There are a lot of things that get cooler with age. Sadly, I don’t think I’m one of them, but fortunately, I don’t really care whether I’m cool or not. Which I’m told actually makes me cooler? I’m not sure how that works. The two cars we’re going to look at today were nobody’s idea of cool when they were new, but now that they’re old enough to have a midlife crisis, and there are so few examples of them left, they stand out.
On Friday, we looked at two cars that are inherently cool, no matter what age they are. I mean, come on: a Jet-Age Chrysler with a stick, and a mid-engine Toyota sports car? You couldn’t go wrong, in my book. The MR2 won, but quite a few of you yearned for a “both” option in the poll.
I get it. I think both of those cars could be a lot of fun. And while I think I’d have more fun driving the Chrysler – and it would look great parked next to my modern 300 – I’d rather own the more reliable MR2. So I’ll choose it as well, but by the narrowest of margins.
One of the things that I love about the Radwood phenomenon and the attention that 80s/90s cars are getting these days is that it’s a rising tide that lifts all boats. It’s not like the typical “classic car” scene where you get Corvettes, Mustangs, ’55-57 Chevys, ’32 Fords, maybe a Dodge Charger if you’re lucky, and precious little else. People aren’t just fawning over Countaches and 911s and Supras; Berettas and Cutlass Cieras are feeling the love as well. (Or is it “Cutlasses Ciera,” like “Attorneys General”?) The two cars we’re going to look at today were just simple family sedans back in the 80s, but they’d be absolute stars at a car gathering today. Let’s see which one you’d rather be seen in.
1984 Mazda 626 – $3,300
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter OHC inline 4, three-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Fountain Valley, CA
Odometer reading: 77,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
Mazda was slow in making the jump to front-wheel drive. Its compact GLC stayed rear-wheel-drive until 1981, and this FWD version of the 626 didn’t hit showrooms until 1983. It had staying power, though; the FWD 626 lasted nearly twenty years, through four generations, spawning turbocharged variants, hatchbacks equipped with four-wheel-steering, and even a sporty coupe that nearly became the next Ford Mustang.
This humble base-model 626 isn’t quite so exotic; it’s powered by a carbureted 2.0-liter four delivering all of 83 horsepower to the front wheels through a three-speed automatic. The automatic is unfortunate, because Mazda’s FWD manual shifters are excellent. On the plus side, it has only 77,000 miles on it, and the seller says it runs and drives great. Just don’t expect to get anywhere in a hurry. But if you’re important enough, they’ll wait, right?
Open the door of a modern car, and you’ll find black. Or maybe gray. But back in the 80s, if a car was blue on the outside, odds were good that it was blue on the inside as well. This old 626’s interior is simple, no-nonsense, and very, very blue. It has comfy-looking velour seats that are in good shape, and not much else. The windows and locks, and everything else, are manual, and I don’t think it has air conditioning. You forget just how basic a base-model car, even a mid-sized family car like this, used to be.
All the early 626s in the eastern two-thirds of the country rusted away years ago, so I bet quite a few of you haven’t seen one in ages. This one is particularly clean, even for California. It’s had two owners, and obviously they both had garages. I see a little scuff on the front bumper, and some of the black trim has faded to gray, but otherwise it looks really good.
1987 Nissan Maxima – $3,000
Engine/drivetrain: 3.0-liter OHC V6, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Salem, OR
Odometer reading: 297,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well, but could use some front-end work
This car was late in switching to front-wheel drive also, actually. Its predecessor rode out the name change from Datsun to Nissan with its rear wheels being driven by a straight six before this generation came along in 1985. It’s completely different from the old RWD Maxima, but it looks quite a lot like it; I have to take a second look every time I see an old Maxima to verify which version it is. It’s a problem that almost never happens anymore, of course; there aren’t a whole lot of these left.
Nissan is known now for stuffing big V6s in the front of its sedans, but this is where it all started. The VG30E V6 just barely fits in this engine bay, and doing repairs or maintenance on it, even a simple oil filter change, will make you utter words your grandmother wouldn’t like. However, it is reliable and durable: this one has nearly 300,000 miles on it and is still going strong. It’s showing its age in the front suspension, though; the seller says it could use some new bushings, and probably ball joints and tie-rod ends, too.
Inside, it’s so 80s that it could set the high score on Zaxxon. Nissan toned down the high-tech gadgets a bit in this generation; it doesn’t talk, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of these with a digital dash. This might also be the only car ever built with both button-tufted seats and automatic seat belts. The seller says everything works, but the HVAC system is stuck on defrost due to a broken control cable. Otherwise, it looks like it has held up very well over the years and miles.
I always forget how much chrome these had on them. Most Japanese and European cars at the time were shifting to black trim, but the Maxima has chrome for the window trim, grille, and door handles, like it’s a Buick or something. I do like the subtle two-tone paint, and it’s in good shape. The bumpers have been used a bit, but the rest of it looks all right.
The nice thing about these is that they’re both very reliable cars, and parts aren’t hard to find, so they’re not relegated to careful weekend jaunts like some old cars. You could use these every day. And they’re not even terribly expensive. One is plain, but simple and easy to work on, and the other has more bells and whistles, but needs a little work. Which one could find a home in your garage?
There was actually a 626 at Radwood Austin last year in that same color.
“I have to take a second look every time I see an old Maxima to verify which version it is.”
Some Japanese owners erroneously put the snow chains on the rear wheels of the U11 Bluebird Maxima, still thinking it was RWD.
You can always tell the FWD from RWD easily. The RWD Maxima never had the painted bumpers and composite headlamps while FWD Maxima had both.
Same mileage and condition and I would be all over the Max. That clean, low mileage 626 wins though. I sold Nissans in the late 80s and the Maxima was an aspirational car then. I turned a lot of Maxima buyers into Stanza drivers. Basically the same car with a four cylinder.
Zoom Zoom
Much as I like that Maxima have to do the Mazda based on condition
This was a difficult one but going w/ my gut, Nissan. I’ve always loved the Maxima and the classic Nissans like this were great, when Nissan was good. Even w/ the high miles, I can rebuild if need be. I also like the Mazda in that blue and w/ lower miles, but prefer the Maxima. I’ll fix the suspension and maybe manual swap eventually…it will be fun to drive!
Mazda for me — lower milage and typical Mazda quality in handling, even for a basic economical car.
Maximas like the one in this post tended to annoy me in traffic — they would usually take off quickly from stoplights with their V6 power, but something about the gearing inevitably made them noticeably slow down on a shift and then resume accelerating more slowly than before. It was inevitable with every single one I encountered, and they were a popular car. It was entirely too easy to eat their bumper if you expected the Maxima to keep accelerating at the rate it took off from a standstill. Probably something to chalk up to the automatic that most of them probably had