Welcome back to Shitbox Showdown! Today’s choices take us to South Florida, where I’ve lined up a couple of inexpensive and economical rides that are just far enough out of the ordinary to make them interesting. Desirable? Well, maybe not. But I’ll leave that up to you.
Our Weber-equipped coupes yesterday had some of you torn, admiring the Capri’s style but acknowledging that the Celica is a better buy. The bright yellow Toyota took a comfortable win, despite having to be towed home. I still figure it’s an easy fix; power to the ignition coil or to the distributor is my first thought. It might even be one of those things you can fix on the spot, and then drive it home, leaving the seller flummoxed and irritated, but $2,500 richer.
This is a tough call for me to make because they’re both similar to the MGB GT that I already have. I don’t really need another car with Rostyle wheels, nor another yellow car. I prefer the Capri’s style by a country mile, but the rust worries me. I have lost cars to rust before, and it’s a really annoying reason to have to junk something. Wow, I really did stick you guys with a hard choice.
Now then: There are times when finding cars for this column gets a little bit, dare I say, tiresome. You have no idea how many Chevy Malibus and Nissan Rogues I scroll right past on any given day, because I don’t care about them, and I can’t imagine you do either. And when I do find something interesting, I need to think back: Have I done one of those ever? If so, how recently? I try to spread things out geographically as well, but some parts of the country are just used-car dead zones, so I spend a lot of time in the same stomping grounds. Today, I turned to Miami, hoping to find something really stupid to make fun of, but instead I found a couple of pretty decent little cars that we haven’t talked about in a while. Here they are.
1997 Saturn SC1 – $2,700
Engine/drivetrain: 1.9-liter overhead cam inline 4, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Pompano Beach, FL
Odometer reading: 157,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
This is another car I have personal experience with. I owned an SC1 a couple years newer than this, with a five-speed stick and the extra door on the driver’s side. It’s one of those cars I really wanted to like, but just never quite connected with. Maybe part of the reason is that it was a replacement for a wrecked Plymouth Neon that I really liked. It had big shoes to fill.
This one has neither three doors nor three pedals, unfortunately. And since it’s an SC1, it has the basic single-overhead-cam version of Saturn’s “Power Module” (why they couldn’t just call it an engine, I’ll never know) delivering only 100 horses to the front wheels. It also has taller gearing than the twin-cam version; great for gas mileage, but not for acceleration. It runs great, the seller says, and it should have quite a lot of life left in it.
Apart from the automatic, it doesn’t look like this car has a lot of options. It has crank windows, manual locks, and no cruise control. I would assume it has air conditioning, being a Florida car, but it was optional, and with no underhood shots or clear views of the center console, I can’t confirm that. It is in pretty good shape inside, but the cloth appears to be delaminating from the plastic door panels – mine did the same thing. I imagine they all do eventually. I bet the headliner is sagging as well.
It’s got a bit of clearcoat failure, but it is twenty-seven years old; I’d be amazed if it didn’t have some blemishes. Saturn’s plastic body panels keep these cars looking sharp, but they can hide rust on the steel structure underneath. I don’t think it’s as big of an issue in Florida than it would be in the Midwest, but it is something to be aware of.
2007 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible – $2,400
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Pompano Beach, FL
Odometer reading: 93,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
The convertible version of Chrysler’s PT Cruiser always confused me. The standard PT is a practical little four-door hatchback, with lots of room inside for people or stuff, and that practicality offsets its weird looks and lukewarm performance (at least from the non-turbo version). But what happens when you take away the roof, and with it all that cargo space, and give it a small and awkward-to-reach trunk? All that’s left is the style, and despite all the accolades heaped on it in the first year, the PT Cruiser’s style has not aged well. It’s at best kitschy, at worst hopelessly outdated.
But if you can ignore the looks, and don’t need all the hatchback room, a convertible PT Cruiser is still a pretty compelling choice for a cheap used car, especially in this condition. It’s a bit under 100,000 miles, so it’s probably due for a timing belt change if it hasn’t already been done, but as long as everything else has been kept up, it should be good for a while. I have a friend back in Oregon who has had a PT Cruiser convertible for years; I don’t know how many miles are on it, but it has to be a couple hundred thousand by now. I have high hopes for this one.
The seller says the convertible top is new, and the ad includes both top-up and top-down photos, so obviously it works fine. Like most convertibles, it looks better with the top down than up, even with the basket-handle roll bar. The interior could maybe use a cleaning, but it has held up well.
It’s clean and shiny outside. The ad says this car has been garage-kept; it does make a difference. I suppose you could make the case for this car as a future classic; there weren’t a whole lot of convertibles to begin with, and I doubt there are too many left in this condition. But right now, it’s just a really nice, low-mileage, inexpensive used car.
These two aren’t going to set the world on fire, obviously. They’re sub-$3,000 used cars, perfect for young drivers or as cheap daily drivers, and if you’ve been paying attention, you know we’re awfully fond of cheap cars around here, pretty much no matter what they are. But our opinion isn’t what counts here. Which one of these are you more fond of?
(Image credits: sellers)
I was ready to insta-vote the Saturn, but it being the SOHC Sx1 version makes it a hard sell. Regrettably I’m gonna throw in for the quirky and uncommon convertible.
it’s not really the SC1. Tucker made a mistake. It’s actually an SC2 (body color door handles and bumpers, headrests on the front seats, etc)
Since it is in face an SC2, does that change your vote? 😛
Nope. My SC1 had body-color handles and bumpers. The coupe never had gray bumpers. The tall skinny wheels with hubcaps are the tell here.
The headrests and the cluster also indicate an SC2. The DOHC tach has a 6500 rpm redline, while the SOHC is only 5500. The 1’s also don’t have separate headrests for the front seats.
https://images.craigslist.org/00s0s_4CDiyDaFAdJ_0CI0t2_1200x900.jpg
Actually, looking in brochures, the SC1 didn’t have an adjustable seat height or lumbar support, which is what that knob on the left side of the driver’s seat is; this is definitely an SC2. (EDIT: Also the fog lights hiding under there!) Changing my vote!
The PT is a good choice; it’s really clean outside, the interior looks comfy and … at least for now … Chrysler still exists.
But I owned a Saturn for several years and really liked it, so we’ll take the SC1.
Everyone I know who has owned a PT says no, don’t buy one.
I’ll take the GM, which will continue running long after the PT has gone to Chrysler heaven (which is Lido’s old estate in Grosse Pointe).
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huh? Wha? yeah, yeah, I’m awake. Uh, yes. Er, um, 42!
Oh, pick a car? Oh yeah, let’s see. Hmmmm…
Fuck it, I’m going back to sleep.
Got help me,you made me vote for a PT Cruiser. I’m not fucking happy about it though.
PT for the drop top and the weird factor. Saturns are rather weird too, but this time I went Cruiser. If it was the hatch I likely would have gone Saturn though.
When I first began dating my wife in 2005, she had a ’99 SC2 that looked exactly like this one. This is easy.
I already own a transportation appliance, so I’m going with the PT ragtop that seems to be in great shape for the money. It’ll do just fine as a summer cruiser.
Saturn is great! But convertibles are more fun.
You had me at Saturn.
I’ve got daily and beater status already covered with my two Civics, so anything I’m buying at this price would be something I can beat on for AutoX/Rally cross. In that regard I’d rather have a roof over my head, and they’re both automatics, so Saturn take the win here. The lack of power anything works in it’s favor here. Hoon it for a season or two until it dies and then move on.
Saturn, simply because I have always hated the PT loser. Worst driving experience ever was having to drive one as a rental in my grandmother’s funeral procession.
That Saturn is an SC2, like others have said. I choose it over the
Murano CrossCabrioletPT CruiserWhile Chrysler made GT convertibles (basically a Neon SRT4 convertible), Krysler Kwalitee still suxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Both.
PT=Summer Cruiser
Saturn=Winter Beater
I’m far from a PTCruiser fan, but if I consider it a $2000 for a convertable that I can drive for a few months of the year with the top down – I care less about the reliability/robustness.
The Saturn would, however, make a better daily. And would suit a winter vehicle rather well (being still plastic bodied, wouldn’t show the rust)
I’m sort of in your camp here. You can keep an early Saturn running forever and pretty easy top work on IIRC. I actually like the thought of the PT Convertible.
Going Saturn, even if it was an SC1 – but it’s actually an SC2 with the twin cam motor. SOHC cars had a different tach and 110 mph speedo vs. 130 mph for DOHCs. By the time of the 2nd gen, SL/1s had switched to high back buckets inside, and only SC2s had color-keyed door mirrors (minus some special editions). SC2s also got a standard leather wrapped wheel (required leather on SL2/SW2). SC1s were spared black bumpers but they still had black door handles.
Goddamnit, you beat me to it.
SC1’s also had black door handles and 14″ wheels. Those look like 15’s.
Yep that’s a good one too, I wasn’t even thinking of since the SC1 could get SL2/SW2 15″ alloys. Spoiler and foglights were standard on SC2s too, the former was optional on SC1s and I thought maybe the fogs also but not at this point I guess.
I feel like we both spent a lot of time reading Saturn brochures in our youth.
Sounds like it haha. Lots of brochures and a couple plant visits even (second being the second Homecoming).
I’m drawing a blank on the speedo, but I know for a fact my SC1 had body-color door handles, and mirrors. Not sure when the change happened, but that’s not an absolute tell.
Hm, brochures show body color mirrors as SC2 only up to the end. Though they were starting to mix across trims more at the end too to use up parts, like when Honda does VP/some SE models, so could have slipped in. That said, the cluster and interior are the easier giveaways to spot.
Both are automatics so kind of a wash but would go with the Saturn as the best feature of the PT Cruiser was it’s hatchback and cargo space, there’s better cheap convertibles out there.
I have never been on board or even understood all the PT hate, but it may only have been today that I figured out why.
I totally and completely disagree with this statement:
The car is inspired by the 1930s. Its style is fairly timeless, especially compared to other 00s small economy cars which really do look dated by now.
I was a recent college grad when the original PT’s were new and gave some thought to buying one. I was doing some biking and building a new life at the time (which meant many runs to IKEA).
The convertible is a little bit dorky, but in that condition for $2400? I’ll embrace my inner dork
I’m a big fan of Saturnalia.
I’m more of a GM guy but, ah heck I’ll take the convertible. I bet the wife and daughter would get a kick out of it on nice summer days
I like the SC1 more, but the PT is a much better deal. Swap in a head unit with CarPlay and Android Auto and you are ready for the beach. You did it, Mark. You got me to vote for a PT Cruiser.
The difference between the single and twin-cam Saturns was really substantial. I remember being surprised in both directions by how slow the SL1 was and how quick the SL2 was.
The answer is never PT Cruiser….easy win for the sadly auto Saturn for me
Saturn. I have never been much of a PT Cruiser fan, and the convertible version is right there with the Murano CrossCabriolet in the “never should have been made” category for me. Even worse is that the cowl shake on the convertible PT Cruiser is bad, even with the basket-handle roll bar. The Saturn will last forever, even if it isn’t fun, so it gets my vote.
I’ll take the Cruiser! I think the drop-top makes a kinda boring car a lot more fun! Plus, being a higher trim level, I bet it has AC. It would not surprise me if that Saturn is a sweatbox.
The Saturn will probably still be running after I have shuffled off this mortal coil, but the PT is my choice while I’m still here. These things are basically the modern equivalent of the Pacer – they’re the brunt of many jokes. Funny thing about the Pacer is that it was so uncool that it became sorta cool again – I can see that happening again with the PT…maybe while I’m still alive.