Good morning! On this Friday edition of Shitbox Showdown, I’m going to make you feel old. We’re looking at two cars from 1995, which was like fifteen years ago, right? Not quite. Whether the cars have aged better or worse than we have, I’ll leave up to you to decide.
Yesterday we looked a couple of scruffy little trucks, and the vote was pretty close. In the end, the Courier won by a small margin, despite being a little more expensive. I think the non-drivable aspect of the Datsun scared off some of you. I have to agree; the Courier looks almost like my beloved and sorely missed Mazda B2000 Sundowner.
None of you gave the correct answer for this one, however. The correct answer is to buy both, swap the Datsun’s turbine wheels over to the Courier, then trailer the Datsun to the Midwest and sell it for enough to probably recoup the cost of both. The stripes on the Courier and the wheels on the Datsun go together like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and pinot noir (trust me), and they deserve to exist on the same truck.
1995 was not a great year for me. I had dropped out of college a couple years earlier, and was working at a mom-and-pop gas station/service station in St. Paul, Minnesota. I drove a string of absolute garbage beaters, bought for anywhere from $175 to $600, and spent my days taking care of other people’s much newer cars. These two were common sights. It’s strange to think that they’re not only the cheap beaters now, but are much older, and much nicer, than any of my crappy old rides back then. Let’s check them out.
1995 Toyota Camry – $1,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.2-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Yacolt, WA
Odometer reading: 273,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
A lot of us complain about how much we miss base models, but it’s easy to forget just how basic a car with no options used to be. Witness this XV10-chassis Toyota Camry, which has the lowest level of equipment I have ever seen on one of these.
It’s powered by the standard 2.2-liter 5S-FE four-cylinder engine and a five-speed manual transmission, which isn’t all that uncommon, but it’s what isn’t attached to that engine that makes this car unusual. It has neither air conditioning nor power steering. At first I thought the seller meant the power steering just didn’t work, but I know where the fluid reservoir is on these, and – yep – it ain’t there. I guess I’m not surprised to find out that power steering was an option as late as 1995, but to actually find a car that doesn’t have it is wild. It runs and drives fine, as you’d expect, and there is a long list of recent maintenance in the ad if you care to peruse it.
It doesn’t have a stereo either, just a big gaping hole in the dash. That’s not a hard problem to solve, though. It looks surprisingly nice inside for the mileage; in fact, if I didn’t know better, I’d think there was a ’95 Camry brochure in an attic somewhere aging in its place. It does have one minor issue: the previous owner popped the ignition cylinder lock out, so you have to start it with a screwdriver. Don’t worry – it does come with keys so you can lock it.
Outside, it’s Default Toyota Beige, but clean, and it doesn’t even have a Camry Dent, though there is a small blemish on the rear bumper. All four original hubcaps are in place, too. Someone took good care of this car, or at least didn’t abuse it.
1995 Dodge Neon Sport – $1,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Redmond, WA
Odometer reading: 192,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well, but runs hot in traffic
My first exposure to the Dodge Neon was witnessing its infamous leaking head gasket issue first-hand. Someone brought one in for its very first oil change, and oil was simply pouring out of the head gasket around the number 4 cylinder. Not a great first impression, but about a year after that, I got a chance to drive one, and I was immediately smitten. These are incredibly fun cars to drive, and Chrysler did eventually fix the head gasket problems.
This is the drivetrain you want, too: the 150 horsepower twin-cam engine and the five-speed manual gearbox. This one has obviously had the head gasket problem fixed, or it wouldn’t be closing in on 200,000 miles. It runs and drives well, and has had a few suspension upgrades to improve its handling even further, but it does need a little work. It tends to get hot in traffic, but it’s fine on the open road, which points to an issue with the electric fans.
We don’t get a great look at the interior, but what we can see looks all right. I had a Neon similar to this (but sadly an automatic) a decade or so ago, and I remember the seats being reasonably comfortable, but road noise being pretty bad. A Lincoln Town Car, this isn’t. But that’s not really the point of it.
The paint is pretty faded and sun-scorched, but we’re used to seeing that on cars this old. It’s not rusty, and it doesn’t look like it has ever been hit, so for fifteen hundred bucks, some faded paint isn’t really a big deal. I never did like the weird-shaped spoiler on the back of the Sport models, though. They’re not as ugly as Ford Escort ZX2 spoilers, but they’re pretty bad.
I’m really enjoying getting back to basics around here, and looking at some nice cheap beaters again. In fact, I think next week will be a return to the old format: four pairs of cars, and a runoff vote on Friday. I’ll try to find some fun stuff for you to check out, but it will all be nice and cheap. For now, your choice is between the most basic of base-model Toyotas, and the best configuration of Dodge Neon ever made.
Dealer air was still a thing for Japanese cars in the ’90s, and I guess a stripped Camry sold in the Pacific Northwest could be sold without it. Power steering was almost assuredly standard, though; and if this wasn’t stolen someone tried to take it but was dissuaded by the five-speed theft prevention device in the console. But as of now the Neon’s ad has been pulled, so I think the universe agreed that it was the better choice.
Maybe? I think all the trim levels of the ’86 Accord (one of which I bought) had a/c and PS. I’m shocked that Toyota wasn’t doing that years later.
Still, I hate “spoilers” and flaking clear coat. And only two doors. So, I’m going with the Camry. Even though the PNW can get warmer than you might think, I could deal with it. I grew up near Sacramento and neither of my first two cars had a/c.
While the Camry will likely run forever, with no power steering, AC, or ….you know….a way to start it that doesn’t need a screwdriver, I’m going to have to go with the Neon. They weren’t bad cars. A manual helps a lot, and if the fan is the fix for the heat, then this could be a weird older funmobile. Weird because there aren’t many Neons out there anymore.
A beige-ish four-door with no power-steering or AC? I can’t resist a 90’s version of my ’66 Biscayne.
Father in law had a Neon. In the ~120K miles he drove it, he needed 4 (four!) valve jobs. I’ve never needed a valve job on one of my cars, and only did one such job, but that truck was 100 years old! Voted Toyota for that reason alone.
I pick the Neon, just because I came close to buying an ACR Neon when they were new. My Alfa mechanic advised against it and sold me a GTV6. Sure, it was self serving, but the GTV6 was the right choice at the time.
I have owned both examples of these cars and I am choosing the Camry no questions asked.
Hi.
I’ll take the Neon.
If I was shopping for a reliable ride, the Camry would be an easy choice. But I have a reliable and boring ride already, so another car that snoozes its way from A-to-B as an appliance would be wasted on me. Even if it is peak Toyota reliable.
The Neon has the DOHC engine and the stick shift. For $1,500, might as well make the last miles all smiles. Hack together some bodged up fix for the cooling system, wind that engine up, and drive the whee out of it whilst shedding bits of 1990s Chrysler spirit and parts along the way.
Style aside, the ‘90s weren’t so bad in retrospect, right?
By the time I got to “parts along the way” I felt inspired.
This was about as close as I’ve come to voting for a Camry, but that Neon is about perfect.
I’ve gott take the Camry, because my grandma had one that was destined to be mine until my uncle just kinda took it from her and destroyed it inside of 6 months.
That neon looks like a good base for something crazy. If I wanted cheap transportation the camery for something fun the neon. They both really got it right. Those camerys are true cockroaches.
No dent : no dice.
Again thanks for getting real shitbox basic cars on the showdown .
We can all relate to these types of cars unless you were born to rich parents.
I used to drive rusted out Vw beetles with rusted out heater boxes that had no heat to work in Vermont in the late 70’s.
In the winter months all while scrapping the inside of the windshield with a credit card that had no credit on it.
The Neon reminds me of a time when Chrysler still cared, and a time before they were ruined by Daimler. Conversely the Camry reminds me of nothing, because I’ve never had much of a thought about a Camry.
Give me the Neon.
The Camry screams Stolen. Give me the Neon.
Ditto, plus I am not a fan of non-power steering on FWD vehicles.
The Camry wins by default.
If you want to buy a neon sport coupe, this is absolutely the year to get. With the optional DOHC engine, you get the same transmission that was used on the option code ACR Competition Package cars. The only ACR things that this car wouldn’t have are the thicker, stronger front hubs and the much-improved shock tuning from the ACR-specific struts. Plus, this one has the “luxury” features of the Sport Coupe. If this weren’t 1000+ miles away from me, I’d be awfully tempted.
I’d forgotten how silly looking the Neon’s steering wheel looked. So many cars from this era looked a little like they were melting in the sun, and while the Neon’s exterior escaped that trend at the base level, the wheel didn’t
That wheel was only used in the 1995 model year. The 1996-99 neons had a more conventional 4-spoke wheel.
I honestly can’t see why you’re so dead set against the Suppository School of car interior design.
Neon. I’m going to assume it has no A/C or power steering either, and it looks like it could be a peppy li’l puppy dog to drive.
The Sport Coupe had the same fast-ratio 16:1 power steering rack as the ACR package neon, and this car appears to have the optional A/C too. Does it work? Beats me.
The popped ignition lock cylinder would concern me on virtually any other car. But this is an XV10, arguably the best modern mass-market car ever built, complete with a free upper-body workout.
The Neon seems entirely pleasant, but we’ll take the Camry.
I like both… but I don’t like that the Neon ‘runs hot’… so my vote goes to the Camry even though the Neon would be more fun to drive with that DOHC 2L 4cyl that has more power than the Camry 4 cyl.
Camry. If I were to go back to a 2.0 95 twin cam I would look a bit harder for a 95 Eagle Talon. they are basically the same underneath, and I had one of those, so that would really be the only reason. I never really like the Neons.
I had a Neon when I was living in northern VA back in 2002. Every weekend I would get up early and drive as far as I could every weekend and slept on the back seat. Sure it was a bit janky, but I have very fond memories of it and the places it took me.
I’m going Neon. The amount of times I burnt myself on these Toyota heat shields has scarred me.
Both seem a tad sketchy, but I think I’m going practicality today and going with the Camry. I like those Neons, but I have always been fascinated by the availability of low-option, manual Camrys of this generation.
That era of Camry was a refrigerator. They simply would continue running long after the cockroaches took over after humanity nuked itself out of existence. An unfortunate rear-ending destroyed the hand-me-down from my parents that was given to my newly licensed oldest daughter. Nothing. Absolutely nothing was done to that car as it neared 220k miles. It’s a shame.