1990 Geo Prizm LSi | Retro Review
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- čas přidán 10. 09. 2024
- This Geo Prizm was basically a rebadged Toyota Corolla except for the fact that you couldn't get the Corolla in a hatchback, which makes the LSi quite unique.
Show 845 | Original Airdate 08-04-1989
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We had a similar brand swapping at Holden in the 80’s in Australia , the Corolla was sold as Holden Nova and Toyota Camry was sold as Holden Apollo.
I see these in Adelaide everyday toyota seca as well weren't they I drive a 1998 7th gen corolla and a 2007 toyota tarago utilma v6 3.5
Not to mention the Ford Corsair and Nissan Pintara 😮
does the sales were comparable to the corolla? here in canada its was a complete failure, proof that people that buys toyotas only buy a name not a car
Just a little badge engineering mate happens here in the states often
The Holden Nova was manufactured for GM by Toyota in Melbourne, initially at the Dandenong factory then switched to Altona in 94.
I worked at NUMMI when we built these. We made very few of the five door variant Prizm.
Better then Kentucky 😊
I worked at NUMMI too. Started in 1988 until they shut down in 2010. I remember this vehicle well.
I had the 4dr with the 4A-GE engine and a 5spd. It was actually pretty quick for what it was.
@@barryingram9846 Congratulations I had a second generation Vibe and it was better built than a Matrix made in Ontario.
@@barryingram9846 Thanks to your efforts we have a 2005 Vibe and 2010 Tacoma on the road today. 👍👍
The Prizm was actually a version of the JDM Toyota Sprinter which was a version of the Corolla sold in Japan. The Prizm had a different dash design, different suspension tuning, and it also had (superior) Delco radios
Idk about superior but thy were good
I literally still see these Corolla clones on the road, as well as the updated 93/94+ models. Not so many of the hatches, but plenty of the sedans.
9.4secs to 60 with only 101hp was a feat for the the time.
Same. Still plentiful on the road where I'm at 🎉
not here in canada, they all rotted through, toyotas over 15yo is kind of rare
I’d imagine any vehicle of that age is rare in areas where the local DOT applies corrosive chemicals to the roads.
The Corolla with the carburetor and 3-speed auto was significantly slower.
I miss these original MOTORWEEKs. There's something undeniably charming about them, we love u Our John Davis!
This was my first car! ❤
Brings back memories..
I loved driving this car.
Somehow it was more enjoyable driving it than any other cars since!
Only issue I had was the weak brakes..
My first car also. If this was your peak enjoyability...you need to drive more cars!
First cars are always memorable.
Early in 1990, my father bought a 1989 Geo Spectrum hatchback- i.e. Isuzu I-Mark. We called it "The Little Red Car" in our household. It met an untimely death around 1998 when someone ran a red light and hit the driver's side front fender/door. My brother was barely injured, thankfully. The poor Little Red Car went to Heaven and was replaced with an EG Civic.
The liftback version of the Toyota Corolla is the Toyota Corolla Seca in Australia; in Japan, it's the Toyota Sprinter Cielo.
Very nice and beautiful this Geo Prizm
@@fernandorocha-dx1wv and cute looking. The front looks similar to the 1st generation Subaru Impreza.
NUMMI finally got it right with the Pontiac Vibe a few years later. I bought one new in 2003 and I'm still driving it 😊
Yes, the Vibe/Matrix blended reliability , efficiency and practicality better than just about any other car on the market. Yesterday I easily brought home an 8 foot ladder in my 2005.
@@rightlanehog3151 Yup I have had mine full of 2x4s. Wonder why other makers can't pull off a flat washable cargo floor and fold down passenger seat. Seems simple enough
@@jamesstuart3346 The fold-forward front passenger seat was quite common 20 years ago. Vehicles ranging between the PT Cruiser to the Lexus IS wagon had them. As far as I know, the only models that still offer them are the Daewoo/Chevy Trailblazer and possibly the Buick Envista. How an ingeniously practical feature like that disappears is a mystery but I am noticing the same thing starting to happen with 40/20/40 second rows.
This corolla was the best selling car here in Finland.
And these were made in Japan and could do 300k with ease.
I had an 85 Nova...loved that little car! About 50mpg highway... over 40 in town. No power anything, and a blast to drive. Not fast, but handled like a go cart! Good times!!!
Loved my '85 Nova CL 5spd. First car bought at 15 years old. Finally traded it in on a 92 Saturn SL after a blown head gasket and cracked head after overheating... But it still ran! Later, I had a 96 Prizm LSi as well. That might have been my favorite value car I've ever had. Felt way nicer than the price and class.
No door lock that breaks or makes you go around to the main door. Windows that open without the ignition key. Simple things that even made things simple, simple.
We need that GEO brand back again. Bring us some compact & affordable cars, GM!
That's basically what the Chevy Trax is. Time will tell if it approaches old-school Toyota durability but the turbo isn't a good sign. At least it's not a CVT and between the two I'd rather deal with the turbo, you don't need to dismantle the whole car to replace one.
I think GEO was always intended as a stopgap measure for GM. They weren't certain which way the market was going, but knew they needed compacts now. So they cherry picked select models from companies they were aligned with and rebadged them for sale in America.
Soon after the SUV craze hit. This was something GM knew how to build and sell for decent profits. GEO wasn't needed after that.
Gm won't bring affordable cars back. They tried with Geo brand and failed. Then they tried Saturn brand and not only failed but some of higher ups made sure it failed asap.
They had the Chevy Spark that was only like $17-$18k in 2022 but they discountined it because lack of sales. In 1990 money it would only be $7,500. So considering inflation the Chevy spark was actually way cheaper than this car. Realiabilty I mean a chevy spark probably isn't going to run like a old Toyota engine but more comfortable and way safer. The real problem is not enough people want to buy a small cheap car.
😂 those days are long past!
I've owned 3 different manual transmissions. Not once did I ever watch the tach to see when I needed to shift. That's what engine noise is for.
I just listen to the engine. Same when driving a concrete mixer. I listen to that Cummins ISM.
Same here. 1982 Ford Escort, 1996, 2004, 2017 VW GTI's, 2000 Maxima...all manuals and I never used the tachs.
I guess you never had anything that revs high and fast. Very easy to bounce off the limiter!
A journalist driving a vehicle they're unfamiliar with after they've just finished driving a different vehicle they're unfamiliar with is very different than owning and driving the same vehicle every day. It's true that after a while you can hear (and feel) where the engine is at but it takes time to make that connection with the car. Those of us who live in mountanus areas have it even trickier since significant changes in elevation result in changes in an NA engines powerband
The prism is a completely underrated car. 9.4 second 0-60 for a naturally aspirated 4 banger is pretty dang decent in my opinion.
Back when we could see out of cars!!! I would drive this proudly today 🤍🤍
Absolutely
Now they want all the cars to be “ aggressive”
@@ChristmasMorning1995 Cladding everywhere , high front grills on small suv for nothing ,
I'm tired of seeing all these people in monstrous empty pick-ups.
That was a nice sounding pull at 6:05, I remember reading how these engines liked to rev
I leased a 1995 Prizm in Dec 94. It was a nice comfy ride, reliable and handsome. Being so similar to the Corolla, when I needed to downgrade to smaller car years later, I bpught a used 2007 Corolla and it felt l8ke that Prizm. I've owned a 2010 Corolla since 2015 and it's the best car I've ever owned. But my love for the Corolla is credited to thar wonderful Prizm.
I remember the “Getting to know you “ commercials for these.
I remember years ago, i saw my neighbor and aunt race at a stoplight and a down a long straight away😂, she had a 91 green geo prizm LSi, my aunt had a 91 escort hatchback, my aunt escort would do 60 mph in 2nd gear ! Those were the days
Was it a grudge match?
@blisterbrain lol I was 11 at the time, It was a slow race lol , my aunt out ran her neighbors geo, I think the geo was a automatic not a manual
@@andraeneal9134 I can picture them leaning forward, hunched over the wheel, trying to urge on some extra speed!
I raced like a 2001 chevy malibu (v6) with my 4cyl 1989 ford probe and absolutely smoked it lol You would be surprised how fun slow races are
@@Yophillips3272 so true, I had 2 probes GT, one was a 93 red GT automatic, I luv that car, and I had a blk 5 speed 94 probe GT!
I owned a 1990 the same blue as @:26 from 1994 until a drunk hit it in 1999. It was replaced by a 1993 we had until 2008. It was still in goid mechanical condition at 15 years, 200k miles, but the body started to rot away and all the plastics started to crumble. Two rear door handles and a window crank broke in a single camping trip a week after the windshield washer reservoir cracked. I was tired on replacing pieces so sold it for a little more than scrap.
I was in Austin, TX a couple weeks ago and I saw two Prism sedans within minutes of each other. I can’t explain why I noticed but it put a smile on my face because it made me feel like I not that old. I am really old tho😅
Best little engine ever made
That “floating roofline” before it was a trendy LR/RR knockoff flourish 😂
i really liked driving the GSi trim
2:42, kids of today, that there is your vehicle’s anti-theft device, the 5 speed manual!
My spouse is over 40 and never driven a manual transmission. It’s not a new thing
I remember this in early 1990 seeing these on the road what a rare dinosaur.
It was a far better car than the Cavalier ever was!
In what way?, I had a clapped out Cavalier when I was younger, couldn't kill it, lost it over legal issues.
I had a Chevy Cavalier around this time and it was fine for what it was, I believe it was a 1986 - kept it until 93 and from what I can recall it didn’t demand many repairs, the body had gotten fairly rusty toward the end which is what made me trade it in.
My parents used to have a light blue 1990 Geo Prizm hatchback. It was their only car for a few periods of time, was once my Mom’s daily driver, and later my Dad’s. Had been in a couple accidents, one around 1994 with my Mom and in 2000 with my Dad, was totaled at that point. Theirs had a 3-speed automatic since my mom couldn’t drive a manual, and if I’m not mistaken, it had door-mounted shoulder belts instead of the regular 3-point seat belts this car in the video has. Must have depended on when the car was manufactured, as this video was filmed in 1989, and I think all cars manufactured in 1990 for the US were required to have a passive restraint.
I have never ever seen a hatchback version of this, anywhere. This was honestly the first time ive seen a running one. Talk about crazy. These were still a great idea if you ask me. Best of both worlds, just like the matrix/vibe.
I remember the sedans, they were common enough. But also can't recall seeing a hatchback. But by the 90's hatchbacks, or cars that obviously were one were becoming much more scarce. I guess people who wanted something that could lift the entire back either bought minivans or full station wagons, or later on SUVs.
Saw several living in Northern NM and urban West Texas between 1993-2004, so color me surprised. Even saw the Corolla Sprinter, in West Africa even longer (vanished by 2010s).
I honestly think some of you are just not as anecdotally observant of your surroundings and miss things.
Probably harder to spot cars, if you were a 90s motorist versus passenger like me.
The plant that made these is in Fremont, CA and is now a Tesla plant.
but not keep the same quality of fit & finish
@@oi32df Why do you say that? Quality was excellent.
You just know it's 1990 when the Beatles' _Day Tripper_ is playing on the radio. lol😁
My mom bought one of these in 1990 from ZFrank Chevrolet in Chicago, IL. It was my first car as a result. Man, did I beat the heck out of that car. No wonder the tranny blew at 70K miles. That L to 2 to D shifting without a tachometer probably wasnt the best in retrospect. She was decent until she wasnt. Blown tranny, Rust for days, and the fact that it wouldnt start after about the 3rd trip of the day led to its downfall. Was replaced by a 1996 Infiniti G20, a much better car in just about every respect.
I used to live right by there! I too had a ‘95 G20! 😊😊😊
@@rushmatic MY MAN! Lincolnwood in the House
@@izzysvids lol 60659… what’s up fam!
Here’s a hard line to follow, the Prizm did debut in February ‘89, but was officially labeled a 1990 model, because of this; the sportier GSi bowed about a month or two afterwards. Needless to say, the hatch and the GSi, which by the way, had flashy alloy wheels, were both canned after 1992.
When looking at cars like this, I note the visibility that cars no longer have. That's thanks to rollover protection standards. I remember the brochure for the Honda Civic touting it's outward visibility, showing how thin the pillars were.
Rollover standards are part of it, side airbags in the pillars, and "it's what the market wants".
If you want good outward visibility look at a Subaru Forester (other Subarus are also pretty good). They do excellent in crash tests yet still have lots of glass.
It's crazy. I lose so many cars and people in the A - pillar blind spot of my Honda.
Too many blind spots today are created by bad and indulgent design decisions. Subaru shows you can have safety and visibility.
It's crazy to me that Toyota's version still had a carburetor in 1990. I believe you could still get one in 1991, even. Had to have been the last of its kind among the major automakers.
It's probably the best vehicle or platform to come out of the GEO division. Imo, if that cooperation had continued, GM would have had a better quality car vs. Ford (non Mazda based) and Stellantis in the long term. I remember test driving one. I love that engine 😍 bay.
My family had one of these I'm the early 90s, a white hatchback exactly like this one except with an automatic. As a 2nd grader, I loved this car. I think my parents traded in their Plymouth Reliant for this car.
Good performance for 100 hp, even by today's standards..
This car is light!
Had a leather jacket like that back in 89" In fact I still do 😂
Same year as the episode! Probably the same brand too.m!
The GSi and LSi were the way to go.
Anyone else think that little motor sounds pretty good for a 4-banger?
I forgot about this hatchback. I haven't seen one in years!. The sedans are still out therez especially the later refeshed models. A guy iin my town has a brand new looking 93-94 Prism. Next time I see him at the Mexican food joint where we both frequent, I'm going to ask him about it.
Sold in same dealerships as the Chevrolet Cavalier. Had the chance to sit in both in the same dealership. The Cavalier was cheaper in price and interior materials. At that time there were still hardcore Chevy loyalist who would not buy a Japanese Geo/Chevy. Today I still see this generation Geo/Corolla on the road while I rarely ever see the Cavaliers in the same time period.
GM dumped Cavaliers on the market through rental fleets. This drove down the resale value, but did provide access to cheap transportation on the used market. Unfortunately it also meant they weren't worth fixing if anything beyond maintenance went wrong so they went to the junkyard early.
Because Cavaliers were built to a price point quality dropped off fast after a certain age. While you can still see older generations of Corollas with cosmetic (And likely other) issues driving around. Cavaliers went from "old" to "I'm scared to get in it" after a certain point. They were disposable appliances, not a bad thing, GM intended it and priced accordingly.
You must be in California, I don't see either one on the road except an same ventage Cavalier once a while..
I rented a 88 Chevy Nova and remember that with the AC on you had to almost floor it to get it to uphill on 90+F days. Great gas mileage but slower than a snail.
I rented a 1987 Nova and drove it through Washington State and British Columbia. As it was January, I did not test the A/C but the mileage was impressive.
Believe the Prizm is the Sprinter in Japan. Lot's of glass area!
The hatchback was Sprinter Cielo in Japan, Corolla Seca in Australia and Corolla Executive (shades of Hyacinth Bucket) in Britain.
@@nlpnt That's right- the Cielo. To me, the home market version looked better.
The Geo's interior, with its heavily padded and contoured seats and lush velour, puts today's economy cars to shame. Throw in dual airbags and I would buy it in 2024 even with manual windows, door locks and a stick.
My grandma bought a new 5 door prizm when it first came out. It was a really funky rear end, but I liked the car overall.
I doubt the suspension could handle a group of overweight people like myself today but I do love this car!
Over here in Europe (Toyota Corolla) the suspension was way firmer and the handling was a lot better than the Geo.
@@campingkillen That's great, I remember getting in these cars and feeling how soft the suspension was.
These were the epidamie of reliability!
Bring back memories.
This is my first car, but it's the sedan model, base model. I love the thing, the headgasket has been blown for a year now but it still drives and somehow passes smog
I took my first driver test in a 95 geo prism.
That comment at the end cracks me up, the best and most versatile economy car GM has ever offered. That's because it was a rebadged Toyota lol
I'll take the Prizm GSi sporty model both sedan and hatchback with a tachometer and a manual.
"it will swallow a full load of luggage with eassseeeee."😂
In europe, this was a common Toyota Corolla model
My bro had one. That was a well made car that lasted a long time before the tin worm ate it up.
It's literal the toyota sky (here in southamerica)
Would still like to have a Prism GSi
Arguably one of GM's greatest products of the 90s.
My mother and sister both had 89-90 Corollas. It was a great, high quality little car but the power, handling and braking were just sad. My mom went through front brake rotors like crazy with her city driving.
It was the car that made me swear I'd never ever get stuck with a Corolla if it was the last thing I did.
I now drive a 2010 Corolla S as a beater, and it's a far, far cry from this. It feels safe with its higher belt line, and the handling and braking is decent. The ride is one of the best I've ever had, and the very decent handling was achieved with a Megan strut tower brace and rear sway bar.
My first car!
Amazing the performance numbers are referred to positively lol
I was impressed with the amount of rubber he got out of the hole.
En France, on avait la Toyota Corolla et après c'était les modèles européens comme la Peugeot 309, la Renault 19 ou la Citroën ZX.
prizm hatchbacks are incredibly rare nowadays
I was 20 when these came out, and I don't know that I've ever seen a hatchback on the road.
What a reliable car it was
Corolla e9 in Europe
Ive been in these with a 4age, geez it sings!!
Drive this exact car in blue 5 speed traded for a $3000 car but even it was only worth $1800 I needed the gas mileage 214k now 235k no plans to get rid of only if I find a mint one power locks manual windows power sunroof who optioned my car lol
Now that I think of it, most cars in the 90's didn't have ABS. They only became mandatrory in 2012 I believe on cars, and so most base-model cars likely didn't have ABS. Even my 97 Civic Ex coupe didn't have ABS (it was an option, and interestingly enough the power steering was an option on lesser DX models but standard on the LX and EX models).
I'm a HUGE Saturn Fan and I'm Still trying to figure out why GM's 80's C.E.O. Roger Smith invested $5,000,000,000.00 American into Saturn AND had the Geo brand. Was GM burning the candle at Both ends trying to keep Toyota and Honda at bay?!?!? To his credit, Smith was one of the few peeps in Detroit who way back when saw Toyota and Honda coming!!🧐
Geo had a knack for taking rather bland Japanese cars and adding a dash of American flair. The Prism was a little more stylish than the Corolla, especially with the 1993 redesign. The Geo Tracker was offered in some fun '90s candy colors not offered on the Suzuki Sidekick. The Geo Storm was sleeker and sexier than the Isuzu Impulse. I miss Geo. This generation of Prism/Corolla was an extremely dependable car. Unfortunately, they had about as much driving personality as a Walmart mobility scooter.
I had *never* liked any hatchback cars since I can remember. But this is the only one that I ever liked and thought of it to be nice looking, even back in 1990 when I was a 17-year-old teen. And as a extra bonus, it was a reliable Toyota at a GM price.
I always wanted one of these back in the day, to do a 4AGE swap and better suspension bits would make for a great undercover GTS!
I think it was called the GSi
@@sjhudon386 I remember the 4 door coming in GSi trim but couldn't remember if the hatch had a version.
I had a customer with one of these, a white hatchback. She was a little old lady who had me maintain that car until she passed a few years ago. She loved it, and always bragged about how you rarely saw the hatchback model, even when they were new. She also checked her own fluids and tire pressures, even though she was in her eighties and had trouble walking. I always think of her when a customer says they don't or won't check their oil... this little old lady did it. What's your excuse?
My French class teacher had this car
I have 88 Corolla 4af carb engine
I was born in 1980 and I’m literally never seen one of these cars and I was very in tune with cars at that age
Same age, I've seen plenty of Geos when I was a kid, you're probably was out in the country...
3:01 John: THE LACK OF A TACHOMETER ON ANY PRISM TRIM GRADE ADDS TO A DRIVER'S SHIFTING DIFFICULTIES! LOL
Maybe it's my age, but I learned to drive a manual using a butt tach. Shift when it feels like you need to shift.
I have a manual VW GTI and I never use the tach to determine when I should shift.
You had to listen to the engine before you shift..
Not to mention it doesn't even have a volt meter
the hatchback prism is alllllmost as cool looking as the corolla-nova's. would rather see more of these than the late prisms i always think are honda civics when i see them.
4:08 nice
I wish they just had made it a full-on station wagon with a rear-facing Third-row - no wagon is complete without that. Great with a turbo diesel and 6-speed manual for highway trips
Still here today
My roommates' first car...
The Chevy Nova Twin Cam was a better car, probably the best Numi car.
Needed some rims to shine ✨
1:48 What that trunk do?
DC 101 playing Day Tripper
never seen this car before!
2:10 Is that a 4AFE?
No tach on a manual. Smart. 😂
😮 oldie 😊
Just one of the 1,675,234 times GM did not, could not understand the market.
I would rather have this than the crossover garbage people drive today
That little car was part GM, and mostly Toyota Corolla, too bad GM resolved the nummi project with Toyota,as far as technology is concerned GM,s best days are behind them.
As Vibe output was just a small part of NUMMI's total production, the blame for NUMMi's closure is entirely on Toyota's shoulders. They ended Corolla production in California in the spring of 2010 due to allegedly 'low demand'. Approximately six weeks after NUMMI was shuttered, they announced the Corolla tooling would go to a new and empty Mississippi plant. They built the exact same Corolla sedans in Mississippi that they could have continued building at NUMMI.
This a Toyota in Europe?
This arrangement in my opinion barely even worked, because the design risked feeling dated out the gate.
Toyota had patent and studio photos of this same design already in 1985, but it didn't even came out in USA as a Geo until 1989.
European Toyota Carina?
These didn't sell well because people who valued the durability of a Toyota went to a Toyota dealership. The people who went to a Chevy dealer had other priorities.