Five-Grand Four-By-Fours: 1990 Jeep Wrangler vs 1990 Daihatsu Rocky

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)