You Can’t Have It All At This Price: 1997 Ford Escort vs 2006 Scion xB

Welcome to day two of our price-doubling game! Today our budget is $2,000, and both of these cars are a little under that. But you’ll need some wiggle room in the budget to take care of a few things.

Yesterday we were only allowed to spend a grand, and surprisingly, both our choices were decent runners with livable interiors. But as several of you pointed out, if you’re looking for cheap cars, running costs are going to be important as well, so you’re better off picking the car that uses less fuel, all things considered. The four-cylinder Cavalier goes probably twice as far on a gallon of gas as the big F-150 does, which makes it the logical choice here.

I have to agree. Besides, I’m one of those weirdos who’s genuinely a fan of the GM J-cars, as well as their slightly larger N-body cousins, so I’m going to lean that way anyway. And the Cavalier is a stick, which I’ll always give preference to.

So what does $2,000 buy you these days? Something a bit nicer, with a lot fewer miles. You still can’t expect perfection, but you can drive off in relative certainty that you’ll make it home. These two are similar: both wagons, both manuals, and both economy-minded, but from different eras. They’ll both need a little tinkering if you want them to be at their best, though. Let’s see which one you think is a better deal.

1997 Ford Escort LX wagon – $1,700

Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD

Location: Phoenix, AZ

Odometer reading: 175,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well, daily-driven until recently

If you’re not familiar with the second- and third-generation US-spec Ford Escort, frankly, you’re kind of missing out. I know that sounds funny, but it’s a delightful little car for what it is. The secret is the Mazda-derived chassis, the same platform as the BG-chassis Mazda 323 and Protege. It handles way better than the earlier Escort, and manual-transmission-equipped models like this one have that same great shifter feel as Mazda’s FWD offerings. It’s no Miata, no one is saying it is, but it’s a better car to drive than you think.

Mazda didn’t share its engines with the Escort, except for the GT hatchback from the previous version. Other Escorts got by with Ford’s tried-and-true CVH four, punched out to 2.0 liters and bumped up to 110 horsepower in this one. It’s nowhere near as refined as its Toyota or Honda competitors, nor even Mazda’s engines, but it’s a good solid little engine capable of covering a lot of miles while not using much fuel. This one runs and drives well, and the seller says it was daily-driven not too long ago.

This Escort is from Ford’s “oval” design era when the Taurus looked like a catfish and the F-150 just looked melted. Ford only changed the front sheetmetal between the second and third generation, so the Escort isn’t as committed to the bit as the Taurus was on the outside, but it makes up for it inside. Just look at that jellybean-shaped center console. Hopefully the tape player works because no standard DIN-mount stereo is going to fit. We do know the air conditioner doesn’t work, sadly. You can always try charging it up and see what happens, I suppose.

It’s faded and tired-looking outside, but basically presentable. Luckily it has lived its whole life in California and Arizona, so there are no real worries about rust. You’ll want to polish or replace the headlights; like most cars of this era, they’re sandblasted opaque.

2006 Scion xB – $1,700

Engine/drivetrain: 1.5-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD

Location: San Jose, CA

Odometer reading: 165,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives “like a boss,” but won’t pass smog

This car, every regular Autopian reader knows. The first-generation Toyota bB, sold here as the xB under Toyota’s erstwhile youth-oriented brand Scion, was the original “Autopian Test Car,” subjected to all manner of indignities before being unceremoniously dumped and later revived by a reader. The little wagon is now a bona-fide rallycross hero, resplendent in tri-color stripes and sporting an impressive array of driving lights. If you would like an Autopian Test Car of your own, you’re in luck; this car is the same spec, only set up more for California boulevards than for Midwestern dirt tracks.

The heart of the xB is a 1.5-liter twin-cam four, with variable valve timing. This one is equipped with a five-speed manual, as they all should be. The seller sings its praises, but admits the check engine light is on – as well as the vehicle stability and traction-control lights. No idea why. It might all be related, but whatever it is prevents this car from obtaining that all-important California document: a smog certificate. If you’re not in California, don’t sweat it, I guess, but if you are, or anywhere else where those warning lights mean a failed inspection, you’ll need to take care of it.

The inside looks pretty good; it’s amazing what not being covered in food debris will do for the interior of an xB. It could use a cleaning, and the shift knob is strangely broken, but otherwise it’s in decent condition.

It looks good outside, but it has a salvage title; apparently it was rear-ended years ago. It has been used as a daily driver for years since then, though, and it has fairly new tires and a fresh alignment. The trim below the rear bumper is missing, of course; I haven’t seen one of these with that trim intact in years.

Little station wagons are wonderful things, especially lightweight ones with stickshifts like these. You can haul stuff while getting decent mileage, and when you’re not hauling stuff, you won’t hate driving them. You’ll just have to put in a little work to get either one of these in tip-top shape, but they’re both drivable as they sit. Which one better suits your needs?

(Image credits: sellers)