Cult-Classic Wagons: 1989 VW Fox vs 2005 Honda Element

Welcome back! Well, as far as I can tell, the sun came back after the eclipse, and the world didn’t end, so let’s check out some more cars. Today we’re looking at vehicles with small but loyal followings, both capable of efficiently hauling a bunch of stuff.

It appears you all are even less fans of the later-generation Mitsubishi Eclipses than I thought. The response from yesterday’s matchup was underwhelming at best. I get it; it’s like when someone says they’re going to play a Van Halen record and they put this on. But what can I do? If I picked good Eclipses, you’d all complain about the prices.

Anyway, for what it’s worth, I’d take the red GT between these two. That white one just has too many questions. The only thing that makes me consider it is that it’s a four-cylinder; I am not a fan of working on transverse V6s.

So let’s see what you think of today’s choices. One is Volkswagen’s attempt at undercutting the Japanese and Korean economy cars of the late ’80s, and the other is Honda’s attempt to be hip and modern. And you’ll be happy to hear that, today, there isn’t an automatic transmission in sight.

1989 Volkswagen Fox GL wagon – $5,200

Engine/drivetrain: 1.8 liter overhead cam inline 4,  four- or five-speed manual, FWD

Location: McKeesport, PA

Odometer reading: 160,000 miles

Operational status: “Would not hesitate to drive anywhere”

With all the small inexpensive cars dying off these days, it’s hard to remember a time when automakers were actually fighting over the bottom of the market, so much so that they would introduce new models below the vehicles already in their lineups. Sometimes these cars were just de-contented versions of the old model sold alongside the new one, as was the case with Chrysler’s “America” versions of the Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon. But in the case of Volkswagen, a global company with different models sold all over the world, it meant bringing a new cheaper car to the US from somewhere else.

The Volkswagen Fox, introduced in 1987, was meant as a bargain-basement competitor to subcompacts like the Toyota Tercel and Nissan Sentra, as well as the dirt-cheap Hyundai Excel. The Fox was built in Brazil, and was a modified version of the VW Gol. In the grand tradition of weird-ass Brazilian VWs, the Gol was sold with both the Beetle-style air-cooled flat-four, and the Passat-style water-cooled inline four, both mounted in the extreme front of the car and driving the front wheels.

The US-model Fox only received the water-cooled engine, the same 1.8 liter unit that was standard in the Golf and Jetta, but mounted longitudinally. Possibly to its detriment in the sales race, the Fox was never available with an automatic; you could get a manual with four forward gears, or five. We don’t know which gearbox this Fox GL wagon has, but we are told that its owner has eschewed the finicky Bosch CIS fuel injection system for a carburetor. They say it runs beautifully and has made many successful road trips.

The seller has made some modifications that aren’t to my taste, like the white gauge faces, though I do like the aftermarket steering wheel. The outside is like Old European Car Bingo: round driving lights – check. Roof rack – check. German license plate in front – check, which makes me wonder if the seller knows this car isn’t really German. Oh well; at least it isn’t “stanced.”

2005 Honda Element EX – $4,500

Engine/drivetrain: 2.4 liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, AWD

Location: Monroe, WA

Odometer reading: 242,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives great

Beloved of dog owners everywhere, the Honda Element was one of a few different “weird lifestyley cars” introduced in the late 90s/early 2000s, along with the Pontiac Aztek and Isuzu VehiCROSS. Like those, the Element was based on a more ordinary car’s platform, in this case the Honda CR-V. It features clamshell-style doors on both sides, water-resistant interior materials, and oddball gray plastic fenders and fascias. At least, most of them had gray; some silver Elements, like this one, had the plastic panels in blue.

The Element was available with either front-wheel-drive or Honda’s “Real Time” all-wheel-drive, and either a manual or an automatic transmission. This one happens to be the best combination: AWD with a manual. The shifter on manual Elements is weird; it comes out of a protrusion on the center stack of the dashboard, and kind of looks like a video game joystick, or something used to control a forklift.

This one has a lot of miles on it – 242,000 – but I also think I see a tow-bar mount, so not all those miles may have been under its own power. Regardless, it runs well, and has a new clutch. It’s nice and clean both outside and in, and importantly for a Honda, rust-free.

I’ve always liked the Element. A good friend of mine bought one when they first came out, and it served him well for many years. There are two things I remember from riding around in it: First, the rear seat sits really high, much higher than the front seats, and it makes it feel tippy around corners, and second, you have to plan your egress carefully and wait for the front-seat occupants to clear the side of the car before you open the rear door, or else you’ll both get trapped in the space between the doors.

Both of these cars did OK in sales, but not great, and these days they’re both looked after by a small (very small, in the case of the Fox) but loyal group of fans. But unlike some other forgotten oddballs, these are both useful, practical cars. Which one is your choice?

(Image credits: Fox – Facebook Marketplace seller, Element – Craigslist seller)