The Chevrolet Tracker is a fantastic little SUV that was mostly built in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada as a badge-engineered Suzuki Vitara. Sure, it had independent front suspension, but this thing was properly capable off-road with low range, available skid plates, and eight inches of ground clearance. While larger SUVs would be getting stuck in the mud, this cute ute would be bounding overtop the terrain like a gleeful little terrier, steadily clearing a path with a sunny disposition. David Tracy had one and absolutely fell in love.
Unfortunately, as these things were fairly cheap to buy and run when new, the vast majority of them got chewed up and spit out like sunflower seed shells. Since they cost pennies to run, many Trackers were picked out as My First Off-Roaders, bashed off of trees and generally neglected. However, some survived longer than others because of an unlikely use case.
While the Tracker was designed to hit the forests and mountains, its low entry price, light construction, and manual transfer case rendered it a favorite of RV owners. If you own an automatic Tracker, just put the transfer case in neutral, turn the key one click to disable the steering lock, keep the transmission in park, and you can safely tow it behind an RV so you have an easy-to-drive, maneuverable vehicle to get around in once you park your moon-sized motorhome.
The days of RV-towed Trackers are largely behind us since U.S.-market production ended in 2004, so this immaculate example is quite the curiosity. It’s up for sale in New Jersey for a steep $14,495, but it has an odometer that could help justify this price point. According to the vehicle’s odometer, the little two-liter four-cylinder engine in this Tracker has covered just 3,913 miles since it was brand new in 1999. That sounds absurd, but it’s backed up by the Carfax and the vehicle’s visual condition.
On this Tracker, the unpainted plastics still have a deep satin sheen, the glued mouse-fur upholstery seems frozen in time, and every single button and label appear almost untouched. I don’t think I’ve seen a Tracker this nice in nearly 20 years. Just look at the texture of that cargo area carpeting. It exudes a scratchiness that could only have come from a time before every automaker grew obsessed with the concept of premium.
However, this Tracker isn’t perfect. Its history report claims that it suffered front end damage in a 2002 collision, but doesn’t list a damage amount. Presumably, it wasn’t a shockingly massive hit given that these were cheap and cheerful when new, but the vehicle’s said to have needed a tow from the scene.
It’s always weird and wonderful to see relatively mundane cars preserved to museum level, as the stories those cars can tell must be unusual. Was this Tracker a dinghy, a church-and-back Sunday driver, or just part of a collection? Regardless, it seems to have been loved and cherished, perhaps for its honesty or perhaps for its legacy.
While I’d normally say that nearly $15,000 is far too much for a Chevrolet Tracker, the used car market right now is really weird. I mean, that same sort of money gets you a 15-year-old Toyota RAV4 with 70,000 miles, and that’s not really a rough-and-tumble off-roader. So, what do you say? Could you see someone paying $14,495 for what might be the world’s nicest Chevrolet Tracker, or is that price a bridge too far?
(Photo credits: Cars.com seller)
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All I can think of is “but why?” What was the use case for this purchase?
Was this thing even $15k when new?
What will the RV crowd tow when the manual transfer case goes the way of the dodo? The Wrangler will probably be the last holdout and they keep getting bigger and heavier.
I remember changing the brakes on a friend’s Grand Cherokee and putting it in N without turning on the car was a nightmare.
There’s just no reason to preserve a vehicle like this. This thing would only be interesting if you wanted to take it off-road and thrash it, but you can’t do that at this price/mileage. And neither is it a good first car for a teenager as it will lose big in any collision. ND
$8k tops, and I don’t want the damn TruCoat…
Well ya see, it’s added at the factory and we can’t control that.
It’s an automatic.. so no
A high-quality, ultra-low mileage example of any unremarkable model (like, not a Ferrari or ZL1 Camaro or Boss 9) is worth 10 grand, period.
Mint ’92 Tercel with 5k miles? 10 grand.
Flawless ’84 Plymouth Laser with 11k? 10 grand.
Showroom-condition ’78 Cordoba with 15k and Corinthian leather? 10 grand.
Only if it has that special something- like a Ferrari, or an AMG, or Cosworth heads, or some motor that was only installed in a few cars- is it worth more.
This is spot on. I wonder if it’ll go up over the years, so in like two decades, it’ll be “yeah, that 2k mile Mirage with the manual and the gas engine is worth 15 grand, tops.”
I’ll take the ’90 Laser for mine though. It has one of my all-time favorite dashboards.
I had an 84 Laser until the ex wrecked it. Absolutely phenomenal seats.
If all the naysayers had their way, Virgil my “mundane” 1932 Chevrolet Confederate would have long since disappeared. Somone has to keep these mundane, impractical vehilces on the road if future generations are going to have a “classic” old-timer to waste vast sums of money on.
In a heartbeat. I owned one of the original Trackers in the full open top variety. Wonderful little car although the guys in my M/C laughed at it constantly. Go literally anywhere and very good on regular gas. The heater really wasn’t up to central Kansas winters though.
Just because it is old and rare doesn’t mean it is valuable. Do I like and is it in good shape?
It has too few miles on it thought so means lots of gaskets to change.
Then again while not for me, there is a butt for every seat.
I am pretty tired of the “low mileage = leaky gaskets” comments that seemingly became ubiquitous a few years ago. It’s almost a meme at this point and I expect it in the comments of every single post about low mileage cars.
No one regularly heat cycles and splashes oil on gaskets that are on the shelf to promote their longevity. A stable temperature climate controlled environment is by far better.
The only way I can wrap my head around this logic is that you’re hoping that a higher mileage vehicle has been attentively maintained, and that any leaks that pop up are taken care of by the owner.
The zeitgeist of old Trackers is cheap beater off road vehicle and this is too nice to be a beater and too expensive to be cheap
I only have one problem with it, it’s too expensive. Other than that, I like it
Someone needs to call that dealership and let them know they accidentally typed a 1 before listing the price.
Ha ha! No!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge%27s_law_of_headlines
CP
Yes of course it is worth it. These are solid body on frame, simple, cheap to run and reliable. What else can you get for $15k with low miles that is comperable? Not a lot.
Trim & soft Parts availability are near zero – ask me how I know.
I think just under 10k all things considered would be a better price.
And that’s with any wear items replaced, also including old rubber and such.
Rubber parts / weather seals are NLA/Discontinued for many common items on these vehicles
I think this would be fine for the purpose outlined in the article…as an RV tow-behind. Other than a Wrangler (which is also expensive to buy used) there really isn’t much in this price range. If you’re buying it to daily drive it, that seems silly to me.
Long answer? No.
What’s the short answer? “9?”
Worth it only if you strip it and sell it piece by piece. Think of all the labor and cost in replacing old rubber and electric.
None of these nostalgia time capsule regular cars are worth it, point blank. In the end you’re paying a premium for the nicest version of an economy car from a bygone era. Also, be diligent out there, comrades. The nostalgia cash grab marker is rapidly altering its focus to Gen X and millennials and everyone trying to play off of it know the economic conditions we’re dealing with are absolute ass compared to the folks that came before us. They’ve adjusted accordingly.
Don’t get suckered into it. Just say no to stuff like this. If you absolutely have to have a car from your childhood at least spend your money on one that could’ve been on a poster on your wall and might one day appreciate. You could buy a running Boxster from this era for that price.
I understand, but disagree a little bit. I love mundane time capsules of certain cars. Would buying this be objectively stupid? Yes. Do I have bad taste? Probably. But to have a little fun with something like this, take care of it, and then send it along to the next lunatic, why not? I see the appeal.
I’ve wondered about the way that many people are now lusting over mundane old(ish) cars ever since I saw the Regular Car Reviews guy drooling over a Dodge Omni (or something like it) at a Chrysler/Dodge car show in a video a while back. The car had shockingly low mileage and was remarkably well preserved, so it was neat to see, but I had absolutely no desire to own it.
Do people really like these cars? Or have they just convinced themselves that they like them because they can’t afford the bedroom wall poster cars? “I can’t afford a Lamborghini Countach, but I can afford this really nice example of the thing my buddy Mike used to drive in high school, so I’ll just amp myself up for that instead.
And I understand that different people have different tastes. Heck, I’m a guy who had a Dodge Neon picture on his wall as a kid. They’re cute cars, I love the looks of them, and I’d certainly appreciate it if I saw a nicely preserved one in the wild; I just don’t want it in my driveway.
15k for even the nicest Tracker on earth seems steep. I mean, the whole point of this car was to be cheap for what it was.
That being said, it’s not far off. After a very very thorough inspection (especially to the front end) I could see myself being interested in the 11-12k range? Would be cooler if it were manual though.
Its diminutive yet fairly hardy proportions are worth something, but I dunno about this much.
Related: I guess it was inevitable but the few remaining small SUVs are now starting to seem pleasing to me, given their relative paucity in America at this point. I find myself getting warmer and warmer to the Chevy Trax. And yeah, I still have an irrational soft spot for the (stupidly-named) Ford EcoSport.
Go for the Trax. It’s shite, but less shitey than to EcoSport…
I’d go for a nice Tracker with 14,495 miles for $3,913.
Bought a nice one-owner 2002 Chevy Tracker 2-door with soft top, 5-speed manual for $2400 about 6 years ago.
No. No it is not worth it. Specially with an auto.
If it were a manual, I would be on the next plane out to wherever this thing is.
What can you buy new for 14 grand? Nothing. Where can you buy something that is basically a small Japanese 4X4 that is easy to wrench on? Not anywhere around here.