I’m firmly of the opinion that every gearhead’s first car should be a complete piece of crap. Suffering builds character, it’ll make you appreciate nice cars more, all that good stuff, sure – but also, my first car was a complete piece of crap, and I loved it anyway. So today’s scenario involves two pieces of crap, and a young budding auto enthusiast.
Yesterday we were looking for a way to bring home some big pieces of furniture, and after some good arguments on both sides, the slightly more versatile combination of a Ford Ranger with a cap on the bed won out over the Chrysler minivan with disappearing seats. There were concerns about rust on both of them, but you don’t buy a vehicle that cheap expecting it to last forever. It’s there to do a job.
The funny thing is, the van probably has more room inside than the covered bed of the Ranger, but if you need to bring home a dresser or a bookcase, the van’s roof is going to be in your way. But a lot of antique furniture places will deliver really big stuff for a fee, and the carpeted floor and watertight accommodations of the van will be kinder to the things that will fit inside it. I think I’d go for the van in this case, assuming the rust underneath isn’t too bad.
All right, here’s today’s scenario: The quiet of your Saturday afternoon is broken by the sound of a car-hauler unloading something across the street. You hear the truck stop, followed by the rumble of a serious V8, and look out the window to see an electric-blue mid-1970s Firebird Formula easing its way down off the carrier and into your neighbor’s driveway. Naturally, you can’t help going over to check it out, and to find out the story.
As it turns out, the neighbor’s uncle recently passed away, and in his will left the Firebird to his grand-nephew, the pimply-faced fifteen-year-old who has been mowing your lawn for years. The kid has his learner’s permit, and will get his license in a couple months when he turns sixteen. The family is reluctant to turn him loose with the Firebird right away, so they have been looking for a more suitable first car for him to drive for a while – and more importantly, learn to drive a manual on; the Firebird is a four-speed.
They’ve asked you for your help in choosing a car for him, and also request that you be the one to teach him how to drive a stick. In return, they’ve agreed to let you take a spin in the Firebird, if you want. A quick search has yielded these two likely candidates, so now we’re going to take a closer look at them.
1998 Ford Escort – $1,600
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter OHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Clackamas, OR
Odometer reading: 325,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
After years of dicking around and selling a whole lot of really mediocre small cars in the United States, Ford finally did the honorable thing and went to its partner Mazda for help. Starting in 1991, the US-market Ford Escort was based on Mazda’s BG platform, and the difference between it and the previous generation’s half-assed “world car” platform was night-and-day. It drove well, it was a lot more reliable, and even the basic models could almost be considered fun, as long as you chose a manual transmission.
This Escort is from after a restyle, in which the hatchback bodystyles disappeared, including the celebrated Escort GT. Only four-door sedans and station wagons remained. The standard engine was an improved version of Ford’s overhead-cam CVH four-cylinder, and the manual transmission came from Mazda. It’s a combination known for racking up trouble-free miles, and this one has done just that – 325,000 of them, to be precise. It was well-maintained by its first owner, who recently passed away, and it still runs and drives great.
My experience with these Escorts has been that they don’t have the fanciest or most comfortable interiors, but they wear like iron, and that seems to be the case here. The upholstery and carpet still look fine; Grandpa really was careful with this car. The only problem I see is that passenger’s side seat belt; it’s cut more than halfway through, which doesn’t inspire confidence, especially if you’re going to be sitting in that passenger’s seat tutoring a new driver. Might want to replace that.
Outside, it’s the perfect beater – not trashed, but not something you have to worry about either. The hubcaps are long gone, and the red paint is unevenly faded. The ad mentions that one side mirror was recently replaced; my guess is that it got wiped out on a garage door sill. But the fact that they actually replaced it before listing the car for sale shows that someone cared for it.
2007 Chevrolet Aveo – $1,800
Engine/drivetrain: 1.6-liter DOHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Milwaukie, OR
Odometer reading: 227,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Chevy’s captive-import game was strong for years before the Aveo came along. This Korean-built subcompact was basically the replacement for everyone’s favorite tiny car, the Suzuki-built Metro. The little Metro left some big shoes to fill, and it can’t be said that the Aveo really rose to the occasion. But it’s not a bad little car, if you consider it on its own merits. This is a one-owner example, well north of 200,000 miles, and it’s holding up just fine.
Power – such as it is – for the Aveo comes from a 1.6-liter twin-cam four, putting out 103 horsepower. It’s probably enough for this little lightweight car, at least with a manual like this car has. The seller says it has “ZERO mechanical issues,” and that it comes with a stack of service records. That’s not something you often get with a sub-$2,000 car.
This one is holding up remarkably well inside, too; it’s hard to believe, looking at this photo, that this car has 227,000 miles on it. There’s some wear, sure, but no damage. It’s a really basic little car, with crank windows and nothing more than an AM/FM radio. I do see a button for air conditioning, but there’s no word on whether or not it still works.
It’s in good condition outside, a little faded, but straight and rust-free. The silver paint is completely gone from the plastic hubcaps, which is weird; I wonder if some chemical from a car wash ate away at it over the years? Personally, I’d ditch them and just hit the steel wheels with some silver Rust-Oleum. It would probably look a lot better.
Really, on paper, there’s not a lot of difference between these two. They’re both high-mileage but well-maintained economy cars, easy to drive and cheap to insure – in other words, perfect for a high-school kid to learn stickshift on. I guess you could turn to brand preference to choose between them. Or you could ask the kid which one he prefers, but honestly, with that Firebird sitting there, he’d probably turn his nose up at both of them. So it’s up to you: which one are you going to use to teach the neighbor’s kid how to drive?
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