Top Ten LeMons Contenders in 2029
May 29, 2009
- Mini Cooper
By the time 2029 rolls along, there's bound to be plenty of Mini Coopers sitting in salvage yards or available on the used market for a song. Some of the more luxurious interior bits could be sold off, and with a today's Mini aftermarket in full swing, there's no doubt the reimagined Cooper will enjoy a fervent fan base years after we're driving diesel hybrids and hydrogen-powered EPAmobiles.
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- Mini Cooper
By the time 2029 rolls along, there's bound to be plenty of Mini Coopers sitting in salvage yards or available on the used market for a song. Some of the more luxurious interior bits could be sold off, and with a today's Mini aftermarket in full swing, there's no doubt the reimagined Cooper will enjoy a fervent fan base years after we're driving diesel hybrids and hydrogen-powered EPAmobiles.
- Mini Cooper
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- Ford Mustang
No matter where a LeMons race is held, there's always a Mustang battling it on the track. Surprisingly, some of the most competitive 'Stangs are the four-cylinder models, where light weight, a bulletproof block and the ability to keep cool under the most demanding conditions make them solid contenders. When Ford finally equips the Mustang with the EcoBoost six, that balance of power and weight could return. As for aftermarket support... it's a Mustang. What else needs to be said?
- Ford Mustang
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Ford Fusion
It's not the darling of the fleet car set quite yet, but give it a decade. There'll be plenty of used and bruised examples available in 20-year's time, and by then, the Fusion's blend of available drivetrains (four- or six-cylinders, front- or all-wheel drive), shared components and general purposefulness should pay dividends during the 2029 LeMons season. And we can totally picture a passenger side-mounted radiator so the cooling system isn't crushed when the idiot in the Dodge SRT-4 slams on the brakes mid-corner and pirouettes into the Blue Oval's front-end.
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Nissan Versa
While the aftermarket hasn't exactly embraced the Versa, its small footprint, miserly drivetrain, relative light weight and low cost of ownership could make it competitive 20 years from now. Even though hop-up parts aren't readily available, it's the perfect platform for junkyard engineering. Failing that, the Nissan/Renault B Platform underpins a ton of offerings both here and abroad, so between knock-offs parts and random bits from across The Pond, you might be able to find a Logan Pickup's beefier rear sway bar in the wrecking yard of the future.
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Ford Focus
The Focus has enjoyed a long - some would say arduous - run, and although the C170 architecture is showing its age, it's still a competent platform with plenty of aftermarket support. With a range of trims produced, the sky's the limit and even the most ham-fisted track noob can wring the snot out of Ford's compact. It may not be the most exciting choice, but it's rife with potential and there's no doubt you'll be able to find plenty of examples under $500 (hyper-inflation adjusted) two decades from now.
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- Mazda3
Like Justice Lieberman, when someone finds out what we do for a living and inevitably asks The Question ("What car should I buy?"), our answer almost always gravitates towards the Mazda3. It's packing everything the average driver or enthusiast could want: superb steering, a fantastic chassis, ample power and tidy packaging. Take it a step further and you've got the Mazdaspeed3, which will undoubtedly be one of the LeMons front-runners in the future. We can't wait, and we're scoping out junkyards already.
Head back to the post to see our list of runners up.
- Mazda3
