Good morning! I’ve just noticed that I have chosen Toyota versus Dodge again today, but what the hell; we’ll run with it. We’ve got two old but still capable vehicles that make me think of weekend adventures, which makes them perfect to check out on a Friday.
Yesterday’s Dodge versus Toyota matchup went heavily in favor of the Tundra pickup, as I suspected it might. Those things run forever, and I’m willing to bet that those of you in more rust-prone parts of the country haven’t seen one that clean in years. And as someone pointed out in the comments, you don’t put new tires on a vehicle unless you’re confident about its overall condition.
I have to agree that it’s the better vehicle, but I’m a cheapskate, so if I needed one of these to transport stuff, I’d probably look seriously at the Caravan just because it’s half the price. It’s an automatic transmission either way, and with that many miles, it hardly matters anymore who built it.
All right, let’s step back in time a little further with these two manufacturers. For Dodge, we have a much older version of the same idea, and representing Toyota is a little 4×4 wagon that has become something of a cult classic over the years. Here they are.
1966 Dodge A100 Sportsman – $4,500
Engine/drivetrain: 225 cubic inch overhead valve inline 6, three-speed manual, RWD
Location: Spokane, WA
Odometer reading: 82,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
It’s funny to me, looking at the dimensions of this early Dodge A100 van, that yesterday’s Grand Caravan is called a “minivan.” This van is two and a half feet shorter, in both overall length and wheelbase, than the Caravan. They are almost exactly the same width, however; the A100 is short and squat.
Like its Ford and Chevrolet competitors, the Dodge A100 offered a selection of six- and eight-cylinder engines, nestled between the front seats and driving the rear wheels. You can just see the hump where the engine lives in the terrible photo above. This one has a 225 cubic inch version of Chrysler’s famous Slant Six, backed by a three-speed column-shifted manual. It has been owned by the same family for decades, and they took care of it. It’s ready to roll.
The interior is a mishmash of seats from newer vans, along with this homemade-looking pair of inward-facing benches that fold down into a bed. Somewhere along the way, someone installed a plywood floor with sound-deadening under it, so it won’t echo like a tin can the way most old vans do. The one thing we don’t get a photo of is the driver’s seat and dashboard area. Does that mean it’s trashed, or they just neglected to take a picture?
The outside is impressively rust-free and very straight. I don’t know if the blue paint is original, but it wouldn’t surprise me. The seller does say that there is some bad rust in the floors in front, but nothing that affects anything structural. Sounds like as good an excuse as any to learn to weld.
1984 Toyota Tercel 4WD Wagon – $2,800
Engine/drivetrain: 1.5-liter overhead cam inline 4, six-speed manual, part-time 4WD
Location: Coeur d’Alene, ID
Odometer reading: 180,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives, but needs some unspecified work
Looking back, the crossover SUV craze was inevitable. As soon as Subaru stuck a four-wheel-drive system under its Leone station wagon, the die was cast; the combination just made too much sense. AMC followed with the Eagle, which, as gawky as it was, further cemented the proof of concept. And then Toyota came up with this little number, a tall station wagon version of its Tercel subcompact equipped with 4WD, and suddenly everyone offered something similar. And now, of course, everything is a 4WD wagonish thing that’s slightly taller than it needs to be.
The Tercel wagon is normally front-wheel-drive, like the rest of the lineup, with five forward gears. But pull that little secondary shift lever, and it sends power to a solid rear axle as well. Like most pickups, the front and rear axles are locked together in 4WD, so you can only use it on slippery surfaces like snow, mud, or dirt. When 4WD is engaged, you have access to a sixth gear, an extra-low “granny gear” for tough climbs. The little 1.5-liter engine only makes 62 horsepower; it needs all the help from low gears it can get. It runs and drives, but the seller says it needs some repairs “for safety,” but doesn’t specify what exactly.
It has covers over the front seats, which is rarely a good sign in an old car. And it’s especially discouraging here, because a lot of 4WD Tercel wagons have really cool plaid seats. My hope is that the covers have been on there for a long time, and the plaid cloth is in fine shape still, but I doubt it.
It has a little rust outside, but not nearly as bad as the ones I saw in Minnesota in the 90s. These Tercel wagons are proof that something ugly can still be cool. The ungainly roofline, the big chunky bumpers, and whatever is going on with that license plate/reverse light combo thing in the tailgate are not attractive features, but the car works so well that it doesn’t matter. It’s like rock stars who got famous before MTV; you could be homely and no one cared, as long as you could play.
These both need a little bit of work, but they’re interesting enough to be worth the trouble. And either one could make a fine weekend toy that you don’t see too often. The choice is yours: the Scooby-Doo van, or the homely 4×4 wagon. What’ll it be?
I had an 83 Tercel 4wd wagon. It was slow but it would go about anywhere. I want to see how much crustiness is underneath because these cars did not have the rustproofing we do today. Mine had the coveted inclineometer on the top of the dash too.
This would be a both but with just one I’m tempted for the Tercel, but since I’m really thinking that I need a Delica I went with the van and would put my wood shop to use redoing the interior.
I went with the van mostly because I never, ever want to be in Coeur d’Alene.
Both cars are serviceable beaters, but both are in weird Nazi/militia territory, but Idaho cares a lot less about them. Weirdly, the van is the health and safety choice for my trans ass.
I’m picking Jesse Pinkman’s ride today. it’s ugly in a good, honest way and might be bearable as a daily driver. Tires look good so it might just need a tune-up and brakes
I think this time I gotta go w/ the Scooby Doo van (down by the river!) since it’s just way more interesting. Slant 6+manual+good design+plenty of room=win. The Tercel is a good car too though. Wagon+manual+4X4. I wouldn’t mind both of these, but the van will be fun in a lot of ways
I noticed the ad for the van says the odometer rolled over, so 182K miles.
My sister had an ’84 Tercel as her first car in the late 80s/early 90s. That car wasn’t consistent with Toyota reliability, let’s just say. As much as I dig the design and 4WD, I would prefer the A100 and to refresh the drivetrain and customize to be a band van.
The location makes this one an easy win for the A100. Step 1, request 2-weeks FTO. Step 2, wire money out to Spokane, arrange to have seller meet at the train station. Step 3, order Amtrak’s Empire Builder tickets. Step 4, take family on a train-trip out to Washington for a camping-adventure-roadtrip-vacation back home to the midwest!
Those Tercels are sweet, but this one seems a little ragged. I’ve always wanted to learn to weld, and a buddy has a welding setup, so we’ll take the Dodge, fix the floor, and look for vintage FARGO badging just for grins.
They both need some work for rust. And both are practical. So on that basis, I’ll go for the Dodge which has a much bigger cool factor.
But for either one, I’d fix the rust and then see what could be done to bring the paint back to ‘nice and shiny’ status.
I’d love better examples of both of these. Today I went Van, because it’s a Van kind of day.
I’ll take the weird Toyota with the 4WD but are they a 6 speed transmission?
5 normal gears plus an extra low gear used only in 4WD. They’re fun cars, I miss mine.
I’m going with the Tercel. Sure, it’s oddly proportioned, but so is Sydney Sweeney and it hasn’t hurt her popularity. Besides, I welcome a car where the view out isn’t equivalent to peering through Venetian blinds. It’s probably creepy to mention peaking through blinds and Ms. Sweeney in the same paragraph, though.
Now I can’t unthink that. Thank you.
Dodge today, but it was a tough call. The Tercel would probably be easier to live with if you had to daily it. The van is a better second car if you clean it up, you could take it to a cruise night and get some thumbs up, then Saturday morning run to Home Depot for a few more.