The Sports Chosun reports that there are a surprising number of “classic” Korean cars still on the road.
For instance, there are still some 638 Kia Brisa (1974–1981), 256 Sehan (now Daewoo) Gemini (1977–1981), 7,064 Hyundai Ponies (1976–1990) and 1,444 Hyundai Cotinas (1968–1983) registered with the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association.
Last July, I spotted a Hyundai Pony in Buyeo, Chungcheongnam-do — and I’ve got the photo to prove it!
9 Comments
That’s cool! I saw one of those truck-like things in Incheon a couple of years ago.
Are those chrome rims?
This is a nice post, I have bee a fan of Korean cars for a long time and had always made a profit from trading in these old vehicles. the demand is onl continuing to grow and the return is greater than the housing boom. In the US it is also very similar. baby boomers are buying the cars of their youth that they can now aquire, pushing demand up. a 1988 hyundai pony utility like the one pictured now sells for 5 million, try selling 1998 avante for that. there are very few and they are a guaranteed golden goose egg as far as investment goes.
5 million what? Won, dollars? Looking at your flag, 5 million won. So $5k now? Who would pay $5k for a Pony?
look up a pony on skencar.com. its from 5 million upwards. people are paying for nostalgia, the same reason people pay hundreds of thousands of US dollars for vintage US cars. I have owned two ponies, first a 86 model I bought for 500,000won in 2004, spent 1 million on, and sold for 4 million in 2005. the second I bought for 2 million in 2005 and fixed up for 3 million and sold for 8 million last year.
these are cheap. this is cheap metal crap korean cars, but there scarcity makes them valuable.
look up a pony on skencar.com. its from 5 million upwards. people are paying for nostalgia, the same reason people pay hundreds of thousands of US dollars for vintage US cars. I have owned two ponies, first a 86 model I bought for 500,000won in 2004, spent 1 million on, and sold for 4 million in 2005. the second I bought for 2 million in 2005 and fixed up for 3 million and sold for 8 million last year.
these are cheap. this is cheap metal crap korean cars, but there scarcity makes them valuable.
Unfortunately, I used to drive a 1987 Hyundai Stellar. With its rusting gas tank, manual choke, faulty alternator, gutless engine, and lack of a block heater (I needed a hair dryer to get the piece of shit to start on many winter days!) I have no feelings of nostalgia whatsoever for that abortion on wheels.
Having said that, I’ve seen a few of those Pony car/truck models in Korea over the years, and there is something oddly intriguing about that car.
Old Korean cars can be very difficult and expensive to maintain in Korea. It’s one of the things that makes me glad I’m not a white trash Englich teacher. There is definenitly something oddly intuigung about a Pony, especially compared to the equally ironically-named Stellar.
“Old Korean cars can be very difficult and expensive to maintain in Korea. It’s one of the things that makes me glad I’m not a white trash Englich teacher.”
You wouldn’t pass the IQ test to be a white trash English teacher.
And WhiTETs still make enough money to buy a used car from the modern era, not the “classics” in the pictures, and those newer used cards are pretty easy and cheap to maintain. A lot less than in the U.S. (Korean, Japanese, American or European).