I think we all have our favorites. I'll weigh in with my own opinion. I'm very partial to 91s. Airbag yes, but no ABS, which can be a problem with rusty wheel sensors in wet climes and is just another layer of complexity. I'm also fond of the fuel pump setup without the engine bay fuse in 91; 90 being the last year of the engine bay fuse. 91 is also the last year for the "regular" speedo heads, easier to find. I don't have a problem with an 89 that has had it's ECU changed. Weak fuel pump circuit in the 89 ECU as noted by others. The upside is that the 89 and up cars are LH2.4 (or 3.x), which, aside from the 89 ECU, is a great system with the on-board diagnostic module.

Yes, starting with 85, we have skinny rod B230 engines. When people ask me how much LESS durable they are, I usually reply that in regular use, they may only last 450k miles instead of 500. I just did a cluster for a woman with 493k miles on her one-owner 86 245. For 88 the rods are beefier again AND, most important for me, the wiring harnesses don't self destruct. I think these two things are what make '88s such a favorite. If you are planning on hopping up an engine, the skinny rod B230 is probably not the one to use. IMHO, the tuning of the 88s is slightly different. They always seem so peppy, especially with a stick. 86-87 I avoid, just hate dealing with the harnesses. I will put up with an 85, which is also part of the bad-harness club, but because it's the last of the second generation cars and has the LH2.2 I like them.

I don't have any problems with LH2.0 and 2.1 cars, short of the fact that the system is prone to some idle issues--just not as refined. Thus 83-84 cars are my least favorite of the injected vehicles, but acceptable. 84 seems to have an inordinate number of mid year changes. I think there are 3 or 4 different master cylinders for example, not to mention the mid-year change on the injection itself. LH2.0 to 2.1, I have seen 84's with both. Of course it may just be that someone swapped the ECU or AMM. These cars are in the heart of bad-harness territory, so beware. I prefer the later, rotary compressors of the 85 and up cars to the York piston compressors, if one is considering converting to R134 refrigerant.

Prior to 83 (in the US and at the risk of bringing down upon myself the wrath of the entire K-jet community), I would suggest that a do-it-yourselfer without much experience avoid 240s. The electronic injection is so much more closely related to more modern cars, is easier to service, but more important is easier to have serviced. I know several good shops in our area who simply don't work on mechanical injection any more, and I would bet that scenario is spreading. Don't get me wrong, I own two K-jet cars--for now. But both are slated to be converted to LH. If you must have the earlier car though, the harnesses are better pre-80 I think (someone check me on that please).

There, more than enough on that subject.
DS