Good morning! We’re back after our Labor Day break with two new crappy old cars for your consideration. They both have V6 engines, but with wildly different angles between cylinder banks.
First we should look at the results from Friday’s roundup. But do we even need to? The CRX won. Of course it did. No boring sedan or minivan or rusty old luxury coupe is going to beat a bright red CRX.
Except – I must be feeling my age today, because among this group, the most appealing one to me is actually the van. Comfy seats, a nice high driving position up above the glare of most headlights, good strong American air conditioning; yeah, sounds nice. I already have one little sports car I rarely drive because it’s so damn uncomfortable. I don’t know what I’d do with another.
All right. I should come up with some clever way to introduce these cars, find some connection between them, maybe discuss the early ’90s as the era of the optional V6. But it’s ten o’clock on Monday night as I’m writing this, and I’ve spent all day at the Maryland Renaissance Festival (and driving there and back), and I’m beat. So just pretend I came up with something really witty, and I’ll be extra-clever tomorrow to make up for it. Here are the cars.
1990 Eagle Premier ES – $2,600
Engine/drivetrain: 3.0-liter overhead cam V6, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Connersville, IN
Odometer reading: 193,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Acquiring step-siblings, especially when you’re an adult, is always a little awkward. When Chrysler bought AMC in 1987, it inherited AMC’s next big thing: the Premier sedan, based on the Renault 25. But Chrysler already had a large FWD sedan platform. How did Chrysler solve this? By creating a new nameplate – Eagle – and selling the Premier and its smaller sibling the Medallion alongside Jeeps and rebadged Mitsubishis.
I had to laugh when I saw this seller refer to the Premier’s PRV engine as “the DeLorean V6.” Doc Brown’s time machine may be the most famous use of the French-designed 90-degree V6, but it’s hardly the DeLorean’s most famous attribute. Nor, if I’m honest, was the DeLorean the coolest car to use a PRV V6 (that would be the Venturi 300 Atlantique) or even the second-coolest (the Alpine A310). But hey, if it helps sell the car, more power to them. It runs well, the seller says, but doesn’t get driven often enough. It needs exercise.
The Premier’s interior, designed by veteran AMC designer Dick Teague, was probably its best attribute. The seats are comfy, and it has a very cool dashboard layout with two pods for controls sticking out of the steering column. This one is a little threadbare, but when you consider the mileage, it’s pretty good. The seller says the air conditioning is out of commission, but otherwise it’s good to go.
Outside, the paint is a bit faded, and I see some rust on the rocker panel, but again, it’s not bad for the mileage. It’s no show car, but it’s rare enough that it will get positive attention from car nerds, and discreet enough that everyone else will leave it alone. That’s not a bad place to be.
1993 Volkswagen Passat GLX – $3,200
Engine/drivetrain: 2.8-liter overhead cam V6, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Fredericksburg, VA
Odometer reading: 155,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Volkswagen used different names for a lot of its cars in the US than it did in Europe. The Golf there was the Rabbit here until its second generation, and the first and second generations of the Passat were sold in the US as the Dasher and the Quantum, respectively. It wasn’t until this third generation than the Passat name appeared in the US.
The third-generation Passat also broke from tradition by turning its engine sideways, mounted transversely, like the Golf. It also marked the debut of Volkswagen’s somewhat infamous VR6 engine, a narrow-angle V6 with only 15 degrees of separation between cylinder banks, and only one cylinder head for both banks. It’s a weird design, but it allows for six cylinders in a very comapct space. The timing chain on the VR6 is a common trouble spot, but this one has already been replaced, according to the seller, as has the clutch.
This model was built before VW went all upscale with its interiors, though it’s a GLX model, so it does have leather seats. But it has the good old white-on-black instrument panel, the nice straightforward controls, and an earnestness that later VWs lack. It also, sadly, has motorized seatbelts, but that’s a product of the times. It’s all in pretty decent shape, though not perfect.
It has some clearcoat flaking off and some bleached plastic outside, and I think I see a good-sized dent just above the left rear wheel, but what do you want from a $3,000 car? It’s a wagon, too, for added practicality.
So there they are, your Tuesday morning contestants: two uncommon cars with storied V6 engines. Neither one is a paragon of reliability, but they both run just fine right now. So what will it be: the French-American orphaned luxury sedan, or a good honest German sports wagon?
(Image credits: Facebook Marketplace sellers)
i love 80s dashboards and clusters
All other things being Craptastic, I’ll take a stick with the chain already replaced.
How does a manual station wagon – especially a loaded VR6 Passat GLX in the 90s’ best color combo – lose this badly to a Chrysler rebadge?
What ARE you people – on DOPE?
It appears to have been rectified now. Yes,a manual vr6 engine wagon better win.
Passat. I drove an 03 outback with a four speed auto trans. It was an in between car. The car was just begging for a stick. It would have made the it so much more exciting to drive. So I chose the wagon even with those seat belts. Also the manual is a great deterrent against theft.
The front seats in both of these cars look like a high school science experiment gone wrong. Truly gnarly. Where are the little green trees hanging everywhere inside when they’re truly needed?
I’ll take the Passat since it’s a wagon/stick and a little bit better car despite VW reliability. I still like the Eagle though and want to give a nod to the car w/ the name previously: AMC Eagle!
My in laws had an Eagle Premier when they came out… Was fabulous when it ran, which wasn’t often. Either three or four transmissions later they got the dealer to buy it back as a lemon. Run away quickly from the Premier
One which still runs was probably built on whatever day of the week the workers were neither hung over or upset about something.
I voted for the VW – but I really want them both.
Oh – Wait – Those mouse-trap seatbelts?
Nevermind….
The Eagle is interesting, but it’s a little plain for the effort. The VW is a slightly more reasonable choice.
I just can’t see voting against the VW. Especially knowing the timing chain and the clutch have been changed. That’s a good 100k more of life with only mild headaches left.
My vote goes to the Eagle. It’s cheaper and seems to be in better overall condition. I’m also biased against VAG products.
Ugh. Motorized seat belts. Today’s selections lived up to the feature’s name. I couldn’t bring myself to vote for either.
I’m feeling a “both” option on this one, but I went with the Eagle since I’ve never seen one for sale before.
Neither are going to be the most economical in the long run, but a manual and a non-orphan brand that parts are still available for would be the reason for the Passat.
Passat. It’s a wagon, it’s got a manual, it’s got a growly engine, it’s not beige, what more could you want?
(OK, maybe A TDI)
I would take the TDI or 2.5 liter 5 over the VR6, but all are still better than a French derived AMC.
Earlier VW for me even with the VR6. It’s also a wagon, a manual and probably has working AC. I wasn’t crazy about the Eagle with an auto but non-working AC ruined it.
Both are at that point where one’s riding the end of the curve until catastrophic failure turns them into yard ornaments.
Do I want to bang-shift my way into the scrapyard with VR6 wail or do I want to I want modern four-cylinder performance with V6 fuel economy coupled to ’80s automatic slushiness?
The Bundesadler eagle flag flies for me today, not the Franco-American one.
I have an irrational fondness for Eagle cars, so I chose it. I also I well aware it would be better to set fire to a stack of money than to spend it on either of these cars, so the Eagle would also win as it is cheaper.
Voting for the Eagle,mostly because I’ve been there, done that with VR6 and would like something different.
This is the second day that I can’t see the poll. Is anyone else having this issue?
Interesting. I get the poll in Edge, but not in Firefox.
Ha! Fixed it!
Thinking VW here – good mix of fun, practical, and IDGAF. Those captive cars of AMC/Chrysler would be an interesting conversation starter for the uninitiated, but not much more than that. I also have a feeling that tracking down some of the other stuff that’s bound to need fixing would also be something of a nightmare.
VW, because it’s more likely to find parts for it.
Wagon: Check
5 spd: Check
VR6 vs PRV under similar circumstances would be a toss-up: But the VR6 has a much better aftermarket support, can actually sound pretty good with some bolt-ins and has had recent service, so narrow angle it is
I learned to drive on a VR6 Passat, I would love to drive that engine again.