You don’t hear the term “cream puff” used to describe cars much anymore, so maybe I’d better explain it for the benefit of our younger readers. A cream puff is a used car in particularly good shape, with particularly low miles, that has obviously led an easy life. They’re often nothing special, just well-preserved old cars–like these two. (It’s also a delicious dessert made of choux pastry.)
Yesterday, we looked at a couple of cheap projects in need of some (okay, lots of) assembly. In the nearly four years I’ve been doing this, I don’t think a single Saab has lost a Showdown, and we’re not going to break that streak today. The two-for-one Sonett deal won hands down. The Mazda RX-7 had its fans, but I think the fact that it was a former race car put a lot of you off.
I’m with you. Those two cars for $500 are a screaming deal, for exactly the right person. The trouble is finding that person. I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of making one good car out of two marginal ones. I’ve done it a dozen times with old RC cars, but never in full-scale, and I think it would be a fun project. Or a giant headache that I end up selling for less than I paid for it after several fruitless years of tinkering. It could go either way.
When I was growing up, Christmas meant baked goods, and lots of them. My grandmother was half Swiss and half Danish, and she baked up a storm every year, as did my mother. Between the two of them, we were all on a non-stop sugar rush from Thanksgiving until New Year’s. It’s amazing I stayed as thin as I did as a kid. I’ve tried, with varying degrees of success, to revive some of their recipes: my lemon-curd-filled cupcakes are really good, and my skruppers (Danish pastry made with lard and yeast, layered with cinnamon and sugar) are passable, but not yet quite right. But I have yet to attempt one of my mom’s masterpiece gingerbread houses. This year, we’re in the middle of moving, so I haven’t been able to bake anything at all. But I can still treat you all to a couple of cream puffs. Here they are.
1978 Chevrolet Caprice Classic – $6,500
Engine/drivetrain: 305 cubic inch OHV V8, three-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Mesquite, TX
Odometer reading: 39,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
General Motors was the first of the “Big Three” to introduce a drastically downsized version of its full-size cars in 1977. Ford and Chrysler advertised their 1977 models as being real full-size cars, but the joke was on them: the smaller big Chevy was a huge hit. As before, the Impala was the less-expensive model, and the Caprice, like this one, was the fancy version.
This ’78 Caprice is a one-owner car, with only 39,000 miles on it. It’s powered by a 305 cubic inch V8 with a two-barrel carb, and a Turbo-Hydramatic transmission, driving a rear axle with a super-tall gear ratio to improve fuel economy. Don’t expect miracles when you step on the gas. It is a nice, durable combo, though, and the seller says this one runs and drives fine.
It’s as clean inside as you would hope it would be with so few miles. The seller claims the seats are leather, but I’m sure they’re vinyl. I doubt you could even get leather seats in a ’78 Chevy, except maybe the Corvette. There are some strange scuffs on the passenger side of the front seat visible in one photo, and a weird stain on the floor in back, but the rest of it looks like new.
It looks good outside, though the paint could use a waxing. All four original hubcaps are there, as is all the trim. I thought there was a filler piece missing above the rear bumper, but after looking at photos of other Caprices, I think it’s just sticking out farther than it should. It might be due to the trailer hitch.
1979 Mazda 626 Coupe – $6,250
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0 liter OHC inline 4, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: Millbrae, CA
Odometer reading: 79,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Now this is a car you don’t see often anymore: the first-generation Mazda 626. They were never a common sight on the road anyway, especially the coupe like this, and most of them were claimed by rust years ago. Last time I saw one in person was several years ago, in Portland, where you can still find one good example of any car, it seems.
This generation of 626 is rear-wheel-drive, with the same basic chassis layout as the first-generation RX-7. Instead of a rotary, the 626 is powered by a 2.0 liter four-cylinder, in this case backed by a five-speed manual. This one has fewer than 80,000 miles on it, and it runs and drives just fine. It just had a tune-up and a valve adjustment; now that’s something you don’t hear much these days, either.
The interior photos in the ad aren’t great, but they get the point across. It’s in beautiful shape, and it has cool houndstooth upholstery. It’s all original, and the radio works fine – but the air conditioning doesn’t. It kicks on, but it makes a funny noise instead of cool air.
Outside, it has been partially repainted, but the new paint doesn’t quite match. The original paint was faded to the point that you can tell what’s new and what’s old. But considering how few of these are left in rust-free condition, it’s a minor quibble. There’s also a dent in the rear bumper, but that’s trivial. It has cool alloy wheels that are more often associated with an RX-7, but I guess they were available on the 626 also.
These are both probably too old, and too nice, to use as everyday cars. And I’m not sure either one of them qualifies as a “classic” as such. But there is something to be said for ordinary cars that have survived decades virtually unscathed. The prices are probably more than you’d expect, but as I’ve said before, that’s just where the market is right now. Choose your favorite, enjoy your holiday, and I’ll see you back here on Friday!
Photographing the Caprice in the parking lot of a Family Dollar seems deliberate.
I guess I’ll go with the Mazda? Neither of these cars are all that desirable and both are overpriced.
I voted for the Caprice out of nostalgia. My dad had a gray ’79. It had a leak in the roof which would slowly drip water on the front passenger, i.e., me.
Mazda for me. I had an ’82 626 coupe back in the day that was great – until the motor threw a rod through the case. Open diff rear end makes for some interesting fishtailing.
The thing about this model is that the doors are pillarless. Drop the front and rear windows and it’s one big opening like a convertible.
Price feels steep in both cases. I feel like the current owners are saying to themselves “the right buyer will come along”
Caprice will find parts anywhere. And maintenance should be easy with as much free space under the hood as it has.
Everyone will want the Mazda until they drive the Caprice.It may be slow but it’s comfortable and easy to fix.That motor and transmission will run forever and not one cop will blink an eye as you cruise by at 75MPH.These things actually look good with a nice set of Ralleye wheels and a pair of curb finders.The price is steep but it’s Christmas.
This is an interesting one, at first I thought I’d go with the Caprice as it’s pretty easy to find parts for, but then I remembered that my dad had one when I was a kid and he hated the thing, and so why have an old boring car at all? The 626 is interesting and maybe fun and while it’ll be painful to find parts for, it might be rewarding in a way that the Caprice never will be.
They’re both intriguing, but I’d pick the Caprice simply because of the ease in finding parts for it. I’d also lose the trailer hitch and reinstall the rear bumper correctly.
I’d be looking to find a passenger-side mirror for it, too.
In my morning stupor I thought that Mazda was a Volvo for a moment. The front end, the color… Sweet car.
Why is there a block on the wheel of the Mazda. Guessing the Ebrake doesn’t work?
Safety first.
The Caprice seems to be a steal by the prices I’ve been seeing for them lately, but the ugly color and upholstery material are probably good reasons why. The Mazda is more interesting, a manual, and a coupe, but not interesting enough for me to want it.