All right, class, settle down. Yes, I’m back. I have a note from Mr. Hardigree telling me that most of you behaved for him while I was gone, so thank you. (Billy – see me after class.) This week, because it’s a weird week again, we’re going to try something just a little bit different, and if you like it, maybe we’ll keep it up for a while, and if not, no harm done. I’ll explain in a minute.
Matt’s choices on Friday were both stickshifts, both front-wheel-drive, and both fun little cars to rip around in. The overall vibe seemed to favor the Vibe, however, because of its clean-as-a-whistle condition and its hatchback versatility, despite the second-gen Vibe being kind of forgettable. And when the votes were tallied, it was no contest: the little Pontiac-by-Toyota won easily.
I have to agree. It’s hard to beat a small hatchbacky-wagony-thing for usefulness. Besides, I personally have never really liked that generation of Honda Civic, nor any that came after it, if I’m honest. It got too big and too fancy, and the interior was just too fussy. I prefer the earlier, simpler Civics. Honda did give us the Fit, which was much more in the spirit of the Civics of old, but then took it away again. Jerks.
Now then, that new idea I referred to earlier: This week, and maybe next week as well, I’m going to alter our typical formula just a little bit. Instead of two new cars every day and then a four-way shootout at the end of the week, we’re going to try Jeopardy rules. Each day’s winner will advance to face a new challenger the next day, so if you all really like a car and keep voting for it, it will keep appearing. If you get sick of seeing it, or something better comes along, just vote for the other car. On Monday, we’ll check out two fresh cars, and the cycle starts over again.
My only concern with this is that, if a car keeps winning, I might get sick of writing about it by Friday. But on the other hand, I only have to find one car per day this way. We’ll try it, and see how it goes. Let’s meet our first two contestants.
1985 Nissan Stanza SE – $4,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter overhead cam inline 4, three-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Warminster, PA
Odometer reading: 63,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well, needs a few things
I feel bad for Nissan these days. Its reputation has been tarnished by Jatco transmissions, “big Altima energy,” and the ghost of Ghosn and his shenanigans. But even now, Nissan’s actual products are pretty damn good. A car doesn’t survive a couple hundred thousand miles of the sort of abuse heaped on most Altimas and Sentras without being designed well and bolted together with some degree of competence. Nissan had a better reputation back when this Stanza was built; the worst charge you could level at this car is that it’s boring. Does its advanced age make it any more interesting?
Under the hood of this very, very ’80s sedan is a two-liter four, with a single overhead camshaft and two spark plugs per cylinder. This engine received a major upgrade in 1984 in the form of electronic multi-port fuel injection, a welcome improvement in the days of feedback carburetors. Sadly, the transmission isn’t as advanced; it’s still a simple three-speed automatic, probably still vacuum-modulated – durable, but archaic. It runs and drives well, but the seller says it needs a new alternator belt. I assume it’s there, but just worn out.
The odometer on this time capsule reads a scant 63,000 miles, and it sure does look clean. I worry a bit about all those warning lights in the photo, though. The gas gauge doesn’t work, apparently; maybe there are some other electrical gremlins lurking in there. The rest of the interior looks great; I miss velour seats.
It’s incredibly clean outside, too; the seller says it’s rust free, but you know the old saying – trust, but verify. The champagne-gold color is not the most exciting hue, but those fantastic factory alloy wheels make up for it. By the way, those wheels are wrapped in brand-new tires, too.
1995 Mercury Sable GS wagon – $2,400
Engine/drivetrain: 3.0- or 3.8-liter overhead valve V6, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Cape Coral, FL
Odometer reading: 113,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
The Nissan Stanza is a great example of what nearly all cars looked like in 1985 – boxy, angular, and boring. But a new shape was on its way, heralded by a big Audi and a small Ford, with rounded edges and flush glass, and that new shape entered the mainstream with a bang in 1986 with the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable. It took a couple of years for that new shape to stop looking weird, but by then they were everywhere, and they got, well, kind of boring.
Ford tried hard to counteract the weirdness of the Taurus and Sable’s shape by keeping the rest of it fairly conventional. The engine is a pushrod V6, though the seller doesn’t say which of the two V6s this one has. The interior features a split bench seat and a column-mounted shifter for the automatic transmission. The suspension is soft. It’s a typical American car; it just didn’t look like most of them did at the time. This one is a little scruffy around the edges, but the seller says it runs and drives great.
Station wagons were the kings of the road once upon a time, but by the time this Sable was built, minivans had taken their place. Whoever bought this wagon in 1995Â really wanted a station wagon, and not the then-new Villager minivan. Wagons do have one trick up their sleeves that minivans don’t: the fabled “way-back” rearward-facing jump seat. Not that that’s necessarily enough of a reason to choose it, but it’s a perk.
Most of it looks pretty good, but the rear bumper needs to be replaced. There’s a crack in the front bumper too, but that can be ignored. Inside, it mostly needs a good cleaning.
So that’s our first matchup for this new idea. Remember, whichever one wins will go on to face a new challenger tomorrow (or Thursday? I need to find out if we’re on or off tomorrow) and so on throughout the week. So which one lives to fight another day: the boxy import, or the three-row domestic wagon?
(Image credits: sellers)
I have only ever owned one sedan, my first car (’71 Fiat 128) since I couldn’t find a wagon in time. I still own my second car (’67 VW squareback), so wagon vs. sedan, wagon always wins. I’m all for functionality, so wagon it is.
“I feel bad for Nissan these days. Its reputation has been tarnished by Jatco transmissions”
No,;Jatco transmissions have helped Nissan so much over the years. From being the leader in efficiency (without the complexity of a nonsense hybrid system) to a smooth powertrain, delivering just the right amount of power whenever you need it, how could such a sophisticated machine tarnish any reputation?
I like the Nissan (except for the 3 speed autotragic), but can’t get over the price.
I’m going to buy me a mercury and move it on down the line. Probably remember it wrong but a wagon at half the Nissan price? I bought a 2007 Toyota Camry for less than that Nissan. And while I don’t mind going old school I’m not paying for the privilege. I’d use that wagon as is for groceries and hauling no fixes just as is.
Going with the Sable. It’s a more interesting and, for me, a more useful car. Then there’s the fact that the dash on the Nissan strikes me as ugly, with the gauge cluster looking like a box that’s been glued onto a shelf and an ugly steering wheel in front of it. To top that off, I just have a thing about most red interiors. Unless it’s something like a ’60’s Caddy with a full-on red velvet bordello thing going on I don’t want all that red inside.
Boxy bad if it was a Volvo I’d be onboard but only if boxy.
Mercury wagon all the way as it’s cheaper and a nicer vehicle. But if that Nissan was a manual, then it would have swung my vote
Wagon all the way. My very first car was a hand-me-down Ford Taurus wagon in this sky blue color (where it wasn’t rust)!
Despite the handle, I had to pick the Mercury. $4.5k is just too dear for a slushbox stanza that isn’t even a wagon Add in the Nissan’s Warminster, PA provenance with exposure to road salt, and the FL Sable is the Less Bad option in this Sophie’s Choice.
I’ll take the Stanza since the other is an ugly Fix Or Repair Daily product although I’m coming around to the classic Mercury’s a lot older than this- the ones that are real cars. Yeah, some of the original Nissans were decent like the Maxima but still preferred Honda, Toyota, etc. The new ones are trash, have Altima energy, and the Jatco transmissions all suck (I’m sick of hearing the obsession/delusion about how great they are (they’re not) saying the same thing over and over and over- what a tired old trope)
I kinda liked the way those Stanzas looked back then, especially from the rear. But $4,500 is a lot for a car that might have electrical problems.
I drove a ’90 Taurus as a company car and liked pretty much everything about it. It rode nicely, handled well for its size and unlike the two cars I had before it (a Dodge Diplomat wagon and a Dodge Aries wagon), was capable of getting out of its own way. Too bad about the left rear corner, but it’s still an easy decision. Especially at that price.
As far as the new format goes, it feels like we’re going from, at worst, apples and oranges comparisons to possibly having to decide between apples and orangutans. Most installments, it seems like there’s something common between the two contestants you choose for us. Now, the contest could be between two very dissimilar vehicles. But, hey… it’s your column.
Sable wagon with the lightbar, came out way before all these new cars showing up with it.
MY STANZA!!!!!
Would have actually voted for it if it was powder blue…mostly.
I like how clean that Stanza is but something tells me that car is a flip and the seller can’t even bother to change the alternator belt/pulley nor take care of the dash lights and rather throw in some cheapo new tires to mask the obvious.
Moreover I like the wagon better (and a license plate lookup told me it’s got the 3.0 Vulcan so it’s the good one) and I like Ford’s 90s wrap around interiors so wagon it is.
Easy. Cool cheap wagon vs. boring expensive small sedan.
I am excited about the next lineup,I sort of hope that the Mercury will stick around.
What happens if it sells?
I am not sure,that wasn’t mentioned I guess. Unless anyone here buys it,it’s probably a small chance.
“Wagon always wins.” Let’s test that proposition.
I remember 80s slushboxes when paired with a 4-cylinder far too well to pay that kind of money for one even with low mileage
This would be the one extreme case I choose Nissan. I had an ’88 Stanza that was not running when I got it. I found the one single 8 spark plug distributor in the junk yards of Western NY in 1998, installed it, and drove it another few years before it crumbled to pieces in rust. At least, I think that’s why I stopped driving it. I can’t remember anymore.
The question for me is, am I going with a cheap set of beatable wheels or something to tinker with as a hobbyist car?
I’m going with the cheap entry-level hobbyist car today, the Nissan. I’m a fan of 80’s Japanese cars, and I always liked how the fancy little Stanza SE is like a mini-Maxima. That interior is in fine condition, love the stereo and EQ too. ‘Tis a shame it’s not a manual, but for putting around on Sunday morning it will do.
I’ll go with weird wagons for $2400!