Same Year, Similar Problems: 1990 Dodge Dakota Convertible vs 1990 Chevy Corvette

Good morning, Autopians! For your mid-week Showdown, we’re going to look at a couple of American fixer-uppers from the same year: 1990. Both of them need a little love, but both of them are probably worth it.

But first, let’s see which BMW you chose yesterday. It sounds like you had a bit of a hard time choosing between these two, but in the end, the 535i took a two-to-one win over the little 3 Series. Some of you commented that a six-cylinder is the only “proper” engine for a BMW to have, and I guess I’d agree, except that the 2002 was a thing, and if it wasn’t a proper BMW, nothing is.

I would have a hard time choosing between them as well. I’d be a lot more inclined to vote for the 535 if it were any color but bright red; I’m still not a fan of red cars. But it’s significantly cheaper, and has a more honest-sounding ad.

It’s funny how your perception of time changes as you get older. 1990 was the year I graduated from high school, and it’s hard to believe that that was twice as long ago as my age at the time (yes, I graduated at 17; I was a precocious little shit). Even harder to believe is that what I considered a “classic” car at the time, my dad’s friend’s 1968 Ford Galaxie, was only 22 years old then. 22-year-old cars now are my bread-and-butter on here; they’re just old crappy cars, nothing “classic” about them.

And here we have two vehicles from 1990 that have passed through the veil of merely old and crappy and have emerged as classics. They’re both as old and tired as I feel some mornings, and both in need of some serious overhaul work. But are their best days behind them? Hell no. Let’s see which one you’re more willing to whip back into shape.

1990 Dodge Dakota Sport Convertible – $4,000

Engine/drivetrain: 3.9 liter overhead valve V6, five-speed manual, RWD

Location: Concord, CA

Odometer reading: 156,000 miles

Operational status: Runs, but needs a lot of work

This was a new one on me. I knew about the Dakota convertible, of course, but I had no idea they were available with a manual transmission. I’ve only ever seen automatics. I coudn’t find the exact production figures, but fewer than 4,000 Dakota convertibles were built in total, and only a few hundred of those were manuals. This is a rare vehicle.

The Dakota convertible was built by ASC, like a lot of convertibles built in the US. It has a manual top, and a roll bar behind the seats. As far as I can tell, the convertible was only available with the Sport package, which included the stripes, the alloy wheels, the blackout trim, and the 3.9 liter V6, This is before the Magnum multi-port fuel injection days; this one makes do with basic throttle-body fuel injection. The seller says it starts and runs, but “the engine does not have a lot left in it.” What that means, I don’t know, but if it starts and runs, at least you can find out. It also needs a new clutch and some cooling system work.

The interior is partially disassembled, but the seller says all the parts are there except the carpet. The power windows and locks don’t work, and I don’t see any mention of air conditioning. Good thing the top is manual.

The outside looks all right, but it’s no show truck. The stripes are cracked in a few places, and there are some bad spots in the paint. There is also a little bit of rust in the windshield header; it’s probably nothing, but it bears some investigation. All in all, this truck has good bones, it looks like, and since most of what it needs is mechanical, it shouldn’t be too difficult to repair.

1990 Chevrolet Corvette – $3,500

Engine/drivetrain: 5.7 liter overhead valve V8, six-speed manual, RWD

Location: Arden, CA

Odometer reading: 114,000 miles

Operational status: Was running recently, now won’t start, and clutch is shot

Another example of the time slipping away phenomenon is that in my mind, I still think of the C4 Corvette as “the new Corvette.” Probably because I remember what a big deal it was when it came out. It was such a radical departure from the old C3 that it may as well have been a spaceship. It feels dated now, but I still can’t help but think of it as new, which makes seeing a faded, worn-out one like this a bit surreal.

1990 was a weird year for the Corvette, the first year of the new interior and the last year of the old exterior. It’s also the second year for the six-speed ZF manual transmission, instead of the old Doug Nash 4+3. The six-speed has an annoying feature called Computer Aided Gear Selection, CAGS for short, or “that stupid skip-shift thing” by nearly anyone who has driven one. CAGS locks you out of second and third gear when you’re puttering around at low speeds, forcing you to upshift from first to fourth, in the name of fuel economy. You’ll be happy to know that a simple bypass connector is available to eliminate it, and it only costs like twenty bucks.

In front of that six-speed gearbox is a tuned-port injection 350 V8, RPO code L98, making 245 horsepower. The days of slow Corvettes were over by 1990; this one ran to 60 MPH in a respectable 5.7 seconds and managed low 14s in the quarter mile. This one sat for a long time, but the seller had it running just a couple of weeks ago, and now it won’t start again. It’s gotta be fuel or spark, and my first guess would be fuel. I bet they didn’t clean out the tank or the lines, and just dumped some new gas in. It’s probably gummed up.

It also needs–let’s see –a new clutch, new shocks, an E-brake cable, a rear wheel bearing, a new windshield, new weatherstripping, and the air conditioning fixed. That’s quite a list of stuff, but if you have the ability to do the work yourself, it’s not a whole lot of money in parts.

The nice thing about both of these vehicles is that, if you don’t mind a little faded paint, they only need mechanical repairs. And we’re talking about a Chevy and a Dodge, nothing exotic. Just buy some parts, turn some wrenches, and you’ll end up with a fun-to-drive classic that you don’t have to fuss over, whichever one you choose.

(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)