Good morning! I figured since I’ve been showing you scary stuff this week, I’d give you a break today and show you a couple cool little vehicles you might actually want to own. And while they’re both outside our normal price range by a bit, neither one feels absurdly overpriced.
Yesterday, I made you choose between two scary backyards to visit on Halloween, to check out some equally scary pieces of junk. Most of you noped-out, given the opportunity. Chickens. I’m disregarding the “Nope” answers, which means the Grand Am wins in a landslide.
That is, of course, the only rational answer, given these two heaps. It has a title, it’s all there, and anything it may need is available off-the-shelf at any chain auto-parts store. A skilled hand with a wrench could have that thing back on the road in no time. Would anyone bother? Well, that wasn’t the question, was it?
All right, time for something a little more friendly. I try to spread my searches out as much as I can, but when I want to find something cool and mostly rust-free, there is only one place to look: southern California. A quick search turned up these two rare gems. Let’s check them out.
1972 Honda N600 – $6,000
Engine/drivetrain: 598cc overhead cam inline twin, four-speed manual, FWD
Location: Gardena, CA
Odometer reading: 72,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives, but that’s all the info we have
Before the the Civic, there was this adorable little thing, Honda’s first official car imported to the US: the N600. In Japan, this car was the N360, with a smaller engine to meet Japan’s then-current Kei car rules, but it was otherwise the same. So if you’ve ever wondered whether Kei cars have been officially imported to the US, the answer is yes. More or less.
The “600” in the name refers to the engine size. It’s an air-cooled two-cylinder unit with a four-speed gearbox integrated into the sump, similar in layout to the Austin Mini. It’s a screamer of an engine, all aluminum in construction, with roller bearings for the crankshaft and connecting rods in place of the typical plain bearings found in most engines. As a result, this little twin-cylinder wonder can spin at up to 9,000 RPM and puts out peak power at 7,000. We can only guess at the exact mechanical condition of this one; all we get is “Runs and drives.” It’s something, I guess.
It’s in good condition inside, and it looks like the seats have been reupholstered. I’ve seen one of these in person, but I’ve never driven or ridden in one, so I have no idea how that bizarre gearshift works. Is it a push-pull-twist deal, like a 2CV? Or is it just a conventional H-pattern, with a weird lever? If someone knows, please explain it in the comments. Also, if anyone has any idea why someone would think that horrible aftermarket steering wheel was a good idea, I’m all ears.
It’s got crappy window tint and a little bit of rust, and its goldenrod paint is pretty dull, but overall, it’s not bad. It’s a fifty-two-year-old economy car, after all. I bet it would shine up nicely, and be a real hit at car shows just as it is. Make sure those shows are close by, though; it will do 75 on the freeway, but I think you’d have to be a little bit crazy to do so.
1979 Chevrolet LUV 4×4 – $6,900
Engine/drivetrain: 1.8-liter overhead cam inline 4, four-speed manual, part-time 4WD
Location: Chino, CA
Odometer reading: 117,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives, but needs some tuning
The small truck market in the US in the 1970s consisted entirely of captive imports. Ford tapped Mazda for the Courier, Chrysler got its Dodge D50 and Plymouth Arrow trucks from Mitsubishi, and Chevy imported the Isuzu Faster pickup as the Light Utility Vehicle, or LUV. And in 1979, the LUV pulled off a coup in the market by being the first to offer four-wheel-drive in a compact pickup, beating Toyota to the punch by about six months, a fact it announced through one of the best stripe packages ever seen on any vehicle.
The LUV only came with one engine, an Isuzu-made 1.8 liter four-cylinder, in this case backed by a four-speed manual transmission and a high/low transfer case to provide part-time 4WD. It’s not a ton of power, but it was the ’70s; nobody was in a hurry. This one runs and drives, but the seller says it needs a tune-up or maybe some carb work; they don’t specify exactly what’s wrong with how it runs, but something is up. This truck also has factory air conditioning, which works, but doesn’t get cold, so some new seals and a recharge are in order.
It’s in nice shape inside, all original except for some aftermarket gauge or other (probably oil pressure, if I had to guess). The dash top has a big crack in it, but I defy you to find a LUV dashboard anywhere outside of a museum that doesn’t. It’s funny how primitive and simple older trucks like this look when you compare them to modern trucks; you forget all the stuff we used to happily do without.
Outside, it’s, well, just look at it! It has those amazing stripes, white steel wheels with white-letter tires, a roll bar in the bed with lights on top – everything you could possibly ask for. It’s even got rope hooks on the side of the bed, like any good small truck should.
So there you have it, your Friday choices for this week. They’re maybe not all that cheap, but they sure are cheerful, and either one would make a great conversation piece without taking up too much room in the garage. So what’ll it be – the rev-happy little Honda, or the Tonka toy you can actually drive?
(Image credits: sellers)
I had a chance to drive an Honda N600 back when it was about a year or two old, same color as this one. It was pretty slow but the little engine loved to rev making it kind of fun blasting through the gears. I doubt it could hit freeway speeds and in an accident it would fold up like a postit note. Still, I’d take it over the Chevy provided it wasn’t rusty.
LUV, without a doubt. Some fixes here and there, and you can use it for proper hauling of things…
It’s hard to ignore the truck,it has about the same interior space anyway and you get the bed as a bonus. I love the Honda as well though,it looks like it needs a new owner fast.
Honda for me… I want that 9000rpm motor.
Can’t turn down those stripes with those wheels.
Rather than a car with a motorcycle engine I’d prefer the truck that can haul a motorcycle.
When I was looking for my first car to buy, I really wanted a Honda N600, and was looking around to find none available. This was in ’76 or so. Next choice was a VW squareback, but again, none to be found, so I settled on a ’71 Fiat 128. Of course I had to vote for the Honda.
Today we needed a both button
As a fan of classic Japanese vehicles, I would definitely hit BOTH today.
(Some days need a NEITHER button…)
Wow the original MSRP for a 1972 Honda N600 was $1,415.
That’s about $11,000 today, apparently. NGL, I would totally buy a brand new one for that.
I want that Luv. But just checked and the posting is gone.
Both? Both!
This is the only correct answer.
Takin’ the LUV and reliving my early 20’s mini-pickup days.
I voted for the LUV. It’s pristine enough you don’t feel embarrassed to be seen in it, but beat up enough that you don’t feel bad using it as intended.
Boy, this is a really tough one. I’ve owned examples of each of these and they were wonderful. It’s really a tie, but since I prefer a Z600 over the N and I have a particular fetish for tape stripes, I voted for the Light Utility Vehicle.
This choice could’ve gone either way for me, depending on the day. They’re both pretty good! Though the 4×4 nearly swayed me on the Isuzu, er, Chevy, I think I’d get a different vehicle for that. The Honda looks kinda fun.
I cannot see “sweet treats” and not think of Auntie Fee’s sweet treats:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VXQltHSkyY
That LUV would fit a lot of a little somethin’ sweet for the kids!
Oh the madness!
It must be LUV, LUV, LUV!
Nothing more, nothing less,
LUV is the best!
The N600 by a mile. I used to own one and it is a standard H pattern for 1-4 but for Reverse you have to “roll” it in on an arc rather than over and down it was definitely a learned skill. So even though many people could drive manual transmissions back then you could theft proof it by parking it where it had to be backed out.
I’m feeling like both are crack pipes? They’re in good shape but…they’re both around 50 year old econoboxes. It’s like if someone was looking at a Versa and Maverick in 50 years. That said I guess the LUV, but not for $6900 dang.
Can I have both today? Neither one would be a driver, but both would make great weekend oddities that would draw plenty of attention despite being unable to break the speed limit.
Looks like the LUV is already sold. 🙁
Why is the Honda wearing two different plates?
Good catch, maybe the front one is some kind of vanity plate, although I don’t think that’s legal in CA. The ’72 on the end seems like more than a coincidence.
The front plate is the normal sequential series from ~2008. Can’t see the first digit of the rear plate to date it, but the DMV URL was added to plates in 2011.
It’s an 8.
https://images.craigslist.org/00t0t_63K2yijJdtI_0CI0t2_600x450.jpg
Thanks. The 8 series was ~2020.
In California plates normally stay with the car forever. Exceptions are vanity plates, if the car gets totalled and salvaged, moves out of state, etc.
Odd that this one ended up with two plates.