Good morning! It’s Friday once again, but I didn’t feel like doing another four-way shootout. Besides, Monday’s cars didn’t run, which means it wouldn’t really be a fair fight. So instead, I have two new contenders, chosen simply because they caught my eye.
In yesterday’s battle of the ’80s domestics, the Pepsi Prize Pontiac took an easy win, as I guessed it might. Being a grand cheaper and not a Chrysler was probably enough to give it the win. I’m going to keep throwing the occasional K-car at you all; someday, one of them will emerge victorious.
But in this case, as much as I do love the ’80s Chryslers, even I have to admit that a GM W-body is a nicer car to drive. Sure, some service items on the transverse V6 are a pain to get to, but the reliability, the ride quality, and in this case the styling all give it a clear edge. I almost featured a Chevy Celebrity instead of the Grand Prix, and in that case, I would have chosen the LeBaron. But I’m guessing it still would have lost the vote.
General likes and dislikes can color our judgment about all sorts of things before all the facts are in, and that definitely applies to cars. Today, for reasons unknown to even myself, I have chosen two red Japanese vehicles, and I am generally not a fan of either Japanese cars or the color red on cars. But I guess there are exceptions that prove every rule, and sometimes it’s nice to be reminded that our comfort zones were made to be stepped out of. Let’s see which one of these you prefer.
1987 Toyota Corolla FX16 GT-S – $6,500
Engine/drivetrain: 1.6-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Oregon City, OR
Odometer reading: 207,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Yes, I know. Just a couple of days ago, I wrote about a Toyota Corolla with an automatic, and complained about how boring it was. Yes, I know this one is only a little more powerful, and probably isn’t much more interesting to drive. But just look at it! It’s so much cooler than the other one. Call me a hypocrite if you want; I don’t care. That Corolla sucked; this Corolla rules.
This generation of Corolla marked the changeover from rear- to front-wheel-drive, but it didn’t happen all at once. The sedans and hatchbacks were FWD, but the coupe, in both notchback and liftback forms, was RWD. One of these was prominently featured in a cartoon you might have seen. This isn’t one of those – but thanks in large part to that show, you won’t find one of those at a price mere mortals can afford. However, if you can compromise on front-wheel-drive, you can get the same revvy little 4A-GE four-cylinder in this car: the FX16 GT-S.
Yeah, I wish it were a stickshift too. It seems like most affordable-ish survivors of cars like these are automatics; the stickshifts have all long since been hooned to death, or command silly prices. This one has a whole pile of miles on it, but you know, Toyota. It runs and drives just fine, thanks to a bunch of recent work. The interior shows some signs of wear, but honestly, for a car this old with this many miles, it’s pretty nice. And outside, I’ll give the red paint a pass because of those graphics. They’re the perfect complement to this car.
And it’s a hatchback, so there’s plenty of room for stuff. It also has a very cool feature that I think has finally disappeared: flip-out rear side windows. Minivans, I think, were the last holdouts for these, and I think some of those were power-operated, but years ago, you opened them by flipping a little lever at the back of the window, and they’d open a couple inches, just enough to let a breeze blow through.
1993 Nissan Hardbody 4WD Pickup – $4,999
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, part-time 4WD
Location: Lynnwood, WA
Odometer reading: 145,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
This one is a little less off-brand for me; I had a Nissan/Datsun 720 pickup in college that I just loved, and my wife and I moved to Oregon in a WD21 Pathfinder with well over 300,000 miles on it. And my wife drove a D22 Frontier for years before we met, and still speaks fondly of it. Old Nissan trucks and us go way back, you might say.
Nissan offered a few different engines in these trucks over the years. This one has a KA24E four-cylinder, a good reliable engine that didn’t make as much power as the available V6, but got a whole lot better gas mileage. This one looks like someone tried to paint the valve cover at one point, and it didn’t hold up. High-temp engine paint, people. Your average Krylon stuff won’t cut it. This truck is at a dealership, and they’re always a little cagey about a car’s condition, but they’re offering test drives so I’ll assume it runs and drives well enough.
This looks like a really basic truck: manual transmission, bench seat, no air conditioning, and look at that giant blank spot on the dash where a tachometer should be. I’m surprised nobody over the years has stuck an aftermarket tach in there; it would probably be one of the first things I’d do.
It’s missing some clearcoat but otherwise looks pretty good outside. It has a couple of aftermarket doodads, like the running boards and bedliner, but nothing over the top. It’s a really sharp-looking little truck, actually, even in a shade of red.
Actually, looking at these two together, they’d make a pretty good two-car garage. So today is going to be one of those rare instances where I give you a “Both” option. Because honestly, I can’t choose between them myself. Have a great weekend, everyone!
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
My oldest daughter was conceived in a 93 Nissan pickup, at a drive-in movie theater in Portland Oregon which no longer exists. I think it’s an RV dealership now. I’ve often times told her that if Speed 2 was a better movie she wouldn’t be here. So Nissan for the nostalgia win.
I know exactly which drive-in you mean.
I thought you might!
So a hot hatch with the transmission that is entirely unsuited to the engine, or one of the slowest 4×4 trucks ever made.
No doubt that Nissan is a great truck. I recently acquired a version of its Mitsubishi competitor that also sports a 2.4L four, 5-speed stick and 4WD. The Hardbody would be better with the V6, especially since I currently own three VG30E’s, only one of which is currently installed in a car.
Here’s the thing, though: Here in North Carolina, D21 Hardbodies are not at all rare. I still see them every day, sporting ladder racks, beds full of paint buckets, etc. They are so durable that they are still everywhere, still being used as workaday trucks. A really clean example will turn a head, certainly. But for the most part they still blend into traffic to this day. So if I wanted a truck to do truck stuff with, Nissan all day.
But if I want a vehicle that will stand out, start gas station conversations, and get me some Radwood-cred at the local C&C, FX16 all day long.
fuckin a the graphics on that FX are THE BUSINESS
A hot-hatch with an automatic is a crime.
No A/C, no dice here in humid Hotlanta, even though a truck-hauler wouldn’t merit many miles if I actually had the thing in my possession.
So, the wacky stripey racer for me. Looks like it’d be fun, if only to see the reactions I’d draw.
Since you’ve just experienced a bout of Mid-Atlantic (climatically, it’s the South, and on the rural Eastern Shore culturally too; the first ominous warning of the four years to follow was the sight of large “Trump-Pence” banners on the Maryland side of the border heading to a work event in Cambridge), I’m surprised the first thing you’d add to the Nissan would be a tach; and as dealer air was how you got it in a Hardbody, it would be an easy fix. The automatic, the price and most of all the janky speaker install are off-putting in the Toyota, but it’s pretty clean and the graphics actually look good to me. So, today it’s both.
You’re absolutely correct, this Corolla rules, that other one sucks. But what a choice, because the Nissan is also pretty great. Thank you for the “both” opportunity; that’s the way I voted.
I like both. I wish I still lived in the PNW so I could pick up that Nissan, as the thing would be three times as much where I live now and in much worse shape for that inflated price. The automatic in the Toyota is disappointing, but it is still a neat car.
That yoda is nice looking and everything, but gotta go w/ the truck.
I like it better since it’s useful for truck stuff, a stick, and that engine bay/interior is in good shape
I went shopping for my first new car in 1989, and Toyota was my first stop. I really wanted to check out the Corolla FX. Except: “They discontinued the FX,” said the sales guy. “There’s just the regular Corolla sedan & wagon, and the Tercel coupe & hatchback.” I was quite dejected, because all of those non-FX Toyotas looked and drove like ass.
Toyota went through a mini-Malaise era from about ’88 until ’93, when the all-new Camry debuted. Their second such era started later in the 90s and lasted quite a bit longer, but I’ve moaned about that enough in these comments.
Was ready to straight hit the Toyota for the graphics alone, but no way with an automatic. Nissan would be more useful to me and I haven’t even seen one in years (Toyota, neither, for that matter).
Also, the paint on the valve cover might be because it wasn’t properly prepped aluminum. I did the same thing with the correct paint and even prepped the hell out of it (not first time painting aluminum), but I think years of baking in oil were just too much to overcome without something industrial and the paint just wanted to peel off.
Nissan is the better buy here. I like both, but the Toyota owner clearly wants you to pay him back for the audio mods. Overpriced.
The pickup has been detailed within an inch of its life and the paint is still bad. Five grand for a mini truck is not bad in 2024, though. The lack of AC and the empty tach space kill it, though.
The Toyota has also had a deep-cleaning, and the telltale vacuum/carpet cleaner lines are still present. The rear speakers belie an amateur installer… this is a great time capsule, though. Too bad about the automatic. But a hatchback with great graphics is wonderful. My vote is for the Toyota.
“The rear speakers belie an amateur installer…”
Of course!
Those no name flea market special speakers are chef’s kiss of a proper craptastic 80’s hot hatch! Did you really think someone with maturity, money or taste owned these things?
(Not that they make up for the automatic mind you).
Hard Body is pretty clean for a buy here pay here place. if it passed inspection well enough, it would be my choice here though. the FX16 is seemingly in better shape, but I would be underwhelmed by the 3 speed Fuel economy and the thing is not neat enough for a weekend toy. But that little 4 wheel drive has most of the right parts for decent trail use right off the bat. SAS swap the front so it would be right with the world and go on down the road.
Lay off on the red hate. Japanese cars too. Not sure what’s going on with you. Did the RNC convention suck all of the joy out of you?
Years ago I had a contractor visit driving a hard body. Let’s just call it a rusted out cheese body (Toronto thing). I commented on how I couldn’t believe it was sill on the road. He showed me the odometer. Over 700K KMs! He had owned it since new, only done the basic maintenance and it had never let him down. Also, the ground covered was mostly urban, driving from site to site.
A friend of mine had one of those Corollas back in the day, and it was a great car (albeit a manual). I was all set to go with it despite the fact that I’d have to wear a disguise while driving it, as a person of my age and bearing must not be seen in such garishly decorated transportation (ahem). Then I got a look at the truck. Voted “both”, so that I can drive around without the disguise when necessary.
A friend of mine had one of those Corollas back in the day, and it was a great car (albeit a manual). Still, I was all set to go with the Corolla despite the fact that I’d have to wear a disguise while driving it, as a person of my age and bearing must not be seen in such garishly decorated transportation (ahem). Then I got a look at the truck. Voted “both”, so that I can drive around without the disguise when necessary.
Hardbody all day! If the Corolla had a wiggle stick, it would be both for sure. The MIA tach in the Nissan drives me nuts, too. I wonder if a same gen Pathfinder cluster would bolt and plug right in.
I bought an ’85 Nissan 720 and then months later, the Hardbody was introduced. And I immediately wished I had waited a few months. It treated me well, even after I loaded 1500+ pounds of paving stones in the back and had a harrowing drive home with the rear barely off (but frequently encountering) the bump stops.
Years later I had an ’84 Tercel 4×4 wagon. That car was fun, but would have been so much more so with that 4A-GE engine up front.
The paint and decals on the FX16 have held up remarkably well and the Hardbody’s interior looks amazing. But that expanse where a tach should be, is painful.
I voted for both, because like the author, I think they’re cool, but forced to choose one, I’d take the Hardbody. It’s likely as near-indestructible as that Toyota Hilux on Top Gear.
I have a soft spot for Corolla FX-16s — I learned to drive manual on a white 87 FX-16 that my parents bought used in 1989. Their two GM cars were super unreliable, and they needed something they knew would start and run. They had no idea what they had.
I really really wanted to love on that Toyota. I had a gf back in the day with a normal engined 5 speed and that thing handled like no other hatchback of the day. But the truck wins it because clutch. They’re both awesome finds tho.
I like autos but some cars deserve manuals such as 2 seat convertibles and hatchbacks. 6,500 way overboard. Can’t do the Nissan either as I just sold my Datsun 521 and anything that reminds me of it will be depressing.
I have no use for a truck, but this one is just too nice.
And the ‘yota, I’m sorry, I’ve driven a slush Toyota hatch not long ago and is an experience of an abrasive dullness. No amount of lightness could surmount an automatic mediocrity. Leave autos for a minivan or a luxury cruiser.
Easssy choice. Hardbody and forget all about that other thing
I can’t abide the price on that Corolla. Gimme the Hardbody
Way back in 1987, my wife and I visited my grandparents in Las Vegas. We rented a car to go exploring in the desert. We spent 2 weeks driving to every ghost town in Nevada. The car we rented? A 1987 Toyota FX16 with an automatic! Alamo charged $99 a week, unlimited mileage! We put 2000 miles on that car, most of it at speeds of 90mph+… and a lot of it on dirt roads that really needed a 4×4 vehicle. Do NOT let the automatic turn you off. Those cars had plenty of power and they’re so much fun to drive! When we returned it, it looked like it had run a rally race! GREAT car!
I’ve taken plenty of unassuming 2WD cars on dirt roads without a problem. You don’t need 4×4 nearly as much as you need to not give a fuck.