Traditionally, on Fridays, I show you a roundup of the week’s winners and let you make your final choice for the week. But sometimes, I don’t feel like writing about the same cars all over again, so I show you two new cars, often something special. Today, I’m doing sort of a hybrid of those two formats, and showing you the three winners from this short week, along with one new car.
I had a feeling that the RAV4 was going to win yesterday. It’s the logical choice, despite its high mileage. Stangely, though, more than one of the comments in favor of the Fiat 500L were from people who have rented one in Europe and enjoyed it.
That’s enough of an endorsement for me. Every car I’ve rented in Europe has been a lot of fun, and I’ve often wished I could bring them home. It’s been a long time since I had a European car, and I kind of miss them. The RAV4 is certainly a fine car, but it’s just a Toyota.
So, let’s take a look back at our week’s three winners, along with a newcomer to make up our usual quartet.
1988 Nissan Desert Runner – $6,800
This rare Nissan pickup absolutely mopped the floor with an interesting but overpriced Honda Civic on Monday. It’s hard to beat a small pickup anyway, and this one is extra cool. Sure, it’s faded, and it’s missing some of the details specific to the Desert Runner model, but where else are you going to find one of these for this price?
1987 Alfa Romeo Milano – $8,500
This car is quite a bit more expensive than our normal fare, but I just couldn’t resist showing it to you. The Milano was the undesirable Alfa for a long time; I remember seeing a Craigslist post about ten years ago where someone was selling three of them for $1,500 – and one of them even ran. But those days are gone, and the Milano has come into its own. This car, especially with all the recent work done to it, feels like a good deal. Of course, whether an Alfa is a good deal or not is kind of beside the point; it you want one, you want it. Logic doesn’t really enter into it.
2003 Toyota RAV4 – $3,250
It’s a RAV4 with a stick and a shit-ton of miles on it. It will probably serve someone very well for years to come. But it personally does nothing for me. If you like it, well, here it is.
1991 Geo Storm – $3,500
Engine/drivetrain: 1.6-liter OHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Phelan, CA
Odometer reading: 357,000 miles (yes, really)
Operational status: “Runs perfect”
If none of those choices really do it for you, may I interest you in one of my favorite sporty coupes from the early 1990s? The Storm, like the rest of Geo’s lineup, was a captive import, based on the Isuzu Piazza, which was sold in the US as the Isuzu Impulse. I came close to buying one of these once upon a time, and I really wish I had. It’s a fun car to drive, and clearly durable, if this example is anything to go by.
This is the base model Storm, with a single overhead cam engine making just 95 horsepower. But it’s such a lightweight car that you don’t need a lot of power. That lightness also makes it a ton of fun to toss around. It handles and brakes way better than you’d expect. And someone has really enjoyed this one a lot; it has nearly 360,000 miles on its odometer. The seller doesn’t have a lot to say; all we get is “runs perfect” and “clean title.” I really want to drive it, just to see what one of these is like with that many miles on it. How much of that sharpness and nimble feeling is still there?
The Storm was not an expensive car new, and you can tell from the interior. It’s just gray plastic and fabric. It does the job, but it never lets you forget it’s an economy car. This one has held up pretty well, considering the mileage. The most troublesome thing I see is what looks like cigarette burns in the driver’s seat. I worry that it smells like smoke inside.
Storms came in a lot of cool colors, but whenever I picture one in my head it’s either yellow or teal. The one I almost bought was teal, but I have always liked the yellow. This one is in fair shape outside; I see a couple of dents and scuffs, but nothing major, just old car stuff. The wheels aren’t original, and I can’t place what they’re from, but they look decent on there.
So there you have it: three familiar faces, and one new kid on the block for your Friday morning consideration. We’ve got a little something for everyone: a cool compact truck, a European sports sedan, a practical small SUV, and a sporty coupe. But I hope you know how to drive a stick, because there are no automatics in this crowd. Which one are you going for?
I can’t unsee and maybe unsmell the cigarette burns so the Geo is out of the mix. But I’m having a hard time choosing from the rest. I suppose I’d go with the Alfa for a year or two and hope it didn’t hurt my wallet too badly in that time.
I knew a guy who had a Geo Storm and to this day says it was the best handling small car he’d ever had. It had the “Handling by Lotus” package and was Polynesian Green