Welcome back! I didn’t intend for this to be a theme week, but for the second day in a row, I’ve got two cool stickshift cars that are basically ready to go. So I guess I’ll keep it going all week.
Yesterday’s Mazda and pretend-Mazda seemed to go over well, and a lot of you thought that either one would be a good choice. I agree. The Probe ended up taking the majority of the votes, however, securing it a spot in the Friday runoff, which we’re going to do again this week.
I think if I were going to pick one, though, I would take the 626, mainly because I’ve already had a Probe exactly like that one. And I really like the ’80s Mazda orange gauges. But I wouldn’t kick either one out of my garage.
Both of yesterday’s cars were red on the inside; today’s are both red on the outside. They’re a little scruffy, but good low-mileage examples in what sounds like great mechanical condition – and more importantly, stock. Let’s see what you think of them.
1990 Honda Civic Si – $4,800
Engine/drivetrain: 1.6 liter overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: San Fernando, CA
Odometer reading: 94,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
The “Si” in this car’s name originally stood for “Sport Injection,” back when most Civics were carbureted. These days it means “the fast one with the big-ass wing.” During these in-between years, when fuel injection was a given, the Si tweaks were more subtle: a little more power, sportier seats, stiffer suspension, a tach, and a sunroof. And not an ounce of fat anywhere on it.
This Civic Si shows only 94,000 miles on the odometer, and the seller, who is also the original owner, says it’s accurate. It runs and drives great, and is completely stock, down to the steel wheels and plastic wheel covers. So many of these Civics got modified to death that it’s easy to forget what a stock one looks like. It has just had its timing belt done, so no worries there.
It does have a lot of wear on that driver’s side seat bolster for so few miles. But I guess if the driver got in and out of it a lot, like for a messenger or delivery job or something, it’s possible. The rest of the interior looks nice, and the bird’s eye view of the interior proves that the sunroof works like it should.
Outside, it looks like that warm California sun has taken its toll; the paint is faded unevenly. It almost looks like they started buffing it back to a shine but didn’t finish, or did a poor job. A paint job is in order it you really want it to look its best, and considering the prices these things are starting to command, it would be a worthwhile investment.
1991 Dodge Stealth – $3,900
Engine/drivetrain: 3.0 liter overhead cam V6, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Chula Vista, CA
Odometer reading: 150,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
The Dodge Stealth, and the Mitsubishi 3000GT from which it was derived, always seemed a bit redundant to me. Mitsubishi and Chrysler had the Eclipse/Talon/Laser triplets, which were the same thing, only a little smaller, and also available in three power levels, with the fastest model equipped with all-wheel-drive. Why the need for a bigger, heavier version of the same basic idea?
I know at least one of my colleagues is a big fan of this car. And it’s not that I dislike it; it just seemed weird that they’d offer basically the same car in regular and Extra Value sizes. This is a base model Stealth, which makes do with a single-overhead-cam V6 making 164 horsepower. That’s a little more than half the output of the turbocharged all-wheel-drive Stealth R/T, but you won’t find one of those in this condition in this price range. This car has had a ton of mechanical work done including a full engine rebuild and a new clutch. The seller says it runs and drives flawlessly.
Cosmetically, it’s not quite as nice. There is some sun damage to the top of the back seat, and the door panel on the driver’s side looks a little ragged. The seller also reports that the passenger’s side power window doesn’t work. Everything else is said to be in good working order, though.
The paint is better than the Civic’s, but not great. There are some worn spots, and the whole car is a little faded. It is completely stock, down to the wheels, which is nice to see. And as is the case with a lot of sporty coupes, including Camaros, Firebirds, and Mustangs, I like the clean lines of the base model better than the high-end models with a bunch of ground effects and spoilers stuck on.
The biggest trouble with either of these cars is that they’re more money than I feel like they ought to be. But they both have crossed the threshold from “old” to “classic,” and both are likely to go up in value as time goes by. Once again, the best advice is that if you find a car you like for cheap, don’t wait for it to get expensive. Grab ’em while you can. Which one of these is on your shopping list?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
The Honda is a classic and worth spiffing up; I’ll take it!
The Stealth/3000GT is only worth it in the DOHC/AWD version. It’s too bulky and heavy in the SOHC version. They look sharp and they were popular when they were new, but I’ve lost count of how many of them I smoked in my Z52 sleeper-package Corsica back in the 90s — in terms of both acceleration and handling. (Don’t laugh, the Z52 package was a surprisingly competent build on top of the Chevy “L” platform. Just another in the list of GM’s pre-2000’s FWD accomplishments.)
I’ll take the Stealth. It looks like a knife fight took place in that car at some point, but an upholstery shop could fix that for not too much money. That car otherwise looks fine. This could be a good looking, fun to drive car for the price of that Civic.
The Civic is also a decent choice, though. It is nice to see one that wasn’t ruined by some jabroni who watched the Fast and the Furriest too many times.
I have a bunch of time on various Civics of that era and the 3 door Si was one of the best. Nearly as sporty as the CRX with the practicality of that tall cargo area.
Count me in for the Civic.
Not that I didn’t manage to squeeze a pair of small adults in the back of the CRX on occasion, but it wasn’t recommended.
The Civic wins by default
Chose the Civic. Those were great years for Hondas. I had an 89 Civic wagon 5 speed for a few years in the mid to late 90s. Loved that car, great for hauling drums and PA to gigs – my main hobby at the time.
An exhaust valve failed at 180k miles. Tore it down, had the head rebuilt, but made rookie mistakes with the timing belt tensioner and trashed the engine when I fired it up. A very sad day.
Replaced it with a 93 Escort wagon 5 speed, adequate but not in the same league as the Civic.
Not even remotely a competition. That Mitsubishi even developed the version of the 3000GT twins that is that much of a pig was embarrassing.
As a owner of a 10th gen Si. Civic all the way.
Tough choice today. That Civic would be a fun little car and it will likely go longer with fewer problems than the Stealth. That said, I always liked the looks of the Stealth and it’s much more stylish and distinctive, so I went with it.
I’ll take the Civic all day. I had a ’86 CRX Si back in college and this is close enough to scratch the nostalgia button hard and those era Civics, especially in Si form, were a hoot to drive (slow car fast). Also, a little resto on the Civic and it will be worth more in 5 years than what you paid. The base model stealth isn’t likely to climb much (if at all).
Also, I’ve never really been a fan of the lower line Stealth. They always just look very generic to my eyes.
The Civic is a better choice. If you put a little into it, you’ll probably get it back all around. That said, I’m still taking the Stealth because I’ve never been a hot (or warm) hatch guy. Oh yeah, and headlights.
The Civic will hold its value better or even appreciate if you fix the seat and paint, but I just want cheap fun. The Stealth will provide cheap fun without needing to fret over protecting its resale value. Buy it and hoon away!
I would have picked the Civic, it has lots of life left in it and should be good for another 20 years, but I don’t fit in that generation Civic hatch (sad noises) so I had to vote the Dodge against my better judgement.
As cool as the Stealth is, when it’s up against something as simple, light, and dependable as the Civic, I gotta go for the Honda
The Jaws of Life were invented to remove the maimed occupants from this era of Civics.
Mark,
Just a small suggestion, when you list the cars in the poll, it would be great to say “for $xxxx” at the end. I usually remember all the details that I just read, but I can never remember the price points. Although, I don’t vote on price alone, it is a important metric to see on the poll.
As much as the Civic is arguable the better car, the Stealth is a childhood cool car. Plus aside from the rear seat in better shape.
I’ll take the V6 highway cruiser Stealth over the city-scoot Civic. But I’d go the other way if I did more city driving.
Stealth, all the way!
Thanks a ton for linking my article also, Mark. You are a true gentlemen with excellent taste in music.
Here to fix the results? Or should we call it rig the election? Tomorrow: “Judging by the comments I thought people were going to go for the Civic but the Stealth won by a landslide with a record 12,000 votes”.
Nah, Putin is busy at home. His puppets too.
Eww. Now I’ve envoked the depressing and horrifying specifics of the American political landscape onto the comment section of my favorite car site and I regret having done so.
Geez. That took a weird turn, quickly.
It was intended to be a more light hearted and self deprecating way of avoiding politics on our favorite automotive website.
Ok, guys, sorry. It was low hanging fruit, right? I love some self deprecating political coments (otherwise I’d be shooting myself in the ‘nads), but we may better move on.
That Civic, tho…
I miss my old Civic and always wanted an Si model, so that’s the choice today.
Also, I always strongly preferred the Eclipse/Talon/Laser over the porky 3000/Stealth options. If this was an Eagle Talon, that would be the choice.
Both are overpriced, but not so much so that an enthusiast for that model should wait. You’re probably not going to get a rust free runner of a desirable model for $2500 ever again.
Get an Integra for around the same price. It’s a liftback Civic with bigger DOHC engine and disc brakes.
I agree that they’re both probably overpriced, but if you calculate that there’s actually a 10-15% negotiation margin, they’re not too bad.
Honda for me, though.
At first I thought I liked both until I saw that field of grey base model interior on the Stealth. Civic, easily, all the way.
Civic all the way here. Even 10-15 years ago Stealth parts were getting scarce in my parts and a cousin bought a couple as spares for his main one.
I’d take the Civic, a California car that doesn’t have a fart can exhaust and chrome wheels, relatively low mileage, easy pick.
Gotta be the Honda right? Neither one is gonna be blowing you away with performance and I know I’d trust an early 90’s Honda engine all day before a Dodge engine from the same period, even if the Dodge engine is rebuilt.
There is not one single scrap of “Dodge” in a Stealth. It is 100% Mitsu.
Yep, no way Dodge would have made this!