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’m close enough to that Passat that if I had the time and space I’d be arranging a time to buy it with the seller instead of typing this. I said I swore off VWs when I sold my troublesome ’70 Squareback project (also was green!), but I’ve been missing that and my 6-speed Mk7.5 Golf Sportwagen enough recently that I’d buy this in a heartbeat.
For a minute I thought this might be the same GLX wagon that Rob did at the old site for a NPOND at my suggestion back in 2016. There can’t be that many of these left still running around the greater DMV.
I have a weird affinity for older AMC and Chrysler products, and the history of the Premier is interesting to me. Had Renault / AMC survived, it would have been the future of that company. Instead, it became the next big thing for Chrysler as it was the basis of the “cab-forward” Chrysler LH platform (LHS, Dodge Intrepid, etc.). Too bad the PRV engine was not good, because the rest of the car was.
Wagons Ho!
I was going to go with the Eagle that was in very nice shape for its age, somewhat rare, and actually not bad looking.
But then you put it up against a green wagon with VR6 and a 5 speed? That’s not even fair. The Passat, it is.
I’d take the eagle cuz it’s rare(ish) has a DeLorean engine (not really a “flex” but still cool) and it’s not a Volkswagen.
Also, I am young and dumb so can someone please tell me what the heck automatic seatbelts are?
The attachment point was not fixed on the B-pillar, but, rather was motorized such that it started on the A-pillar when the door was open, then traveled above the window to the B-pillar when the door closed. And reversed when you opened the door.
Bog help you if you tried to reverse looking out your window—then decided opening that door slightly would be your best bet
So, a seatbelt that you didn’t need to clip. Wonder why it died.
They were slow & noisy with a fixed height of termination. If every driver had the exact same body type they might have been more acceptable, but, as built, they were dangerous for some people and uncomfortable for others. A short person could have it across their neck, while a tall one could find their left arm impeded.
Ok, so it died because you could die… Makes sense.
question is, would this engine be worth swapping into a delorean? looks like Multiport injection version Jetronic, I assume it has bit more power? And it is not transversely mounted, so would it actually just bolt in somehow?
I have no idea but the car is nice enough to just daily, instead of buying it just for a donor engine and scrapping the rest.
If your going to swap something why not an LS?
I mean that would the best thing, but I suppose if you wanted to keep french V6 and the Premier system works a bit better.
I think if I was going to swap a V6 it’d be an Italian Busso.
It’s hard to vote against a manual wagon, even if you know that it will need plenty of tinkering. I wonder what the Eagle’s seller wants for that rusty Mustang sitting right next to the car in the ad?
I always thought the Eagle Premier was the most unimaginative car design ever put forward. Everything about it’s design is square and boring. It’s what a 4 year old would draw as a car if you gave him a crayon and ruler. I’d vote for just about anything over that car.
So a wagon with a stick is an easy pick, even if it is a mid-90’s VW product with the VR6.
It was designed in the 80’s, the “shear look” was in, lots of cars were even squarer.
I owned an Eagle Medallion. Ran mostly on 3 cylinders for the few months that I owned it and traded it in on an Eagle Premier. Yes, I was young and that stupid. It was easily the worst car I ever owned. If the Premier was closer to me I would gladly offer $2k and put it in the back pasture, soak it in gasoline, light it and enjoy the blaze. Really.
My FIL had one but didn’t have that bad of luck. Still, he traded it in for a Camry.
The manual transmission makes me pick the VW, but I don’t feel good about it. As the former owner of an Intrepid, I like the Renault bones on the Premier and I love that interior. But it’s got a lot of miles for a PRV engine/transmission.
The recent timing and clutch services on the VW swing the deal.
I’m guilty of having a weakness for manual wagons, even if it’s a V6. My last one was a 93 Escort wagon… too long ago. I guess that V6 is narrow enough that I can pretend it’s a 4.
Honestly I find both of these to be entirely forgettable. The Premier is coolest for the French link there, but I had a French car. When it ran it was great. It didn’t often run. Had to go VW this time, though I’m not happy about it because Passats and I do not get along.
I like the Eagle enough, but the Passat is green/manual/wagon.
It’s simply too good.
Can’t believe I’m voting for anything with the VR6 in it, but there’s a first for everything.
I’m with you, can’t believe I’m voting for a VR6. If it was up against a 3800 or a Camry, it wouldn’t stand a chance.
Both are going to need parts, and one of these is going to be way easier to find then the other. Add in stick shift and apparently functional AC and it’s VW all the way.
Bonus points for great color combo and location near me…I might need to check this one out.
Wagon. Is. Always. The. Answer.© Even though I hate VWs and their “reliability,” I will always vote wagon.
Two boring cars but one is a manual wagon….fingers crossed, I’ll take the VR6.
I like the Eagle, but for nostalgia I have to go with the Passat. Long roof and stick is hard to pass up.
Renault is less scary than VW for me, especially when the VW is a VR6. I voted for the Premier/25
It was a legitimate tough choice for me, but I had to go Eagle, because that dash is worth looking at every day, and the interior is just a nicer place to be based on the pictures.
That dash is a work of art. Unfortunately in my experience it will only serve as art because as a French car adopted by an American marque, I don’t have high hopes for its reliability.
You can hope that the dash electrics were designed and manufactured in the US. At least that’s something.
haha yes, but the engine wasn’t, so the dash electronics working only allows all the pretty lights to illuminate and tell me that the engine is broken.
Aw, man … I really wanted to vote for the Premier, but a B3 Passat wagon with a manual and The Good Color is really hard to turn down. We’ll take the VW.
This one’s gonna be a blowout.
I mean, I have a weird affinity for the angular styling of those old Eagles, and I voted for the manual wagon!
Manual. Wagon. Working ac. Use it until it blows up then sell for scrap. Reluctant vote for the vw.
Same here, but only because “neither” isn’t a choice.
The eagle looks to be a bit better shape but hard to vote against a wagon with a stick shift.
Give me the 5 speed VR6 with the long roof! It looks more useful and fun until something expensive breaks
They’re both neat but the green stickshift wagon gets my vote.