Well, we’ve made it to the end of January, which has been approximately eleven years long. To celebrate, I thought we should take a look at some cool red convertibles – but not the typical fare. You don’t see these two every day. They’re more expensive than our usual cars, but worth it, I think, at least in terms of fake internet money.
Yesterday we looked at a couple of cheap VWs, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the little old Fox take the win. I’ve always thought they were neat cars, sort of a miniature Audi 4000. The Beetle’s airbag issues and rust scared some of you, it sounds like, whereas the Fox’s needs seemed easier to tackle.
Myself, I’m definitely on team Fox. I don’t dislike the New Beetle, and I really like that orange color, but if I have the choice between an ’80s VW and a 2000s VW, I’ll always go for the older one. Of course, I’d rather have a Scirocco, but who wouldn’t?
If you go looking for convertibles in the internet classifieds, you’ll find a lot of Mustangs, Chrysler Sebrings, Miatas, and Corvettes. Every once in a while, you’ll come across a Camaro or a BMW Z3. You know what you won’t find? A Nissan 240SX. Or a Citroën Méhari. Except today, I did. Let’s take a look at them.
1970 Citroën Méhari – $10,500
Engine/drivetrain: 602 cc OHV flat 2, four-speed manual, FWD
Location: Seattle, WA
Odometer reading: 44,000 miles
Operational status: Won’t start, has an ignition issue
One of my favorite categories of car is the “beach car”: an open-top version of a small economy car, built for sunny environments. The Mini Moke and Fiat Jolly are two famous examples, but Citroën also made one, based on the 2CV platform: the Méhari. It was only available in the US for two years, 1969 and 1970, and very few were sold. This is a rare car indeed.
The Méhari shares the 2CV’s air-cooled flat-twin engine, in its largest displacement: 602 cubic centimeters. It’s front-wheel-drive, of course, though a 4WD version was available for a few years in other parts of the world. It uses the same four-speed manual and leading/trailing arm suspension as the 2CV, and is apparently better off-road than you’d guess. This one does not run; the seller suspects a problem with its aftermarket electronic ignition system (probably a Pertronix unit). Those systems are usually bulletproof, so I wonder if something just isn’t hooked up right. The seller says it was running and driving just a couple of years ago, which is a good sign.
Like most beach cars, the Méhari’s interior pretty much is its exterior. This one doesn’t even appear to have doors, just vinyl-coated chains stretching across the openings. The Méhari was classified as a light truck in the US, so it didn’t need seat belts, either. These things will go about 50-55 miles an hour, I’ve read, which must be terrifying. This one has been partially disassembled; the seats are stripped to the bare frames, but new covers – along with a whole bunch of other parts – are included.
The Méhari’s body is vacuum-formed ABS plastic, molded in color. Time has not been kind to this one’s red body; it’s badly faded. Hopefully it’s not too brittle. Replacement panels are available, if you need them. It does include a new convertible top and windshield.
1992 Nissan 240SX SE – $8,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter DOHC inline 4, four-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Odometer reading: 263,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
For some cars, popularity is a curse. They become extremely well-known for one thing, and nearly every cheap example gets snatched up and used for that purpose, which drives up prices and makes it nearly impossible for casual enthusiasts to get their hands on one. The Nissan 240SX is such a car, and the one thing it is well-known for – and has been ever since Nissan first advertised it – is drifting. 240SXs get hacked up to make them drift better, crashed, rebuilt, and drifted some more. Only one bodystyle seems to escape such punishment: the convertible.
The 240SX is powered by Nissan’s twin-cam KA24DE four-cylinder, in this case backed by a four-speed automatic. It’s a good setup for a mild-mannered cruiser of a convertible, but less than ideal for the drifting crowd, which might be another reason why this one has remained intact. It has a ton of miles on it, and the seller says it has been a reliable daily driver for a long time. See? Keep cars stock, take care of them, and they just keep running.
It’s hard to assess its condition inside, because we have no way of knowing what’s under those seat covers or dash topper. The carpet doesn’t look great, but the door panels are in fine shape. The seller says the convertible top works fine, but the air conditioning doesn’t.
It looks good outside; most of the paint is shiny, and I don’t see any signs of damage. It has aftermarket wheels, but they suit it well. The seller does note a couple of small issues: the driver’s door lock doesn’t work, and the trunk lid won’t stay open on its own. Typical old-car stuff. It wouldn’t be any fun if it didn’t need something, would it?
“Red convertible” is a pretty tenuous connection between these two, I realize, but we won’t let that stop us. On one hand, you’ve got a cool French beach car in need of some restoration, and on the other, a sporty Japanese car that escaped a hard life thanks to its soft top and “wrong” transmission. You’ve got all weekend to make your choice. See you all on Monday!
Definitely the Mehari. I owned a red one (US spec) in the eighties and nineties. Max speed about 60.
It attracted owners of motorcycles. I was a little embarrassed as the engine displacement (about 600 cc) was half of the engines in their big bikes.
Sold it to a guy from the south, never saw it again.
They both seem over-priced.
The 240SX have a following I never saw when they were new. Nice looking, but seemed lacking compared to a Prelude, Celica, Supra, V6 Probe, etc.
I’ll take the Méhari. I’m a sucker for weird Euro beach-cars. I live in a small coastal california town, and this thing would be a great town-car.I love open air motoring.
I personally have no desire for a convertible. But an open air vehicle? One purpose-made to be constantly exposed to the elements? Sure!
I’ll take the Mehari, please.
I’ll take the beach car and also use it as a farm/woods buggy. But if it was real money only for less than half the ask
Méhari for sure. Mini mokes go for that and then some jollys seem to be at least double that. Now the 240sx is in crack pipe territory because all the kids want one and generations of kids before then have destroyed them all.
Both. Both is good.
The Nissan got my vote, but the Mehari is certainly surrounded by a very varied collection. The Jaguars first caught my eye, then the GM New Look, and then the 1961 Dodge.
The price is solidly in the meth-crack-fentanyl region. But the Mehari is really an interesting car in every way.
The AAA (American alliteration association) called and they point out that the headline should be Rare Red Roadsters. Sheez.
A red roadster by any other name would not be as sweet as a Citroën Méhari.
There used to be a Méhari that parked in a vacant lot next to a DB4 in Soho when I first moved to NYC in the 70s. I would love to have either of them.
I wonder if I could trade a non running VW thing for it.
I have no use case for that particular Citroen. If it was a regular 2CV, then I’d go for it. But this is another case of rare =/ valuable.
To me, that Citroen’s price is firmly in Crack Pipe territory.
So my vote goes to the 240sx. And it has the added bonus of being cheaper
Voted Citroen because I want no “sporty” car from the bay area with a slushbox and 250000 miles. Also wierd that Citeoen ad shows up for Seattle location because it’s in Eugene, also on Facebook marketplace here. I worry about the day there’s a shitbox on here too close to refuse, but so far they’ve been Friday price basket cases so I’m safe again. Though if I were flush with real dollars I’d get in touch just to inquire about the Jaaaags