Good morning! We’re kicking the week off with a pair of cars from the only part of Los Angeles I really got to know well when I lived there: the 134/101 freeway corridor between Eagle Rock and Tarzana. Not the most exciting part of town, but what the hell.
Friday’s four-way shootout was a moot point; absolutely nothing in that list is as cool as a Pontiac Aztek, and we all know it. But not everyone can land such a sweet ride. You all chose the Opel Manta from among our foursome, and I am in full agreement that that is the right choice.
I have to say, I was thrilled to hear about the reception that the Aztek received in Monterey. Too often we hear stories about car snobs, people looking down their noses at a particular car and claiming it has “no place” in car culture. It’s bullshit, and shame on them for “yucking someone else’s yum,” as the kids say. (Do they still say that? I don’t know. I’m hopelessly out of touch.) All cars – and more importantly, all car enthusiasts – deserve a seat at the table.
Admit it – whenever you drive down a street, particularly in a residential area, you check out the cars parked. We all do it. Most of them are just scenery, but we keep looking, hoping to find that one diamond in the rough sitting in a driveway or hidden in a side yard. And when we find one, we keep tabs on it whenever we pass by, making sure it’s all right, maybe hoping, one day, to see a “For Sale” sign appear in the window.
There was a green AMC Gremlin in a driveway a couple miles from my house in Portland that I watched over the course of three or four years. At first it was in the yard, then after a couple years it moved to the driveway – a good sign. Then, shortly before we moved, a yellow “Specialty Vehicle” license plate appeared on the back. I never did see it run or drive, but it did my heart good to see its lot in life improving.
I like to imagine some car enthusiast driving or walking past these two, and wishing them the best. With a little luck, both of them will find good new homes. Let’s check them out.
1975 Chevrolet Monza Towne Coupe – $4,000
Engine/drivetrain: 350 cubic inch overhead valve V8, three-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Valley Village, CA
Odometer reading: 110,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives
When life gives you lemons, the old saying goes, make lemonade. Well, Chevy’s Vega compact was definitely a lemon, and the Monza, based on the Vega’s platform, was more like watered-down Country Time than fresh-squeezed. But it solved the Vega’s most glaring shortcomings, and in certain trims, actually looked pretty cool. Chevy offered two completely different Monza body styles: the sleek 2+2 fastback, and this miniature Monte Carlo version known as the Towne Coupe.
The standard engine in both Monzas was the same trouble-prone four-cylinder from the Vega, but Chevy also offered a small-block V8. Most of the country got a tiny 262 cubic inch version, but to meet California emissions, Monzas sold in the Golden State got a 350. Don’t get too excited, though; it was rated at all of 125 horsepower. This one runs and drives, but that’s all the detail we get. The good news is that it’s old enough to be exempt from smog testing, so you can go nuts with the modifications to boost the power if you want.
It’s not in terrible shape; the seller says the front seats were just reupholstered, and the rear seat and carpets look all right. The dash is that terrible ’70s GM plastic that has all looked like hell since about 1982. It’s cracked, pitted, and worn. If it were a Camaro or a Monte Carlo, you could probably find a replacement dash top, but for a Monza, you’re probably stuck with it.
Outside, it’s straight, original, and intact, but very faded. And even in California, I fear that vinyl top is hiding some rust caused by trapped moisture, especially since I’ve removed the vinyl top from a ’78 Nova, and discovered that there was nothing but primer, and lots of rust, underneath.
1983 Ford Mustang Convertible – $3,500
Engine/drivetrain: 3.8-liter overhead valve V6, three-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Glendale, CA
Odometer reading: 160,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
A convertible was part of the Mustang formula from the beginning, but the soft-top version disappeared after 1973 when the “fat” Mustang gave way to the smaller Mustang II. Convertibles disappeared from Detroit altogether after 1976, until Lee Iacocca brought them back in 1982. Ford wasted no time in lopping the top off the Mustang once again, offering a convertible Fox-body starting in 1983.
The Fox-body Mustang offered a bunch of different engines over the years, but most of the early convertibles I’ve seen have a 3.8 liter Essex V6 and an automatic. It’s not exactly fast, but Mustang convertibles are all about cruising, not high performance – except, of course, for those rare occasions when you have to “slam on the gas.” This one runs and drives well, the seller says, and has a new power brake booster, so at least someone has been doing some work on it.
The biggest problem with non-GT Mustangs of this era is that the interiors are downright frumpy. That’s the same steering wheel that was in your uncle’s Crown Victoria, for Pete’s sake. And fake woodgrain on the dash? What was Ford thinking? It’s hard to tell what condition this one is in; you’d have to clean off the dust and neglect before making a proper assessment.
Outside, the paint is shot, the hubcaps are missing, and one taillight is broken. And again, it’s very, very dirty. But the top is in good condition, at least, and the power mechanism works.
I hesitate to call these “project cars,” because neither one is particularly desirable. But if you’re looking for something a little unusual to tinker with, they might be just the thing. Which one grabs you?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
I had that Mustang as a 15 yr-old back in the 90’s. It had red seats and no hood stripe but was white on white. We tore the top off and put a black one on from JC Whitney. Put a set of wheels and tires on it from a swapmeet and ended up selling the $1k car for $2500 not long after the first insurance quote for a 16-yr old driving a Mustang convertible came in. I ended up buying a $700 Accord to beat the heck out of and banking the rest to buy an Integra when I graduated. I can smell the mustang interior from here. . . VOCs are memories.
I never liked the Fox body Mustang. And my wrenching experience on a 305 means the 350 should be pretty familiar. Also, no smog, which is important because I live in CA, and keeping those old engines passing is no joke.
Easy…Monza! No Thanks to the Fix Or Repair Daily
they are both too expensive. I think the Monza coupe would make a cool gasser build. Beam axle front and some wide tires hanging out the back.
Nope.
Both of these cars are too expensive. Each of these cars could stand to have an engine swap and a paint job. But I’ll pick the Chevrolet because >I always liked the H-bodies, even the pint-size Monte Carlo; >the fact that the seats have been redone suggests someone still cares about it; >I can see the Mustang body flex from here.
V8 of course. A V6 convertible fox body mustang is not desirable in any way imaginable.
It’s like asking if you’d like norovirus or salmonella. I picked the Monza for the sole reason that I’ve hated the Fox body since forever. No, I don’t have a good reason to hate it, I just do.
Fox Body, but truly understanding this is just the entry fee.
A 302 EFI from a late Fox body and T5 swap is in order.
I had this very Monza in high school. Blue with White vinyl roof and white seats with the 4.3 ltr V8. What a POS! The paint faded daily, the two-barrel carb choke constantly got stuck and to change the rear most spark plugs, the engine had to be loosened from the mounts and jacked-up. Drove that tin-can all through HS and college, traded it the day after I got my first real job after graduation. What bad memories!!
Neither of these are a car I would buy, but between these two, the Fox body has the bigger upside. You can always make something cool out of a Fox body, but a Monza town coupe will always look like … that.
Now if it were the good Monza bodystyle, I’d have voted the other way around.
The Mustang is the better choice, but the Monza is more interesting. The Towne Coupe was good-looking – one of GM’s better outcomes in the 70s and one that has sort of disappeared into oblivion. Front end is like a ’73 Chevelle but much trimmer and without a battering ram of a bumper. Looks much better without the vinyl roof, too.
Dash pad looks straight and flat enough that you could trim and fill the cracks and wrap it in the same vinyl used on the seats – would help the interior a lot.
My nethers hurt from the shot they just took from these two POS rolling donor steel bodies. I mean, I went with the ‘stang just because it has less of a chance to spontaneously dissolve in water, but that’s not saying much. Ugh, what a start to the week!
The Monza Towne Coupe bodystyle speaks to me. And it’s a V8!
Ooofff! This is a choice of a kick to the nuts or a punch to the nuts. Punch please. I’ll take the dusty crusty Mustang. But I think I could find a more desirable car for $3500-4000. But you gotta love the boarded up house the Mustang sits outside of. “I’m here for the Mustang and what the hell, a dime bag too!”
I’m going with the Monza. The Mustang is the more interesting car, but I have a feeling it has issues. It looks severely neglected (abandoned?). It is also located in California but has Arizona plates; that makes me think it is broken to the point where it can’t pass California emissions tests. This car is going to need work to be roadworthy, and the end result will be a rough example of a particularly ugly fox body Mustang.
Also, I presume everyone is thinking this, but these cars are wayyyyy overpriced. The first digit of the price tags should be a 1, or maybe a 2 if the owner is the kind of seller that likes to haggle.
The first number should be a negative, as in the owners would need to pay ME to take them off their hands.
The Chevy would have to be cheaper for it to be a project worth putting money into. Not that the Mustang is great, but clean it up and enjoy it with the top down or sell it. Somebody will buy a Fox Mustang, but nobody is looking for that Monza.
Monza for me. That Chevy 350 is a better engine than the Ford 3.8. And I prefer coupes over convertibles.