This week, we’ve been looking at cars with one obscure connection between them, and we’ve ended up with four finalists with very little in common. Rather than coming up with some silly scenario or giving you criteria on which to judge them, I’m just going to keep it simple and ask you to choose your favorite.
I confess, you all surprised me yesterday. I assumed that the Blazer was going to be way too expensive, and that the Mustang would win by default. I mean, it’s a V8 with a stick, for four grand less than its competitor. Seems like a lock, right? Apparently not.
I really dig that Blazer, but I don’t know what I’d do with it. We already have a larger, more capable SUV, and the Blazer is too nice to use hard anyway. But a slightly ratty Mustang sounds like my kind of fun. As (nearly) always, though, my vote doesn’t count, so the Blazer is the winner.
Well, now that we have our four finalists for the week, let’s take a second look at them.
2013 Fiat 500 Turbo – $4,500
The case for it: It’s an economical car that’s actually fun to drive, unlike so many of them. It looks sharp, too. Black cars aren’t everyone’s favorite, because they’re notoriously hard to keep clean, but when they are clean, they look terrific.
The case against it: Not much, really, except for some hit-or-miss build quality, and some possible early-model reliability concerns. But this one has enough miles on it that any bugs should have been worked out.
1994 Chrysler New Yorker – $1,800
The case for it: It’s dirt-cheap, comfortable, and it should be pretty reliable. It’s also not a car you see very often, so there’s a novelty factor, if that matters to you.
The case against it: It’s a soft, mushy, old-person’s car. It probably rides and handles like you’re sitting on a Barcalounger on the deck of a fishing boat. And because of its location, there’s a chance it’s rusty underneath.
1963 Plymouth Valiant V200 Wagon – $3,850
The case for it: Wagons of this era are rare these days, so there’s an automatic cool factor. And speaking of cool automatics, this car’s Torqueflite transmission is push-button operated. And it’s the sort of old car that looks great as-is, so you don’t have to worry about restoring it.
The case against it: Nothing, if you’re not in a hurry. Slant-six Valiants are not performance cars (with a few exceptions). And I suppose you could complain about the complete absence of safety features, if you really wanted to get all fun-police about it.
1984 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer Tahoe – $8,500
The case for it: It looks like a brand-new forty-year-old car. And while the price is high, it’s not nearly as bad as some other ’80s survivors I’ve seen in recent history. It actually feels like a decent deal. And it would be a huge hit at ’80s nostalgia gatherings like RADWood.
The case against it: What the hell are you supposed to do with it, besides drive it to shows? It’s too nice to use as a sport-utility vehicle; you’d use it up in a hurry. And I’m not sure it’s an interesting enough vehicle to be a long-term collectible.
So that’s our show for this week. Tune in next week when we’ll be taking a look at, well, something. I have no idea what yet. But it’ll be great. In the meantime, take a look at these four and decide which one is for you.
Honestly, I’ve been itching for a classic (despite logic saying no), so that Valiant would be my choice.
It is worth noting that the valient’s front seat can serve as a bed. The sheets are already in place.
Interesting set of choices.
For me, as a single adult with a fully launched child (31), I voted for the Fiat. Still has a second front seat for whoever might be sitting next to me, it just seems like fun.
I have a friend who had the exact same Valiant SW and she was heart-broken when it got clobbered. And while it looked cool, it was not something I would want to freeway or even tool around town in. And not something in which I would want to source replacement glass.
The S-10 came in second. Just because it was so clean and there might be a day or two in the PNW where I would want 4WD, I do make sure I have a few days’ supply of things I might need to get by during a snow event, and more in the garage in case of a catastrophic seismic event. But it did seem like a sturdy vehicle for some apocalypse. Seismic or otherwise.
The New Yorker was just a hard no. No redeeming values in my book. My son would probably have been embarrassed to be dropped off to school 20 years ago from that thing, when I was doing that. And I would have been too.
The Fiat is the best daily driver of the bunch, but we have one at home, the New Yorker is a barge, and we have Buick LeSabre that does it better which leaves the Blazer and the Valiant. I’m leaning Valiant because we had a 64 Valiant when I was small.
The roof … Is long
The slant …. Is strong
The tailgate … Window … Rolls down
That Valiant is MEANT for beach trips.
Long tube intake, wrap around windows, two tone paint, AND push button shifting?
I do not understand how this even feels like a question.
You’re at the “beach house” which is actually across the highway and far enough uphill from the beach that the tsunami evacuation signs tell you how to get home. The Valiant is the car that stays there. Not for the drive back to the city. Your wife heads back early to not miss her book club and you’ve got this perfect vehicle to haul your gear down and back. The car really helps set the laid back tone of the day.
Wow, just 1 car away from a MOPAR week. Does the 500 count as a MOPAR, though?
Anyway, that one’s my pick today
Mark you are looking at the cars wrong. The S10 older and in decent shape is your sweet little grandma while the young mustang in rough shape is the drunk girl at the bar saying she can kick every man in the place.
So Valiant
I dunno what kinda bars you hang out at but the Mustang is only one year younger than the Blazer.
I wasn’t comparing age so much as the where the wear and tear came from. Probably wasn’t clear enough.
The bars? Well about what you would expect from the stories I tell.
Ah true, “it’s not the years it’s the miles.” I sleep in a big bed with my wife, and we both got a lot of miles and years on us.
If the Valiant were nicer, it might just have pipped my love for the Fiat 500. But not this one, so Fiat it is. The other two, blech.
I felt a bit more charitably about the Blazer (too old to have a decent engine, but that blue reminds me fondly of my first car, an ’89 244) and the New Yorker (though those aren’t the good-looking LH cars), but it came down to Valiant or 500 for me too.
I went with the Valiant because it charmed me the most, but only by a thin margin. I’d love that Fiat too.
The Mustang from yesterday lost because it’s a convertible,and convertibles suck.. Except Dodge Vipers.
Regarding today’s choices they are all pretty good I think,but I voted for the Valiant because the price is sort of decent and it’s a cool car. I could see myself with all of these though.
I could see myself with honestly two of the four. The Fiat first and the S-10. I really don’t want anything to do with the other two.
And with a 71K miles Accord, I don’t have to make a choice. Yet.
The Fiat sits in that weird spot where it complies with contrasting requirements: fun but efficient, easy to park but able to handle freeways at legal limit, insanely cool but understated, sporty and mildly elegant. Hits 99% of the spots.
I know the definition of what counts as a shitbox has risen with used car price inflation, but the Chrysler is really the only one that truly fits the category so it got my vote. But man, I really want that Blazer, the funky 500 is a close second. When you’ve had the subframe on an Italian econobox fail in the middle of winter and fixed it in the open air everything else is a breeze.
Tough choice – none of the cars is quite right, none is all wrong. The Fiat would win easily, but I have no garage, so it would always look like crap and that would always bother me. The New Yorker would be cool to cruise around in but it has the same paint problem as the Fiat and I’d be looking at hectares of dirty black instead of just square feet. The Blazer is not something I need and I have no intention of taking up off-roading, but it’s in ridiculously good shape and it would be nice to have a vehicle that would handle the dirt roads that our Honda and BMW are not suited for. I guess that leaves the Valiant, which is incredibly cool but needs significant interior work. I couldn’t handle living with those seats if nothing else.
I guess I’ll go Valiant. Once the seat restoration gets done, it’ll be a great car for cruising and hauling home the Costco groceries.
Gimme the Chrysler. What a beauty.
I wouldn’t mind something that rode like the Chrysler, but those cars are a rare sight because they weren’t reliable. Transmissions in particular were major problems and they seemed to rust pretty quickly. Valiant is kind of cool, but needs more work than I could ever find the passion to do. I hate SUVs even if they were sold before the monicker existed and those Blazers only slightly less than the subsequent generation. The 500 looks fun.
Ah yes, all the cars I didn’t choose this week. Which one did I go with? Well, the New Yorker, which is, of course, currently in dead last. It’s been quite the run.
That’s hilarious! When all the cars you chose don’t show up as finalists. I’ve been there.
For the money, the Fiat is still the better deal here. at least on paper, all of that probably does not hold up in person.
Fiat just because I would probably drive it the others would just sit there and have no purpose. I’m not sure a 94 New Yorker is all that reliable or collectable but rare enough now days perhaps. The electrical grimlands I’ve tracked in that platform make me not to want to look at another unless it was the cop spec.
I wanted to vote for the Valiant again, but it’s not a classic I’m really chasing. The Fiat 500 is a car I’ve seriously considered before (ESPRESSO MAKER!?), and even with those wheels, I’d drive this one.
As I get older, I feel like taking the slow ride would be more enjoyable, plus I already have a fun, almost fast car; I do not have a slow loafy barge to cruise for ice cream on summer afternoons.
Easy for me; only one of my votes made the final. Fun Fiat it is.
Back and forth between the Plymouth and the Fiat. Had to go Fiat for the fun factor.
The Fiat has my vote. I really want to go for the Blazer (and we had one similar to this when I was a kid) but it’s not doing enough for me. The Fiat will have plenty of life, be fun to toss around, and is economical. Lots of car for the money!
For this selection, i’m gonna go with the barcalounger on wheels, the New Yorker. 10 years ago, the only 1st gen LH cars I would have considered would have been an Intrepid ES or a Vision TSi. But the looks of the big ass New Yorker/LHS have grown on me.
the Last of the LHS was very comfy and spacious inside, the 3.5 V6 netted around 25MPG usually, and the Trunk was big enough for at least 3 mobsters. Other than the occasional Hard start due to a known Computer fault, it was a great car for my wife and kid to tool around in.