Good morning! Today’s cars both have one thing in common: they’re both hatchbacks, but they don’t look like it at first glance. They’re like one of those hidden doorways behind a bookcase, only not as cool as that. I mean, come on, nothing is as cool as that.
Yesterday we looked at a couple of seriously cheap project cars, and I had a feeling that little yellow Saab was going to steal a lot of hearts. And I was right: it’s another victory for the Swedes. The Spitfire had a lot of fans, especially since it was the one of the two that ran, but it sounds like the race setup turned a lot of you off.
Besides, who could say no to that Saab? It’s adorable, cheap, and viable, and I think a lot of us would snap it up in a heartbeat if it weren’t in the middle of nowhere. (Sorry, residents of Temecula, but it’s the truth.) It’s nice to see that there are still some good cheap projects like that floating around, as crazy as classic car prices are these days.
Now then: My biggest beef with modern sedan designs, apart from the fact that they’re all being scrapped in favor of crossovers, is that they have those dinky little mail-slot-sized trunk openings. They all look like they should be hatchbacks, but very few of them are. Dodge has it right with the new Charger, but it seems to be alone. That’s why I appreciate these two designs from days of yore, that don’t look like hatchbacks, and yet, they are. Let’s check them out.
1975 Chevrolet Nova – $2,000
Engine/drivetrain: 350 cubic inch overhead valve V8, three-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Tenino, WA
Odometer reading: unknown
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Some of you may be too young to remember it, but there was a time when cheap Chevy Novas were everywhere. I knew half a dozen people in high school and college who had Novas (or Oldsmobile Omegas, or Buick Skylarks, or Pontiac Venturas), and I had one myself – a blue 1978 two-door that I paid $300 for. I found a nice four-door Omega for a friend of mine for $350 with not a speck of rust on it. That’s why it’s strange to see them creeping up in price these days. Two grand still isn’t much for a classic V8 coupe, but it sure feels like a lot for a freaking Nova.
It’s got the goods at least; under the hood is a good old 350, topped with a four-barrel carb on an aluminum intake, and backed by a TH350 automatic. Like a good cheeseburger or an AC/DC song, it’s a classic for a reason. It runs and drives well, but the seller says it “could use an exhaust.” I’m guessing that means it sounds pretty good, just a little antisocial. Easy enough to take care of.
Malaise-era American car interiors are almost universally terrible quality, and the fact that this one is only a little ripped up is a minor miracle. Mostly it just looks like it could benefit from a good thorough cleaning. You could have the front seat redone and leave the rest alone, if you wanted, or even just toss a wool blanket over it and call it good.
It’s quite a bit rougher outside, with some rust spots, bad paint, and a truly terrible vinyl top. It’s a good color, at least, and all the trim seems to be intact. As long as the rust is just on the surface, you could probably remove the vinyl and repaint it, but I wouldn’t put too much work into it. It’s just an old Nova, after all.
1989 Plymouth Sundance – $1,700
Engine/drivetrain: 2.2-liter overhead cam inline 4, three-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Vancouver, WA
Odometer reading: 73,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives, but needs a head gasket
The Plymouth Sundance and Dodge Shadow were yet more variations on Chrysler’s K-car theme, meant as a replacement for the long-running Omni and Horizon hatchbacks. They were hatchbacks that looked like sedans, like the earlier and larger Dodge Lancer and Chrysler LeBaron GTS models, and I know from experience that you can fit a surprising amount of stuff back there. I once carried a full-size futon and frame in the back of a Sundance – with the hatch open, admittedly.
Like all small K variants, the Sundance is powered by an overhead-cam inline four, displacing either 2.2 or 2.5 liters. The seller doesn’t say which one this is, but the 2.2 was more common, so I’m guessing that’s what this one is. It drives the front wheels through Chrysler’s archaic but trusty Torqueflite automatic. The 2.2 has a bit of a reputation for popping head gaskets, and it sounds like this one may have suffered that fate. It runs and drives, but I wouldn’t drive it too far until you figure out what’s going on.
It only has 73,000 miles on the clock, and it looks like it has been well taken care of. The interior photos in the ad look like brochure photos, except for the classic ’80s droopy headliner. The Sundance was never a fancy car, but it’s reasonably comfortable, more so than a lot of cars in its price range, actually.
Outside, it’s nice and clean as well, save for one missing hubcap. If you wanted to have some fun, the boring taupe color and chrome trim could actually work to your advantage: ditch the 2.2 and automatic, find a 2.5 turbo and a five-speed, and build a fun little sleeper.
All right, I’ll admit it: the only really interesting thing about either of these is the hatchback. But I’ve had enough positive experiences with both of these that I’m drawn to them. One needs a little mechanical help, and the other is pretty scruffy-looking. Either way, you’ll have to put in a little work. Which one is for you?
Get the nova, cut the fenders for GMT400 Bolt on Pocket Flare specials from JC Whitney and some slightly chunkier A/T Tires. Then try and find an OEM Hutch Hatchback. Maybe stick on some off road lighting and bullbars. Turn it into to a Wasteland Weekend BLM/Firetrail boondocker.
Nova front can be swapped to an earlier more attractive version and the drivetrain is already adequate and easy to modify if need be. biggest issue is body work. Vinyl top is bad, painting is also not cheap these days, but I would still go for the Green Goblin here.
This was easy, I’ll take the Nova…the Sundance is one of the worst cars ever made, like the Plymouth Reliant. At least the Nova has a real engine- a V8! It’s a NOVA, even though it’s malaise era. I’d fix it up good and manual swap it
I’m team Nova, these share a platform with the Camaro, so plenty of upgrade options. The Sundance is yet another K car and broken. Also my son has been having fun working on his friend’s 76 Nova
I’ve owned both. They’re not similar in any way.
My Sundance was just like this, but teal. It was about as fun a visit to the planning and zoning office for an appeal hearing, no matter how hard you drove it. It was a decent A to B commuter, but I’d never trust one for delivery or courier work.
My Nova was a red hatchback, I6 manual. That was an awesome shitbox, and stupid fun to drive. And with the V8, they’re even more fun.
Who do you want to hang out with on a Saturday night? The kid studying to be an insurance adjuster, or the redneck smoking weed and chuggin’ Bud Light from a beer bong?
Nova, as it will be easier to get going after the EMP blast.
Wait, are we not still doing the apocalypse thing?
The Nova remind me of my first car, a 75 Malibu in the same colors. Had to vote for it!
Look can I have a 89 topaz awd if I need a 3spd auto shitbox? AWD fixes the suspension and has the high output engine. Also it’s funny to do a rwd burnout in fwd because of a tight lsd.
Our family from the late 80s through early 2000s had a 77 Nova, followed by a 78 Nova, followed by a 78 Omega as beater/winter cars. Took my driving test in the Omega in 1993. And my parents still have my mom’s 71 Nova she bought new.
For nostalgia alone, I gotta go Nova.
Neither is a great option but I’ll take the one that’s only $300 more and doesn’t need *checks notes* a major engine repair.
I know I’m gonna be in the minority here, but I’ll take the sundance and make the head gasket one of those projects that I could probably handle. Why would I choose the one with a problem over the other one that ostensibly runs/drives? Because I really, really don’t like the Nova (or any derivative). Maybe it was the time I grew up in, but I never had any affection for the thing. I worked on plenty of them as well…they weren’t hard or anything, just crappy cars (see also: Valiant, Fairmont). Last, thing – more than a few of them turned into the “driving diagonally but in a straight line” Novas. This was a thing.
Ah, yes, the infamous Nova dog tracking…
Yeah, the hatchbacks were especially prone to dogleggin’ it down the interstate.
But the Sundance is so anonymously boring, I can’t imagine choosing it unless you really NEED transportation, but only after next week, because you’re spending THIS week fixing it, and praying that the head isn’t cracked.
Friend of mine in HS had a ’75 Nova Rally with a somewhat built 350. Door would fly open in turns sometimes or, alternately, lock you in unless you gave it an upward shoulder check as you pushed it open. It was bought as a parts car from a guy who bought it as a parts car. It was better than a K car and even a ’16 KIA Rio I once had the misfortune to rent. While definitely not something I’m looking for, it’s a RWD 2-door V8 and not a K car (especially one with a bad HG).
Wow. This is wild. In 1992, I was getting my first car road worthy (a 1975 Nova Rally that looked exactly the one in the link below, only the interior and stripes were red….like fire engine red), my mom had a 1991 Plymouth Sundance, the only ‘new off the lot’ car she ever owned. It was red with black bumpers and a grey interior. (see the OTHER link below). So as you can imagine, this pairing is giving me high school flashbacks.
I could never get the Nova to run quite right for very long. It sometimes wouldn’t start unless I adjusted the carb. Or would stall out randomly after weeks of running well. It couldn’t do long climbing drives, like the one on I-80 from the Delaware River Water Gap to the I-380 junction in PA, which is 20-ish miles, without the temp gauge making me VERY nervous. But on good days, it was a cool car…not very fuel efficient, but…it had lots of room for things and people…. 😉
If I was running lot of errands or doing day to day things, I would drive my mom around in the Sundance, as she knew I needed to get hours in. It was fine. Reliable. Very fuel efficient. Cheap and cheerful, and anonymous. Didn’t have a cassette or CD player though.
In short, with different colors, this matchup would be my parents house 33 years ago. So, thanks for the nostalgia trip.
I’d pick the Nova because my heart overrules my head.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chevrolet_Nova_Rally_Coupe_%28Centropolis_Laval_%2710%29.jpg
https://i0.wp.com/www.curbsideclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Sundance-America.jpg
1700$ for a beige K-Car with a blown head gasket seems a little steep, doesn’t it? You might be able to sway me with the incredible condition of the interior, if it weren’t for the miserable shape of the headliner.
I’ll take the Nova I guess.
Open fan on the Nova – 10 man points for danger.
The Nova will just work. If it doesn’t you can fix it with duct tape, a rock, and some harsh words. Give it a comet wash and cruise it everywhere.
Hard pass on both of those turds. Blech.
I’d rather spend $2000 on bus passes and Ubers than be punished be either of these.
We’ll take the Nova and throw a Camaro parts catalog at it, starting with buckets and Z-28 wheels.
This guy rednecks.
I dabble.
My Nova was actually named “Redneck”. It was not the sort of car I ever considered, and I never expected to own one, but it fell into my lap when I really needed a car. I miss that thing.
I don’t miss peeling the Confederate flag and all the parts company stickers off the fenders the day I bought it. Funny how many more performance parts stickers were on that I6 Nova when I got it than there were actual performance parts. Total redneck thing to do, I guess.
I’ll Sundance. Throwing a Turbo II and 5 speed into that car would indeed make it a hilarious sleeper.
Or, fix the popped head gasket and bracket race this bucket. Slow plus auto means consistency. People will be so mad they lost to an automatic Sundance!
I’m thinking sleeper too, but with the Nova. Basically, imagine Farm-truck but in a ratty green hatchback.
The possibilities are limited only by your budget and time on this thing.
At a third of the price, the Sundance might be appealing, but the Nova gets my vote. Yesterday’s joke is today’s classic, and this specimen isn’t too bad.
I was going to go with the Sundance until I saw the automatic and the blown head gasket. Between those two things, they seller needs to move the decimal point over a couple places to the left.
Nova.
Even the “dancing” Sundance logo won’t save this one. Gimme the SBC with the intake, 4bbl, and what I think look like headers??? Nova wins this, but I do wish there was a better pic with the goofy hatchback open.
Hmmm, lethargic, smog-choked V8 driving the rear wheels or a lethargic, smog-choked I4 driving the front wheels. Both through 3 speed slushies.
The not-so-super Nova checks more boxes and the tried and true SBC can be kept running until the world runs out of gas. This actually would have been a pretty decent contender for last week’s apocalypse.
Just throw a Jegs catalog at it and it will make a perfectly cromulent cruiser.
I had a ’73 Pontiac Ventura hatchback, that car was extremely utilitarian and got a lot of free beer.
“Hey Bro, i need to get some mulch from the garden store and i just vacuumed the RX7”
“A case of Heineken and fill the tank before you bring it back.”
“Hey dude, I need to haul an old mattress to the dump”
“Large sausage stromboli and a six of Yuengling lager oughta do it.”
“My brother’s GF kicked him out and he needs to move his shit….”
“Say no more. Hey, he’s got a Kegerator, right?”
Might need some novacaine for whatever Nova pain you run into cleaning up the Chevy, but the end result will be more rewarding than the Sundance on its best day.