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?
I like the 626 and 300k vs 77k is kinda an easy choice.
That generation of 626’s was very, very good. My best friend got a Turbo coupe (5MT) used just out of of college, and I was close with someone who had the “touring” (5-door hatch), also 5MT. Of course, can’t forget A/C equipped models with the power-swiveling vents.
If they were reasonably close in mileage/condition, I would take the Datsun – but with 77K vs 297K(!), the Mazda all the way.
The Mazda’s condition makes it the winner and indeed, it’s now marked sold. But, man those Maximas were fantastic cars. Great to drive, handsome, and utterly indestructible.
626 was my first car. That thing was fucking awesome. And yes, the manual shifter was indeed excellent. It was not a slow car either. It handled well. I put 300k miles on it before finally trading it in for a Miata.
Both are boring as well. A gun to my head I will take the Nissan.
Both are blasts to the past but I had to go Mazda. Way less miles and I don’t have to immediately do front end work. If either was a stick, they would get my vote. 3 grand does seem a little rich esp. for that Nissan.
The only thing that would make these cars cool is if they were landed on Pluto.
Mazda for me for a few reasons… way less mileage, seems to be in a bit better condition and it doesn’t have those stupid ‘mouse motor’ seatbelts.
And the Mazda is now sold while the Nissan is still on the market.
And honestly with the issues it has and the mileage, that Maxima is a $1500 vehicle at most.
I’ll stick with The Blue(s).
M minor.
I don’t have a sufficient personal connection to that iteration of the 626 to make me long for one out of nostalgia, and have zero need for a dog slow sedan.
Conversely, I love that generation of Maxima, but this one is a wreck.
Definite neither, but I guess I’d take the Mazda if forced.
This is almost mint for its age and how unremarkable these cars were to preserve. Saying “it’s a wreck” is beyond exaggerating.
Relatively speaking, it’s mint.
In absolute terms, it’s a wreck.
While I like that body style, I don’t like it enough to drop 3k and then have to redo all of the interior fabrics, plus address unknown engine/suspension issues.
You would be surprised how far can an extractor go on those seat fabrics and carpet. The price and mileage is another story, I agree, but I fully expected the interior to be missing buttons and a cracked dash top, I mean even the steering wheel is in ok shape. I’ve seen cars with 1/3 of the mileage rocking steering wheel covers already.
That two-tone paint is very likely all original too and it was all 4 original wheel covers. Do you know how brittle these things get as they age? It’s remarkable they’re intact. Trust me, as the owner of a very old Japanese car, this is very far from a wreck, more so considering the mileage. The price is wholly the owner’s fault, not the car’s.
Had a 84 626LX. Great car! Over 200k with only brakes and a starter.
Gotta be the Mazda based on mileage and prices of the two. Love all the blue too.
Maxima FTW… Would take some work to fix the front end, as well as the broken blender cable for the HVAC. But once that’s done, it’s fun time.
Mazda based on mileage alone. It’s the least interesting variant, a manual 5-door would be so, so much more appealing but at least it’s a good color.
My dad had a string of 626’s from this era, and he also had a Maxima of similar vintage as shown. All of the cars in question were manuals. I got to drive them all a bit. He was a used car man, so they were usually 3-6 years old in his ownership.
The Mazdas were competent and no frills. Not much emotional connection, or at least not much negative emotional reaction after all these years. They just did the job and remained invisible.
The Maxima was a tricky one. Too much power going through the front wheels, and Nissan wasn’t yet good at that. The 5 speed transmission didn’t shift quickly, which was annoying to my boy racer tendencies. The Maxima was not good at all in slick weather, either rain or snow, even with good tires. I don’t think it had any traction control (correct me if needed) and it had enough power to spin a tire in the wet, which was more nuisance than excitement. It understeered quite a bit, especially in the wet. I smashed a left front wheel and suspension when I turned into a mall entrance in the rain and slid right into sharp granite curb stones. Dad was not super happy since he loved that car. It was repaired and I never really wanted to drive it again. It did have some cool gizmos, but I’m having trouble remembering them all.
Definitely the only traction control in those days was your right foot, though the Germans and some other higher end than a Maxima cars introduced it in the early 90s. According to Google, Buick was actually first in 1971! But I am guessing just like GM’s very early ABS and airbag options, it was a flash in the pan.
I’m not paying 3 large for a 300,000 mile Nissan.
Pretty sure you’d have to pay me to take it. That was pretty much the WORST generation of Maxima, being between the I6 RWD cars and the much, much, much better “four door sportscar” ’90s version.
Just one look at those ancient velour seats and you know exactly what the Nissan Maxima smells like. Sort of like seeing a Howard Johnsons hotel postcard and knowing exactly what that motel room smells like without ever setting foot inside.
I’ll take the Mazda thank you.
I’m going for the Mazda due to its low mileage and overall condition, but damn I wish it were a stick.
I’m still sitting on the wrecked carcass of my trusty 2012 Mazda5 with a good drivetrain (6-speed stick). This 626 would be a good candidate to swap the guts from that into…….
Mazda for me.
That sound like a fabulous idea.
We had the exact Maxima growing up. It has a fantastic engine paired to a terrible transmisson. they are known to destroy their trannys.
The mileage is the deciding factor, that Maxima is near the end of its life and parts were difficult to find 10 years ago. As much as I want the little record to play saying “Door is ajar” like I’m back in my Granddad’s car, nearly 300,000 is just too much when there’s a perfectly good sub-100,000 mile Mazda right there.
The Mazda is just too clean.A friend had a later model 626 and I absolutely loved how the vents would be able to swing back and forth.They probably broke all the time but they were pretty awesome.
There absolutely were versions of that generation of Maxima that had a digital dash–the guy I worked for in the late ’80s had one. I got to drive it around for a bit. Nice car.
I’ll second that. I owned one identical to this in the late 90s and it had the digital dash and would scare the wee out of you at 2am by announcing ‘the door is ajar’.
The scary thing about it was that you could turn it off and remove the key without the shifter in park. Almost ran over my foot once!
A friend had a 626 in college circa 1988; it had a cool stereo with a joystick on the center console to control the speaker balance.
The first time I got in the car, I saw it, and I immediately went to make big circles with the joystick, but nothing was happening.
I said “Andy, the joystick isn’t working!”
He said “I know, because the first thing every a–hole does when he sits in this car is spin that f–king thing around in circles!”
So Mazda for the win.