Welcome back to another week of sketchy cars at bargain prices! We’re starting out with an odd couple, close in age and price, but miles apart in demographics. One is a luxury rarity, and the other is an economy car legend. Which one would be more welcome in your driveway? We’ll see.
The results of Friday’s runoff surprised me. I was not expecting that Audi to win. Was it the rarity? The fact that it was the only manual transmission? From the comments, it sounds like a lot of you knew it wasn’t the rational choice. And yet, here we are.
The Audi is my choice, too. Several of you noticed that it has already sold. Not to me, just to allay your suspicions. I can’t say I didn’t think about it, but it’s not the right time. Besides, I’d rather have something a little sportier.
Time and depreciation are the great equalizers when it comes to cars. Two vehicles that never would have been cross-shopped when they were new can become competitors thirty or forty years later, because now they’re the same price. Does that mean it always makes sense to go for the fancier car? You tell me, after we check out these two.
1988 Mazda 929 – $4,000
Engine/drivetrain: 3.0-liter OHC V6, four-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Waldo, KS
Odometer reading: 131,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well, may need an alternator
Did you know that Mazda almost launched its own luxury brand to compete with Lexus, Infiniti, and Acura? It was going to be called Amati. It never came to pass, but you can see Mazda laying the groundwork for a move upmarket when you look at this car: the Mazda 929. It was based on the Japanese-market Mazda Luce, a large (for Japan) rear-wheel-drive sedan, powered by Mazda’s first-ever V6 engine. These cars were thin on the ground when they were new, and they’re ridiculously rare now. I can’t even remember the last time I saw one on the road. This one came from a Mecum auction, but the seller says it has been mostly sitting since it was bought, and it’s time to let it go.
In Japan, the Luce was offered with a few different engines, including a rotary, but the US-market 929 used a 3.0-liter V6. This one has a four-speed automatic, as I think all 929s did. The seller says this one runs and drives well, but it hasn’t been driven much recently. They think it might need a new alternator, but I don’t know what they’re basing that on. It looks like the alternator isn’t hard to find, and it’s priced the same as other cars, so it’s not a big deal. The seller is open to offers, so use the alternator as a bargaining point.
Mazda’s luxury aspirations are on full display in the interior. This car is nice inside. It has deeply padded leather seats, a leather-rimmed steering wheel, and all the power options you’d expect in the late ’80s. It’s in good condition, too. This is the only photo of the interior in the ad, but I don’t see any red or even yellow flags here. And the ad expressly states that the air conditioning works.
The ad also says it has “surprisingly little rust,” which I guess means there’s some? I sure don’t see it in the photos, but they don’t show everything. One mildly concerning thing is that the hood doesn’t look like it is shut all the way in a couple of the photos. Best to make sure it does shut properly before driving off; you don’t want it flying open on the freeway. It’s never happened to one of my cars, but I was in a friend’s car when it happened to them, and it scared the hell out of us.
1991 Geo Prizm hatchback – $3,900
Engine/drivetrain: 1.6-liter DOHC inline-4, three-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Bronx, NY
Odometer reading: 113,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
One brand that never had any luxury aspirations of any kind was Geo. Chevrolet gathered all its captive-import models under the Geo nameplate in 1989, then merged them all back into Chevy in 1998. We were encouraged to “get to know Geo,” and then it disappeared as soon as we did. No wonder my generation has trust issues. The Prizm was not technically a captive import, I suppose, since it was built in California, but it was based on a Toyota design, and it’s basically the same thing as a Corolla under the skin.
Corolla guts are not a bad thing in the least; the Prizm’s 1.6-liter 4A-FE engine is a marvelous little thing. Not super-powerful, but efficient, and it’s as reliable as they come. It’s actually kind of a fun car to drive with a five-speed stick, but unfortunately this one has an automatic. And I think, in the base model, it was still a non-overdrive three-speed unit. This one is very low-mileage, and the seller says it runs and drives great, but it’s a New York car, so a lot of those miles were probably spent stuck in traffic. Taking it out of the city and getting it up to speed for a while would probably do it wonders.
It’s in good condition inside, but this is a no-frills car: it has crank windows, basic instrumentation, cheap fabric seats, and as I recall from driving a couple of these back in the day, very little in the way of sound-deadening. But this one does have air conditioning, at least. Hopefully it still works well. Oh, and those aren’t motorized seat belts, by the way; the shoulder belts attach to the door frame, and you’re supposed to just leave them fastened all the time and slide out from under them. No one does.
The Prizm came in two flavors, much like the Corolla-based Chevy Nova that came before it: a four-door sedan, and this five-door liftback. This is an underrated body style as far as I’m concerned. It’s almost as practical as a wagon, but quite a bit more stylish. This one carries a few minor scars from its life in the big city, but for as old as it is, it’s not bad at all. It doesn’t have any rust on it that I can see, either. And somehow it survived all these years with all four hubcaps still in place.
In the late 1980s and early ’90s, these two cars would have attracted very different buyers into the showroom. One is meant as an alternative to the European luxury sedans that were all the rage in the ’80s, and the other is a no-nonsense economy car aimed at those who didn’t trust a Cavalier. But today, they’re almost equals. Either one would draw a crowd at most car gatherings, based on rarity and condition alone. But neither one is so precious that you can’t drive it and enjoy it. So what’ll it be: the fancy-pants Mazda, or the plain but honest Geo?
I like the Geo’s color and the thing appears to be in great shape, but I’m going with the 929. Neither is going to be crazy fun to drive and the Geo just looks too bare bones in comparison.
If the Geo was manual… Instead it’s the nine hundred twenty nine.
Mazda 929 for me. Nostalgia, yes, but as a former owner of the lower-tier model I can say it was comfortable, quiet and reliable. I called it my Japanese Oldsmobile. Wish I had those leather seats, though.
I’m pretty sure I paid less than $4000 for mine back in 2004.
Yeh that price is kinda wild. I bought a ’89 626 Turbo in high school circa 2001 with similar mileage to this 929 and iirc paid $2800 for it.
I miss my ’88 Nova dearly. The Geo for me.
Mazda. The Prizm is fine, but from experience, the automatic isn’t any fun at all and is just an efficient way to turn gasoline into noise with the side effect of slight forward movement. At least the Mazda has a pleasant interior to go with its slushbox.
When I was old enough to rent a car during college, the Prizm was there. It was a white 4-door that seemed really modern to me at the time (1990) – that’s probably because I was driving a 1980 cutlass supreme at the time. It’s certainly an honest and reliable car, but I can’t resist the lure of the deluxe Mazda. Maybe it’s got the vents that do that fun little “swing” thing that they did back in the day (?)
It’s a small world…my one experience with a Prizm was renting one during college after I totalled my shitbox ’80 Plymouth Volare.
If I was looking for a cheap, winter beater, I’d go for the Geo. But I’m not, so I’ll take the 929 today for leisurely trips to Cars & Coffee. (ETA: You had me at burgundy interior.)
My fake internet money goes to the 929 because of the seats alone. I bet it cruises down I-95 like a dream. Now, my sensible real money would go to the Geoyota because it’s a cheap cockroach.
929 for me, dawg!
Sweet Geo, but 929 for the win because if I’m not mistaken, this car has oscillating vents. I had a friend in high school that inherited her mother’s 929 and it was the most ridiculous greatest car invention I had ever seen.
Also, as a resident of Texas, I want oscillating vents, its 2026 for goodness sake.
Gaaaaah I forgot about those!! My mom’s brand new 1997 626 (only the finest hunter green paint with tan interior and the GOOOOOOLLLLLLDDDD package… but still a 4 cylinder) had the oscillating vents and I still can’t believe that nobody has brought that back.
nothing said 90s suburban fancy like the metallic hunter green, tan leather, gold package on Japanese import!
Some good taste right there
I bet the perceived need for an alternator is the fact that a lot of the luxo Japanese sedans have lots of little always-on loads that eat the batteries. If you don’t start the car every few days, the battery just withers away.
As a former Toyota lot boy from the 80s, we had battery carts specifically for the Cressidas and Supras, they were the absolute worst for such issues. Turn off the carbureted truck and leave it for three months, come back and pump it five or six times, off it goes. Cressida you haven’t touched since last week? Bring the cart. I reckon whatever is going on with the 929 becomes a non-issue if it gets driven every day.
That said, I think I’d rather have the Prizm with its absence of added value junk…oh, heck. Three-speed? Forget that.
Neither.
I voted for the 4-cylinder Toyota hatchback. And it’s a cooler color too 😛
Neither. I clicked through on the Prism and Marketplace showed me what else one can get for $4,000 or less.
two that stick out:
$4K for a rust free 1990 Cherokee with 135K miles
$3K for a rust free 1993 Ranger with a 5 speed and 145K miles
But those are not what the game is offering us today. You can submit them for future consideration, of course.
I played the game. Today the answer is neither.
I’m not one that plays the game with a rule that one must choose or that the money spent on this car is imaginary internet bucks. To get my vote a car offered has to be reasonable priced for the condition. It doesn’t even have to be a care I’m personally interested in – just reasonable priced. Today neither car passed that test.
Part of what makes this game interesting is that it’s a bit like Calvinball. Everyone makes up their own rules, and that’s kinda okay.
Calvinball | The Calvin and Hobbes Wiki | Fandom
That Geo reminds me of my old 91 Corolla. Inside and mechanically they look identical. Mine was a grandparent-inherited car and therefore spec’d the same way as this one. I remember trying to haul around 4 people in one post-college and with the 3-speed auto, it was a struggle to get up any sort of grade, especially on the highway. Always made me a little weary of future base-engined mainstream Japanese cars, probably unnecessarily so.
These cars are a master class in minimalism and simplicity, but I will say the materials are good on the interior and generally bulletproof. This one looks like it was kept clean and out of the sun. Mechanically these are as reliable as the sun coming up. Replace a muffler or cv boot and the usual consumables and not much more. The killer for my car was rust. Otherwise it’s the ultimate car to just drive hard and put away wet. This being a NYC car it’s worth checking for rust, although this one looks so good it may have been garaged. If it’s lived all its years in the city’s outer boroughs, probably was not used during snow in favor of public transport. I really enjoy those larger Mazdas – the 929 and the Millenia were very cool cars at the time – but I’ll take the Prizm here.
Geo Corolla all the way.
Had that same era Corolla sedan, in the same maroon, for about a year in the late 90s. Good machine.
Mazda Cressida for me.
3spd kills the Prism. It’s in great shape but a car like that was intended to be a stick shift.
“”surprisingly little rust,” which I guess means there’s some? ”
It’s a Mazda, so I think all that means is the car is actually a car and currently not an iron oxide stain on the pavement. Although I think this was true of all 80s Japanese makes.
I’m sorry but neither of these is worth 4 large, there are about a million better option for that money (even in the current situation). Neither is particularly interesting or collectible, the Mazda is about as uninspired a design as was ever penned, it probably took all of 20 minutes to design the exterior, maybe the cause of the ‘thin on the ground’ comment because no one bought them when they were new. Yes the rear wheels are driven but a 10sec plus 0-60 is not something that inspires. The Geo is a 1990s penalty box with a life spent on NYC street and is a deathtrap on modern highways to boot. Yes it will likely still be running when the earth falls into the sun which I suppose it a plus because with a 3sp slushbox it will probably take the long to get to highway speed.
If put to it I’ll go 929 just because I don’t want to be hosed off of the grill of some Tahoe by a driver that was watching TicTok on the expressway.
Yes, they’re both overpriced and neither is going to hold up well in a collision. That Prism won’t even require a highway-speed collision with a Tahoe to kill you. A 30mph head-on or t-bone with an Accord will do it, which means every single suburban intersection is a crosshair targeting your life.
Yeah, neither are up to modern (or even semi-modern) crash standards, but at least the 929 has a bit of meat to it. The Prizm is made of tinfoil and good intentions.
Maybe not even good intentions. Casual ambivalence, perhaps.
while I agree to an extent, I would caution you to do an auto tempest search and see what 5 large gets you these days. you would be shocked at how much overpriced garbage there is out there currently. these are both old and not great spec, but they are also running and driving with lowish miles.
The thing about Facebook Marketplace is when you click through to the ad it populates a bunch of cars in a similar price range. Today for me in just the first page there were two much better deals than either of these.
Prizm, like a cockroach but in a good way.
I’d much rather be in the driver’s seat of that Mazda. And though I’m not usually a V6 fan, at least it’s mounted in the right direction.
question is, can an LS and a 4l80 fit in the bay and drivetrain tunnel? Or even better a 6 speed manual.
I voted Mazda. It is more interesting.
Also, I notice this Mazda is for sale in in a town called Waldo. I noticed this and thought “Where’s Waldo?” before being mildly amused at my own thought.
(incidentally, this caused me to go down a rabbit hole where I found out that Where’s Waldo is published as Where’s Wally in lot of other countries. Also, the character is apparently called Walter in Germany – I guess Waldo/Wally is too informal for ze Germans… I presume there the book is called Wo ist Walter and Waldo/Wally/Walter is an engineer dressed in a grey suit and not a flamboyant weirdo in a striped shirt and hat)
I’m picking the Geo for pure nostalgia – we used to have a sedan (light blue with blue cloth and crank windows) when I was a kid. There’s also the whole unicorn factor with the rarity of the hatchback.
When I opened the article, I was certain I was going to pick the Geo. That huge glass hatchback called my name!
But an automatic? And in NYC? Oof.
The 929 gets the nod today.
113,000 miles in The Bronx is like 313,000 miles anywhere else. I’ll take the Mazda solely based on that.
I would have gone with the Prism if it had been a GSi, but as it is the Mazda gets this round.
The Riv came in last?!? Behind the Pepto-Element?
I know taste is subjective and all, but I’m sorely disappointed in everyone.
First vote this morning goes to the Mazda. Those seats look very comfy.