Good morning! On today’s menu, we have two V6-powered sedans with Japanese roots that aren’t your everyday choices. In fact, one of them I haven’t seen for sale this nice in many years. I’m pretty excited to feature it, actually.
But we’ll get to that in a minute. First let’s check the results from yesterday. The Corvair – which is in fact a base model, thank you to those who clarified that – seems like the wiser choice, with less visible rust, and a stronger support network. But it’s the Buick Special that won the day. Hard to argue with a V8 and a manual, even a tiny V8 and a three-on-the-tree.
I’m inclined to agree. Corvairs are cool, but I’d rather hold out for a manual version, even if it were a four-door. And the later models with less-murderous rear suspensions seem like a good idea as well. Besides, the Buick makes me think of my grandpa, who was such a fan of the Special/Apollo/Skylark that he bought a new one every time GM changed the bodystyle. I don’t think he ever had a convertible, though.
I have a sort of unofficial list of cars I keep an eye out for, that I’d like to feature here, and today, we’re scratching one off that list. I have finally found a Sterling in decent condition for sale! Of course, the trouble with finding a car like that is that I always have to feature two cars, so I had to find something to put up against it. Let’s see… what’s a good comtemporary model that you don’t see too often? Aha – a Nissan Maxima. That’ll do nicely. Let’s check them out.
1987 Nissan Maxima GXE – $4,000
Engine/drivetrain: 3.0-liter overhead cam V6, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Roanoke, VA
Odometer reading: 84,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
During the 1980s, a huge number of cars switched from rear- to front-wheel-drive. The typical reason was for packaging: It’s easier to fit a large passenger compartment in a smaller (and therefore lighter and more efficient) car if you cram all the drivetrain components into the front. In 1985, it was the Nissan Maxima’s turn to make the switch.
The previous RWD Maxima used an inline six from the earlier Z-cars, but obviously that wasn’t going to fit transversely in a FWD application. Fortunately, Nissan had just replaced the inline engine in the Z with a new V6, which fit just fine. It’s not an easy engine bay to work in, but it is a good car to drive. This one has only 84,000 miles on it, and runs well. It is an automatic, which takes away some of the fun, but it seems like most low-mileage survivors of this sort are automatics; the manuals get “funned” to death.
It’s a lower-tier GXE model, so it makes do with analog gauges and cloth seats, but it still has plenty of power toys, and I seem to remember those seats being mighty comfy. The seller says the heat and air conditioning both work just fine, too. Unfortunately, in 1987, Nissan saw fit to install motorized seat belts in the Maxima, adding an unnecessary annoyance to an otherwise nice car.
It’s rust-free, and most of its paint is still shiny; it must have been garaged most of the time. I could do without those aftermarket rain awnings on the windows, but I imagine they come off easily enough. I have to confess it hurts a little to see “Antique Vehicle” plates on a car that was new when I was a freshman in high school, but I suppose neither this car nor I are as young as we once were.
1988 Sterling 825 SL – $5,000
Engine/drivetrain: 2.5-liter overhead cam V6, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Hampton, GA
Odometer reading: 130,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
British Leyland car sales in America fizzled out in the early 1980s. MG ceased production of the MGB and Midget in 1980, and Triumph axed the Spitfire the same year, leaving only Triumph’s TR7 and TR8 to carry the sports car flag. Rover, which had last sold cars in the US in 1971, attempted to come back in 1980 with the disastrous SD-1. You had no idea that car was ever sold here, did you? Yeah. Exactly. In 1987, they tried again, with the Honda-based Rover 800 series, badged here as the Sterling 825.
The 825 shares its basic mechanical design with the Acura Legend, including its transverse V6 engine and four-speed automatic transmission. However, this car was built in England, not Japan, by the Rover Group, which was basically the wreckage of old British Leyland. It uses Lucas electrical components, and its build quality leaves something to be desired. Needless to say, this car did not gain a sterling reputation here in America (see what I did there?). This one, however, has been carefully maintained, and runs and drives well, despite having reached British car old age at 130,000 miles.
It’s the SL model, the fancy one, with lots of leather and wood inside. The driver’s seat is a little rough, but otherwise it looks pretty good inside. The seller claims that “everything works,” a bold claim for a car like this. I want to believe it’s true. This is a nice car, when everything is working properly, much more luxurious than its Acura cousin. I really want it to be as good as they say it is.
It looks nice and clean outside. The styling isn’t much to write home about on these; it looks a lot like an Acura Legend, or an Eagle Premier, or any number of other sedans from its era, but it’s handsome with its two-tone paint and basket-weave wheels. I see a few blemishes, but nothing too serious, and this is firmly in “oh yeah? Find another one for sale” territory, so you kind of have to take it or leave it.
These were both mainstream four-door sedans in their day, but now, due to age and rarity, they’re both specialty vehicles, probably not suitable for daily use, unless you’re both brave and handy. Are they classics yet? I guess that depends on your perspective. They’re both definitely a more interesting alternative to a Camry or a Cutlass Ciera. Which one would you take home?
(Image credits: sellers)
I remember a buddies dad had a maxima se, had the your door is ajar recorded on a small record (I think it was). I was always like no its a door!
I’m passing on both. Those are crazy prices for sedans from the Regan-era.
One look at those gray cloth seats and it was all over.
Make mine Maxima, as soon as I can get it in for a detailing.
I had a friend with that generation of Maxima in the early 00’s – the car was shockingly fast even by then. It’d knock the doors off most newer cars. Naturally they ran it into a median, and so the other thing I know about the maxima is it’s basically bullet proof, because the car ran without repair and with basically no fluids for another 6 months after that.
Much like the used and abused Nissans of today that terrorize the streets on donut spares and without bumpers – fresh from the buy here pay here lots but without oil changes anytime recently!
I’ll go with the Sterling. It’ll need more tinkering along the way than the Maxima, but the rarity wins out for me. Get the front buckets reupholstered (both so they’ll match) and have a ball answering the questions you will get about this odd but stately Japanese/British car.
Right choice here. These were a great road car, and not as bad as rumored to be.
Had to go Maxima. The Sterling loses me at Lucas electronics and British build quality, even though it looks quite nice.
Sterling for me, but I have a soft spot for Rovers. Here’s what the UKDM version could do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRY3wKeHaYY
Oooh first one of these in a while that’s been a challenge!!! I chickened out and went Maxima though cause finding parts for the sterling sounds like a pain.
4DSC for me. The Sterling is not cool enough to sign up for what could be a frusturating ownership experience. If it was some fun to drive roadster or something, maybe I am getting on board.
Nissans from this era were pretty tough. My college roommate had an ’87 Stanza and he beat the living shit out of that thing and it would just keep coming back for more.
“it looks a lot like an Acura Legend, or an Eagle Premier, or any number of other sedans from its era”
We all like to complain about how modern crossover blobs all look the same, but I’m pretty sure if you took the badges off a mid-80’s camry, cressida, accord, legend, stanza, maxima etc, most people wouldn’t be able to tell you which was which. I can, because I was an obsessed young car enthusiast. But seeing these old cars now it’s pretty hard to argue they don’t all look alike.
Sterling was supposed to be Japanese workmanship and British styling, but it ended up being the reverse–the worst of both worlds. Still, I voted Sterling, because YOLO.
Reluctantly in you camp as well. I loved this gen Legend and the next gen Maxima.
I worked at at quick lube in the early 90’s when both of these were still regular cars.
The only thing memorable from the Sterling was watching new guys try to find the hood release (it was on the passenger side of car here in the US)
The Maxima however was a nightmare for the pit guy, we all hated this generation of them. They placed the oil filter on the back of the engine above the exhaust, to access it you had to have your arm laying along the pipe and the mesh of the flexible portion. Even with a kevlar glove and sleeve on it was a risky car to change the oil on when hot. I know I have a scar from one and I assume probably every other lube tech from that era did as well. We ultimately put a policy requiring 30min of cool down on these before we would even work on them, the only car we ever did that on.
I voted for the Sterling because it does not trigger the scent of burning flesh.
Also did that in the 80’s. The key to getting this Maxima’s oil filter is to go in from the TOP, push the A/C lines out of the way and grab that filter carefully. The trick is to keep your arm off of the exhaust manifold. I still have scars on the underside of my left forearm from these Maximas.
I had that job as well, and that’s exactly what I meant by “not a fun engine bay to work in.” It’s probably the worst of the transverse V6s of that era for oil filter access, though the early 90s Buick Regal with the 3800 is a close second. You need an extra elbow in the middle of your forearm to do that one properly.
Everything about the 90s Regal was a nightmare. I just loved removing the washer fluid tank to change the battery in mine. Loved.
The Maxima is a good car, way cleaner than most of this generation. BUUUUUUUT
You are never going to see another Sterling for sale in this condition. A few grand to nice this car up and it would be worth quite a bit to the right buyer. If you took it to auction, and the right people were in the room, it could fetch 10 grand just based on rarity.
That being said, if I was looking for a driver I’d choose the Maxima any day. And a real Acura Legend, in the same condition as the Sterling, would beat both of these to death.
I actually have seen Sterlings nicer than this one, but not in about a year.
In Virginia, people put antique plates on 80’s cars when they won’t pass the state safety inspection that is required with normal tags.
I wonder if that will work in my state. We have to plug in any OBD-II vehicle (1997 or newer) once every two years, and any Powertrain trouble code prevents you from renewing your plates. But we have AV plates for vehicles over 25 years, which is now a 1999. I know there are annual mileage limits for AV plates, though.
I’ve always wondered who would check and how would anyone document that. You’re probably fine.
And I say that as someone who doesn’t even HAVE antique plates on any of the vehicles I have that would qualify for them.
Knowing my state, they’d require an annual odometer affidavit submission- especially in the parts of the state where the OBD-II tests are required (the populated parts). I know they have busted people who live inside the test zone for fraudulently registering a car at the address of a friend or relative who lives outside the zone, to avoid having to test.
I owned a seatbelt strangler Maxima and it was a fantastic car. That 3 liter V6 is bulletproof and those velour seats are indeed quite comfy. The Sterling is a nightmare wrapped in wood and pretty blue paint. Gimme some Big Maxima Energy.
No car “feature” worse than motorized shoulder belts.
Stirling FTW. (Sterling actually has a dropdown on Rockauto and a surprising amount of available parts, probably due to the Honda connection).
I regard electricity as one step removed from magic, but Lucas electrics are DEFINITELY dark magic.
Gimme the Maxima. I’ll stay in the light.
OK, when you say the electricals were done by Lucas, I’m just going to pretend you mean George Lucas’ special effects company Industrial Light and Magic because that would mean light saber headlights, light speed capability, and an R2D2 navigation system. So cool.
I mean, there will be pops, sparks and bangs, possibly even explosions. So if that’s the light show you had in mind, then you might not be far off
I’ve owned an 80s Datsun before and I’ve owned an English car before. I’ll take the Maxima.
That Maxima is giving me the feels. Our family had an 87 NIssan Stanza in this same color and a RED interior. I see a lot of that cars design in the more lux Maxima.
No way I’m picking the Nissan when that certified weirdo is right there. This isn’t a daily. Who cares about reliability on a 36 year old weirdo?
Good lord, even the Maxima had La-z-boy seats in the 80’s! Do they rock and swivel too?
I’ll take the Sterling because I’m a masochist, and because you’ll have more interesting conversations after saying, “I have a Sterling 825 at home in the garage” than you will after saying, “I have a Maxima”.
I suspect the typical response would be: “a what?”
And after hearing it’s a boxy 80’s British-built car, you’d likely get either a sympathetic: “I’m sorry to hear” else a justifiable “but why would you do that to yourself?”
Hahaha yes, but more interesting nonetheless.
The Maxima may well be the most boring car in the known universe, but I still break out in hives on those rare occasions when I see a Sterling.
I have experience with Sterlings. Specifically, electrical experiences. As in, the sunroof, windows, door locks and perhaps other “luxury” features I fortunately wasn’t using failed totally just before a hefty cloudburst.
That can dampen your good will in a hurry.
You’d have thought that Lucas Electric, coming from a country known for damp/rain/drizzle, would handle it better.
Having owned a 1960 roadster from that rainy, drizzly isle I can assure you its not just the electrics.
That’s what’s great about British vehicles: so many stereotypes are true that any failure can be lived up to. Striking build quality, complete lack of engine cooling, over (and under) engineered devices that fail in spectacular ways you’d never see on any other brand, and/or the lack of being able to retain fluids inside the engine.
Many years ago my buddy had a Stirling of this vintage – but it had a manual transmission which was really cool. The drivetrain was of course solid, but around it was what seemed like a car made of wood and leather and not much else. He was a mechanic, so of course it always had something wrong with it, but generally was reliable. It was pretty quick too.
These Maxima’s are among my favorites – I love the squareness of… literally everything. These are solid cars, and for what you’re getting here, I think that’s a good deal. I bet $3,500 would take it.