Welcome back! On today’s Shitbox Showdown, we’re looking at one of the hottest fads of the mid-1990s. No, not Friends, or Tamagotchis; I’m talking about teal cars. But before we discuss everyone’s favorite Clinton-era car color, let’s see how daring you all were yesterday:
Huh. I confess, I’m a little disappointed. Where’s your sense of adventure? I mean, it’s not like that Altima is some ’70s Jaguar or ’00s Audi; it’s basically a reliable car. Was it the title thing? Yeah, that’s a little sketchy, but it’s worth finding out what the real scoop is, right? I mean, if the alternative is the official car of “ketchup is too spicy for me”?
Well, I hope you’re not all as allergic to color as you are to dangerous fun, because today we’re looking at two cars that inhabit that wonderful mythical world between green and blue. Why did teal suddenly become a popular car color in the early ’90s, and why did it almost entirely disappear again only a few years later? We may never know. We have only the artifacts, brightly-colored and rapidly-aging cars that stand out in a sea of modern grey vehicles like the heads of the ducks for which the color is named. Teal cars take us back to a simpler time, before electronic stability control or turn-by-turn navigation, when Taco Bell burritos were seventy-nine cents and Counting Crows were on cassette. Was it really so long ago? Yes, yes it was. Just ask these two cars.
1995 Subaru Impreza – $2,200
Engine/drivetrain: 1.8 liter overhead cam flat 4, five-speed manual, AWD
Location: Vancouver, WA
Odometer reading: 227,000 miles
Runs/drives? Yep
Subaru wagons represent about every fifth car here in the Pacific Northwest. The combination of practicality, economy, and all-wheel-drive traction has filled every parking lot with star-studded oval badges for years now. Personally, I’m not a fan; I think the flat-four engine is too fussy and weird, and the all-wheel-drive instills too many drivers with a false sense of security in bad weather. But the market has spoken, and lots of Subaru sales means lots of used Subarus.
And this little Impreza is definitely used. It has well over 200,000 miles, mismatched paint, a missing gas flap, and little signs of wear and tear everywhere. It also has a rebuilt title, which may have something to do with the impromptu two-tone paint. It’s a base model, which for 1995 means a 1.8 liter version of Subaru’s EJ engine. It’s not what you’d call a powerhouse, but it’s a lot more reliable and durable than some later Subaru engines. This one makes the most of the meager power available with a five-speed manual and all-wheel-drive.
An aftermarket seat cover on only the driver’s seat almost certainly means the upholstery under it is trashed. And since the passenger’s seat is pristine, I imagine this car spent a lot of miles hauling only one person around. This car is for sale at a dealership, which means we don’t know much of anything about its history for sure. And that includes how it came by the branded title. Best to check it over carefully.
Still, if you’re on a budget and you simply must have a Subaru, this is probably the best you could ask for.
1995 Nissan 200SX – $2,500
Engine/drivetrain: 1.6 liter dual overhead cam inline 4, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Oregon City, OR
Odometer reading: 225,000 miles
Runs/drives? Sure does
Looking for something with a more conventional small-car drivetrain? Something with fewer doors, perhaps? Well, here you go. This is a Nissan 200SX, a name that was used on a number of different coupes over the years, but in this case applies to what’s pretty much just a two-door Sentra. It’s no sports car, but then, it wasn’t meant to be; once upon a time, you could just choose to buy a car with only two doors because you liked how it looked with only two doors.
This 200SX SE is equipped with a 1.6 liter twin-cam engine, good for 115 horsepower. It powers the front wheels through an overdrive automatic transmission – don’t blame me; blame the original owner. Hey, at least they picked a good color. This particular automatic has a little slip between second and third gears, but then again, it has 225,000 miles on it.
The seller claims the interior is “immaculate,” but it has aftermarket seat covers and a steering wheel cover. Does that mean it’s immaculate under the covers? Or that it’s worn out, and the covers are new? Inquiring minds want to know.
Outside, it looks like it might have had some body work done on the right rear quarter panel; the paint doesn’t quite match. And the rear spoiler is black instead of teal. It’s nicer than a lot of $2500 cars, but it’s not the “squeaky clean” example that the seller claims.
I kinda wish we could still get teal as a paint option on cars. But then, I wish we could still get simple, lightweight two-door coupes or basic little station wagons too. These cars are relics of the past for more reasons than just their color. But even though they’ve both been around the block more than a few times, I’d wager they both have some life left to give.
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
You wish you could still get teal on cars?
*glances over at the row of teal Ioniq 5’s at the local dealership*
Between these two, hands down, the Subaru. Yeah the EJ18 may be gutless but it’s freaking bulletproof, and mated to a 5MT AWD and in a wagon. You just can’t get cheap utility like that anymore around here.
My vote was strictly nostalgia based, nothing in the article was going to sway me. Used to have a 2001 Impreza wagon with a 2.2L motor I believe, what a work horse. Unstoppable on snow in cheap iPike tires, moved my whole apartment with the rear seats down, ran trouble free for me until about 2012. Sold it to a family friend for his son and it got KO’d by a school bus trying to turn around on their street and backing into it two years later. RIP you magnificent machine.
I love teal cars. I once bought a super low mileage Teal 1994 Toyota Tercel at night. I drove it back in the dark, unable to see the pattern printed on the shifter and thought 5th gear was broken, it just wouldn’t go into 5th. It turns out they made a 4 speed manual in 1994….That car was awesome once the sun came up on that shiny teal paint.
I’d rather spend all day with a stranger at the DMV without an appointment than hear the Counting Crows.
I daily a 2002 Subaru Impreza wagon with a manual, and I love this little car. These cars get great gas mileage, and with a manual it’s fun to drive on the twisty mountain roads in the Sierra foothills. Sure, it’s pretty beat and not much to look at, but I’m going to keep her around. So of course I voted Subie.
Suby every day of the week, that is a fun little beater.
Nissan…it has better design and don’t want a Subaru…both look good in teal though
The title on the Soob scared me off. Also, both of these cars look a little derpy, but the Impreza more so. We’ll take the 200SX, and look forward to Friday!
I had a B14 200SX, and it was an excellent and fun car. However, that was the SR20DE-powered SE-R model with a 5-speed manual. The GA16DE in this SE is not a bad motor at all, it’s extremely durable and reliable, and I enjoyed the ’92 B13 Sentra I had with that engine. But that was also a manual. Hitching the 1.6 to a slushbox in the heavier B14 model is a recipe for clogging up entrance ramps.
Since neither is still not an option I went for the LPGA Subaru.I prefer this early simpler Subie over the hey it is too easy to work on let’s put a stop to that.
Huh, this is interesting. I’ll be selling an almost exact match to this 200SX, same year, color and engine/transmission. Except it has 100,000 fewer miles, and it runs & drives as it should. Bought the car for $2,000 in the spring of 2020 for my son to drive to high school, and it needed a bit of work, as it was pretty filthy and needed some repairs. Not exactly sure what to price it at, but I’m thinking about $2,900, as it has newer tires, brakes, stereo, radiator & water pump. It’d make someone a good go to work car, as long as they’re not too tall, as my son has literally outgrown this car.
My PNW Subaru is bigger (Legacy Wagon, pre-Outback), has far fewer miles, and was in similar shape cosmetically, but I walked away with it for less than half what they want for this one. Even for the pandemic price bump, this one is way overpriced.
…I’d still take it, though. For hooning purposes. I got my practical, cheap Subie for groceries and hauling and polite society. This here Impreza is for doing Stupid Impreza Things.
The Nissan is An Car.
So, y’know, I’m voting the opposite of yesterday: give me the weird stupid stereotype fun car.
I had one of those Subarus. I think mine was like a ’98, purple-ish, and it was the sport model. You could tell because it had a Sport! decal on it in a jazzy font. The seats also had a jazzy print on them featuring all of the 90s colors. It was actually a pretty fun little car.
This was peak Subaru styling. It all went to cartoon hell after this. I’ll take the wagon and fix it because it won’t hurt my eyes at least. I don’t know how this title stuff works up here in Canada, though. I’ve never had to look into it. Might be a show stopper.
but…the Sentra could have taken it if with was MT.
Side note, I regularly see a early 2000’s M3 in an absolutely stunning electric teal* driving around here. It must be a repaint or a wrap, but it makes such a difference compared to the black/silver versions you normally see.
*not sure what electric teal is, just using it to describe a very intense pigment.