Good morning! Today is one of those days where two vehicles caught my eye, and for the life of me, I couldn’t find a mate I liked for either one. So I figured what the hell, we’ll just put them up against each other and see what happens.
Yesterday we were looking at 4x4s up in the Seattle area, and I get the feeling a lot of you wanted to like the Delica van, but were put off by its condition and the potential scarcity of parts. The Pathfinder cruised to a comfortable win, and I can’t say I disagree. Every Nissan truck I’ve had has treated me well except for some electrical gremlins, and I have yet to own a car that doesn’t eventually have those.
A couple commenters took offense to my disparaging the Pathfinder models that came after this one. All I can say is, I like what I like, and I said what I said. If you’re happy with yours, more power to you. I didn’t mean to offend; I just don’t like them.
Moving on: Some days I just have trouble finding something I want to write about, and today is one of those days. So you’re getting an Italian economy car built in Mexico, and a mini-RV that began its life as a cab and chassis in Japan. Common ground? Well, they’re both five-speed manuals, and they’re both for sale in North Carolina. That’s all I’ve got. Let’s take a look at them.
2015 Fiat 500 Pop – $3,995
Engine/drivetrain: 1.4-liter overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Zebulon, NC
Odometer reading: 71,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
When Fiat came back to the American market, I had high hopes. My family had a Fiat 128 sedan back in the ’80s, and quite a few of my dad’s friends had 124 Spiders and X1/9s. I had been keeping track of the brand’s cars after it left the US market – Panda, Punto, that wild-looking Coupe – and when it was announced that we were getting a version of the new 500, I was excited. I assumed that depreciation would hit the little cars hard and fast, and I’d be able to scoop one up for next to nothing after a couple of years, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, the 500 held its value much like the Mini did, and only recently have the prices started to enter our range.
This 500 is the basic Pop model, equipped with a 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine featuring Fiat’s clever MultiAir variable valve timing system, driving the front wheels through a five-speed manual. It’s not as quick as the rowdy turbocharged Abarth, but to my knowledge Fiat has never built a poor-handling car, so it should still be a hoot to drive. It’s for sale at a dealership, so information on its past might be hard to come by, but they are offering to show you its Carfax report, which is a good sign.
It looks pretty good inside, though it should with so few miles. I was worried when I first saw the 500’s interior that the white steering wheel would end up looking grubby in no time, but this one doesn’t look too bad. Like the Mini, the 500 was never really available in a true base model here in the US; even this one has power windows and keyless entry and all that stuff.
It looks good outside as well, though it is missing three of its original wheel covers, and someone has substituted cheap plastic ones. If it were me, I’d just chuck all four hubcaps, paint the steelies silver, and be done with it. There’s also either scratches or stains on the front bumper that are a little unsightly, but if you live in a front-plate state like I do, I guess most of it would be covered up.
1984 Nissan-Datsun 720 Motorhome – $2,800
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: Durham, NC
Odometer reading: 80,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Wait! Don’t just take one look at this thing and immediately go vote for the Fiat. Crappy old RVs are a dime a dozen, I know, but this one is better on the inside than the outside, it runs and drives just fine, and it’s not your typical Toyota Chinook or Dodge Mini-Winnie. It’s based on an altogether more interesting vehicle: the Nissan/Datsun 720 series pickup.
I have a fondness for the 720. I owned one in college, a dark blue short-bed 4×4 that I bought simply because it was the only vehicle on the used car lot that would start without a jump on a -20-degree day. The heart of this machine is a 2.4-liter version of Nissan’s NAPS-Z four-cylinder and a five-speed manual. It’s a good reliable drivetrain, and this one got a lot of love from a mechanic a couple of years ago, when it received a new clutch, a new starter, and all-new brakes. It has been mostly sitting since then, but the seller says it fires right up and runs and drives fine.
The interior of the camper section was gutted and redone, but never really finished. It’s nice and clean, but sort of bare; it reminds me of every generic apartment I ever lived in, with plain white walls and cabinets. It’s hard to tell from the photos what all it includes, but I don’t think there is a sink or refrigerator currently installed, and obviously no bed either. The cab section is all stock Nissan, and it looks all right, except for the nasty steering wheel. You could probably clean it up, or you could just ditch it and install an aftermarket wheel that might be nicer to hold on to.
The outside has had absolutely no attention at all, and it’s pretty scruffy. The cab is rust-free, however, and it’s hard to believe that they’d do all that work on the inside without first making sure it didn’t leak, though I have my doubts about that rear window. You can either paint it and make it look respectable, or leave it as-is and scare folks into letting you have one whole corner of the KOA to yourself.
Judging these odd pairings is a little tough, I know. You can’t really cross-shop them. So I guess just pick whichever one seems to fit you better. Are you more the happy yellow economy-car type, or more of a fan of a good start on a fixer-upper RV?
(Image credits: sellers)
I already have a camper. But I’m missing a small, chuckable stick-shift car from my life. That price is approaching F-it money. The bumper damage means no worries about further door dings, so FIAT it is!
No offense intended, but have you ever driven a Fiat 500?
I vacationed in a mountain area. Found a Fiat 500 on Turo. I honestly looked forward to it – driving a little hatchback on mountain roads is an absolute riot. Sure it’s not fast, but it’s a rental car and I don’t care if it’s floored the whole time.
It sucked. Hard. The car didn’t want to go uphill. It didn’t want to turn. When pushed hard it gets tippy and scary. It fights hard turns and forces you to muscle through them. I hated that stupid little Fiat.
My wife got tired of me whining and offered to drive. Sure! She took over, got back on the road, and told me she didn’t understand – the car does what she wants it to. I pointed out she was going 40 in a 65. She was genuinely surprised and started pushing the car harder to get up to freeway speeds. She then decided she hates the car as well. She’s not a car person, has never disliked a car before, once owned an Aveo, and still gives every Fiat we pass a disgusted look and says “Stupid little car”.
I’ll take anything but a Fiat 500. It sounds like it should be fun, but it’s not. It is less fun than an Aveo. Less fun than a Geo Prizm. Less fun than a Camry. Of all the cars I’ve driven, the Fiat hated being pushed the most.
The manual makes a big difference, though. Was the Turo 500 a manual or an auto?
It sounds like something was wrong with the car you rented. Every 500 I’ve ever driven was like a puppy that wanted to dive into turns – keeping it going straight is usually more work. Even if you had the unpleasant automatic it should have been toss-able and easily hold 75.
My thoughts exactly. My wife’s 500 Sport is a joy to drive, even being an automatic. Eager little puppy is exactly the impression it gives me.
Not only that, but she’s put over 140,000 happy and trouble-free miles on it over the last decade.
You know, I’d believe that. Maybe I should try driving one again.
When my life turns to shit and I need a crappy cheap car, it might as well be one I can live in, too.
the Camper was likely abandoned because they misjudged the cost of even a bad paint job these days. it was likely sitting in some old couples back yard for years, I would definitely want to do a thorough inspection, but if what they suggest is true, that is a diamond in the rough. I happen to have a line on cheap wraps too, so I would probably just wrap it and go. might even seal some potential leaks at the roof line with a full body wrap. The only Fiat I would ever own is a Fiata.
That Fiat looks like a fun, decent runabout for the money, even though I don’t really love the color, or the 500 all that much. It’s certainly interesting and w. the cheap price you can sort some better wheels and tires, which are almost certainly crap on this one.
I trust the Nissan more than I trust the Fiat
I can’t even imagine trying to merge onto I-95 from an sharp, uphill approach ramp in that ancient, RV. At least you have about 12′ of crumple zone behind you.
I love small cars so I like the idea of the 500 but after driving a few, not so much with the slightly awkward driving position. I could never get really comfortable.
Buuuut, I’m voting against the underpowered rolling meth lab so the 500 it is.
Why no love for scruffy Murder Van??
the “patina” might be good to avoid theft though.
Park the Datsun in your driveway and you’ll be known as the creepy guy in the neighborhood. Wait, that’s 80% of the cars we consider here…
I wonder how that rig would look after 20 minutes of pressure washing (although the insides might be flooded LOL).
you’ll probably get chunks of paint flying away too
That RV makes me want to get a tetanus shot just looking at the pictures. 500 all the way. And paint those steelies YELLOW to match – how cool would that be?
I liked a rented yellow 500 so much I bought an Abarth. Though I think the real gem of the lineup are the earlier Turbos or a later Pop once they all got the turbo motor. 130hp is perfect in these.
Sorry neighbors, the Datsun’s going next to the garage so I can fill the camper with the interior bits of the Mitsu Delica during the engine swap.
Honestly, this is one of those “I don’t want either” sort of days. I put 900 highway miles on a 2014 Fiat 500 rental car a decade ago and hated it so much it cured me of ever really wanting a 500 Abarth. The Nissan, as much as I like the 720, is rancid and isn’t worth the effort the seller put into it (likely why they are parting with it). Unfortunately, neither of these speaks to me today.
I loved a rented (and yellow) 500 so much I bought an Abarth new. Different strokes and all that. But definitely a city car, not a highway car either way.
Yeah, it was all highway miles that I put on the 500 and it was absolutely terrible (and that’s coming from someone who drives a Jeep TJ). As a city-only car I could see it, but it was extremely uncomfortable and unpleasant to drive on the highway for 13 hours straight.
Underpowered motorhomes are terrifying to drive anywhere cool
I bet an LS would fit there. Might be fun to do that actually.
It’s a toss up today, both seem like fun in their own ways. I guess the RV would be best to go spend some time down on the beach.
I picked the Fiat, reluctantly. I had an automatic as a rental once when my Cadillac got rearended and it was downright dangerous trying to merge on the highway it was so damn slow; taking a leap of faith that the MT helps it scoot just a little bit better.
You’re calling the Fiat dangerously slow compared to a 100hp motorhome?
well, that 720 might not even get to 60 depending on the road conditions, so there’s that.
The automatics are awful – the manual transforms the car. Even better are the later turbo models.
Meh, you just drive an automatic 500 Italian style. Foot pinned to the firewall at all times. That little buzzbomb revels in that treatment. But for sure, the manuals are more fun the turbos are more fun, and the Abarth is ridiculously fun.
1000% the Fiat. They are surprisingly reliable and sturdy vehicles.
They also perform better in adverse weather and slippery conditions than you would expect.
The Datsun looks like Cousin Eddie’s new place.
I cannot fathom how bad it’d be to drive that RV around. Looks the 2.4 motor was rated at about 100 hp? I know the owner probably thinks they put some “value” into it, but there is so much work left to do on that thing.
I was going to vote Fiat by default, but just saw StillNotATony with some great thinking….just rip the RV off and make it into a pickup. Get a cheap paint job after you put a bed on it. So I’m in on that plan.
I like the truck idea!
From what I’ve seen, there is almost nothing (aside from cleaning) you can do to improve an RV’s value. Much like a cheap fibreglass motor boat, it’s just a steady slide towards worthlessness over 40 years.
Gutting and chucking in a Home Depot kitchenette may be an objective upgrade for the person doing the work, but from a resale perspective it’s just throwing good money after bad.
I see a ton of RVs on Marketplace that people bought and “renovated” during Covid- And they seem to sit longer than similar units in original condition.
Maybe some high-dollar Airstream renovations buck that trend, but the work would have to be performed by a professional and come with some sort of warranty.
it’s a cutaway chassis so you don’t only need a bed, but also a cab.
I like the pickup truck idea (or even a flatbed), but it takes way more than what you might been thinking. It begs the question why just not go out there and get a fully finished pickup?
RVs are basically worthless, so you can buy this, rent a dumpster, and you’re rid of the RV part. The back wall of the cab doesn’t have to be fancy. You could probably make it our of sheet of plywood and an aftermarket sliding window. It’s not gonna be pretty, but if you want pretty, you get to learn to weld!
I had a Fiat 500 for years as my daughter’s first car. We had very little trouble with it, and I might have kept it had it been a stick and yellow (objectively the best color)!
So why did I vote for the Nissan? I kinda want a small truck now. If I had that one, I’d probably just trash the RV body altogether and build a cab wall and flatbed for it. Pickups are expensive, but truck based RVs, especially old ones, are relatively cheap!
That’s the same idea I had. Buy the Datsun and demolish the camper body, then replace it with some kind of flatbed. I feel like I should vote for the Fiat though since I wouldn’t immediately have to take cutoff saw and a torch to it.
I changed my vote after reading your comment. I don’t want anything to do with the RV part of that vehicle, but a rattle can paint job and a cheap flatbed could make this a very cool truck.
I was all ready to comment enthusiastically in favor of the 500 (I’m already in possession of a “tenement on wheels”), until I looked more closely at the dealer photos and saw the fairly gnarly damage to the front right quarter. Taken in sum with the mismatched wheel covers and front bumper damage, the car doesn’t seem to have been particularly well cared for, and would take more than a set of proper wheels/tires to make presentable.
All that said, I’d still easily take the Fiat over the Nissan.
I would very seriously consider the Fiat as a personal commuter.
I don’t camp…at all, but if I did, I’d probably avoid something that has the meth lab vibe exterior as standard. I applaud whoever started this project, and it does look tidy enough inside, but I’m shallow enough to care about what people see on the outside. The Fiat certainly isn’t a dream car of mine, but I’d be mildly curious to see if these things can be as fun and engaging to drive as they appear to be.
It’s very human and not particularly shallow to avoid the appearance of complete degeneracy!
Not thrilled about either, maybe I would be if the camper was able to do highway speed, so I guess I’ll take the thrifty commuter car
That RV looks the reason why there are nebulous rules over campers being turned away for being too old.
The Fiat500 would make a great commuter.
If Junkyard Digs taught me anything…That Datsun should be free.
Fiat because eh I always like them in Yellow and its a set of panasports and lowering springs away from what I would daily.
You’re not wrong, but they also pay real money for garbage-ass RVs that should also be free so maybe a Datsun RV should be *nearly* free? Not sure how the math works on that one.
I’m an RV fan/owner and loved the mini-truck Class Cs back in the ‘80s and ‘90s but… hard nope on this example.