Welcome back to Shitbox Showdown, may I interest you in some dried apricots? It’s a snowy week in Toronto, so I’m doing what many Canadians do and jetting off to Florida. Mind you, this is more of a virtual visit to the alligator state in search of some cheap, fun economy cars. Before we jump into things, let’s take a gander at how our battle of reasonably-priced luxury sedans went.
It looks like good things come in threes, as this rather cheap 330i pulled out a win over the Infiniti J30 with almost 60 percent of the vote despite its automatic gearbox and need of a steering rack. Hey, at least parts support is plentiful, although I’d be a bit concerned about the trunk floor. Anyway, fun economy cars. They used to be absolutely everywhere, from Ford ZX2s to Nissan NX2000s. Not all fun economy cars were performance-oriented, but they always had a more interesting image than a standard sedan, and they’re quite sorely missed.
2002 Volkswagen Cabrio – $1,500
Engine/drivetrain: Two-liter four-cylinder engine, four-speed automatic gearbox, front-wheel-drive.
Location: Hialeah, Florida
Odometer reading: 200,000 miles
Runs/drives? You bet.
Let’s kick things off with a car I’ve always wanted. This millennium-era drop-top Volkswagen that conjures up stereotypes of listening to Nick Drake, wearing plastic-rimmed glasses, and setting a moody away message on AIM. While everyone was fawning over the New Beetle Cabriolet, the Cabrio was a bit nerdier, a bit stranger, and secretly the cooler choice. It’s quietly brilliant, an airy and roomy small cabriolet with a wonderfully unusual form.
As with all U.S.-market Cabrios, this one’s powered by a two-liter eight-valve iron block four-cylinder engine that feels roughly as old as sliced bread. Not exactly a powerhouse, but a reliable engine nonetheless. Damping the excitement factor is a four-speed automatic gearbox that’s perfectly adequate for daily use. However, those seeking more excitement know that this Cabrio would be a fantastic base for a build, seeing as how it’s essential a Mk3 Golf. Whether swapping in a manual and warming over the stock engine or going crazy with a trumpeting VR6, this thing’s ready to be the Volkswagen of your dreams.
On the outside, the clearcoat of this Cabriolet has seen better days but the body itself seems fairly straight. What’s more, the pricey soft top looks to be in great shape, perfect for the days when the weather isn’t exactly balmy. Oh, and the relatively rare fenders seem fairly un-dented, a good thing considering how much of a bastard sourcing replacements may be. Plus, the original owner went for a fantastic shade of red paint, the shape of this thing is just handsome in a slightly dorky way, and the Cabrio was the last Volkswagen ever to be assembled by Karmann. That’s legendary pedigree right there.
Moving to the interior, there’s not much to see other than a very ‘90s dashboard with a very 2000s steering wheel. Ah, I can smell the crayons through my computer screen. In all seriousness, the tightly-grained plastics gave the Cabrio an air of quality that was hard to find in entry-level drop-tops of the time, plus the driver-centric cockpit is pretty damn awesome. Who wouldn’t want to drop the top and hit the open road in this morsel of German magnificence?
1992 Toyota Paseo – $1,800
Engine/drivetrain: 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine, five-speed manual gearbox, front-wheel-drive.
Location: Broward County, Florida
Odometer reading: 117,463 miles
Runs/drives? Well, it’s an old Toyota and the universe hasn’t imploded.
From the return of Crystal Pepsi to varsity jackets, ‘90s nostalgia has kept pop culture in a chokehold for the past few years. Why not drive a very ‘90s car? Sure, they have all the structural integrity of wet tissue and often feature a list of amenities shorter than a manifest for a dinghy, but they often have style at every price point. Case in point, the Toyota Paseo.
Sitting underneath the pretty teal paintwork are the humble bones of the Toyota Tercel, a car known for being more durable than Willy Wonka’s everlasting gobstopper and more economical than a RyanAir flight. The 1.5-liter 5E-FE engine won’t set your world alight, but the five-speed manual gearbox should liven things up a bit. Mind you, it’s not like the Paseo has much weight to push around, so I bet it’s pretty eager by today’s standards.
On the outside, teal! Sorry, I’ve got the zeal. The zeal for teal. It’s just such a fantastic color for a car of this sort. The Paseo was Toyota’s entry-level fun car for people who couldn’t afford a Celica but wanted something more dashing than the average economy car. This one looks to be in great shape, having escaped the ravages of salt.
Perhaps best of all, the surprisingly good condition of this Paseo continues to the interior where we find immaculate seats and a dashboard that looks fresh off the showroom floor. While not exactly quick, you’d certainly be traveling in style behind the wheel of this time capsule.
So there we are, two very different takes on fun economy cars. One lets you go al fresco and build it up, the other reliably offers a dose of nostalgia, and it’s up to you which one comes out on top. As ever, choose wisely.
(Photo credits: Craigslist sellers)
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Oof. I hate VW junk and automatics and I don’t care for convertibles, but my aunt bought a Paseo like this brand new and I don’t think she kept it a year for how underwhelming it was for her, even with not being a car person. I think what really sealed it—judging by the swearing later on—is when she couldn’t pass my ‘84 Subaru wagon that had a lot less power on the highway. I guess I’ll go with the Paseo because it’s teal with a manual and slightly interesting for its condition and current rarity.
I know the Toyota is going to win because “duh it’s a Toyota and it’s STICK” but my vote goes for the Cabrio because I think it would make for a great project car. I have an irrational love of the VW breadbox convertible designs. I think they’ve aged like fine wine and are super unique. Plus they’re basically just Golfs underneath.
$1500 is f**k it money. You can bring it to better condition for a little more on top of that or budget $5-10,000 for some real buffoonery. I’m sure it wouldn’t be all that hard to find a full GTI powertrain from this era (including a proper transmission) that would be a super straightforward swap. You could also get weirder with it and go VR6, as you suggested, or even find a newer GTI powertrain.
I mean an EA888 is also a cast iron block, 2 liter, FWD 4 popper. I’m clearly not a mechanic but I’d imagine it could be done. So the Cabrio wins for me…for a timeless look and endless possibilities. And now I’m daydreaming about budgeting 10-15 grand to buy a clunker Cabrio and swap in a spicier powertrain and assorted go fast bits to make it the GTI Cabrio it always deserved to be. Thanks a lot!
Nothing gives me more nightmares than buying a used Volkswagen, so this was an easy choice.
Possibly of flood aside, you would want to check the crank pulley bolt on that Paseo. I don’t know if there is a TSB, but it was all over the forums. Bolt loosens, pulley walks away from engine destroying the crank.
Interesting. I wonder if it’s an improper published spec. Had that problem with a Subaru EJ22–Haynes manual was way too low, though the FSM was right (90 vs 120 IIRC from over 20 years ago). In my case, the pulley took most of the damage, leaving enough keyway to just replace the pulley. Some others weren’t so lucky.
I thought these were the Toyotas with the gull-wing doors, but I am wrong. Still the best choice of the two though
That’s the Sera, which is the same platform.
There’s a JDM enthusiast around me (southeastern PA) that has a Sera. Have seen it on the road a few times, definitely took a double take the first time. I believe most, if not all, were automatics, though. I’d take the Paseo.
Pass the Paseo–I have a craving for minimalism.
Those Cabrio “basket handles” just stoke an unreasonable amount of rage in me. If only due to that sexy Toyota upholstery, I will not be passing on this Paseo.
This is a downright no-brainer in my opinion. Mk3 2.slow, and automatic, AND CABRIO? No way in hell I want a cheap convertible, unless its a Miata. If this were a Golf/GTI with a stick, I could live with the ABA motor. But 3 strikes in a bad way.
The Toyota on the other hand, isn’t just something I like ironically – I legitimately would like to have this as a daily. Looks super clean inside, and though not powerful, that 16v 1.5L will feel downright effervescent compared to the VW mill & accompanying slushbox. Toyota, hands down, gets my vote.
ABA is among the best motors VW ever made.
That being said they SUCK at making gas powered i4s.
Toyota today. Had a friend who owned a Cabrio, always something wrong with it. Besides, Teal!
Gotta go with the Paseo today. The manual and the color seal the deal. My first car in high school was an oil-hungry ’95 Saturn SL1 in a very similar color that I drove around like it was stolen.
>Ah, I can smell the crayons through my computer screen.
I’m glad I’m not the only one. My S5 smells like “car” on the inside, but my wife’s Q7 def smells of Crayola on the inside. It’s weird, but I don’t hate it?
Mk3s smelled normal. Mk4s smelled like crayons. This one will smell like mold when the top starts leaking.
The allure of the convertible is offset by the badge. In this case… the Manual wins.
As a bald guy there is a distinct lack of appeal to drop top motoring. Burning my head because I forgot a hat, or the hat blowing around too much to be comfortable. Paseo all the way for me.
For someone needing very basic, cheap, reliable transportation, that Paseo seems like a deal. I would want to check it over carefully, because it seems a little too cheap. Especially look for flood damage coming from Florida.
Broward County is on the other side of the state from all the recent flooding. It is conceivable that someone could have hauled it over from Ft Myers or such, but for a payoff of $1800 minus whatever was spent in fuel and storage? Doubtful.
Although, as I said earlier, the too-clean interior gives me vibes.
Source: a FloridaMan
The Toyota has fewer miles and is a Toyota.
While the VW is a nice car, this one is pretty beat.
The Passeo is better daily and basic transport
The lack of a manual on the VW significantly raises the barriers to having $1,500 worth of fun with it.
Only advantage I see is that the right kind of date would say, “Wow! Cute little convertible!”
Voted Toyota, no hesitation.
On the surface, VW please
The Paseo sets off a few bells for some reason. The aftermarket wheels, the too clean interior combined with a ratchet strap to hold down the battery? Eh…
I’d be inspecting it with a fine tooth comb if I were going after it.
Paseo looks like the start of one of those “clean” style tuner cars…clearly took the P A S E O badging off the rear. Can’t tell if it has a fart can muffler on it though.
Battery strap is odd. Wonder if they lost that little bolt and chuck setup that usually, cleanly holds them down.
Good call! Didn’t even register the badging was gone. Definitely see the “clean” influence now
Paseo for sure. Total throwback to the sportcoupe era (paging SW Gossin!).
I spent years wrenching on a girlfriend’s Cabrio – what a pain, and the repairs got more and more annoying as it aged. Like select gauges in the cluster shorting out!? I eventually found a cool guy in Canada to whom I could send the whole thing for repair, but seriously.
Paseo…90s teal, half the miles, Toyota reliability and a manual. Quadfecta of “what VW?”
Yup. Teal for real.
Yotas are low on my shopping list — I own one, but it was almost as cheap as this Paseo, and that got my attention — but the substantially lower mileage and manual box push me in that direction. I admit also being swayed by the common — and unfair, but true — characterization of the VW as a “secretary’s car.”
Thomas’s characterization of these as “fun” cars seems a bit wide of the mark. But that’s just me. But at the price, they don’t have to be, as long as they’re drivable.
Toyota makes the best cars. VW doesn’t.
Easy, Toyota by default. Nothing beats a 90s Toyota!
The Paseo is a sporty Tercel 🙂
I went with the Paseo. I have always had a soft spot for them and the teal just seals the deal
Everybody have fun tonight?!?!
Everybody Wang Chung tonight???
I picked the Yota, I miss the color teal.
Or any color for that matter. So tired of grayscale.
Cars that come in cool colours are for people either too rich or too poor to give a shit.
You could show me a 30 year old Toyota half eaten by rust and a brand new VW and I know which one I’d bet on lasting longer.
No, I’m not bitter at all, why do you ask?
Haha. Every time I think of VWs I think of my ex’s 04 or 05 Jetta with a driver side headlight that burnt out every other week (I’m exaggerating but not by much). The battery was up against the back of the housing so my knuckles were in a permanent state of bleeding and healing because of that goddamn car. Not to mention everything else that went wrong with it. I hated that car with a passion.
My wife’s VR6 Passat ate driving lights. The glass would crack and let moisture in, dead bulb with a big bill. Two months later it or the other one is cracked and out. At least those worked for a couple months at a time. The ABS … that never worked.
My brand new GTI wound up in the service bay twice before its first scheduled maintenance. On 3 separate occasions it misfired, shut off two cylinders, starting running intolerably rough, and forced me to pull off the road. The first time I called the service folks and was told “you’re just out of the break in period, it was probably just a fluke” to which I said “fair enough” because when I restarted the car it was fine. It happened again and I let it go. Then it finally happened on an interstate when I was on a road trip, which was pretty scary.
Fortunately I was right outside a major city and quickly found a VW dealership to pull into. I sat there for 3-4 hours, was told “we couldn’t replicate the problem so we can’t help you, we put engine cleaner in there, schedule a service with your local place and good luck getting back. Also please only use VW approved gasoline otherwise you’re asking for problems”.
Naturally I said “excuse me?” and they gave me a list of VW approved gas station chains. When I finally got in for my scheduled appointment they told me “this is just a thing that happens with VWs sometimes don’t worry about it” and was given the keys back. Comforting! When I traded it in on the Kona N maybe a year later the spark plugs were already giving out. All of this in the first 12,000 miles no less!
BUT WAIT! There’s more! My sister bought a certified Tiguan the same month I got my GTI. She and my brother in law had multiple unscheduled service trips due to issues with the sunroof. Finally it just gave out completely and flooded the car, despite it being “fixed” multiple times. It turns out that there was actually a recall done on the sunroof that was never completed! The car made it though VWs damn certification process with an open recall. VW was forced to cover the expensive fix as a result, but it took them days on end of being left on hold or being treated rudely and the damage had been done. Two weeks ago they traded in the Tiguan on a certified Lexus NX.
Smart! They asked me for advice on what to replace it with and said “we want the exact opposite of the VW experience”…so naturally I recommended something Japanese. They got a good deal on a well maintained NX coming off a lease. It’s a great car too. I’m happy they’re happy.
I am never considering VW again and it’s absolutely embarrassing that they willingly put out cars that are such unapologetic garbage heaps mechanically. There are other horror stories out there as far as the eye can see too, it’s not like their terrible reputation is undeserved…and whenever VW fanboys hit me with the YOU HAVEN’T EVEN EXPERIENCED A VW YOU’RE JUST A HATER I ask them if they’d like to sit down and be regaled by my tales….
Out of curiosity, what gas does VW recommend?
Ford recommends BP (Amoco in my Mustang’s case), but that’s a well-known marketing tie-in. I gotta figure VW (maybe) is more serious about it?
The 2.0t is a straight garbage engine. If you would have bought a 2.5 rabbit/golf you’d still be driving it.