Aside from the Mazda MX-5 (which isn’t the most practical car), almost all small, simple, and light cars made today are econoboxes. They’re not designed to have the rich control feel, balanced and satisfying handling near the limits, responsiveness, material quality, suspension sophistication, etc. compared to say German luxury compact cars of the 1980s (BMW E30 or M-B W201). Even cars like 90s Hondas, while front wheel drive and built to a much lower price point, had rich control feel, liveliness, and agility that modern cars don’t give.

Modern luxury cars from essentially all brands around the world have become huge, heavy, numb, and over-complicated. They’re much faster and quieter than the say the old Benzes and BMWs of the 80s, but they don’t have the fun raw feel, small size, light weight, tossability, and simplicity of the old cars.

A BMW E30 or M-B W201 have a weight somewhere between a Mazda MX-5 and Subaru BRZ, but are far more practical than either for passengers and cargo despite being around the same width and only slightly longer.

The only modern cars with similar size and weight are some European market compact cars and econoboxes like the Mitsubishi Mirage, Nissan Micra, and Chevy Spark (which are also disappearing from North America). For steering feel, handling, general raw and connected driving feel, powertrain responsiveness, and interior quality, these modern economy cars can’t compete. Some of the European market specific B-segment cars come closest to those older compact luxury cars, but they still don’t match them for the qualities I described.

Kit cars generally suck from a practical perspective compared to well engineered 80s/90s cars and aren’t a very practical option either.