I know I’ve given Toyota a hard time on here before for making boring cars, but that’s just because I’ve had a couple of them, and they were boring. But they were also well-made, reliable, and user-friendly, and I can certainly understand why people are so loyal to the brand. Today, we’re going to look at a couple of rare older Toyotas. Does their rarity make them more interesting? We’ll see.
Yesterday, we looked at a little truck, and a little truck substitute, and it was another one of those matchups that I had no idea which way the vote would go. As it turns out, it was pretty close: the Subaru Baja is in the lead by twenty votes at this point, so I’m going to call it the winner. Sorry, Chevy fans.
I guess that’s the way I’d go, too. The Colorado isn’t a bad little truck, but it’s not the sort of vehicle I want to be weird. It’s a Chevy; it should be straightforward and fixable with a hammer and some duct tape. The Baja is even weirder, but it’s a Subaru; it can get away with it. Besides, I kinda like that it shares its livery with a Sony Sports Discman.
I’m sure Toyota fans get tired of the “boring” trope, just like Camaro fans must get tired of mullet jokes and British car owners get tired of snide comments about Lucas electrics (those are all true, though). And yes, I know about the twin-turbo Supras and the GR Corollas and whatnot. But for every one of those sold, Toyota unleashed thousands of silver and beige Camrys, Priuses, and RAV4s upon the world, and before that, whole battalions of white Tercels and dull little pickup trucks. But once in a while, there was an interesting variant of one of those cars, and even though they’re not any more exciting to drive, they’re at least more intriguing to talk about. The sellers of both of today’s choices make it a point to mention their rarity, but at least they didn’t try to jack up the prices too high because of it. Let’s check them out.
1986 Toyota Camry LE Liftback – $2,900
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter OHC inline 4, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Alhambra, CA
Odometer reading: 166,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
It’s hard to remember a time when the default answer to “what’s a good car” wasn’t the Toyota Camry. Its predecessor, the rear-wheel-drive Corona, was a well-regarded car, but it didn’t have anywhere near the dominance in the mid-size sedan category that the Camry achieved very quickly. By the time this final-year first-generation Camry was built in 1986, everybody knew what it was, and everybody knew it was good. There was no station wagon variant of the first Camry, but this one has the next best thing – a hatchback.
Power for the Camry in these days came from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder making a little under 100 horsepower, which sounds pathetic now, but it was in line with other midsized sedans at the time. And the Camry came standard with two niceties that those others lacked at least one of: electronic fuel injection, and a four-speed overdrive transmission. You could get a five-speed manual too, of course, but most buyers opted for the automatic. This one runs and drives well, and has just had a bunch of recent work done, including a full tune-up, a new fuel pump, and a new exhaust.
The seller calls the interior “clean,” but I think they have a different definition of that word than I do. The upholstery is decent, except for a stain on the rear seat, but the steering column trim is missing, as are some bits and pieces of the driver’s door panel. Good luck finding those pieces anywhere; there’s no market for restoration parts for an ’86 Camry (yet), and even if you found one in a junkyard, odds are it wouldn’t be blue inside.
Outside, it’s mostly just tired-looking. A couple of the door bump strips are coming unglued, the black paint is peeling off some trim, and I don’t know where you’re going to find a replacement for that cracked turn signal lens. I mean, it’s not bad for an inexpensive beater, but I certainly wouldn’t call it a potential collector’s item like the seller does.
1997 Toyota Paseo Convertible – $3,400
Engine/drivetrain: 1.5-liter DOHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Lone Tree, CO
Odometer reading: 186,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
The Toyota Paseo is the sort of car that simply doesn’t exist anymore, a sporty two-door based on an economy car. Once, they were everywhere: Sciroccos and Preludes and Storms and ZX2s offered a sporty alternative to their more workaday cousins. The Paseo was based on the humble Tercel, with a little more style, a little more power, and in this case, a whole lot more sunshine.
The Paseo is powered by a 1.5-liter twin-cam engine and a five-speed manual gearbox. This one has had quite a bit of work done recently, including a new oil pump and oil pan. I bet someone ran over something and punctured the pan. The seller says it runs well, but the oil light comes on at idle – which makes me wonder if the repairs were done correctly. I’d want to see receipts, and have an independent mechanic verify that the oil pressure is acceptable.
It’s a little fancier inside than a Tercel, but that’s not hard to do. The white gauge faces are a nice touch. I see what looks like a piece of duct tape on the seat, where the seat belt comes across, but other than that it’s clean. The seller says the air conditioning works too, and the top is in good shape.
It’s a little faded outside, but that’s not uncommon with red cars. You could probably bring it back with some buffing compound. But it’s straight, and it isn’t rusty. Honestly, I almost forgot there even was a convertible version of the Paseo until I saw this ad. It didn’t sell well, and this 1997 model was one of the last. I guess you could kind of consider it a collector’s item – but not a particularly desirable one.
Collectibility aside, these are both still decent, reliable cars, assuming a couple of things check out, and still capable of being driven daily. That’s not true of all old cars, as we all know. Maybe that’s the advantage of collectible Toyotas; the reliability and durability is baked right in. So which one would you call a classic?
I can’t help but feel the Camry is overpriced… My first car was an ’86 Volvo 240, I think? Purchased for $450. After that was a ’94 Grand Prix, that is still running and I feel in better condition than that Camry. Perhaps it’s because I’m in the Midwest, but $2,900 for a 1986 Camry … Perhaps just me.
Oh I’d take the Paseo, the convertible and the manual, for the win.
That Camry every day of the week, even with the automatic. It’s maintained, passes emissions and is only $2900!