Hammer Time: Let's Party Like It's 1989

Steven Lang
by Steven Lang

Wake up. Have breakfast. Head off to work. Wait… you need to put on some decent clothes for goodness sake! You’re not a teenager anymore.

You put on the finest thrift store clothes you can find and head off to your car and… wow! Who put a Delorean with a flux capacitor and gullwing doors on your driveway?

Weren’t these supposed to be the ride of the future at some point? After watching an old guy and a young dude head off to your friend Biff’s soon to be foreclosed home, you get a twinkling thought that quickly becomes a ‘gotta do’.

“I wonder if I can go back in time and trade this thing in on something nice.” Hey, no one said you were smart.

You quickly go to the bank and get out $53,000 (approximately $100k in today’s dollars but who’s counting?) After quickly buckling your seat belt, you set the date Novermber 5, 1989 and blast off into a dimension that is named in honor of Steven Spielberg.

You’re back in 1989 time with Huey Lewis & The News providing the audio for your journey. After a brief stop to buy some brand new MC Hammer pants you find an enormous auto park.

You name the brand and it’s there; from Acura to Yugo. Heck there’s even a Winnebago dealership in the back with this guy making a bit of history.

What will you buy?

There is a lot to choose from. The Mazda Miata. A Lexus LS400, an E-Class Mercedes (sorry no S-Class since the price is too high). You can go to an Infiniti dealership with a babbling brook and get yourself a Q-Ship. Or get a 300ZX Turbo with enough left over to upgrade the circa 1989 stereo system.

What will you get? Oh and don’t worry about the return trip. That flux capacitor on the DeLorean can be easily removed and installed on your new ride. Just use the Clapper.

Steven Lang
Steven Lang

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  • PeugeotHound PeugeotHound on Aug 17, 2011

    Top choice for me, no surprise, would be a Peugeot 405 Mi16, followed closely by an Alfa Romeo Milano 3.0.

  • BOF BOF on Aug 17, 2011

    I'll take a brand new 1990 Buick Estate Wagon or Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser off the showroom floor, thank you! This was the last year for the box B-body wagons. These were quite rare when new and you don't see many around anymore. Wagons in general need to make a comeback!

  • Danddd Or just get a CX5 or 50 instead.
  • Groza George My next car will be a PHEV truck if I can find one I like. I travel a lot for work and the only way I would get a full EV is if hotels and corporate housing all have charging stations.I would really like a Toyota Tacoma or Nissan Frontier PHEV
  • Slavuta Motor Trend"Although the interior appears more upscale, sit in it a while and you notice the grainy plastics and conventional design. The doors sound tinny, the small strip of buttons in the center stack flexes, and the rear seats are on the firm side (but we dig the ability to recline). Most frustrating were the repeated Apple CarPlay glitches that seemed to slow down the apps running through it."
  • Brandon I would vote for my 23 Escape ST-Line with the 2.0L turbo and a normal 8 speed transmission instead of CVT. 250 HP, I average 28 MPG and get much higher on trips and get a nice 13" sync4 touchscreen. It leaves these 2 in my dust literally
  • JLGOLDEN When this and Hornet were revealed, I expected BOTH to quickly become best-sellers for their brands. They look great, and seem like interesting and fun alternatives in a crowded market. Alas, ambitious pricing is a bridge too far...
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