Good morning! I don’t feel like writing about sensible cars today. I feel like writing about cool two-door coupes in running project condition. I hope you’re all okay with that, because I’ve found a couple that I really like.
Yesterday we looked at two entry-level luxury sedans with manual transmissions. I had no idea which way this one was going to go, so I was looking forward to the comments. It’s always interesting to me to hear the reasons people have for voting the way they do: some folks won’t touch a front-wheel-drive car, while others wouldn’t come near a German car with that many miles on it. In the end, the Lexus ES won, and by a rather large margin. A lot of you seemed to think the seller of the Mercedes was hiding something. You could be right.
The idea of doing maintenance or repairs on a transverse V6 still gives me the willies, but I think in this case I’d take the Lexus too. It’s a good deal on what seems like an honest car, and while it may not be the most exciting thing on four wheels, Toyota does make good FWD manual transmissions, so it should be pleasant enough to drive.
There’s a fact that a lot of car folks don’t like to admit, but it is nevertheless fact: Owning a classic car is a pain in the ass. Sure, insurance is cheap, but you have to find a place to store it, you spend half your time waiting for parts to arrive, and something is always broken – usually right when you want to drive it most. If you’re going to put up with all that, you should pick something that really moves you. For me, that means it has to be a two-door, it has to have a manual transmission, and it has to be a certain level of rarity; not so obscure that you can’t find parts, but uncommon enough that you don’t see three others at Cars & Coffee. And it should be nice, but not too nice. These two caught my eye, and maybe one of them will catch yours, too. Let’s check them out.
1963 Chevrolet Corvair Monza – $3,999
Engine/drivetrain: 145 cubic inch OHV air-cooled flat 6, four-speed manual, RWD
Location: Benton, AR
Odometer reading: 33,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Corvairs might be the best bargain in the classic car world. Everybody loves them, but with the exception of the really rare ones, prices have remained surprisingly reasonable. The prettier and better-handling second-generation Corvairs command a bit more money, but these early ones are downright bargains. Is it the “unsafe” stigma? Or the fact that they’re not V8-powered like so many more traditional classics? Who cares? They’re cool, they’re affordable, and they’re plentiful enough that you can hold out for a good one.
This is the Monza model, with fancier trim and a little bump in horsepower. Some Corvair expert out there will correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe this is the 95-horsepower version. It’s connected to a four-speed manual transaxle, driving the rear wheels through a pair of swing axles. It’s this tail-heavy configuration and unsteady rear suspension that gave the Corvair its widowmaker reputation, but also makes it fun to drive. This one runs and drives well, according to the seller, and has a racy-sounding dual exhaust. A stock muffler setup is also included if you don’t want to put up with the noise. It also has new brakes at all four corners, which should give you a little peace of mind.
It has new carpet and new seat upholstery inside, and it looks really nice. It also has factory air conditioning, a rare option, but it doesn’t work. I’m sure a specialist shop could make it work if you really wanted. The speedometer also doesn’t work, which probably means the cable is broken. This also means the mileage isn’t accurate, but on a car this old, the mileage doesn’t really matter.
It has a few dings and dents outside, and the windshield is cracked, but the seller calls it a “good twenty-footer,” and that’s good enough for me. There’s no rust on it, and all the trim is intact. The wide whitewalls wouldn’t work on a lot of cars, but I think they look good here.
1981 BMW 633CSi – $5,000
Engine/drivetrain: 3.2-liter OHC inline 6, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: West Linn, OR
Odometer reading: 192,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Stepping forward a couple of decades, we find the company car of Blue Moon Investigations, and all-around yuppie dream machine, the BMW E24-chassis 6 Series. This grand touring coupe was the height of cool in the ’80s, and in the right trim, quite a performer, too.
This is a 633CSi, not one of the hottest versions of the 6 Series, but no slouch either. It has a 3.2-liter version of BMW’s renowned M30 six-cylinder, making 174 horsepower – about the same as a Z/28 Camaro of the same year. It drives the rear wheels through a five-speed manual. This one runs and drives well, and has had a bunch of work done to it, including a rebuilt head, new exhaust, new clutch and flywheel, brake and suspension work, and more. It could use new parking brake cables; they’re stretched out, and the parking brake doesn’t do much at the moment.
It could use some upholstery work inside; both front seats are torn up a bit. The rear seat looks good, though, as does everything else that I can see. I don’t know these cars well enough to know if the plaid shifter boot is factory, but I imagine not. It’s a cool little detail, though. This car has air conditioning, but the seller removed the belt because it was squealing, so there’s no telling how well – or even if – it works. The speedometer doesn’t work in this one either, by the way.
It’s not perfect outside either, but it does look really good. The seller points out a couple of rust spots, and it has plenty of rock chips on its nose. But to me, that just means you shouldn’t be afraid to drive it. It has a European-style front bumper, but the rear is still the big US-spec battering ram. Personally, I’d rather just have the US bumpers at both ends; yeah, they’re huge, but they work.
So there they are, two very different classic six-cylinder coupes, in similar condition. Either one could be a good weekend driver, and either one will draw appreciative comments at car gatherings. But which one is more your style? That’s what you have to decide today.
This is definitely a why-not-both? day, but the Corvair wins for me for the unique factor
Flip a coin. I would happily rock either one.
My mom had a yellow ’63 Monza and it is the first car of hers that I remember from my childhood, so for nostalgia, Corvair.
I would only pick a Corvair if it was second-gen. First-gen looks like a nerdy fish.
The 6 is one of the most perfect auto bodies ever made. This one looks like it has been through quite a bit, but I’d still take it, even though it’s “eye crust”.
Clicked the article, planning to vote for the 6, but man, that’s a rough one. That rear window looks like it’s separating from the body. Too many issues lurking for my comfort.
Monza by default.
I think what you are seeing at the back edge of the c-pillar is just reflections of the trees in the background. You can see reflections of the trees in the roof, rear window and trunk lid.
I will go with the BMW this round. If the Corvair had been a 2nd gen though, that would have been a different story.
Always a sucker for a Corvair. Just a little too far away to risk my marriage.
The Beemer is toast, if it has rust spot that are visible then there is rust evverywhere.Beautiful cars and lovely to drive but….. unbolt the front wings and prod about a bit,were the things really built like this?
Oh yes – the 6-series were absolutely world-champion rot-boxes, almost as bad as e9s were. Shame as they are such pretty cars.
I had E9 dreams before I learned about the E9 nightmares. Now I know why there are so few left, and why I’ve never seen one driving.
I have two friends who own E9s and have restored them. Even seemingly nice ones never are underneath, and they are VERY expensive cars to restore. One was pretty rough and was a 10yr labor of love doing most of the work himself, the other was pretty nice (and expensive to buy) but still took a fortune to put properly right (that friend doesn’t do anything himself).
I believe that, the E9 has the kind of beauty to make folks abandon all sense of value or logic. I’m glad there are people out there like your friends who are willing to pay the ruinous price to see it through.
If you have the money, why not? They really are fabulous cars, but it does have to be a labor of love because it costs more to restore one than they sell for currently. Maybe that will change over time though.
Here’s my friend’s car on a BMW Club tour about 10 years ago. My M235i in the middle, another club member’s 1M on the other side. So pretty!
https://flic.kr/p/2rLiXXi
What a beauty, that color looks stunning on it.
Was going to go BMW but that rust kills it for me. It’s not terrible but if it’s rusted there then other things are going to be rusted. My days of hacking out bolts to remove them are over so Corvair it is.
yup. it is more like E NEIN
The Corvair Monza the car that caused the Mustang, look at that interior!
An easy choice for me.
I went Corvair today for no particular reason other than a Corvair is something I’ve always through might be cool to have. GM really missed the boat when they killed the flat six, I believe that could have become a very good powerplant.
In an unusual move for me, I’m picking the old German. I’m not a big BMW fan, but that is a really good looking car. And likely old and simple enough for me to work on it without questioning my life choices.
I do like Corvairs, but the 1st gen 2-doors are my least favorite bodystyle. The 1st gen actually looks way better as a 4-door IMO, which is really unusual for old cars which placed a priority on styling for the coupe models. 2nd gen coupes though, that’s the shit. But really I would have chosen the Corvair had it been literally any other bodystyle than 1st gen coupe.
I felt the same. Hopefully it pre-dates modern German luxury car madness? Probably not,(ha) but at least it looks absolutely fantastic.
Yeah, it might be a world of pain still!
I would normally go for the BMW, the drivetrain components are plentiful and it’s the right spec, but E24 body panels are unobtanium and with rust in the picture, I’d rather not take my chances.
I’ve never had an American car but have always been curious about that particular era of them. If it drives anything like a Beetle, I’ll have lots of fun with it.
I should ask an owner, but I’ve heard 911-like a lot. I guess this’ll be like a cross between that and a swing-axle Bug.
Makes a lot of sense, the front suspension of the Corvair is much more modern/conventional than the Beetle’s (and geometrically similar to an early torsion bar 911)
I’ve owned both, but my Beetle was a Super with the more modern front suspension. However, the Corvair handles much better, and can get out of its own way and pass in the left lane with more confidence. The steering is just very nicely weighted, light, but with good feel, and the ride is a good balance between comfort and control, just a delight to drive on twisty roads and build speed through corners. Pretty good brakes, too, but I always thought the Super Beetle was OK in that department, too. Cabin heating is similarly unexceptional, but I stop driving once the salt hits the road anyway
I only like the second generation Corvairs, the first gen styling never did it for me. I’ll take lil Sharkie the bimmer.
My Mother made little Max promise to never drive a Corvair, so I guess I’m gonna get Bavarian with it.
I voted the corvair seems to be in much better shape and probably much cheaper to work on. The BMW looks okay for the price but I am sure if you want anything fixed it will cost much more then the corvair. Plus corvair engine is in the back much cooler then in the front haha.
This one’s a toughie. I have experience with both cars, really like both, and so am a bit conflicted.
Since there’s no “both” button, I’ll go with the Corvair, based mainly on what the BMW is likely to cost in future.
Both my sisters had ‘Vairs, one a ’60 coupe with the P-Glide, the other a ’62 convertible with four-speed. I learned about oversteer with the convertible….
Corvair!! What could possibly go wrong?
And if something does go wrong (engine-wise) there are kits to bolt in a small block Chevy! Then the true madness begins!
“I’m telling you, Molotov Cocktails work. Anytime I had a problem, and threw a Molotov Cocktail, boom! Right away, I had a different problem!”
-Jason Mendoza, from “The Good Place”
My dad was 6’4″ but for some reason (apart from that time he came home with a ’72 Mustang) really liked smaller cars. In the late ’50s, it was an Austin Healy and in the 60’s it was the Corvair. He had one of the first gen well before I was born. Around 1977, in something of a midlife crisis, he bought a second gen Monza Spyder in all black. That’s the Corvair I remember…the smell, the look, and witnessing my dad rowing through the 4-speed (never saw anyone else in the family drive manual). As much as the sight and smell of that thing captured my attention at the time, it didn’t do much for me in later years…basically after I realized what V-8 engines were for.
This BMW represents much of what I resented in the 80’s. Fancy dudes used to wheel around in these things with their spiffy girlfriends and scoff at me in my Mustang. Sure, I could beat them readily in a straight line and might even give something of a chase on the curves, but inside I kind of knew that the cars didn’t really compare – the BMW was better. That’s the direction I’m going today…full black hat, turning on everything I once thought I knew.
Wow, that was a journey.
Oh, this is easy. Six classic cylinders, not quite as handsome as the subsequent generation, derided by its detractors and defended by its fans. Lively handling for what it is and nowhere near as bad as some would try to tell you.
I know which one I want!
Tough call, but I think I would prefer the Corvair. I do like those 6-series, but I’ve always been fascinated by the love/hate relationship people have with the Corvair and think I’d like to find out where I fall on that scale.
The Corvair based on condition only. Super interesting and less clapped out.
I’m actually going to vote Corvair. Despite the fact that this is an early swing-axle car. And a guy in grandpa’s car club had a late one that overheated during parades, all the time.
I already have an IRS Beetle, and will never even be able to afford a late 912. This will have to do for RR aircooled flat 6 shenanigans.
Also, I look under the BMW hood and understand why modern engines have plastic covers…
The Corvair is almost a twin for mine except a year older, the Monz trim just gets you bucket seats and some extra chrome trim, plus usually a 4 speed floor shift, unless the original buyers ordered Powerglide, as mine did. It could have any engine, so this could be 80, 95, or 102hp, if stock
This is a tougher one.
My dad had a Corvair of some flavor when he was dating my mom in the mid 60s, and it was fun enough for him to have a trophy for drag racing it at Edgewater Dragstrip.
I was tempted to get a 3 series at one point for fun, but found a 944 turbo instead. Which was enough to scare me away from Euro maintenance.
I think I have to go Corvair today, keeping future repairs in mind since I don’t have much wrenching skills.
^^^ This absolutely. The Beemer will bankrupt you. The Corvair will make you smile. Also fuck you Ralph Nader. Not only for the Corvair but also Bush 1
I think you meant Ross Perot, Bush 41 never crossed paths with Nader to my knowlege!
Edit you meant GWB, til Bush 1 is a reference to him, not his father!
Bush 2. Dang fingers of mine
I’m just a teensy bit fascinated. A drag trophy? For a Corvair?
Please expand on this, if you have more story than just this captivating headline.
I want to hear this too! Kinda has drag Bug energy…but bigger!
I really wish I had more.
I just remember as a kid seeing a decent trophy from our local dragstrip and it was for the Corvair. The first car I remember was the 71 Roadrunner bought new, I don’t remember the Corvair.
But knowing him & his SCCA membership it was likely not 100% stock, with whatever he could have done in the late 60s. The Roadrunner was replaced by a 74 Opel Manta that he turned into a stage rally car.
There are many ways to win events at the drag strip, it could’ve been bracket drags, or it could have been a class event (by displacement, tire size/compound or whatever else), where I imagine a lightweight Corvair with all of its mass on the rear wheels would have been a real contender, especially with cross-ply tires. 80 horsepower was more than enough to roast the rear tires, and the Corvair could be had with up to 102.