Good morning! The second showdown of the week takes us back to the West Coast to look at a couple of small 4WD fun machines. One is the obvious choice, and the other is way out in left field. But which one actually makes more sense? That’s what we’re here to find out.
Yesterday’s speed demons didn’t ignite passion in many souls, I’ll grant, but they would both serve just fine as transportation. For the majority of you, however, the Mirage simply wasn’t enough car, and the Elantra took a handy win. Several of you said you didn’t trust the CVT in the Mirage either, and preferred the Hyundai’s more traditional automatic transmission.
Me, I wouldn’t touch that Hyundai with a ten-foot pole. I’ve heard too many horror stories about engine failures to feel comfortable trusting that car. And I didn’t point it out, because I was curious to see if anyone noticed, but it has a salvage title, probably because the damn thing has been stolen once already. Nope, I’ll put my fake money on security through austerity. Gimme the so-called “penalty box.”
“There’s only one Jeep,” the ads say. Created out of wartime necessity, the famous 4×4 has gone on millions of off-road adventures, taught Yours Truly how to drive, and spawned dozens of imitators since it hung up its uniform. The basic Jeep formula persists to this day because it is incredibly good at what it does: going where cars typically can’t go. But some of those imitators were nearly as good, and also a bit nicer and more refined, and, it has to be said, more reliable. Today we’re going to look at a good basic Jeep, and one of its competitors that you probably haven’t seen in a while.
1990 Jeep Wrangler S – $5,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.5-liter overhead valve inline 4, five-speed manual, part-time 4WD
Location: West Hills, CA
Odometer reading: 208,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
Quick – what do David Tracy and Alicia Silverstone have in common? (Besides their winning smiles and sunny demeanors, I mean. Those are givens.) Both have spent considerable wheel time in a white YJ Jeep Wrangler. Silverstone, of course, drove one in the movie Clueless, and David, who is often clueless about pop culture references, has been bombing around Southern California in one for the past year or so. Now you, too, can join in the fun.
This Wrangler is a little more basic than either of theirs, with a humble 117-horsepower AMC four-cylinder engine under its hood. It may not sound like much, and it isn’t, but this isn’t meant to be a speed demon anyway, and Jeeps with four-cylinder engines are a tradition dating back to the beginning. It powers all four wheels (of course) through a five-speed manual and a dual-range transfer case. The seller says it was “vandalized and left for dead for about 15 years” before coming into their possession, and they’ve done a ton of work to bring it back to life. It runs and drives just fine now.
After such neglect, it’s not likely to ever be a show car, but the seller has had some fun making it presentable, with an 8-ball shift knob, cow-print seat covers, and for some reason, an Audi badge on the horn button. It doesn’t appear to come with a full top, only a small “bikini” top over the front seats, and the frame and door curtains. Jeep tops aren’t hard to come by, so it’s not a big deal.
One of the things that makes southern California so amazing for car culture is that you can leave a broken Jeep sitting around for fifteen years, and when you come back to it, there won’t be a lick of rust on it. The seller makes no mention of new paint, so I’m going to assume it’s original, and it looks pretty good.
1990 Daihatsu Rocky – $4,995
Engine/drivetrain: 1.6-liter overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, part-time 4WD
Location: Newberg, OR
Odometer reading: 152,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
Quite a few auto companies took a swing at breaking into the US market in the 1980s. Some, like Hyundai, took hold and still thrive here. Others, like Daihatsu, didn’t fare so well. While famous and well-established elsewhere, the Japanese automaker (now part of Toyota) only sold cars in the US for the entirety of the first Bush administration. Only two models were offered: the subcompact Charade, and this little SUV, known here as the Rocky.
The Rocky, like the Suzuki Samurai to which it is often compared, sticks pretty closely to the Jeep formula of the time: a separate ladder-frame chassis, solid axles on leaf springs at both ends, and selectable 4WD through a dual-range transfer case. It’s powered by Daihatsu’s own 1.6 liter four and a five-speed manual. This one runs and drives well, and has been the seller’s hunting rig for many years.
It’s in surprisingly good shape for having spent 24 years tromping around in the woods. The interior looks clean and intact, and the seller says it even has air conditioning, something most soft-top Jeep owners of the era could only dream of. It has a winch on the front and some seriously chunky BF Goodrich tires.
It looks pretty good outside too, but I do see a tiny bit of rust appearing around the tailgate hinges. The “Dixie cup” graphics are a nice nostalgic touch, and I dig the little Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon painted on the flanks. You can’t go wrong with moose and squirrel. I could do without the Mercedes emblem on the grille, but that takes two seconds to remove.
I don’t think you’d want to commute in either of these; the ride is too harsh and noisy. But that’s not what they’re for. They’re for taking the road less traveled by, and scrambling over rocks and through gullies. So which one strikes you as the better tool for the job: the old American standby, or the undeniably cool Japanese import?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
Daihatsu
Gesundheit
Daihatsu for me. It’s more novel, has less mileage, is cheaper and has a lot of Toyota in it.
not as much Toyota as it should, and the engine which will be the weak spot is allllll Dai
We had a rocky in almost the same teal as the autopian logo when I was a kid. My folks used to get irritated about the fact they couldn’t get parts anywhere and then it started eating oil. It ended up oil starved around Amarillo on a road trip to Albuquerque around 1997. Got towed home and sat in the front yard until about 1999 when my parents sold it for $200
this is how they all go
Does the Rocky make that “whoosh” sound when it drives by?
Normally crazy graphics would win me over, but I’m going with the square-eyed YJ. Couple of cans of tan & red and make a cheap Jurassic Park tribute.
Voted Rocky today. They’re surprisingly capable off road. I do have a Jeep on my list but it would have to be a TJ or newer and with the 4.0L motor. Suspension and powertrain were a huge upgrades starting in 1997. And A/C would be necessary where we go.
With the ridiculous gearing they have, they do in fact go anywhere off road, so long as you can overcome its meager ground clearance. But that’s more operator error than anything else
I was hoping for an OM606 (or 605?) swap on the Rocky when I saw the badge. Bah…
They make a om 617 swap kit for the jeep….
how small is that engine? The common swap for engine-dead Rockies is (was?) a 22R but you had verrrrrrry limited ways to get that to work due to the length limitations.
I considered surrendering to the siren song of parts availability until I realized that the trip to West Hills to look at the Jeep would quickly remind me why air conditioning is such a nice thing to have, and the humidity here on the opposite coast would ram that lesson home. And a quick Google did enough to convince me that there are parts available for the Rocky, although I didn’t check the pricing. But the Jeep’s less expensive but more frequently needed parts kind of even the score, so it comes back to the air conditioner. Watch me pull a rabbit from under that hood.
As a Phoenician, it was also the air conditioning that moved the needle for me towards the Rocky. Prior to that, I was thinking there would be next to nothing available, parts-wise, so it would be the Jeep. Like people in most other places do in the winter, I’d have to “summerize” and store it between June and October.
As a landscaper in Southwest Florida, south of Sarasota, the last thing I want is air conditioning. I don’t want to be cooled off right before spending the next eight hours in 90+ degree weather with 92+ percent humidity. Give me the Jeep and drop the damn windshield.
there are very few parts left for the big things at this point
The 4 cylinder isn’t as miserable as people claim, especially with the 5 speed. It will do everything a car needs to do, while getting pretty good gas mileage; and will still be capable off road. Simple and unpretentious, this will make a great, unproblematic ride for years to come. The just empty every pocket doesn’t apply to amc derived jeeps.
Thank you for your this. I mentioned that to another commenter as well. 4 cylinder ≠bad
Exactly, I see people saying “ls swap it!” Why? It will work great the way it is. I don’t understand the everything has to have more power crowd. But im the weirdo who loves old, slow diesels; tiny, slow British roadsters; and was happy with the performance of a 3 cyl metro.
That AMC 2.5 has/had so much character. It’s a great, stout little engine. Nothing wrong with it. Modification is fine, but there’s something to be said about originality.
And it’ll work even greater with a LS.
While I agree with most of this, I would add my two cents that I’ve had poor luck with the throttle body injection version, so if I’m buying a 4 cylinder YJ, it’s going to be a ’91 or later.
Fair enough, I’ve only had experience with the multi port ones. At least it’s not a 2.8!
I’ll sooner tread the Rocky road of parts availability, before I Just Empty Every Pocket and ask myself “YJ’buy it?”. I went down that road twice in my life. Time to give up the Charade and try a Daihatsu.
points for puns, but punt the putz…Daihatsu
I picked the Jeep just because of parts availably and after market parts would most likely less expensive. Then of course I’d spend $7K to put a XPEL protective wrap on it!
I mean, OBVIOUSLY. Who in their right mind would drive a 5k Jeep WITHOUT a 7k protective wrap?!
Voted Jeep but I’d LS swap it.
For anyone who’s never driven a 4cyl Wrangler, they are slow beyond words. 0-60 doesn’t even matter – they barely keep up with traffic.
They’re not as bad as people make them out to be. I owned one with the AX5 and it’s a torquey little motor. If you’re willing to rev it, which it doesn’t mind at all and operates better at higher RPM, it’s actually fun and zippy. Now, with the 3 speed automatic, yeah, that would be miserable.
having owened 2 97s at the same time, a 2.5 and a 4.0, and city driving and general offroading with the 2.5 if fine, but it hates hills at highway speeds. The 4.0 is just so much better at everyhting that it made the 2.5 feel like crap…
For sure, I hear you. I’ve had Jeeps with the 4.0 too and they’re great engines too. I’m just saying that the 2.5 isn’t a death sentence for fun or DD duty. They’re perfectly fine, but yeah, the 4.0 will scoot like a scalded cat. At least with the 2.5 you do get some tangible fuel economy benefits from it. I believe I was getting low 20s with my ’95 YJ with the 5 speed and 2.5.
Rocky by default
Daihatsu is part of Toyota, known for well-made cars.
And falsified compliance reports…
there is almost no Toyota inside that you can easily see. What is there is functionally different enough to be unusable
The Toyota shit that is present is the quality. Daihatsus are actually high quality cars and well-made, including the Charade and Rocky that we got over here. Unfortunately, they were priced accordingly.
So even though they don’t share any parts with Toyota, they do share the quality.
The reason Daihatsu failed here is that they were priced like Toyotas but without the name recognition. The should’ve done what they did with Lexus, underprice them for a few years, then gradually raise the prices as they gain market acceptance.
Four-banger or no, I have to go with the rust-free Jeep. The engine would be a relatively easy swap if wanted, and for the rest, the aftermarket will provide.
Also, I knew a bunch of people that had these in the 90s. They are tippy, loud, inefficient and cold in the winter, but they are also endlessly fun in the summer.
The Rocky is unique, but I’m not gonna trust something someone just throws a luxury brand emblem onto for no valid reason. I feel like the owner treats it like a joke, and I don’t want other people’s jokes.
I used to live about an hour out of Newberg, OR, and unfortunately this was a pretty common thing in the area. Lots of rebadging like-make rebadging (Lexus to Toyota, Acura to Honda, etc.) but also goofy stuff like Ram trucks with Mack logos and, most annoyingly, anything even slightly MB G-class-like (Samurai, Rocky, Wranglers, etc.) getting MB badges. I always told my self they were doing it ironically, but I’m not actually sure it was true.
There was a Samurai in my town that some dude fully kitted out as a min G-Wagon, and while I’m sure he acted as much of a G-agon owner as he could, seeing it always makes me chuckle.
Something like that, I can understand. A MB badge slapped on a grille? I’m sure that wasn’t down ironically.
Do you think the Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon painted on the side helps sell the Mercedes look?
No but it is funny!
I don’t think either of these options are for you, with the audi emblem on the Jeep’s horn button vs the mercedes emblem on the Rocky’s grill
Talk about skimming through the photos. I didn’t even see that!
Welp, there goes either choice then.
I had a chance to buy a much nicer, cheaper (of course) Daihatsu Rocky back in the day. If you’re over 5′ 10″ it’s not going to go well for you and it’ll be on the tighter side regardless. Parts are more than likely unobtainium at this point, even if they’re from the Toyota mothership. The Suzuki Samurai is probably a more viable alternative.
“But, but…Man With A Reliable Jeep, you’re just being biased!”
Eh, kind of, kind of not. I love 90s Toyotas, and this is a unique offering with Big T genetics, but the juice ain’t worth the squeeze in my experience. The Wrangler is, if only fractionally, simpler, easier to obtain parts for, dead simple to work on and very reliable as long as you keep the 2.5 filled with oil, and change the gear oil in the AX5 transmission (incidentally, Aisin/Toyota origin). Just make sure to use GL-4 lube!
I think the height wasn’t so bad, but of course, it’s a tiny ute, so there wouldn’t be much room in it.
You can find anything you want for a Suzuki. Still. That includes a robust after market for some cool mods for the Sammies. No such market exists for the Daihatsus anymore. Used to be some cool stuff down in Australia, but not that I could find anymore. Indonesia has a lot of the trim bits. And you can actually still find them to import; Cars from Japan has three right now.
With the 5.29 gearing, the light weight and low-power motor were just fine.
I chose the Rocky because I’ve always wanted to drive one of these up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Please, don’t cry DT, I still love Jeeps.
Bonus points if you crash into the Rocky statue and leave it standing at a weird angle.
I almost voted Jeep, though the 4.0 would be better, but once I saw those splash graphics on the Rocky I was sold.
Love YJs, but not THAT YJ. It’s fuel-injected 4.0 or bust for me, dawg.
Yes, in a perfect world everything would be powered by the legendary, mighty 4.0; but I had an xj in this same configuration and it’s not terrible. Just thank the jeep gods it’s past the miserable v6 era.
I voted the Rocky as it is just cooler to me if the jeep had the 4.0 I would have voted for it but for that price doubt you would find a decent one with the 4.0 anyways.
My uncle had a Rocky that he bought new, a few months before the dealership stopped selling them. I used to love driving that thing, although I remember significant frustration fighting with the soft-top; you don’t want to get caught in a rainstorm. If my cousin hadn’t flipped it on the way to the lake, I suspect my uncle would still have it.
Wrangler is the smarter choice for actually keeping something on the road, but I loved the Rocky when it came out and I can’t turn it down today.
Jeep is cleaned up a bit more, and will be infinitely simpler to either keep running or upgrade over time. but the little Rocky is more interesting than a Yuppy Jeep.
I voted Jeep. The Rocky is probably marginally better day-to-day, but the second something important breaks, that $505 savings is gonna come back to haunt you. Will a typical mechanic even touch an orphan Daihatsu?
I voted for the Daihatsu, but this is an either/or situation. Very similar vehicles that are very close in price.
Another big knock against yesterday’s Hyundai was that it was being sold by a Buy Here Pay Here lot. The price might say $5k, but you’ll have paid a hell of a lot more than that by the time you’ve paid off the loan.
assuming you pay over time and do not have a way to get your own loan. The bigger concern would be the overall condition it would be in. those lots do not have great rep for maintenance and quality repairs. more often then not they use Armor all like axe body spray on a 15 year old boy, and only fix what they can’t hide. and usually on the cheap (aka Junkyard or the lowest priced part on Rock Auto)
Last Week Tonight tracked the BHPH cycle for a Kia Optima that was sold and repossessed by the same dealership something like 6 times before it was eventually stolen and totaled. Buyers kept returning or letting the car be taken back because of transmission failures, so the sleazy dealership had a method for getting it to work just long enough for them to convince the next buyer that the car was ok. In a sane and just world this would be considered fraud.