Good morning! We’re kicking off Thanksgiving week with a couple of almost-never-seen-anymore imports that are both stubbornly refusing to do the one thing we ask most of cars: run and drive. But they’re both cool enough to warrant saving, in my opinion.
On Friday we wrapped up our week-long salute to project cars, and it’s clear to me from the results that for the majority of you, “project” means a wash and a wax, and maybe fixing some minor things here and there. The clean Mercedes 300E won by a country mile. I think you’d be in for a surprise, however, a year or so into ownership, when the first repair bill came in.
For me, it’s the Ranchero, and I’ll tell you why. The Lincoln is way cool, but beyond my abilities to do it justice, I fear. And I think I’d want to modernize it, at least to the point of having decent suspension and brakes, and that would cost even more. The Corona looks like a great project, but it doesn’t really get my blood flowing. The Ranchero is my kind of project: it runs and drives, but needs an endless amount of farting around on weekends.
You don’t really realize how homogenized and limited the new car market has become until you look at what used to be available. Thirty or forty years ago, most automakers made three or four different sizes of car, in all sorts of body styles, and with powertrain options to suit almost anyone – unless four hundred horsepower is your minimum requirement, in which case you’re probably happier with the choices now. But you won’t find any two-door fastback hatchback coupes with turbo engines and some of the coolest factory wheels of all time, or any cab-over 4WD vans with five-speed sticks. For those, you have to turn to the used market, and in the case of these two, you’ll have to do a little troubleshooting. Let’s check them out.
1985 Isuzu Impulse Turbo – $3,500
Engine/drivetrain: Turbocharged 2.0-liter overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: Santa Ana, CA
Odometer reading: 175,000 miles
Operational status: Doesn’t run, not getting fuel
Younger readers may not remember, but back in the ’80s, the Isuzu Impulse was the absolute fastest car on the entire planet. Faster, even, than a speeding bullet. Such incredible velocities take their toll on cars, and sometimes, after a whole bunch of miles, they needed to just lie down and rest for a while. And that is where we find this sleek silver missile: Six years into a nap in a driveway in southern California.
The Giugiaro-designed Impulse was available in the US in only one flavor: Everything. You could choose between a naturally aspirated or turbocharged engine, and either a manual or automatic transmission, and that’s it; everything else was standard equipment. This Impulse has the most desirable combination: a turbo and a stickshift. It’s a two-liter four, putting out 140 horsepower to the rear wheels. Not as fast as Joe Isuzu may have claimed, but no slouch in the ’80s. Sadly, this one only goes as fast as you can push it. The fuel pump is shot, and it has been sitting that way for six years. It’ll take some work to get it going again.
Six years of sitting takes its toll on more than just the mechanical bits. Stationary cars become catch-alls for all kinds of crap – witness the moldy cardboard box in the passenger’s seat. I assume it contains some parts bought years ago. Hey, maybe it’s a new fuel pump! Otherwise, it’s faded and dusty, but intact, though I’d like to see the seat under that cover.
Outside, it’s dull and faded, but straight, and all the little details that make this car so cool are intact: the badges, the pop-out vent windows, the half-lidded pop-up headlights, and of course those amazing waffle-iron wheels. The 1980s were a high point for factory alloy wheels, and these are some of the best that ever graced any car.
1987 Toyota Van 4WD – $2,000
Engine/drivetrain: 2.2-liter overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, part-time 4WD
Location: Seattle, WA
Odometer reading: 280,000 miles
Operational status: Starts and runs, but dies after a few minutes and won’t restart
Just so you all know: This van sold sometime in the hour between finding the ad and sitting down to write this, so you won’t find anything at the link above. But it’s an interesting van, and I just don’t have the strength to go find something else, so I’m going to write about it anyway. What we have here is the US market version of the Toyota Town Ace, rather unimaginatively called the Toyota Van here, and nicknamed the “Toaster” by the guys I worked with at the service station.
The Toyota Van is powered by a 2.2 liter four-cylinder engine, located in a hump between the front seats. Most of them had an automatic transmission and were only rear-wheel-drive, but a few of them made it across the Pacific equipped with not only 4WD, but also a five-speed stick. This one starts and runs, but stalls after a few miles, and won’t restart until it cools down. If it were an older carbureted engine, I’d suspect vapor lock, but with electronic fuel injection it must be something else getting hot and failing. Crankshaft position sensor, maybe? I’ve heard of that happening.
It has nearly 300,000 miles on it, and it shows: The seats are duct-taped, the carpet is trashed, and I shudder to think what that red button on the steering wheel is for. (I like to think that if you press it, a light comes on that says “Please do not press this button again.“) But it is still a big box on wheels, meaning it’s still suited for all the things a van is useful for.
Outside, it’s maroon, faded, and has crumbling tape stripes, just like a Toyota Pickup I used to own. Just like a whole lot of ’80s Toyotas, actually. I do see a little bit of rust around the corners as well. It’s nowhere near as bad as it would be if this van were in Detroit instead of Seattle, but it’s there.
For the sake of argument, assume the van is still available when you’re making your decision. We’ve got two cool imports with manual transmissions and bad attitudes. Which one are you going to straighten up and make fly right?
(Image credits: sellers)
I’d be tempted by that Toyota (Mark: at the service station I worked at, we used to call it the “moon bus”), however it being 4WD would probably mean that I’d be tempted to take it out and play in the snow. As an 80’s Toyota, that would probably mean certain death via salt within two years. The Impulse was always an interesting sports coupe and from an era when sports coupes were really a thing. It would probably be hard as hell to do a resto on this, but making it a driver, perhaps with a fresh coat and some work cleaning/sorting what you can inside would be possible. What’s more, I’d never be tempted to play in the snow with it.
Easy one for me… always loved the gen1 Impulse. Turbo and stick make it the perfect one. I always loved those Toyota vans, too, especially in 4WD stick, but their (lack of) safety makes them terrible for the way I’d want to use it.
I went with the Impulse. It is a genuinely cool car, and I think will be valuable at some point. I am not sure I believe the “It just needs a fuel pump”, but for the sake of argument I will suspend my disbelief and go with that option.
My first car was the 90s GM branded Impulse sister the Geo Storm. As such, I’ve always wanted an Impulse because the turbo was not an option for the Storm. This one is the generation prior to the one I had but it gets my vote.
in Joe Isuzu voice ” The Isuzu Impulse does 0-60 in 1.7 seconds, makes 4255 HP and gets 127 MPG , or something like that” 🙂
Isuzu for me!
I’ve driven those Toyota Vans, no thank you!
The first generation Isuzu Impulse shares an important trait with the first generation Dodge Viper.
Much like the Viper was quickly and minimally converted from concept car to production car, the original Isuzu Impulse was quickly and minimally converted from the Italdesign Ace of Clubs concept to fit GM’s T platform (Chevy Chevette among others), had its suspension tuned by Lotus, and sent to your friendly neighborhood Isuzu dealer.
Conversely, I’ve had one opportunity to drive one of these Toyota vans, when my aunt and uncle paid me to shuttle them down to JFK, bring it back to my parents’ house, then go down and pick them up at the end of their vacation. That was a total of about five hours of mostly highway driving, mostly at night.
Give me the Impulse.
The price is delulu, there’s surely more wrong with it than the fuel pump, and the color is the least interesting one available, but we’ll take the Impulse. The Van is cute, but working on it seems like a nightmare.
I so wanted an Impulse as a kid. My Dad got a Scirocco instead. If you really want one buy a nice one. They are cheap. This one’s clapped out, but would be a great parts car.. The only reason he might get $3,500 is that factory turbo. Trooper guys pay an arm and a leg for them cause they bolt right in.
Having driven both of these, Impulse.
The Toyota Van feels like the squirreliest ride on the road. The in-console icemaker is a neat weird touch, but you don’t spend enough time in the car to care.
I voted for the Impulse even tho I have the feeling that it could cost another $3500+ in repairs and detailing to get this one road worthy again.
Mainly because I’d rather have a cool, sleek, coupe than a tipsy, slow van.
I dunno, maybe it’s a Yankee Man™ thing; that Impulse interior looks like every car that some hoarder in New Hampshire has stashed under a tree that has just shat pinecones and needles on it for 27 years.
Not that bad.
Anyway, beneath the Ace of Spades looks, that’s a GM T-Body. In other words, nice Chevette, man.
That’s not actually a bad thing. T-bodies were world cars (Opel, by Buick, for example). Still probably cheap parts all over the place.
That’d be a fun one to revive, probably abusively expensive to try and restore, though.
Rockauto shows a surprisingly long menu of stuff for these so you’re correct. It’s probably a lot of work to make this work well, but definitely a fun car. As a rear wheel drive partisan I’d be all over this one.
The Impulse was one of my dream cars as a new driver, but this one is just too far gone. Even if I got it running, I doubt I’d ever get rid of the stench.
The Ace is kind of cool, a Toyota with AWD and a manual transmission. I wish it was in better shape, but at least it starts. If fixed cleaned up, would make a neat soft-overlander.
And the red button? It pops the front seat forward to access the engine. Just don’t be sitting there or you’ll kiss the windshield.
Voted for the Isuzu, but I’m known for following a lot of bad impulses.
You epitomize the concept of “impulse shopper.”
It could be the ignition coil. The symptoms of imminent coil failure are just what we see here: works fine when cold, dies when warm/hot, and won’t work again until cool.
The amount of runtime will likely decrease until finally the coil won’t work at all.
I can’t help but think that Toyota van was inspired by the Vanagon. Picking the Impulse as I already have an 80s van with electrical problems.
Vanagon engine was in the rear, this one’s mid.
It’s designed more or less right out to the edges of the dimensional box specified by the Japanese Ministry of Transport (or whatever it’s called but something not far from that).
Toyota dealer in our area bought work versions of the Toyota van and did conversions into sort of miniature luxury vans. The 80s were rad. Many were sticks because the auto was a dog. My parents bought one. It was surprisingly fun with the 5 speed although more than a bit tippy in turns. The driver seat would get quite toasty on long road trips. Vote for the van for nostalgia.
Built-in heated seats
I see vans like that often enough, but that Impulse is pretty unique, so it gets the nod, despite it’s state and higher price.
My thinking as well. I’m close to Duncan Imports (which is torture btw) so I see things like the van all the time. Not the Impulse.
In the voice of David Leisure: I voted for the Toyota van. (Voiceover: He’s lying.)
Sadly, I don’t want either one. I’m going to keep my Internet money today.
I reluctantly voted for the Impulse. The cool factor barely, and I mean just barely, edged out the ick factor from that interior shot.
As for the red button on the Van’s steering wheel, I’m guessing it’s a jury-rigged horn button.
I used to yearn for an Isuzu Piazza Turbo back in the 90’s, then all the UK cars dissolved. So that one please.
“ But you won’t find any two-door fastback hatchback coupes with turbo engines…”
So what is a Nissan Z? And a Lotus Emira? And the Supra?
This is probably one of those American/English translation issues.
Note for Toyota: make the next 86 a hatch you monsters.
As a BRZ owner one of my biggest complaints has been the lack of a rear hatch.
They even styled it like it’s got a hatch.
It’s such a pain to get a bike in the back, but there’s actually room enough for two, if you could use it.
That’s exactly my complaint, the bike can fit if I fold down the seats and take off both wheels and remove the pedals. Seriously, the pedals are just a smidge too wide to fit through the trunk opening. If it had a hatch I could get away with just removing the front wheel and throw it back there.
I’ve already gouged my rear bumper finding out which pedals I have are too big.
They restyled the new GR86/BRZ to have a slightly smaller trunk opening. Were blander taillights worth the reduced practicality? No.
I left out “reasonably-priced.”
You’ve got me there, I can’t think of a single reasonably priced car.
Both creep me out. The van has more hope. I wonder what an engine swap would run?
You’d have a hard time making any other engine fit in that Van’s engine bay. You could drop a Chevy 637 crate motor in the back, though. That might be fun.
I was just thinking of ripping out and replacing with a remanufactured version of the original. after 300K is needs at least a new long block
I remember working on these back in the day. I think it was the same motor as in the pickup, but laid down almost completely sideways. There was a Mitsu van with the same configuration. Pretty crazy compared to the dead-simple Caravan and Voyager.
That interior shot of the Impulse gave me both the heebies and the jeebies.
And it’s $3500!
This is one where I wish there was a “neither” button.
Exactly! If you are asking $3500 for basically a 40 year old car, at least empty the garbage out of it.
Hey, they know what they gots.
Try that red button on the van’s horn.
It’s a shame, because that’s a rare, pretty special car. I wonder how many good ones are left.
Give me a 4WD Toyota Minivan or give me death.
Jan has plenty available for you.