I'm thinking about picking up a 90 gxl and have already read aaron's guide. I was wondering if it's a good year and a good model since i really like the series 5. I was searching and someone said that 89-90 were the worst if it's not turbo, though he didn't explain why.

what do you guys think? i know it's heavier due to the power windows, but i prefer power windows than manual windows. does the gxl come with power door locks as well? of course it's gonna be a 5speed.

thanks

 

Umm what? I dont think there is a bad year. you can find the differences between all models easily with a search.

 

My 89 has power locks, i think. Its my parts car so im not 100% sure since i havent been in it much.

 

Yes, yours will have power locks but like all the models with power locks it's a rather crude system. The RX has what's called "follow" locks, which means that when you lock the driver side door, the passenger side will "follow" and lock also.
However, locking (or unlocking) the passenger side doesn't do anything to the driver side, which has no solenoid.
It is what it is.

I'm currently in the middle of swapping from a '91 NA Coupe (power windows, factory sunroof, power mirrors, etc.) into a '90 GTU (the base/stripper model) which has no sunroof (yay! more headroom) and manual windows, mainly to avoid the constant attention that the power accessories require.
If you get the car, do yourself a favor and IMMEDIATELY lubricate the sunroof/window regulators and do the relay mod to preserve the switches.

 

^ This

After all these years there is no telling what is on the car anyway, regardless of what it had over 20 years ago. Just stay away from the automatic transmission cars.

That's just an opinion. On the downside, the S5 cars were heavier, the OMP was electric, the mounts and bushings were not as good, the automatic seatbelts were annoying, and the models with the LSD had the inferior VLSD. On the upside, the S5 cars had more power, the non-turbo engine had a higher redline which added a little more fun, the brake ducts were larger, the stereo surround was made out of far superior material, and most people prefer the look of the S5 tail lights.