Good morning! It’s Friday, and since we have four good-running cars as winners from this week, it’s time for a runoff. All these vehicles are manuals because that’s all I searched for this week. We’ve got two red hot hatches, one sleek black coupe, and a really ugly truck. No tricks or weird scenarios this time; all you have to do is choose your favorite.
Yesterday was another foregone conclusion, and I guessed that going in. The Jetta just isn’t interesting enough to warrant the extra attention it’s going to need because of that engine. Maybe if it were a GTI, this would have been a fairer fight, but I can only feature what I can find for sale, and I don’t always have a lot of time to shop.
And for what it’s worth, the Mini would be my choice as well. I’ve wanted one ever since they came out, and I’ve been patiently waiting for prices to drop so I can get my chance. Though now, I don’t really have a place in my life for another car, even a small one like this. But if the last few years have taught me anything, it’s that you can’t predict the future at all, so maybe I will still have a shot at a scruffy Mini Cooper one day.
So now that we have our foursome, let’s review. You can use whatever criteria you like to determine the winner: best value, coolest-looking, fastest, best date car, whatever. Let’s review our choices.
1989 Ford Probe LX – $4,500
Ever since I found this near-twin to my old Ford Probe for sale, I keep remembering things about it: the weird little pinball-flipper turn signal lever, the trip computer that I used to set to “Instant MPG” to watch it peg at 99 MPG going down hills, the time I brought home a lawnmower in the rear hatch – a lawnmower I still have, actually. It was a good car. But I wouldn’t really want it back; there are too many cars I haven’t yet owned to want to go back.
But I can vouch for the fact that this would make an awesome everyday classic for someone. The 2.2 liter Mazda engine has enough pull to keep up with traffic, the five-speed transmission has an excellent shift feel, and the seats and suspension are comfy enough to make long drives with ease.
1990 Honda Civic Si – $4,800
The seller of this car describes it as a “unicorn,” and that’s not far off. A stock fourth-generation Honda Civic Si, in this day and age, with under 100,000 miles? It’s absolutely unheard of. I mean, it’s not perfect; the paint is pretty well shot, and the driver’s seat needs a little attention, but as it sits, it’s a good “driver quality” example of a car that will be a sought-after classic before much longer.
And a car like this should be driven, and driven hard. Too often cars of this era appear on Bring A Trailer and similar auction sites, with practically no miles on them, and not much chance of ever accumulating more. You don’t pay to have someone cook you a gourmet meal and then lock it away somewhere to spoil, do you? Hell no. You savor every bite, and when it’s gone, you’re richer for having enjoyed it. Cars should be no different.
1990 Chevrolet C1500 Cheyenne – $2,600
Now this one? This one has been driven. This poor old Chevy truck has seen some things. It’s dull, beat-up, tired, and just plain ugly. And yet, it still keeps on going, a testament to General Motors’s engineering prowess. Whatever other sins the mighty juggernaut has committed, it knows how to build a truck. Like a rock, indeed.
If these early GMT400 series trucks have a weak spot, it’s the interior. The half-moon instruments are cool, and the chunky four-spoke steering wheel feels good in your hands, but there isn’t much to recommend it apart from that. The radio is an odd size, the climate controls are a nightmare of tiny little buttons, and all the plastic tends to crumble like a vampire when exposed to sunlight. But you can always screw it back together with wood screws, like I’ve done to mine. It ain’t pretty, but it works.
2006 Mini Cooper S – $4,000
This little roller skate is by far the newest, most powerful, and fastest car here. It’s also by far the most complex, and probably the least reliable. Is it a fair tradeoff? That’s something you’ll have to answer for yourself. It probably is the most fun to drive as well, with the possible exception of the Civic. I have yet to drive one of these new Minis, I’m embarrassed to admit; the opportunity has just never presented itself.
From everything I’ve heard, this is the one to get, too: the latter couple of years of the first-generation Cooper S. It needs lots of care and feeding, but it’s generally a reliable car, or as reliable as a half-British, half-German, high-performance hatchback can be.
So there they are, the week’s winners, and as I said, I have no scenario to help you choose. You just have to vote for your favorite. You can even rank them in the comments if you want; I just don’t have the ability to set up a poll that way, so you’ll only be able to vote for one. (It’s not nearly as automated as you think, actually; you click on your choice, and a light flashes in Autopian Central Command, and poor Matt makes a tick mark on a chalkboard.)
Next week, we’ll be back with more crappy cars, and possibly a surprise for the site’s second anniversary on Monday. In the meantime, pick your favorite stickshift, and have a good weekend!
(Image credits: Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist sellers)
Current 2006 Mini S owner here, the reports of reliability issues are overrated. Ours has been a Rock Star for 7 years now.
The probe is sorely tempting, but I couldn’t pass up a facelift r53.
I’ve owned 5 Hondas, including a 1986 Civic coupe, so I have to go Civic here.
I will admit publicly that I owned a 1989 CRX automatic, a unicorn of a car, when I was a wee lass and didn’t know how to drive a manual (yet).
Well damn. Voted for the Civic. Too a chance to pass up – there will ‘always’ be another R53 for at least the next 10 years…
I didn’t vote because I want to save Matt from the extra work.
Civic. Absolutely no question about it. Probe in 2nd place, and falling-apart truck as worst place.
The mini doesn’t count.
I went Mini. I’ve always wanted one. I’ve test driven them and they are fun as hell. Rankings:
I’ve owned a number of Civics including that one and while fun don’t need to relive the past. A girlfriend had a Probe and I got a lot of seat time. Interesting car and the jokes wrote themselves. That truck is ready for last rites. So it’s Mini time. I don’t know why I haven’t owned one yet but it would be a tough one now with our garage full already. Maybe I’ll present it to the wife as a birthday present. You can’t turn down birthday present right?
In the end it mostly depends on what you plan to do with the car you buy in the end, I agree the Low mileage Mini is a bit of a steal. Way more fun to bomb around in when it is functioning properly. I would also likely end up going that route, however if you really needed something to drive on the cheap daily, the civic is a no brainer here.
Yeah, I agree. The Civic could go another 20 years easily with basic maintenance and is a fun useful ride. I guess I’m looking for fun now esp. since my commute is so much shorter these days. Now if you had an early 90’s Integra in the running, that would be a tougher choice. It was a revelation for me when I picked up a 92 Integra GS after a Civic hatch. The handing, the shifting and the engine response were amazing to 25 year old me. I guess there is the same problem in finding one of those that hasn’t been tuned and ruined like a lot of the old Civics have.
The 34-year-old Honda who’s taken it easy but had a little too much sun definitely feels more age-appropriate for me than an 18-year-old MINI.
For me, it was a tossup between the Probe and the Civic SI. I decided to go with the Probe.
Close call between the Civic and Probe. I went with the Civic since it was an Si and Honda reliability. If it had not been an Si or if the Probe had been gen2, I would likely have gotten Probed.
Civic. As much as I’d love the truck for my “real life” uses, that Chevy looks like it will fall apart into a pile of parts like a cartoon.
Second place to the Probe because it looks to be in nice shape and you don’t see them every day.
I get what you’re saying about the “appliance like” feel of Civics. I feel the same way about VWs. They feel like driving tin cans to me.
The Civic wins by default. Honda is easily the best car here.
Civic by a mile.
Voted Civic because I was busy that day. It also happens to be the right choice, though the Probe runs a close second.
Probe for me. Always wanted one back in the day, and this one is probably about the best-condition one you’d find now. I’d trade the Civic’s performance edge for the evergreen cool of popups, liftbacks, and yes, those wheels.
And my Focus has a more modern version of that MPG “gauge,” and I too love watching the bars peg when I lift on the highway going downhill.
This time I picked the Mini, because I’ve always fantasized about hooning one around the inside of a millionaire’s mansion. And they’re also fun little cars.
Ala Homer, right?
“I’m sooooo drunk!”
I was thinking the Italian Job (Marky Mark version). They planned to drive Mini’s around in the bad guy’s house.
That’s fair; it was actually a riding mower that Homer drove around Mr. Burns’ place anyway!
What hasn’t Homer driven around someone’s house while drunk?
I went with the cooper, but the civic is compelling too
I feel like the Mini Cooper is the best choice for most people, but I want that Radwood ready Probe. I wish my black Mazda had an interior that red instead of also being black.
I chose the Civic because everyone goes crazy for those, and I’ve never experienced them. I’d want a stock one with a stick if I were to try them. The Probe was a close second. The Mini I would love to dr, but not own.
On any normal week I would pick the Chevy truck without a second thought, but that one is in such bad condition, it comes in last place for me. Y’all choose wrong, the Dodge was the better truck that day. And I say this as a GM truck fan to the core.
Probe, but I’d take two of the losers over it- the Jetta and the Stealth.
I’ll take the hatchback.
A truck is kind of a hatchback if you put a cap over the bed.
Does that make it a 3 door?
Mini
Civic
Probe
Cheyenne
I would have voted for the Honda but in reality if I ever want to drive a 1990 Civic hatchback w/manual I just go to my mother’s house. She still has hers from new, though a base model not the Si
Doubling down on the Mini this week. The Civic was tempting, too, but 16 more years of age on the Honda tipped the scales in favor of the Cooper.
So far, I’m the only cheapskate to pick the truck. But my second choice, the Honda, is winning.
Normally I would pick the Chevy truck, but that one is so ragged out and beaten, I chose the Dodge.