Good morning! Today we’re looking at a couple of little cars that are going to make you feel old, if you’re in my age group. Remember the little Japanese car that your sister’s roommate or roommate’s sister drove? The one with the plastic lei wrapped around the rearview mirror and Ace Of Base blasting out of the tape deck? Yeah. It’s a classic car now.
Friday’s pair of pairs are classics now too, I guess, but they’re not something you saw on every street corner 25 years ago. Hell, one of them you didn’t see here at all except in magazines until they became legal to import a few years ago. And the other you didn’t see anywhere except golf courses.
I am absolutely not surprised in the least that the pair of Paos won this round. They’re cool and unusual little cars, not the trying-too-hard fever dreams of a couple of old men. What might surprise some of you is that I agree; I don’t really want even one TC, let alone two. If I ever go looking for another Chrysler turbo, it will be a Shelby Charger or a Daytona Turbo Z.
Time catches up with all of us; that’s no secret. So we shouldn’t be surprised when the things that filled our younger years show up again years later, labeled as collector’s items and wearing inflated price tags. But it can be hard to reconcile our memories of something being dirt cheap with the new realities of its “classic” status. It’s even worse when you had one, or know someone who did; you can’t help thinking “Man, that thing would be worth a fortune now.”
But if all of them survived, none of them would be worth anything. It’s the scarcity that creates the perceived value. But it also has to be something people want to collect. Do these little imports qualify? Let’s see.
1987 Honda Civic CRX – $5,000
Engine/drivetrain: 1.5-liter overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Vancouver, WA
Odometer reading: 191,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
It’s surprising how much of a difference a trim level can make. Two versions of the same basic car, with different suspension tuning, gearing, and other small details, can feel like completely different machines. Such is the case with the Honda CRX, especially this first generation. The Si model, with more power and fatter tires than the base or HF models, was celebrated as a fun, tossable little sports coupe, while the base model was largely ignored, except when discussing fuel economy. But then, it’s not really much more than a less-practical Civic.
Not that it’s not a fun car to drive; all Hondas of this era are lively, delightful cars to drive. It’s not fast, with only a 76-horsepower CVCC engine fed by a three-barrel carburetor, but it also weighs next to nothing, so it doesn’t need much. This one is rapidly closing in on 200,000 miles, but as is typical of ’80s Hondas, you’d never know it from how it runs. The seller has receipts for a bunch of work done recently, including the all-important timing belt.
Inside, it’s all stock except for the stereo, and in respectable shape. The driver’s seat has seen better days, and I bet the bolster padding is pretty well shot, but at least the upholstery is intact. The seller says it has all the components for air conditioning except the button on the dash to turn it on. Maybe someone tried to add it, and didn’t finish the job?
It’s nice and clean outside, too. If this were a Midwest car, I’d worry about rust under the plastic lower body cladding, but in the Pacific Northwest, it’s probably not much of a concern. I always did like these with the silver lower body cladding instead of the Si’s matching cladding, though I personally prefer them in dark blue instead of red.
1988 Toyota Tercel – $5,500
Engine/drivetrain: 1.5-liter overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Rogers, MN
Odometer reading: 92,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives but “idles weird”
For two decades, when someone asked, “What’s a car that’s cheap to buy, cheap to run, and as reliable as a hammer?”, the answer was simple: Toyota Tercel. It never was an exciting car, but if you needed something that would get you where you were going, year-in and year-out, while costing you as little as possible while doing it, there was no better choice.
This is the third-generation Tercel, when the drivetrain layout switched from a longitudinal engine with the gearbox underneath it to a transverse engine with the gearbox next to it, as had become the standard. It’s a single overhead cam four, with three valves per cylinder (two intake and one exhaust, if you’ve ever wondered). This one has had some recent work done including a new clutch and a new carburetor, but apparently it still needs some tuning, because the seller says it “idles weird.” These engines are also prone to carbon buildup, I’ve heard, which can also cause a bad idle. Maybe it just needs a good Italian tune-up.
Tercels are basic cars, but I had forgotten just how basic until I saw this instrument panel. A speedometer, a fuel gauge, a temperature gauge, and a few idiot lights are all you get. I suppose that’s all you need. It’s not quite the plainest Tercel you could get, though; it has air conditioning and a fifth gear.
It recently came to Minnesota from California, so the Midwest winters haven’t had a chance to do it any harm. The paint is still shiny, the vinyl upholstery is still in decent shape, and even the basic steel wheels look good – a true survivor.
Obviously, these two aren’t much good for their original intended purpose. Yes, they still get awesome gas mileage, and they should still be reliable (once you get the Tercel’s idle problem straightened out), but compared to modern cars, they’re about as rigid and safe as a Mountain Dew can. I mean, if you like to live dangerously, I guess you could drive one of them daily, but considering what’s out there on the roads nowadays, I know I wouldn’t feel all that safe in them. But for occasional jaunts to car gatherings, or trips to the ice cream shop on Saturday afternoons – you know, classic car stuff – they could be fun. Which one is your pick?
(Image credits: Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace sellers)
I owned both, a 1987 Civic HF with a 5-speed and a 1990’s L40 Tercel with a 4-speed. Both had 1.5 l engines and got amazing gas mileage (40+mpg around town). The Civic was fun to drive and toss around, the Tercel not so much. I think the Tercel was the last four-on-the-floor manual available in the US.
I am going Tercel, because like two door wranglers and Harley’s I have never really seen the reason for the love affair with a 2 seater Civic. this should not be more expensive to buy than any other Civic. Maybe if it were an SI manual 5 speed version, Maybe….did they even make those? and if not why not?
The only Tercel that belongs in this competition is the previous generation’s 4X4 Wagon. And it would probably lose to Honda’s competing Wagovan if they were ever go head-to-head.
The CRX was a classic in waiting from the day it was made!
The Tercel? Not so much.
CRX all day. I had, and still have my first car, which was an 86 CR-X Si. I could stick my hands out both windows while driving it was so small.
Dead nuts reliable. Still working at over 240k miles. Peppy, and great mpg. Just don’t look up the crash ratings.
Yeah well..dad tells the daughter to switch to the oldies station…”but dad..this is the oldies station”
Both cars are way over priced. I wouldnt give 5k for either of them. Heck, I wouldn’t give 4k for them both.
Easy choice. CRX all day. I wasn’t a huge fan of these when they were new and yeah it seemed like high school and college girls were the main audience. But they were kind of fun and handled decently.
No way I’m paying $5500 for a basic Tercel with peeling paint. These were fine rental cars and I saw so many in my college town but they are the opposite of memorable or fun so no go.
Is this even a question? lmao.
Let’s be clear: No Tercel, no version of any car with the Tercel name, no permutation, not even a mutation with a V-8, will ever be any kind of classic.
The Tercel is cheap shitbox turd of a car. And the word “classic” must be never uttered anywhere near it.
I remember telling my dad (circa 1988) that my first car, a 1978 Mercury Zephyr wagon, being ten years old, was already halfway to “classic” status, and he sighed, put his hand on my shoulder, and clued me in to reality: “Son, that car will never be a classic. All it will ever be in the future, is old.”
I mean, much of my mindset is informed by my age, but I simply cannot fathom the car show or ice cream parlor parking lot that I could proudly drive into while behind the wheel of a 36-year-old entry-level Toyota Tercel and pretend that I actually think of myself as a car buff. I don’t particularly want the CRX either because I don’t want to deal with mid-80s smog issues anymore, but damn, that Honda’s styling is genuinely iconic for an era, and this example looks pretty swell. But a Toyota Tercel? That’s a Bic lighter of a car: when it runs out of fuel, throw it away. I’m not surprised it’s still running, but that’s probably due to a profound lack of adventure and excitement in its long life on the skin of this world.
I disagree. While I don’t think it’s a classic it’s def not a ‘shit box turd.’ It was affordable, not cheap, there’s a difference. As for it being a shit box, I have owned numerous versions of the tercel, which has outlasted my 2015 Mazda, my 2007 BMW, numerous Ford’s (those are cheap). It’s still going to this day despite over 2 decades of Canadian winters.
If Costco made a Kirlkland branded car, it would be the Tercel.
Someone gave me a Tercel exactly like that. One of the worst cars I’ve owned, driving experience wise. It’s a base driving appliance. When I got the car, it only made it a mile down the road before it stalled out (which is why it was given to me). I eventually found out it had some goop in the bottom of the fuel tank (looked like black tar) that would get sucked around the filter and clog it up. I fixed it and used it as a delivery car for a year. It didn’t get great fuel mileage – around 25 mpg. Luckily someone ran into it and totaled it (in reality the back bumper was slightly damaged.) I got paid far more than I thought I would, and when I asked when they were picking it up they replied – keep it, we don’t want it. Then I sold it on eBay for $123 dollars.
Why no both option? The CRX has a hatch, therefore closer to the perfect form of vehicle…wagon…but I hate red…
CRX!
But I must say, I am appreciating that the Tercel’s seller chose to show us the buttons, knobs, and sliders in the center stack <3
It’s a both day, tho I wish they were fuel injected. Sure, the CRX, if I have to pick but that Tercel doesn’t deserve to lose.
I had a beat-to-hell ’84 base model that was plenty of fun. This one’s got a few more ponies and would be funner.
CRX, but skip the AC. As soon as it the compressor kicks in the car noticeably goes from slow to slower.
Both cars are overpriced, but considering one of them is a Turdcel and it isn’t the version I’d look for (4WD Wagon) the choice is easy.
CRX without hesitation. If not for a then shaky job situation I would have traded my Scirocco for an SI when they first came out. The Tercel always has been so far under my radar as to require sonar to find it.
This is like putting someone who took three cardio kickboxing classes into the ring with Mike Tyson.
Some really weird stuff would need to happen for the Tercel to win.
Three cardio kickboxing classes… and a PLAN!
I’m reminded of the Subaru commercial in the late 80’s or early 90’s where they called the Tercel a “Turkel”. Still makes me laugh.
Honda for me!
I can’t remember the last time I saw a clean stock CRX. That’s so much more fun and interesting, it’s the clear winner.
That said, I think the Tercel is a decent buy too. It’s just going to require finding the right buyer. Somebody who had one, remembers it fondly, and wants to by the nicest one they can find.
My sister had a CRX exactly like this (she bought it new). I drove a pickup at the time and we used to trade when she needed a truck. That car was a blast to drive – light and agile. It was the epitome of the “slow car fast” mantra.
My GF had a Tercel (previous generation to this one). It was so boring to drive. It was a transportation appliance.
$5K seems high for the CRX, but my ’86 HF is a car I wish I’d never sold. Thankfully it went on to a life of SCCA racing, so hopefully it’s still out there smoking Miatas.
Totally the CRX today. The Toyota is, and always will be a turd.
I’m going CRX, but the Tercel isn’t bad either. My brother had a similar vintage Tercel, but a base model with only the 4-speed stock and the sole option of A/C. The thing was great for slow-car-fast shenanigans, and even with the lack of a fifth gear was incredibly frugal on gas. Even with the fond memories, though, the CRX has a lot of the same qualities but in a more desirable package.