Good morning! Today we’re keeping it simple, and looking at a couple of nice old runabouts from thirty or so years ago. They’re nothing special, but I found them both charming, and I hope you do too.
Yesterday, I showed you a really nice example of the fundamentally flawed Mazda RX-8, and an opportunity to push the “Easy” button and vote for a somewhat tired Lexus instead. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, with this crowd, that the majority of you chose the hard way. The RX-8 won handily.
![Vidframe Min Top](https://images-stag.jazelc.com/uploads/theautopian-m2en/vidframe_min_top1.png)
![Vidframe Min Bottom](https://images-stag.jazelc.com/uploads/theautopian-m2en/vidframe_min_bottom1.png)
I have to agree. That Lexus is a perfectly fine car, I’m sure, but I’m not going to give someone five grand for something like that. Three hundred bucks to rent for the week, sure. But seeing it in my garage every day would be depressing, I think. I’d prefer a second-generation RX-7 to that RX-8, but I wouldn’t say no to it.
Today’s choices are probably not going to seem very inspiring either, but they were both pretty good little economy cars in their day, and they’re a lot more honest-feeling than the few remaining small cars around today. These things aren’t putting on airs; they’re just here to do a job, which is to serve you faithfully, and get you from point A to point B with as little difficulty as possible. They’re the Sam Gamgees of the car world, and we need more of them these days. Let’s take a look.
1988 Toyota Corolla FX – $2,800
Engine/drivetrain: 1.6-liter overhead cam inline 4, three-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Oklahoma City, OK
Odometer reading: 197,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
I confess I have been a little hard on the Toyota Corolla in this column in the past. I’ve called them boring, and uninspiring, and I think I even compared them to an Applebee’s restaurant at one point. I’m not going to apologize, but I will admit that they are excellent at what they do. And there is one model of Corolla, available only in the late 1980s, that I have had a bit of a car-crush on all along: the FX hatchback.
And I don’t necessarily mean the “cool” version, the FX-16 GTS, with the twin-cam 4A-GE engine. The standard FX hatchback came with this humble carbureted 4A-C engine, which is only good for seventy-something horsepower, but it’s basically indestructible. For some reason, a whole lot of Corolla FXs ended up with automatic transmissions, including this one. And if I’m reading the gear indicator right, it’s a simple three-speed affair. The seller says it runs and drives great, even though it’s closing in on 200,000 miles, and I’m sure it will take you anywhere you want to go. It’ll just take a while to get there.
It looks good inside, though I get the idea that those seats aren’t original. The rest of the interior doesn’t look blue. But I’d rather have mismatched nice seats than original ripped-up ones. The only other place where this car shows its age inside is on the driver’s side door panel; it’s worn clean through on the top. Somebody spent a lot of miles with the window down and their arm on the windowsill. I’m not surprised; as far as I can tell, it doesn’t have air conditioning.
I don’t know exactly why I’m so drawn to this particular body style of Corolla. It just works, for whatever reason, and I especially like the two-tone versions like this. It looks nice and clean, and in fact the seller says that rust “isn’t a problem.” I assume that means there isn’t any, not that it has rust but they don’t consider it problematic.
1994 Ford Escort LX Wagon – $3,200
Engine/drivetrain: 1.9-liter overhead cam inline 4, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Valparaiso, IN
Odometer reading: 101,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
The second generation of the US-model Ford Escort is one of those cars that was so ubiquitous that not many people really had an opinion about it. It just existed, and did its job. Maybe you had one – I did – or knew someone who had one, but if not, it was just sort of an NPC vehicle at the time, part of the scenery. But the thing is, to be that anonymous, something has to be really competent. If it didn’t work well, it would have stood out a lot more.
The Escort was available in four different body styles: two- and four-door hatchbacks, a four-door sedan, and arguably the best one, this four-door wagon. And I say that as someone who chose a four-door hatch. The wagon is just so damn useful, and even better, it’s well-proportioned and good-looking. This one is painted in the same “Electric Smurf” color as my Escort, and I still really like the color. It’s an LX, meaning that it has the basic 1.9 liter Ford CVH instead of the rowdy 1.8 liter Mazda BP engine that the Escort GT had. It’s also an automatic, which is a minor disappointment, but so was mine, and it was fine. This one runs well, and has just had its water pump and timing belt changed, so it’s good to go for a good long while.
All Escorts of this era had motorized seat belts; you just had to put up with them. This looks like one of the “belt and suspenders” cars that also came with a driver’s side airbag. It’s in nice shape inside, with only a few signs of wear. It’s a comfy car, too; I put a lot of miles on mine on road trips and it treated me well.
The wheels and tires are new, and obviously not stock, but I think they suit it well. The wider tires might cut into the Escort’s excellent fuel economy a little bit, but who cares? They look great. It’s an Indiana car, so you’d be wise to check underneath for rust, especially since the seller saw fit to take the photos from somewhere across the street, apparently.
Yes, they both have two-digit horsepower figures and automatic transmissions. No, they’re not going to win any drag races. But what are you in such a hurry for, anyway? Nobody needs to get to 60 MPH in five seconds, or eight, or even ten. Just take your time, enjoy the scenery, leave the rat race to others. Which is the one for you?
(Image credits: sellers)
My dad drove a 1994 Escort from new until 2014, putting 240,000 miles on the thing. I hated being picked up from school in it.
I’m a Toyota guy but I’d actually take the Escort. That thing looks quite clean, and are pretty durable. Continue taking care of it and you’ve got yourself a future classic car that you won’t be afraid to drive.
The wheels and tires… Gotta go, the low profile just doesn’t suit this example.
I had one of the 2nd gen Escorts, and it was a great little car. Good on gas and cheap to maintain, never left me stranded. As much as I really like the Corolla, I gotta go with the wagon.
Applebees??? APPLEBEES??????
Terrible analogy. The correct analogy is Dennys.
Like a Corolla, Dennys will never thrill you (although a stick shift Corolla isn’t bad at all, honestly), but it is solid substance. Want a meal at 3 AM in flyover territory? Dennys. Want a car that won’t strand you? Corolla. Neither is that memorable, but you won’t get sick.
Applebee’s? All style and little substance. Always oversalted as a substitute for flavor – just like a fake spoiler. Fine if you need a meal in suburbia at 8 PM, but you’re on your own out of town. Applebee’s is fake luxury like Chrysler 200. It’s the same cheap corporate crap as a Dart / Coco’s but with an upscale veneer.
Related true story: towing my trailer back from Death Valley in 2016, a big storm shut the roads down and hundreds of us were stuck in Mojave. Dennys not only provided food and WiFi all night, they let people who couldn’t get a hotel room after everything filled up sleep in the booths. If that isn’t Corolla, I don’t know what is. Try getting that at Applebee’s.
[Unrelated, voted Ford over Toyota in this case mostly on condition. Either is intriguing. ]
I’ll take the FX since it’s not a Fix Or Repair Daily Escort…the only escort I want is a hot sexy one
I had one of those Escorts (in red). It was far more fun to drive than expected and surprisingly cavernous. Unfortunately it was no match for the box truck that ran into it. Today, for the sake of nostalgia and revenge I vote for the Escort!
Escort for me, assuming that it’s not rotten underneath. I always liked that era of Escorts, especially the wagons and the GT. I’m guessing that finding a motor and gearbox from a GT of the same era would be difficult, but it would be fun to swap that drivetrain into this wagon. I’d probably try to find some factory GT wheels, but I actually don’t hate the ones that are on it now.
Finding an Escort GT engine is quite easy, since it’s the same 1.8l that you can find in a Miata and other Mazdas from the era. The transmission may be a bit more difficult though, though not impossible.
I lived with this spec FX after totaling my Mk1 Jetta, would not recommend, plus the Escort looks like a mini BMW Touring.
Both are awful. At least the Escort is an actual color, though. And you can put it on Turo in case anyone wants to hire your escort.
If you race these two against each other one will win the drag race. I like both but the strange little FX gets the win.
Corolla for me as it doesn’t have those stupid mouse-motor seatbelts nor does it have stupid wheels with stretched on tires.
And I owned an Escort just like that one. And I can say the engine in the Corolla will be far more pleasant to live with.
The Corolla wins by default. In fact, it’s already sold.
I so wanted an FX-16 as my first car. But I cannot vote for an ordinary FX with a 3-speed autotragic transmission.
That is a REALLY nice shade of blue on the ‘Scort. Either way it wins because it’s a wagon, but that color is *chef’s kiss*.
F/X even tho it needs an Rx for the trans.
I just checked in / T’ see whut condition / My transmission was in
I love the old Corolla’s, but you put it up against a wagon!!! WHHHYYYYY?
“It’s an LX, meaning that it has the basic 1.9 liter Ford CVH instead of the rowdy 1.8 liter Mazda BP engine that the Escort GT had”
All Escort wagons of this generation had the 1.9L CVH. The 1.8L was only available in the Escort GT, Escort LX-E (4-door sedan) and the Mercury Tracer LTS (sedan). Would have made for a fun little wagon if Ford/Mercury had offered the 1.8L (and the GT suspension bits) on the wagon.
I’ll take the 30 year old Escort with the junk in the trunk plz.
Wagon always wins.
The first photo of the Corolla shows something terrifying – look at that massive Chevy truck grille compared to the place where your head would be in the Corolla. Yikes, one bro dog running a red light in the truck and your head would pop like a zit.