Good morning, Autopians! Well, we’ve reached the end of a short week experimenting with a new format, and I’m calling it: it’s a failure. Yeah, I suppose it’s less work only tracking down one car per day, but it’s way more work trying to find something worth saying about the winner. Thank goodness none of the week’s choices got on a hot streak and kept winning; I don’t know what I would have done.
Yesterday‘s Amigo managed to de-throne that white Caravan, largely due to it being a stickshift, I think. A few of you lamented the lack of 4WD on a vehicle like this, but unless you want to do serious off-roading, I don’t think it’s a big deal. It’ll do donuts in a dirt field with your buddy hanging onto the roll bar for dear life; what more do you want?
Between these two, I have to pick the Amigo. I’ve never owned a vehicle like this, and I’ve always kind of wanted one. A soft-top Tracker would be my first choice, but this would do nicely too. And noisy lifters don’t scare me.
Since the Amigo is a cheap stickshift, I thought I should find another cheap stickshift to go with it. Naturally, when you think manual transmissions, you think ’80s Oldsmobiles, right? I found a rare five-speed Calais that’s strangely a cross between two cars I used to own. Let’s see if you like it better than the faded, noisy Isuzu.
1998 Isuzu Amigo S – $1,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.2-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: Rochester, WA
Odometer reading: 122,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great, but has a lifter tick
Well, it looks like for a second day in a row, our winner has sold before we could look at it again, so the link in the headline above goes to yesterday’s Showdown. I guess we all have good taste in cheap cars. Or else there’s a dearth of good options in this price range, so anything even remotely decent or interesting gets snapped up right away. Anyway, we’ll pretend it’s still available, so feel free to choose it if you want.
The only troubling question with this little Amigo is a ticking lifter. It’s not always a huge problem; hydraulic lifters sometimes get a bit of grit or dirt stuck in the oil channel, so they don’t fill up with oil and take up the gap. There is a whole list of magic potions that people have used over the years to free up a sticky lifter: Sea-Foam, Marvel Mystery Oil, and good old automatic transmission fluid have all allegedly been used to quiet a noisy valvetrain. Do they work? Sometimes. If they don’t, you can pull the lifters and replace them, but you’re technically supposed to replace the cams at the same time. Can you get away with not replacing the cams on a $1,500 car? It’s probably worth a try.
1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais – $1,700
Engine/drivetrain: 2.5-liter overhead valve inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Bristol, VA
Odometer reading: 93,000 miles
Operational status: “Runs and drives” – that’s all we get
GM’s X platform is often called a failure, due to the massive number of recalls in its first year and the resulting sales drop, but what it should really be thought of is practice. Lessons learned from the X body were applied to the A, J, and N bodies, which – love ’em or hate ’em – sold like hotcakes, and turned out to be really durable cars. This N-body Olds Cutlass Calais is from the first year of production, when it was available only as a two-door coupe.
Later in life, Oldsmobile blessed the Calais with a twin-cam Quad 4 engine and turned it into a bona-fide mini muscle car, but at its introduction only two far less exciting engines were available: Pontiac’s Iron Duke four-cylinder (re-christened the “Tech IV” for the ’80s) or a Buick-designed 3.0 liter V6. Since this is a base model, and has a five-speed stick, I’m guessing that it has the four, because I think the V6 was automatic-only. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Duke may not be an exciting or powerful engine, but it’s absolutely bulletproof. All we get from the ad is “runs and drives;” I guess you’d have to go check it out to find out more.
There is one catch with this car: it has no keys. The ignition lock has been drilled out, and the car is now started with a screwdriver. The trunk lock is missing as well, and I guess you just don’t lock the doors. The seller says the title is clean, but you’d be wise to make sure it has their name on it. It’s kind of a shame, because the rest of the car looks like it’s in good shape. It’s still well under 100,000 miles, and both the inside and outside are really clean. It is missing the headliner fabric, but personally I’d prefer that to having it droop and hit me in the head while I’m driving.
This car is weirdly appealing to me because it’s basically a cross between two cars I used to have: a 1988 Olds Calais with a Quad 4 and a five-speed stick, and a 1982 Dodge 400 coupe, also with a stick, that was also lacking keys and had a drilled-out ignition when I bought it. Thirty years ago (good grief!), when I had that Dodge, I just bought a new ignition lock cylinder and popped it in. I wasn’t sure that was still the case, but it looks like Autozone has them.
Yes, I know, not long ago these would both have been $500 cars. It bothers me that they aren’t anymore, too. But they’re still only two or three payments on a new car. I guess those of us who like our rides cheap and cheerful will have to be okay with that. So make your choice, and I’ll see you back here next week with two new cars every day.
(Image credits: sellers)
RWD+stick>FWD+stick
Mi Amigo!! Andale andale!
Yeah, anything related to an X-body is a no-go for me. I still have the psychic scars from a POS ’81 Buick Skylark.
That Olds would have to be a lot cheaper for me to even consider it. Even if it weren’t stolen/repo’ed, it’s a bit much for that vehicle.
I always read “Calais” as “Cialis” which is ironic as these crap cans would have the opposite effect on your sex life.
It’s no under-Achieva
I voted for the Amigo again cause of the lock status, but I do love me an N body, I had a ’93 Ponitac Grand AM GT with the HO Quad5/5speed it was a riot till the head gasket blew lol after that I’ve only bought Japanese or Korean cars.
I’m also shocked by the condition of that Calais. The wife had one in college for a bit with the quad 4, and also a Buick Somerset Regal with the V6, which was on the same platform. They were fun little cars, but rust took the Calais and that was almost 25 years ago. The shock mounts in the back had detached from the unibody structure of the wheelwells, and the next stop was going to be the crusher. These things were everywhere in the 90’s and I can’t even remember the last time I saw one.
N-bodies were a dime a dozen on my college campus (mid 90’s).
Calais FTW. I wouldn’t even use the ignition and just bump start it until I was done with it lol
I was ready to vote for the Youngmobile, but it’s entirely too sketchy… even as compared with a faded 2WD Amigo. We’ll stick with the Isuzu … and in addition to the DIY paint, I’ll look for “Frontera” badges and rebrand it as an Opel.
Going Olds more for N-body nostalgia vote. My dad went from RWD Cutlasses to an early N-body Grand Am 5-speed not unlike this. I don’t know if the Calais was in consideration or it was just the Pontiac image felt more befitting, even in non-SE trim (which at the time was V6/auto only).
When shopping for my first car, a small local lot had a perfect grandparents-old-car condition Calais 2-door that he kind of nudged me toward. The stodgy look didn’t help and I wasn’t against old GM cars, but I was hesitant on the safety and reliability of a ~20 year old car that didn’t have a great rep for those factors when new either.
Maybe its just the absent ignition cylinder and trunk lock, but I’m getting “unsuccessful meth dealer” vibes from the Oldsmobile. I usually think a pre purchase inspection and a carfax report are adequate to evaluate a used car, but I would have a drug dog check this one out as well.
I’ll go with the Amigo.
Captain Cook!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Calais!”
He chortled in his joy.
“Thou didst reject the stolen Olds
And kept thy Amiga toy!”
Most excellent comment.
Calais for me. Less mileage, way better overall condition, doesn’t have a lifter tick, probably has better all-around performance even with the Iron Duke.
I get that it can be challenging to write interesting and informative paragraphs about the same car multiple days in a row but I do hope we do this again. Like maybe save it for short weeks or special occasions because it’s been fun.
That said, mom had a couple of Rodeos and I always liked the Amigos so pinkjeep again for me.
Wow that is the cleanest early N body I’ve seen in a LONG time, it’s a stick, and the Calais I think was always the best version of them anyway.
I find the styling of the Olds strangely appealing, but I’d take good care of registering the car out of Virginia. I wouldn’t want to be confused with a
meth dealeryoung entrepreneur that did such things to their locks.Am I the only one that doesn’t lock his car doors? I don’t keep anything of value in the car. Even if I did, I’d rather they just open the door to steal my stuff rather than break a window. It’s a beater 1998 BMW, so it’s not like anyone wants to steal it.
Sometimes I go out to the car in the morning and realize it’s been unlocked and street parked for the last 48 hours.
Most of the time, in a lot of places, people don’t mess with your stuff.
When I had a convertible, many years ago, I never locked the doors, even if the top was up. Instead, I had a car alarm with a proximity detector. Of course, that didn’t stop some moron from smashing the passenger window. The alarm apparently scared him off though.
Sidenote to asshole thieves: just try the damn door before breaking a window!
My Cadillac-owning grandfather, may he rest in peace, never locked his cars… and in fact, would always just leave the keys under the front seat. When I asked him why, he said “well, if someone’s going to steal it, I don’t want them to mess it up.”
That’s me as well – up until fobs became a thing, I just threw the keys in the ashtray if I was anywhere local.
I do the same with my ‘94 F150. I know first-hand how easy they are to break into as my dad’s Ford work van had f*ed up locks for a period when I was a kid which were easy to bypass. I don’t keep anything of value in there and don’t want someone breaking a bunch of old brittle plastic parts or a window trying to jimmy it. Of course that assumes anyone would want to get in there..
Early 80s Nissan truck: hold my beer.
My local locksmith used to do Nissan to Ford and Toyota to Ford door lock conversions for many years as he said 80s/90s Ford’s door locks where much tougher to crack open than my truck’s.
When old 4WD Japanese 80s trucks became more sought-after, I made the switch.
I guess my Nissan’s OEM door lock would’ve opened with a clip
I didn’t lock the doors of my VW Phaeton or my VW Touareg VR6. It wasn’t because they didn’t have anything valuable in them, but because the door sensors were broken and the alarm freaked out on its own. lol
Being accused of car theft, it not something I want to aspire to. I’ll take the Amigo
Who is stealing a 35 year old Oldsmobile, first of all? Second of all, if it was stolen 35 years ago, who doesn’t cut it up for parts (which is where the value would have been)?
The lock carnage is because someone’s grampy died and they couldn’t find the keys to their inheritance. Besides – every car thief back in the day knew that GM columns were paper thin and you could just jab at them with a screwdriver to get at the innards. It’s why they came up with the PASS key.
The column can be repaired or replaced. An ignition and trunk lock can be sourced. I don’t see either as a problem.
The title questions are worth chasing down before you go through any trouble, though – that could be the biggest hoop to jump through and might be nigh-impossible depending on where you live.
Any cop that takes a look at it, will first jump to the conclusion that it’s stolen. That was my fist thought at least. I’m not going to chance it for a cheap car. Plus the Amigo is less expensive.
Every cop that has ever taken a look at me has jumped to the conclusion I’ve broken some law, I wouldn’t be caught withing 100′ of that drilled out ignition lock.
Are you inviting the local constabulary to take a look at your vehicle on a regular basis? Serious question. Do you normally conduct business or have contact with the police? And they can assume whatever they want – you have rights and they can’t just take a look at the column and cuff and stuff you.
I think my privilege should pipe down right about now, tho.
They usually don’t wait around for invitations, unless you consider my occasional lapses regarding posted speed limits an invitation. It’s not as bad these days but especially growing up just walking down the street, driving along observing every traffic law, simply sitting on a park bench, or any number of other seemingly innocent activities were enough to find myself conducting business with the police. Yes I know my rights and I’ve done plenty of arguing with police in my life but that doesn’t work. If the officer feels like he’s being outmaneuvered with logic and reason he pulls out the old “interfering with the duties of an officer” card and away you go. Rights are all well and good but as someone who has been both cuffed and stuffed for not committing a crime I’m going to continue to avoid drilled out ignition columns, broken windows, graffiti, jaywalking, etc.
Yeah – I haven’t had to deal with that, and it sucks that you have. I can understand how that would make you cautious about inviting scrutiny.
Just part of growing up in a small town, someone has to be the black sheep.
Just slap a thin-blue-line flag sticker on the rear window until you can replace the ignition switch.
To quote Val Kilmer’s oscar-worthy portrayal of Doc Holliday, “my hypocrisy only goes so far.” A thin blue line sticker would be more than I could stomach.
Just think of it as going undercover. Like Bart and Jim wearing the white KKK robes and hoods in Blazing Saddles.
The adorable but slightly mangy puppy that is the Amigo wins again for me. That Olds has seen some shit and none of it was good. I’ll bet it has tales to tell of having its ignition pried out before going on some crime rides.
Exactly. I’ll put up with a few red flags if the vehicle is worth it, but why do so when the fun Amigo is the alternative?!
Calais all the way! It was actually an ’87 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais breaking down at just the right time which set events in motion that ended up with me being married. I’m always going to have a soft spot for those cars.
That Calais is outstanding. It’s the best of the N-Bodies (Buick Regal Somerset? I think not!)
The Iron Puke is not only bulletproof (as I type this, I can hear the LLV purring up the street with its own Iron Duke), it went racing and there’s a bunch of performance stuff that was made for it. You can wake them up.
But beyond that, the rest of the car looks like a cleaner starting point (and white letter tires!) – and it’s probably just way less tiresome overall than the Amigo would be to drive.
fun Hazard light location on the Olds. I forgot GM did that.
I’d take the Olds just to be able to say “Calais” everyday. Plus, it’s an old grandma car with a stick shift. Who’s going to steal it?
Or “Cutlass.” It’s got to be one of GM’s longest-running name plates that nobody remembers!
I suspect the manual is what’s kept it from being stolen right now.
I like not being in jail. I’ll stay away from the clearly stolen Calais thank you very much.
It has a “clean title” because the title wasn’t updated with any of the previous twelve owners and the cops never found it after the one time it was reported stolen.
Shame it wasn’t exported to Morocco where a drug dealer can wash some of his cash, then send it somewhere unknown.
Or it’s too crap for a cash rich drug kingpin to export.
It does remind me of the maroon craptastic Caddy filled with heroine in Gone in 60 Seconds.
Hell no to the Calais.
I’ll stick with the Amigo.
Didn’t think it was that difficult to put a new ignition cylinder on those GM columns. Wasted a lot of time just drilling it out. Shame because it’s the one I’d go for.