The Pontiac Phoenix sold from 1977 to 1979 was a twin to the Chevrolet Nova. These were rear wheel drive cars, some of the last RWD compact cars that General Motors would make. The base engine on these cars was the 3.8 liter V6, but there was a V8 option. It was also one of the last compact cars to have a V8 engine option from GM. These cars were sold as 2 door coupes and 4 door sedans.

In 1980, GM made a major change to their compact car lines. The new Phoenix was a front wheel drive car that came standard with an I4 engine. The V6 was now an option, and the V8 would be gone forever. The 2 door coupe was still available, but there was also a 5 door hatchback body style (pictured above). The Phoenix, and more infamously the Chevy Citation, were mocked by reviewers for their econobox styling and derided by others for being unreliable. Some would say that they all received the lemon treatment at the factory. In my experience, this was simply not the case. My Phoenix performed well for an unusually long time. It was also one of the cheapest new cars on the market when I bought it, so I didn't exactly expect much. This car surpassed my limited expectation more than any other car I've ever owned.

You can still find some surviving Phoenixes and Citations being sold on places like eBay, and even some parts if you want to fix one up. Heck, if you're a real grease monkey you might even be able to turned one of these cars into a bonafide sleeper. Getting beat by a Phoenix would be humiliating to any wannabe-racer.