wheels. Anyway, got home and took my brother and his friends for a ride not knowing it would be short-lived. It conked out around the corner in the middle of a busy intersection, requiring us to push it to safety. My dad was furious and despite the promise of a generous rebate, stopped the check and had it towed back to the dealership. I think the cotter pin came off in the transmission. Never owned another to this day. Would love for you to do a story on the Colt. I owned two back in the early 90s. Great cars with fond memories of both!!!

Oh I remember these.....TONS of these on the roads in 1987 etc.....My first new car was a 1986 Honda Accord 2 door hatchback, white ext/.....got it in 1989 on 18th b day, used w/ 5 speed...... even back then I saw how these tiny Excels would crush easily and fully.....glad I had my Accord until 1997

no one gets why i’m a hyundai fan, it’s their story that does it for me. the future is bright.

I had an 88 Excel, one of the best cars I ever had. I put 200,000 miles on it and all I ever replaced was brakes, tires and 1 clutch.

I remember test driving a Scoupe turbo back in '93 or '94 after reading about its winning run at Pike's Peak. I thought it was interesting but not enough to buy. I thought that I'd never buy a Hyundai/Kia because they were just never quite "there". However, in 2010 that all changed after I saw the new Kia Forte Koup. I learned that Kia had pinched Audi's design chief Peter Schreyer and I had to go and check it out. I bought an SX automatic that I kept for 10 years. I loved that Kia so much that I bought a '17 Kia Niro as a second car and last year I traded in my '10 Forte Koup SX for a '20 Forte GT. I can say that I owe Hyundai quite a bit for many great automotive memories for having brought their brand to the US.

My dad bought an 87 Excel and it got T-boned leaving the dealership. Little 13 inch tires were plentiful back in the day thankfully because that car could do 30 foot circles if you let go the steering wheel. I even convinced a friend to buy one 15 years later, primarily for a laugh and because you were lucky to find an 80s Hyundai still operational after 2000

Had a 1989 Excel GLS sedan until 2002. No major problems whatsoever because my family cared about timely maintenance.

My first brand new car was a 1991 Cavalier Z-24, love to see that featured.

My first car was a 1978 amc pacer wagon as a hand me down from my mom who bought a Chevy citation. It had only a monural speaker in the dash and only an am radio. That car was built like a tank and had a 258 2 barrel carburetor straight 6. I drove that car everywhere. The first car I bought brand new though was a 1990 Hyundai excel gl. Good gas mileage and dependable til after 120000 miles.

I bought a 1 year old slightly used Excel GLS from the Army base General, whom he had bought for his college daughter, but she didn't like driving a stick. It had like 16,000 miles on it in 1989. I was in the Air Force , then off to college after that. It lasted me for over 6 years, many road trips, and almost maintenance free. when i finished college, had 120,000 miles and I traded for a Jeep Wrangler. Great little affordable car. Bright red, gray interior, and black lattice aluminum wheels. It actually looked pretty sharp. Thanks for the video and memory!

Having owned an '88 & '94 Pontiac Grand Am, I'd love to see it profiled. The '88 was apparently a rare model, an SE coupe with a turbo motor you may recall from the Sunbird. The '94 was a more typical V6 4 door. Loved those cars!

My first car was 82 Isuzu IMark. My second car when I was 18 was my Grandmas red 4dr Plymouth Neon. It was a fun car to drive. I drove it 3 years with no problems. When I was 21 I got a gold PT Cruiser and drive it about 8 years with no problems except the AC exploded. Then in 2013 I moved on to the Elantra Coupe, which was fun, traded it for a 1998 Corolla LE that I still keep, and got a 2014 Elantra Limited. No bad issues yet. Hopefully

Great story of continually improving products and digging into a market. Their last 20 years have been amazing in terms of quality and sales. I have owned Hyundais, Kia's and now own a Genesis. Loved them all. Thanks!!

I remember seeing an 86 hatchback for sale on Craigslist for $500. In the description of the ad it said “this is not a joke.”

I have a 1988 Mitsubishi Precis LS. Bought in 1998 as the 4th owner. Has 194k miles now. Marketed with 68 hp. Lost my 1967 122s Amazon Volvo to super storm Sandy = under 10 feet of Atlantic sea water in NY. GER aka LK

I bought a used Tucson from the local Hyundai dealer. He looked at me in surprise when I told him this was my first Hyundai that I had bought that was not paid for according to how much it weighed. I had to explain how many of Hyundai's models I had bought strictly for scrap value. I was surprised at how improved they were and SHE who must be obeyed fell in love with a 2005 Tucson. I paid up and shut up. Good car actually

do a video about american daewoos! i love em and they are quite odd.

I love how the British pronounce pretty much every single letter in Hyundai

I bought one of the first Excel 5 door hatchbacks sold in California. I drove the car for 10 years and enjoyed every mile in it. Slow, yes; bit noisy, yes; but it was just a fun lil car to toss around and not cost me a fortune in gas.

Welcome to the bargain basement, kids. I learned to drive on an 89 4 door with a stick and no PS. They don’t know our struggle.

I did a tour of the Hyundai plant in Alabama some years ago. The tour guide told us to say it like the days of the week…Sunday, Monday, Hyundai. Good episode.

You're at 7,790 subs now, but it won't be long until you celebrate 100K subs! Looking forward to seeing this channel reach 100K subs!

The best thing about the 80's Excel's was the Panasonic stereo. Our family learned the hard way about timing BELTS in these Excel's. I now drive an 2018 Elantra, love the car....

I bought a 1987 Hyundai Excel 4-door brand new, to commute daily between Tucson AZ and Globe, AZ. I put 40,000 on the car in a year and a half of driving up and down rural, steep mountain roads, but it never left me stranded. When I sold the car I replaced it with a '90 Chevy Lumina. That's a whole other story!

I learned to drive in a 1988 three door hatch with a 5 speed. Many fond memories of that little car.

1987 Excel hatch back egg style. 1.5 cyclone fwd, I owned this car and when I had an issue and needed a part replacement. I call the local Junk yard and asked if they had any. They replay We have plenty come right in and shop..

My first car was a 1986 Hyundai Excel. I was a junior in high school. It was a blue four-door, brand new off the lot.

My high school friends mom lost her tercel to a freak flood in the mid 80's. She thought she upgraded when she got a new Excel. It proved to be a disappointment in every way. In the 1990's I sold a Excel for a friend of mine it was a tough sell because was a rolling piece of unreliability. I own a 2009 Optima, now owned by Hyundai completely. I drove it to 210,000 miles without a single problem, and sold it for a far amount of money. Despite the reliability I had. Parent company Hyundai is still decades behind Honda and Toyota when it comes down to engine technology. Great video! Brings back many great memories. Love the channel! Keep up the great work!

My brother owned an '87 Excel back in the day. That car was fresh squeezed lemonade. It spent more time in the repair shop than on the road. 🍋🍋🍋

I bought a Dodge Colt in 1984 and it was one of the most enjoyable cars that I have ever had. My wife and I now have a 2021 Kia Sportage having traded in our 2014 Kia Optima. We have been very impressed with them.

I like that you recognize and actually quote how we call calls here in England. Even ones with the same names are just pronounced differently here

1999 I bought a 1991 Hyundai Excel for $1 from a former coworker. It only had 1st gear. I found another transmission at a U Pull salvage yard and installed it myself then replaced the front lower ball joint’s. I had about $300 into it and sold it for $900. It had an EFI 1.6L Mitsubishi engine and I loved reving up that engine. It was a fun car to drive.

I owned a Ford Galaxy, Chevy Monza, Chevy Monte Carlo, and Plymouth Volare, we owned a Toyota Starlet, a AMC Jeep Wagoneer, Dodge Spirit, Chevrolet Celebrity wagon with panel sides, Ford Tempo, and a GMC Jimmy. Any or all of these would make great videos! Keep up the great work! I/we have seen all your videos so far! We love your channel!

Do the Mazda 323 next. I love your videos, great info.

I'd see numerous Excels almost everywhere I'd go when I was a kid in the 80s

Actress Sally Kellerman also provided voiceovers for Hyundai commercials. I can still hear her saying 'Introducing the new Hyundai Accent".

My wife had an 87 or 88 4-door when we were married in 90. In 92, she was driving back from Cincinnati to NY to the base I was assigned, when the engine caught fire going around Cleveland. I had to take leave to go pick her up, and what was left of the stuff that was inside. The insurance said that the fire was so hot that they couldn't tell what the cause was. After they paid us the little bit that it was worth, a month later we received a recall in the mail saying that a plastic piece in the carb could fail and start a fire. It was a decent little car. Now, we have a '15 Sonata 2.0 turbo. Both of our kids have the '17 Elantra, until a deer totaled my son's last month. We're looking at the 2022 Kia K5's and new Forte GT's for a replacement

we have a low mileage Hyundai Pony GLS on the lot right now. Paid big$$$$ to get it. It will recieve a sympathetic refinishing one day and be put in the showroom as an example of yesterday's treasures

1989 Nissan PULSAR. My first car bought it used in 96. Had it for four years. It was a standard. The cultch would pop out when in 5th gear so I could only stay in 4th on the highway. Top speed 65mph. Good times in that car. Never got a speeding ticket.

My "uncle" Al owned an 86 4dr hatch. We lived in Maryland and he in Port St. Lucie FL. He traveled to our house one summer and said he used a whole case of oil on the trip. The car was a five speed and had over 300k miles on it. I remember him saying "other than the oil" it was a great car. I was about 12 and thought it was a POS. Didn't hold a candle to our Camry

Great new channel...keep em coming!

My dad's first ever car was Hyundai Excel. Koreans really loved this car and unsurprisingly, it sold really well.

I'm happy to hear you are growing! Keep up the good work

So I was studying abroad in 2006 in Ireland. This was during the World Cup, and I recall this ad during RTE coverage, they kept showing this Hyundai ad where the guy at the end shouts “HI-un-day!” I’ve been confused since, and I’m glad I finally cleared that up. BTW, the earliest Kia Rios would be another tin can econobox worth reviewing. I test drove the 1st one they brought here and it was like driving a go-kart on the interstate.

I have a 87' Toyota Pickup (4th Gen) with the 22R engine and I'd love to see you do a history of those 80s Toyota trucks.

My parents bought a brand new '88 Excel five door hatchback with a manual transmission. They drove it for four years and the only trouble it gave them was when a wrong sized oil filter was installed during an oil change. Even then, it lasted 100k miles before being traded in.

I have been enjoying these videos, thank you for the time you have invested in your research!

My then-wife's sister bought a new, navy blue Excel way back in 1991 or '92. She had it less than a year when it was stolen. Right off the streets of Brooklyn. Along with the infant car seat we gave her. She got bupkiss from the insurance, just enough to buy a used Mitsubishi. The man with the glasses in the commercial is Peter Jurasik. He's probably best known as Sid the Snitch on "Hill Street Blues."

Just like the Ford Escort, as a small child growing up in the 1980's so many people in my neighborhood had a Hyundai Excel. My neighbors who lived across the street bought two 1987 red Hyundai Excel's at the same time. A 4 door sedan for the wife and a 4 door hatchback for the husband. They were very simple and practical cars, but also very popular.

A new-from refugee-camps 🇰🇭Cambodian, sponsored by volunteers to Canada 🇨🇦 in '88, bought a new Excel within a year and had good success with it.

I'd love to see a video on the Ford Tempo!

A car dealership's TV advertisements in the NYC market made sure their viewers knew how to pronounce Hyundai in 1987 - "It's HYUNDAI like 'Sunday or Monday.." complete with a Sicilian accent and hand gestures...will never forget it lol

Greetings from Scotland. Loving the videos :)

When this video spoke about the Dodge Colt,the plymouth version for a short time was called a Champ, between 1978-1982.

I had a 94 Hyundai Excel. It was actually a very good car. One time I shut the door and the turn signal fell off. Oh well, I liked that car and am still a fan of Hyundai. Scrappy company that figured out how to make them better and better. How about a video on another memorable car: 1980 Oldsmobile Delta 88. I also currently have a 1990 Oldsmobile 88. We used to have in the mid70s to early 80s a 1970 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight, I think it had the 455. My Dad bought it from a Doctor. In about 76'. I was 8, and I still remember the night he drove it home.

i subbed yesterday since i liked the chevette and intrepid videos this channel is great

My mom almost bought one the marketing for those cars were insane. Unfortunately my grandfather passed away and she inherited his brand new oldsmobile. One cool thing I'll say about the 86/87 Excels on the 4 door sedan model the back windows rolled all the way down. At that time most cars had the child proof windows that rolled halfway down....😒

I love this new channel and hope you can keep up the good work, but I remember when the Hyundai first came out I was in high school and they were no good and people talked about them, but they started getting better each year, and now I am an owner of a Hyundai and I love it!

I just found this channel and I love your content!

Great videos! Keep em coming!

Great videos man love the history!

First car when my family moved from Brazil to the US was an excel. 3 cylinder because one had a bent rod. Cracked oil pan. And smoked like crazy. Funny thing is, in that condition it still lasted several years before it fully gave up.

Another great video. I subscribed a few videos back and have really enjoyed these. I made a comment then that I owned a 1982 Datsun 310 and thought it was a great little car and please do a video on that. Then when you mentioned the Yugo on in this video that is a sure thing we have to have a video on that one! Keep up the great work!

I would love if you did a video on the Ford Aerostar and the Chevy Astro. Also Saab, and the GM 1980's and 90's line up of cars.

My first car was a total rarity even in its day: a VW Quantum. My family had 4 of them from various trims including the near exotic rare Syncro wagon. Mine soldiered on for 21 years trading hands among family members until finally getting a nice treat of sodium silicate courtesy of cash for clunkers. An 88 sedan with power everything, firmly bolstered seats, a metal power sunroof and a 5 cylinder engine that made less HP than the 4 cylinder that replaced it. The fact it was still somewhat sold as the Santana in China would make for an interesting story!

I like it’s cute boxy looks but I’m glad I didn’t have to drive one. Great channel content, you deserve the views & subscribers!

I bet there’s less than 50 running examples in the entire country, such a rare car now.

I had a 1995 Pony GL 5 speed that I bought new. It was a great, reliable car. I had a Pontiac in the driveway plugged in at -35C in Northern Alberta and it wouldn't start. Hopped in the Pony (not plugged in), pulled the manual choke and gave the key a twist and it fired right up. No it wasn't any kind of speed demon (although the stick did make it fun) but for the price you couldn't go wrong.

Wow thank you for this content this took me back to my child hood my mothers first car was a Chevette and when she finished college and started her first real job she bought a 88 Excel and it’s broke all the time and the owners manual was all in korean and my grandfather hated to even look at the car but let alone work on it when it broke. Thanks again you definitely have a fan of your channel.

I reccomend doing a vid on the Pontiac Grand Am. From the early 80s to the early 2010s they were EVERYWHERE. Then, almost overnight they were gone.

I remember seeing Hyundai Ponies all over the place as a kid, but by the mid 90s, they were all but gone

Not to mention Hyundai also makes commercial equipment and they produce their own sheetmetal and steel through Hyundai Steel Co. based out of South Korea.

i had a suzuki forenza. basic car, but when i looked it up i learned this car was branded by about every GM brand (including buick) id love to see a video on it

I owned a 1989 Hyundai Excell! It was hit in 1999 with 101,000 miles on it and bought a 1999 Accent. I recently traded it in with 178,000 miles on it on a new 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander.

Your vids are the best car vids, direct informative & well paced 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 🚦 🚗... 🚕...

yay my fav tv show! - - and one of the best episodes

In 1998 my parents bought a '93 Excell hatchback. They had it 3 years and the only trouble was a dead battery. The combination of low fuel cost and awesome mpg let my dad drive from Colorado Springs to Tulsa (about 625 miles) for only $14 in gasoline.

Great channel! My favorite car I ever owned was my 1984 Mitsubishi Tredia Turbo I bought in 1987 and drove through High School and into the start of my Air Force career. I would love a feature on this but good luck finding any. I have been looking for literally 20 years to find another with no luck. Even Radwood would be jealous if you rolled in with that car!