Good morning! Today we’re looking at a couple of cars that at least some of you might actually want to buy. Think of it as a mid-week palate cleanser, a sorbet of halfway decent options between absolute crap.
And yes, I fully admit that yesterday‘s options were pretty much crap. I’d rock the Cobalt, but it certainly wouldn’t be my first choice of small FWD stickshift coupe (that would be an old Geo Storm) or my second (a Ford ZX2). I don’t know how many of the votes for the Cobalt were under duress, or for the lesser of two evils, but it took home a solid win.
And frankly, the less said about that Mustang, the better. I just found it interesting enough to write about, but there’s no way in hell I’d actually spend money on it. Forty-two percent of you seemed to like it, though, and as far as I’m concerned, you can have it.
So let’s move on. Today’s choices are the same basic idea, separated by a decade or so of development. Neither one is in pristine shape, and they are closing in on half a million miles between them, but the prices are decent, and either one should have some life left in it. Let’s check them out.
1992 Mitsubishi Expo LRV – $2,700
Engine/drivetrain: 1.8-liter overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Riverbank, CA
Odometer reading: 219,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
It’s hard to believe, looking at their lineup now, but once upon a time, Mitsubishi used to be prolific. In 1992, it offered two economy cars, a midsized sedan, a luxury sedan, two sports cars, an SUV, a pickup truck – and two similar but different little wagony things. There was the Expo, a five-door wagon with traditional rear doors, and the Expo LRV, a smaller version with a sliding door on the passenger’s side.
The LRV is powered by a 1.8-liter four-cylinder of no particular distinction. It’s just a power source, better than some, not as good as others. This one has a five-speed manual, at least, but that doesn’t make it fun, exactly. It is durable, though; this car has well over 200,000 miles on it, and the seller says it runs great. And it’s not the only Expo I’ve seen with that many miles.
Someone has visited a terrible crime upon this particular LRV, however: it left the factory in teal, the unofficial car color of the early ’90s. It has since been painted in this matte gray, which isn’t unattractive, exactly, but I think covering up teal on a 1992 model-year car violates some automotive statute. Or at least, it should. At least they haven’t messed with the Funfetti upholstery.
It also has two big-ass subwoofers taking up cargo space in the rear, and I have a suspicion the “new stainless muffler” mentioned in the ad may make a bit more noise than one would like, but there’s always some previous-owner stuff you need to undo on a used car.
2005 Scion xB – $2,950
Engine/drivetrain: 1.5 liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Santa Clara, CA
Odometer reading: 231,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
Little wagony things fell out of favor for quite a while, but then in the mid-2000s a whole bunch of them hit the market. This car was one of two sold by Scion, Toyota’s short-lived youth-oriented brand. The xA was actually more of a hatchbacky thing than a wagony thing, but the boxy xB, sold in Japan as the Toyota bB, could only be described as a wagon. Toyota’s marketing backfired a bit; instead of young buyers, the xB found favor with elderly drivers, much like Kia’s Soul. It was also voted “Best Car To Eat Messy Food In” by two guys in hazmat suits.
The xB is mechanically similar to Toyota’s Yaris subcompact, with the same little 1.5 liter engine, in this case backed by a five-speed manual. Toyotas are well-known for their ability to pile on the miles, and this one is no exception: its odometer reads 231,000. It runs great, has a new clutch, and just passed a smog inspection.
Inside, it’s holding up pretty well, but if one of these can survive being coated in soup and calzone filling, normal usage shouldn’t present a problem, I suppose. The air conditioning works, the seller says, which is not always the case with cars this cheap.
It looks all right outside, too. The paint is a little dull, and I personally am not fond of the black wheels, but the trim below the rear bumper is intact, unlike half the xBs I see on the road. I don’t know why, but most of them are missing that trim, or worse, missing half of it.
A lot of the cars we look at here are specialty vehicles, the sort of thing that would be fine as a weekend toy, but you can’t really call them useful. Not these two. Little wagony things are about as practical as cars can get, and when they’re reliable and efficient too, they could easily be your main – or only – car. Which one would you drive off in?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
I voted xB since I own an 06. I love it. Tires and brakes are inexpensive. If you like driving slow cars fast, this is a good one.
These Scions seem like they are going to run forever. And I like the box.
I love the Visas and their Colt cousins, but who can say no to that xB?
xB please and thank you. I loved them new but doing 90% of my driving on highways at the time would have driven me absolutely nuts with their lack of sound deadening. My driveway has one more spot available so give me the mini Brinks truck!
Toaster all day!
1st gen Scion xB for me. I’ve always had a soft spot for them was Toyota should have sold them in Canada from the start. All we officially got here was the bloated 2nd gen model.
Dang that is a nice looking xB. It just needs a lift and some mud tires 🙂
The Toyota wins by default.
And yeah, fuck the idiot that replaced a cool color with boring-ass gray.
I know I’m going to be on the outside, but I irrationally despise “box cars” like the XB and always have. I know that I’m signing up for de-dudifying that Mitsubishi, but this is my burden and I’m going to bear it. On the plus side, the upholstery in that thing looks irrationally happy, so at least I’ve got that.
they even sold an “xB” that wasn’t a “box car” for those that felt that way, the xA was virtually identical but not styled like a box lol
Yeah, I hate those ugly box cars too
Why?
My opinion is they are ugly boxes and not putting the gauges straight in front of the steering wheel is dumb
The gauge thing I get (Whoever came up with that STUPID ASS idea should have been fired and blacklisted) but hating on the box? What for? It’s pure function.
Sure the aero sucks but at expressway or lower speeds that’s not such an issue. It’s easy to park, cheap to buy, cheap to insure, easy on gas, offers great visibility, great headroom, lightweight so it’s (I presume) reasonably pedestrian friendly, super reliable, parts are cheap and readily available, it can carry a fuck load of crap and you can park it in a standard garage.
As a sub/urban run about it’s about as ideal as I can imagine.
I just don’t like the design/body style…I get what you’re going for, most of those reasons can apply to any car. I base a lot of if I like a car or not on looks. I don’t like these cars and don’t have to. It’s all opinion…everyone has different tastes
Well more for me then.
Vive la difference.
New safety features for the win. Otherwise I’d go Funfetti.
The Expo is interesting, but the Scion is the obvious choice. Cars improved dramatically between 1992 and 2005. The Scion is going to feel like a modern car and will have modern car reliability and fuel economy. The Expo was a great car for 1992, but it is going to feel old and will probably require more repairs/maintenance. If the vehicles are in comparable condition and are sold for a similar price, I will take the more modern vehicle every time.
I had never noticed how terrible those early xB’s gauge cluster (if you want to even consider it that) was. That is is so fugly looking haha. I still voted for it even though I have never liked the xB’s but that mitsu does nothing for me and they should have left it blue.
Much less likely to get burned in the Toaster.
I’m not anti-Expo here, and if it was still teal, it’d be a tougher choice (look at that upholstery!). But that xB appears to be in awesome shape and it’s just so damn hard to find one that hasn’t been totally trashed at this point.
I wish it was an xA instead, but Toyota > Mitsubishi.
x marks the spot.
I like the XBox. Actually, I like Expos as well, but not this one. By the time you fix the details — including paint — the tab will be high enough to take it out of the “cheap” category.
As much as Toyotas bore me, I always saw these as perky, useful little units that were okay to drive. The manual ‘box seals the deal.
I had an ’05 xB. It was a blast to drive around town, less fun on the interstate. I’d still take the xB.
xB’s were shipped without the rear lower bumper trim installed. It’s split in two so it could be shipped inside the car. These pieces were dealer installed, and it seems like the dealers weren’t too great at installing them.
Just noticed on the FB ad, (not in the photos above), there is a set is wheel spacers in the back of the Expo next to the big 12″ subs. So this was likely wearing different rubber and the original 14″ steelies just got put back on for the sale. They have no doubt been sitting in a shed for years dry rotting away so new tires are likely in order on this one as well. Another notch in the xB’s favor for me.
JUSTICE FOR SCION! These were a super cool package and it’s a shame we basically never got anything similar again. The American market was never going to go nuts for a tall compact wagon thing but I’d argue that this was one of the first CUVs in the US and as a result was ahead of its time. The XB walked so the Kona, HRV, etc. could run.
It’s my choice here, however I’ll add that we had a second gen XB in our work fleet at my first job and it was one of the most miserable driving experiences I’ve ever had. The thing was an absolute penalty box, was slow as molasses, rattled around, and the brake pedal was bizarrely stiff and hard to modulate. It was so bad that we’d literally fight over who got to take the CRVs or Ford C Max…
That being said that car was an automatic and I’m sure the manual makes up for some of those deficiencies. It’s a shame that manual economy cars don’t really exist anymore because it’s a great way to make a penalty box entertaining.
the second gen xB was definitely a huge downgrade overall, they made it based off feedback from people would didn’t even want the first gen and that just ruined the appeal and success they even got with the first one.
Weird take. The 2nd gen xB is based on the Corolla frame but has the larger 2.4L motor from the Camry. It’s pretty quick from 0-40 mph. The 4 speed auto turns close to 3k RPMs at 75 MPH, so it’s not great for highway driving, but it’s great under 60 mph. I DD a 2012 model. Bought it a couple years ago for my daughter but enjoyed driving it so much that I gave her my 2012 MDX.
The Expo’s interior almost won me over … but I worry about what other bad choices have been visited upon the Mitsubishi besides the bad paint and the subs and the incredibly deep tint.
So today, the xB wins.
xB for me. I’ve always liked the boxy look of these and they have a reputation of being generally bulletproof.
I’ve never been particular impressed with Mitsu’s sometimes questionable reliability but the kicker is that the Expo has to be one of the frumpiest, most generically styled vehicles ever made. It’s a soap bar on wheels. Also, it’s now flat grey which is hideous.
The B is for Bitchin’, give me the Scion.
Can we have an option where the person who RUINED THIS EXPO BY PAINTING IT GRAY taken out back and beaten with a sack of oranges?
xB for me, just for that reason.
I’m willing to donate the oranges for this righteous beating.
That shade of gray is, like, an anticolor.
I don’t know why, but I hate the Xbox…I mean xb…so Expo for me