Welcome back! Today we’re conducting a little thought experiment: Given the same purchase price, are you more interested in a super-clean example of a boring but competent car, or one of the greatest sports cars ever made in appalling condition?
This matchup is inspired by yesterday’s little economy cars. Of course the CRX won yesterday, in an absolute blowout. Nobody, including me, wants a Tercel when they can have a CRX for five hundred bucks less. I knew that going in, but how often do you find a clean Tercel of that era? I had to feature it, even though I knew it was going to lose big.
But those two were in about the same condition. The CRX had more miles on it, but ran better, otherwise they were both pretty clean. This meant that most of you probably cast your votes based on the CRX being cooler and more fun.
What would happen, I wondered, if they weren’t in the same condition? If the price is the same, what happens if a near-spotless example of an undesirable car goes up against a badly-abused and poorly-modified example of a desirable car? Would that change things? Just how bad does the “good” car have to be for you all to choose the “bad” car over it? We’re about to find out.
1984 Pontiac 6000 LE – $3,000
Engine/drivetrain: 2.8-liter overhead valve V6, three-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Cheyenne, WY
Odometer reading: 66,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
General Motors vehicles have often followed a pattern: the engineers come up with something brilliant, the accountants penny-pinch it half to death, the marketing people rush it into production, and then the engineers gradually undo all the damage done and fix the problems. The front-wheel-drive X-body was a mess when it first came out, but GM engineers learned from their mistakes, and the FWD A-body that followed turned out to be a pretty good car, and stayed in production for 14 years.
This Pontiac 6000 is a fairly early car, lacking the refinements of later A-bodies. It still has a carburetor atop its 2.8 liter V6, and its transmission is just a simple TH125C three-speed. But it’s a nice low-mileage example that has had only two owners and has been well cared-for. The seller says it runs and drives “beautifully,” and recently took it on a road trip down Interstate 25 from Cheyenne to Denver. It’s not a long road trip, but it’s encouraging nonetheless.
Inside, it’s an absolute time capsule. I can look at this photo and know exactly how this interior feels, sounds, and smells. I can hear the click of the turn signal stalk and feel the plastic rim of the steering wheel. A lot of you dislike GM cars from this era, I know, but to me this looks like home. This car also highlights what it was like to have a la carte options available; you’d never see a car equipped with a power seat but manual crank windows even ten years after this.
It’s clean and shiny outside, and since Wyoming doesn’t use road salt, it’s probably clean underneath as well. I believe this may have been a fleet vehicle of some sort; I see what looks like a unit number in one photo.
1996 Mazda MX-5 Miata – $3,000
Engine/drivetrain: Supercharged 1.8-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: El Cajon, CA
Odometer reading: 121,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives, but stalls at stoplights
Who doesn’t like a first-generation Miata? They’re cute, fun to drive, user-friendly, economical, and reliable. It’s no wonder enthusiasts say “Miata is always the answer.” I had one myself for many years, and only reluctantly sold it when I bought my MG and thought it was silly to have two small sports cars. Sadly, I sold mine back when they were cheap; these days, good Miatas are going up in price, as the rough ones age out or get modified to death.
I’ll just come right out and say it: I do not consider this a good Miata, and I do think it has been modified very nearly to death. It has an aftermarket supercharger bolted to its 1.8 liter twin-cam engine, and while I’m sure it has increased the power output, it sounds like it has ruined the Miata’s easy-going nature. The seller says it idles rough and stalls at stoplights. There is probably some tuning that can be done to alleviate this, but honestly, I don’t think a little extra power is worth it.
The questionable modifications continue inside: The airbags are gone, it has that ridiculous katana-handle shifter, and the characteristic “eyeball” vents in the dash have been removed and replaced by gauges related to the supercharger. At least the seats look like they’re in decent shape. The outside is, of course, a greatest hits of terrible ideas: lowered suspension, a hideous body kit, aftermarket wheels, and LED headlights with those halo thingies.
The rear window is shot, and I bet the rest of the top isn’t far behind. Replacing a Miata top isn’t as difficult as some other convertibles, but it’s still a few hundred bucks and a day’s work to do it right. The fire extinguisher is probably a good idea, but the “roll bars” are probably useless. It’s just a sheetmetal shelf under that carpet, and if the bars have a flange at the bottom that simply bolts to it, as I suspect, then it offers negligible protection. A proper roll bar for a Miata attaches to the tub at the sides, along the seat belt towers, and actually stiffens the structure quite a bit. But this is not that.
I’m not being very impartial on this one, I realize, but if you’re a regular reader you probably already know which one of these I prefer. But I’m curious to hear what you all think. Can you make a compelling case for that Miata? Can you allow yourself to “settle” for the Pontiac instead? I’m honestly curious to see which way this one turns out.
(Image credits: Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist sellers)
The amount of money it would take to fix that Miata, on top of the purchase price? I could buy a decent Miata and probably have some left over.
Gimme the Pontiac.
You could buy a perfectly fine C4 Corvette for that money.
Since we are playing with internet money, I will go with the Chevy. There is no way in hell I would take on a ratted out Miata with questionable mods. There are multiple listed in better condition in my area for less than 4K.
In my circles I see more clapped-out NA Miatas than I can count. But a clean Pontiac 6000 would be a very rare and fascinating sight. Pontiac all day long.
That Miata is clapped out. Give me the real car.
I’ll cruise the Pontiac. Buying that Miata, you might as well wipe your ass with that three grand.
I’m going contrarian and pick the Miata. As long as the bodywork isn’t covering a bunch of rust, there are enough parts available to unfudge the Miata. There is no amount time or money that can make that Pontiac interesting or reliable or satisfying.
I’m guessing the Miata project began with a front end crash that blew the airbags and necessitated the junkyard body panels. It could be even worse than it looks.
It usually is.
Valid point
That was my immediate thought. The seller bought this thing after a wreck thinking they had a decent base for a track toy. Reality is a harsh mistress though, and I think the crash screwed the car up far worse than the seller expected. I’ll go with the almost inexplicably nice A body.
Oh. OH. I hadn’t thought it through, but this seems horrifyingly likely.
I’m all for adding boost to all the things, but I’ve never been a Miata type of guy, and I happen to actually like GM fwd cars, and owning an 88 A body fuels a bias for me. (Even though it doesn’t run currently it will be a lot faster than any stock variation when it does.)
I’m a Pontiac guy at heart. Through and after college, I had a quad 4 (manual) grand am, 3800 bonneville, 2 3800 s2 grand prix (wide track! lol) and then a 2004 GTO. In succession. I’ll take the 6000 over that ruined, poorly modded, and absolutely put away wet Miata.
Counterpoint from another Pontiac guy; the only thing Pontiac about a 6000 are the arrowheads. If the Miata isn’t rusty, it can be fixed.
Well now, the base engine in all A-bodies was the Iron Puke 2.5, which was in fact a Pontiac engine. It was derived from the same 1955 V8 architecture that powered GTOs and Trans Ams.
You’re confusing the Iron Duke 4, which was introduced in 1977, and the “Trophy 4”, which was the half a V8 introduced in the 1961 Tempest.
Also, the car above has the 2.8 V6, which is a Chevrolet design.
Fair point, but it is a Pontiac engine. Looks like they started with a Brazilian version of a the Chevy 4.
And you said “only Pontiac thing about a 6000″, which implies all 6000s, not this example.
Take your “You’re technically correct, the best kind of correct” .gif.
Hermes is my hero.
Fair but at least it has it…
And while that Miata can be fix, you can also polish a turd.
Enjoy your G5….
That 6000 in that shape will pretty much run forever. I’m in the Denver area and we also do not use road salt. No worries about rust, despite the occasional snows. Not nearly as much as it’s current home.
I spent more than enough time in A-bodies to know that life of a 6000 is not a life worth living. There is nothing that can be done to make that vehicle redeemable.
Yet it would be so much better than trying to redeem that Miata. At best it’s 3k you toss away and take to the crusher.
That turd will never be shiny again. Not worth the effort or expense.
Exactly.
I’m going with the Pontiac even though it has something going on with the green tape on the trunk. The Miata needs to be junked or turned into a full track day car.
Agreed, which means it is not a $3K car.
I thought about the track day approach, I’ve seen a lot of them on the track and even had a racing driver take me out on the track in one. Notably, it didn’t have any power mods, just suspension/aero. It was like being in a go kart. That said, I wouldn’t want to turn this particular Miata into a track car, you’ll spend half your time undoing previous “mods” and based on all the panels forward of the windshield not matching, it may have been in an accident too.
My first car was a 1984 Buick Century. I would 100% take the 6000SUX I mean 6000 LE in a heartbeat. This one looks like it’s in better shape and probably better equipped than my Century. Mine had the Iron Duke and manual seats, though mine had a map light and I don’t see one here…
Miata Is Always The Answer except for today. Somebody else’s flogged project is not anything I want to get anywhere near. It might be different if the interior hadn’t been butchered, but as-is, no thank you.
“The seller says it idles rough and stalls at stoplights.”
Probably because there are only 3.5 pistons left connected to anything.
$3000 for a car that was a failed project for the last 4 owners?
Nah. I’ll take the A body and it’s awesome brown interior.
I’ve owned Miatas for close to three decades, including three with superchargers, so I’m as biased as it gets. But that’s not even a good parts car. And hey, a Six Thousand for three thousand is half price and you can’t beat that.
I love Miata’s but this one is terrible and I’m looking for an excuse to go back out to WY. Plus, that Pontiac interior is superb.
This may be one of the few times where Miata wasn’t the answer….It would be if one of those 0s were slashed off.
Also, this looks like a boss frog roll bar on the Miata (or maybe Hard Dog Deuce), and it 100% does work in a rollover. It attaches through the chassis with reinforced plates underneath. The style bars WILL unalive you quickly, but this isn’t that.
Link of the Harddog Deuce: https://trackdogracing.com/hd-deuce_bp.aspx
Ah, OK. Those didn’t exist yet when I had mine, I don’t think. I had a standard Hard Dog rollbar on mine.
I saw the Miata yesterday and thought… man, I could buy that, take off the supercharger and roll bar for mine, convert it back to stock, and make every penny back, plus some.
Most of the car guys I know took an early ride and pretty much ruined it for street use in search of more power, handling, or, I guess, dates. I never did that, so I’ll take the Miata. I’m confident I could make it insufferable in day-to-day use—but glorious in tight mountain passes.
I can’t believe I’m in a substantial minority for picking the Miata! Sure, it’s a shitbox, but that’s the whole point of this!!!
Stick vs auto!
RWD vs FWD!
Modern fuel injected roadster vs Malaise Era cabureted sedan!
How is this even a contest? Is the Miata on fire in a picture I missed? Does it have a flood title?
Am I taking crazy pills?
Yes, you are taking crazy pills. That Miata is a likely smashed, utterly ruined, mechanically fucked, soon to die pile of shit. I can cruise in a comfy Pontiac, OR buy a smelly pile of problems that will never work and looks like fried dog shit.
I’ll cruise the Pontiac.
That feels like a lot of money for a future LeMons car.
“Trust your feelings, Luke.”
FUTURE? It looks like it already crashed out of a couple.
I wasn’t necessarily talking about the Miata, but… yeah, I was mostly talking about the Miata. The Gooole is a possible future LeMons car on a several-year timeline, but Mr. Badass Mazda looks like he’s already been through hell.
Pontiac all day. Then again, I don’t fit in a Miata.
HOLY SMOKES THATS A CLEAN GOOOLE!
Miata.
I couldn’t tell you the last time I saw a GOOOLE in the wild, much less an early one.
It’s a really terrible miata for sure, but parts are incredibly cheap and plentiful, and despite the very questionable nature of most of the mods on this one, they could probably be resold for roughly the same as the cost of used OEM equivalents. Sure that’s a lot of sweat equity, but you could have a somewhat decent NA miata for 4ish grand, which in todays market is very hard to find.
That or you could get it in decent mechanical shape as is for south of a grand (based on my experience with NAs, it should be doable) and have a fun beater.
It’s a terrible miata, but its salvageable.