Good morning! It’s Friday once again, but I didn’t feel like doing another four-way shootout. Besides, Monday’s cars didn’t run, which means it wouldn’t really be a fair fight. So instead, I have two new contenders, chosen simply because they caught my eye.
In yesterday’s battle of the ’80s domestics, the Pepsi Prize Pontiac took an easy win, as I guessed it might. Being a grand cheaper and not a Chrysler was probably enough to give it the win. I’m going to keep throwing the occasional K-car at you all; someday, one of them will emerge victorious.
But in this case, as much as I do love the ’80s Chryslers, even I have to admit that a GM W-body is a nicer car to drive. Sure, some service items on the transverse V6 are a pain to get to, but the reliability, the ride quality, and in this case the styling all give it a clear edge. I almost featured a Chevy Celebrity instead of the Grand Prix, and in that case, I would have chosen the LeBaron. But I’m guessing it still would have lost the vote.
General likes and dislikes can color our judgment about all sorts of things before all the facts are in, and that definitely applies to cars. Today, for reasons unknown to even myself, I have chosen two red Japanese vehicles, and I am generally not a fan of either Japanese cars or the color red on cars. But I guess there are exceptions that prove every rule, and sometimes it’s nice to be reminded that our comfort zones were made to be stepped out of. Let’s see which one of these you prefer.
1987 Toyota Corolla FX16 GT-S – $6,500
Engine/drivetrain: 1.6-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Oregon City, OR
Odometer reading: 207,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Yes, I know. Just a couple of days ago, I wrote about a Toyota Corolla with an automatic, and complained about how boring it was. Yes, I know this one is only a little more powerful, and probably isn’t much more interesting to drive. But just look at it! It’s so much cooler than the other one. Call me a hypocrite if you want; I don’t care. That Corolla sucked; this Corolla rules.
This generation of Corolla marked the changeover from rear- to front-wheel-drive, but it didn’t happen all at once. The sedans and hatchbacks were FWD, but the coupe, in both notchback and liftback forms, was RWD. One of these was prominently featured in a cartoon you might have seen. This isn’t one of those – but thanks in large part to that show, you won’t find one of those at a price mere mortals can afford. However, if you can compromise on front-wheel-drive, you can get the same revvy little 4A-GE four-cylinder in this car: the FX16 GT-S.
Yeah, I wish it were a stickshift too. It seems like most affordable-ish survivors of cars like these are automatics; the stickshifts have all long since been hooned to death, or command silly prices. This one has a whole pile of miles on it, but you know, Toyota. It runs and drives just fine, thanks to a bunch of recent work. The interior shows some signs of wear, but honestly, for a car this old with this many miles, it’s pretty nice. And outside, I’ll give the red paint a pass because of those graphics. They’re the perfect complement to this car.
And it’s a hatchback, so there’s plenty of room for stuff. It also has a very cool feature that I think has finally disappeared: flip-out rear side windows. Minivans, I think, were the last holdouts for these, and I think some of those were power-operated, but years ago, you opened them by flipping a little lever at the back of the window, and they’d open a couple inches, just enough to let a breeze blow through.
1993 Nissan Hardbody 4WD Pickup – $4,999
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, part-time 4WD
Location: Lynnwood, WA
Odometer reading: 145,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
This one is a little less off-brand for me; I had a Nissan/Datsun 720 pickup in college that I just loved, and my wife and I moved to Oregon in a WD21 Pathfinder with well over 300,000 miles on it. And my wife drove a D22 Frontier for years before we met, and still speaks fondly of it. Old Nissan trucks and us go way back, you might say.
Nissan offered a few different engines in these trucks over the years. This one has a KA24E four-cylinder, a good reliable engine that didn’t make as much power as the available V6, but got a whole lot better gas mileage. This one looks like someone tried to paint the valve cover at one point, and it didn’t hold up. High-temp engine paint, people. Your average Krylon stuff won’t cut it. This truck is at a dealership, and they’re always a little cagey about a car’s condition, but they’re offering test drives so I’ll assume it runs and drives well enough.
This looks like a really basic truck: manual transmission, bench seat, no air conditioning, and look at that giant blank spot on the dash where a tachometer should be. I’m surprised nobody over the years has stuck an aftermarket tach in there; it would probably be one of the first things I’d do.
It’s missing some clearcoat but otherwise looks pretty good outside. It has a couple of aftermarket doodads, like the running boards and bedliner, but nothing over the top. It’s a really sharp-looking little truck, actually, even in a shade of red.
Actually, looking at these two together, they’d make a pretty good two-car garage. So today is going to be one of those rare instances where I give you a “Both” option. Because honestly, I can’t choose between them myself. Have a great weekend, everyone!
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
I voted to take both. The Corolla being an auto is a bit of a drag, but I am drawn to the funky windows and capacious hatchback. But if I had to take one, that’s an awful good price for a hardbody in that (seemingly) good condition.
Both please. Love a normal sized truck. The corolla would be a great little run about for local excursions. I know I fit a a girlfriend had one.
I voted the hard body. The Corolla is cool but not being stick is meh and seeing the wiring for those speakers in the back just chilling out in the open instead of being tucked away just makes me wonder what other questionable things are done to the car. If it was a little cheaper I would have voted both.
I was wondering how one could address that cosmetically. There’s got to be some way to cover them without enlisting the help of a friend with a 3D printer.
Maybe these:
https://www.autozone.com/stereo-speakers-and-audio/speaker/p/boom-mat-6in-x-9in-oval-speaker-baffle/547566_0_0?cmpid=LIA:US:EN:AD:NL:1000000:PEL:698038347&msclkid=f9e614b182d61187502a722c65f89126&gclid=f9e614b182d61187502a722c65f89126&gclsrc=3p.ds
Intellectually, I understand that there are people who may not have experienced these. But emotionally, reading the function described to them, it hurts to realize that.
I mean, I think the powered ones are even better. The flipouts are cute if you can reach them and you remember to close them before it rains.
I have an older Navigator and I LOVE having these rear powered pop outs. Any time my sons are in the car and one of them (or several of them) rip a sickening fart, I just push the button to open the rear wing windows, lower the rear side windows halfway and send that stench to the poor chump behind us in a convertible. It empties the car of any foul odors in about two seconds.
The only thing better when in a car with gassy progeny was our old Mercedes. It had a button to redirect the airflow through a pair of activated carbon filters up under the dash. Turn that on and no more stank.
Absolutely the powered ones are better. I just forget that I’m old and some people who are getting into cars haven’t experienced the old ways.
Activated carbon filter is nice. More cars should have that feature.
I’m pretty sure there are such aftermarket filters for any car that filters are still made for. If not for yours it’s easy enough to get some filter material and cut a piece to fit.
I went both because I genuinely would like both. The auto in the Corolla is a little disappointing, but I still think I’d enjoy having it around.
I was definitely going to pick the Hardbody, but sure, why not both?
What was the last car to have pop out windows in any of the rear ones? Or I suppose is there still one in production? The latest I can think of is the Mazda RX-8, which went out of production after the 2011 model year. Anyone know of anything later?
Phew glad you tossed in a both option!
I’d grab the corrola and toss a 5speed in it
My dad until recently had that truck (in auto). Exact color, but with buckets, and the extended cab, for nostalgia reasons I voted for both
Hardbody is a HARD YES.
I still remember going to an amateur drift event about 10 years ago, amongst all the LS swapped 240s, there was a lone hardbody pickup with a bone stock KA24, just beating the rev limiter like it owed him money.
All the LS cars would just make smoke on demand, then there was this guy just PITCHING the truck into corners with probably double the entry speed and just holding it wide open to keep wheel speed.
11/10 will remember it forever. Long live the hardbody.
I have a soft spot for the FX16. Really liked them when new. But this one is so overpriced with that transmission that I went with the Hardbody. If the Corolla had a manual, I likely would have voted both.
Corolla FX16 for me even though it has the wrong transmission. Even with the auto, it’s likely to be a lot more fun to drive than the Nissan pickup.
If it were a choice between the two, 3 pedals with a transfer case beats an automatic—even with those stickers.
Voted both cause I’m a sucker for 80s shitboxes
Went for both, but then after seeing the votes I wish I had gone FX16 because it’s getting beat so bad and that’s the one I would rather go for if I could only get one.
I’m glad pop windows have died a death. They are horrible. Too many memories of sweltering in the back seat of 80s econoboxes trying to suck oxygen through the gap in those things.
I won’t fit comfortably in the Nissan, and the Toyota is one of the worst examples ever of a car with the wrong transmission. I can’t decide which one would make me slightly less angry.
I’m gonna hold back. Do I get two votes on Monday?
Have you ever tried? At the time those trucks were new, I (6’5″) had no trouble fitting into a single cab Toyota, Nissan, Mazda or Isuzu – I had both a Mazda B2200 and an Isuzu P’up. Now the domestic single cabs (S-10 and Ranger) were a different story. I didn’t fit in those comfortably for even a short ride.
Yeah, I drove several that were owned by employers. Really, every old small pickup was too small leg-wise unless it was a king cab. S-10, Hilux, Ranger, all of them.
Even full-sized regular cabs prior to Ford’s late 90s bubble trucks were tight. Just not enough room to have the seat both far enough back and reclined enough.
I had a 88 F-250 single cab. All was well until I took a long road trip to pick up a Mustang I inherited, and took a friend along to share driving/help loading. I sat in the passenger seat and discovered the floor pan on that side severely interfered with my feet.
I have, essentially, all the AE82 chassis goodness from the FX-16 bolted into my ’87 Nova, but upgraded with a JDM Trueno 4AGE 20-v silvertop and close-ratio trans. That car is a blast to drive and tons of fun with 165hp and 2000 lbs. An automatic is going to suck almost ALL the fun from that chassis and the blue-top 4AGE only made like 116hp. That’s not *much* but it beats the 74hp the 4ALC had as the base motor. Still, that automatic…….. Hard pass.
I’ll take the truck.
Both, but if I had to choose one I’d take the truck. Gotta do a manual swap on that FX16 though. Drive the truck and haul parts while you work on that.
my thoughts exactly!
Had to comment as I have experience with both:
So, either would require big mods (trans swap or steering swap), so I’d stay away.
I picked both of them, but I like the truck more.
The lack of a manual kills any interest I would have in the FX-16. It may look like a cool little hot-hatch, the ’80’s era 4-spd slushee is going to kill any actual sportiness. A modern 6/7/8 spd auto would be tolerable, but memories of the 80s-90s autos are what have kept manuals alive until now.
Hardbody today because its newer, cheaper, has fewer miles, a manual transmission, four-wheel drive and, gosh darn it, people like these.
FINALLY a both option! I mean if I didn’t have both I’d have squeaked the Nissan but the Corolla oozes 80’s retro cool.
My thoughts were exactly the same. I want and could use the little pickup but adore the pint size hatch too.
Both are solid picks today but as I already have a pickup, I’m going with the FX16. I always thought they were cool when I was younger and this one looks to be a fun weekend, Radwood toy. Yeah the auto sucks but its not like I’m planning on tracking it anyway. Fun weekend cruiser/carshow conversation starter.
Hardbody, all day, every day. They are absolutely delightful. I had a 1997 back in high school, 5 speed manual 4×4 in a gorgeous shade of 90’s Teal green. It gave me a way to teach my girlfriend how to drive a stick, and it gave my girlfriend a place to teach me……other things….
I can have both? Hell yeah! Gotta find the original white rims for the Corolla though. They complete the look.
This is the only correct answer today.
Thank you.