You must have noticed that gas prices are on the rise. For those of us with an entire fleet of vehicles with huge engines, that top number on the pump at the end of a fill-up is starting to get disturbing. It’s almost never worth actually buying another car to save gas money, but it is enough to get you thinking small. So today we’re looking at a couple of cars with more reasonable fuel consumption.
It was not my intention yesterday to stack the choices so a Ford would beat a Toyota; it just worked out that way. I liked the comparison because both were RWD coupes with manual transmissions and forced induction. In the end, it looks like most of you came to the same conclusion I did: the Supra was probably the better car – before it got messed with.
I do like that Thunderbird, though. I have a soft spot for fast Fords of that era after some extensive seat time in a Taurus SHO that my dad owned. I imagine this T-Bird would be a similar proposition. I’m still not crazy about the automatic seat belts, but I’d prefer them to a daily reenactment of The Trashed & The Spurious.
I don’t know exactly when or why I started disliking red cars. I’ve had more than a few, and for the longest time I didn’t care that much. It might have been when I got my Miata, and noticed that every single other Miata on the road was red. And then when I went to look for a winter car to complement it, I found a nice little Plymouth Neon, which was also – you guessed it – red. Maybe I just got sick of it. But it’s definitely a strike against either of these that they’re the color they are. Let’s see if you can see past the color of either of them.
1993 Dodge Shadow America – $3,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.2-liter OHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Pinckney, MI
Odometer reading: 90,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
The more I look at this car, the more “off” it seems. I try to give sellers the benefit of the doubt, but I do need to point out a couple of discrepancies here. The seller has this car listed as a Shadow ES, but it isn’t; it’s a stripped-down “America” model. It even says so on the back. But the America was discontinued after 1992, and this car is listed as a ’93. So there’s a chance that they got both the trim level and the model year wrong. Is there anything nefarious in it? Probably not, but check that VIN on the title carefully.
The Shadow America was a special low-cost base model, with no options. It’s powered by a standard 2.2 liter K-car engine with throttle-body fuel injection and a five-speed manual transmission. If you know Chrysler engine bays of this era, you know that the big empty space on the passenger’s side is where the air conditioning is supposed to go; the America model didn’t come with it. I do see a power steering reservoir cap, at least. We don’t get any more information about it besides “great driving,” but I guess that’s what counts.
The stripped-down theme continues inside: there are no power options, and plain gray plastic trim everywhere. Cheap, ill-fitting seat covers adorn the front seats, and there’s no telling what condition they’re in underneath. I do see an aftermarket stereo in the dash, which is undoubtedly an improvement over the stock AM/FM radio.
It has a rear spoiler that looks original, which must have been an option, and the lower body cladding from an ES model, which hopefully wasn’t added to hide rust. Better take a peek underneath. Also, in case you aren’t aware, the Shadow is a hatchback. There’s a surprising amount of room back there if you fold the seats down, too.
1997 Pontiac Sunfire SE – $1,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter DOHC inline 4, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: DeWitt, MI
Odometer reading: 202,000 miles
Operational status: “It’s been sitting for 2 years and fired right up”
This is funny – I know exactly where this car is. I’ve driven by it a bunch of times. Unless there are two red Sunfire convertibles with white tops in the small town of DeWitt? Probably not. If it is the one I think it is, it’s one of four or five cars in the driveway, which may explain why it has been sitting unused for a couple of years. A less-practical car like this often gets relegated to fourth-car status, and if nobody needs it, it just sits there until someone finally decides it’s time to let it go.
The Sunfire came with a couple of different engines. This one has a 2.4 liter twin-cam four-cylinder, an evolution of the famous Quad 4, backed by a four-speed overdrive automatic. It has a whopping 202,000 miles on it; somebody had some fun with this car. And even though it has been sitting, the seller says it sprang to life with no issues. It’s probably best to change all the fluids right away, though, and get the battery tested. Cars don’t like to sit for too long.
The interior looks decent, if a little dirty. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen those headrest-only covers before; they look weird, and I don’t quite understand the purpose of them. The convertible top works fine, as do all the windows, but sadly the air conditioning does not. It could be fixed, of course, if you decide it’s worth doing so.
It looks decent outside, and the seller says it has “minimal rust.” Judging by the cars I’ve seen around here, I think that’s about as good as you’re going to get. It has a “couple pin holes” in the top, which should be able to be sealed up well enough. The front tires were replaced shortly before they stopped driving it, but check the date codes on the rears to make sure they’re still viable.
Either one of these would make a good inexpensive runabout, the sort of car you keep minimal insurance on and drive to save money on gas. With one, you get the added engagement of a manual transmission, and with the other, plenty of fresh air when you want it. Sure, there’s a price difference, but probably not quite as much by the time you talk one of them down and spruce the other one up. So which one will it be?
Sunfire.
If you’re not gonna have A/C with either of them, you might as well have the option to take the top down and/or service the existing stuff. Also, if you’re not going to have power, you might as well drive something that *looks* fun.
I just came here to share this gem with anyone still on the fence
https://youtu.be/6ZjGVaI9D7o?si=8aaE2_7TnRTncOvC
Gimme the Shadow. These are incredibly easy to work on. I previously had a 99 sunfire with the same 2.4L engine and I hated everything about that car.
Those k-cars with the 2.2L won’t set your hair on fire, but with a stick you can have some fun in it. I don’t care if it doesn’t have A/C as I am perpetually cold and wear hoodies in the summer when I assume my human form.
Also, the 2.2L takes well to aftermarket forced induction if you want to add a few ponies to the stable. Unsure about the GM 2.4L.
Biggest issue with the 2.2L in the Sundance/Shadow is the intake restriction. There’s a small active area for the air filter, apparently, so better plumbing to the airbox will help (not a lot; but some)
A K-Car without air conditioning is not “great driving”.
For maybe a year I owned the Sundance version of the Shadow, and it was more entertaining to drive than it deserved to be; and this one appears to be in much better shape overall.
So yeah I voted for the Shadow, I’d probably put a car play head unit into it, and some cheap but modern speakers just to make it less of a penalty box to drive; swap the winter tires I have for my Lx Civic onto it and use this as my winter beater going forward. Don’t need A/C when it’s already freezing cold outside.
Judicious use of Fluid Film Black each fall should help me get at least three winters out of it!
The Cheap Stuff is where it’s at!
Ragtop, it’s cheaper and likely to have been a summer-only car for at least part of its’ long Michigan life.
Cheap convertible FTW today. No Chrysler 2.7 V6 sludge issues. The high mileage probably means someone took care of it.
The shadow is a 2.2L 4 cylinder, so also has no 2.7 V6 sludge issues.
the 2.2L’s are incredibly easy to work on as well. And by 1993, they had most of the issues sorted with this power plant so they’re moderately bulletproof when well cared for.
Yeah and I’ve already had my hands in the guts of one, my parents owned a Reliant with the earlier version, and I’ve owned both a Sundance, and a Dodge K-Car.
True. I intended that to refer to the Sebring convertible. Those survivors can be picked up for a song. I’d totally cross shop the J body and a Sebring.
Both will need work, but at least the Sunfire is cheaper and probably better in terms of parts availability too.
I just don’t do Cavaliers/Sunfires under basically any circumstance. The Shadow is overpriced and decontented, but at least it has a stick, is relatively unusual (I haven’t seen one around here in… 10+ years?) and is relatively practical. Normally I’m pro convertible, but I’m firmly anti-convertible J-body.
Also, those headrest covers look… uncanny in a way? They almost look photoshopped on. I doubt that’s the case, as I can’t think of a single reason why someone would do this as they look freaking awful, but I can’t put my finger on why they look… unnatural…
First thing my eyes focused on, and I’ve seen some shops in my day…..
The whole interior shot for the Sunfire looks like the seller hit the “enhance” filter on their phone to me.
As to the purpose of headrest only covers – watch the movie “Coming to America” starring Eddie Murphy.
Just let your soul glow…..
They are for…aerodynamics! Ha ha
The headrest-only covers were an ‘80s thing to protect the headrest fabric from hairspray.
Again, convertibles are awful. And J-Car convertibles are awfuler.
The Shadow is your huckleberry. More expensive, yes, but it has a roof and a hatchback. It starts off as more car in the value and actual physical sense, and remains so.
It’s a late P-body, so it has the suspension revisions that made them ride and handle better, and the 2.2 is kinda in the same league as the Slant 6 in terms of durability (though, myth-making aside, all of the domestic inline sixes are probably just as good – the GM 215 et al, Ford 200 et al).
Besides – do you want to immolate in Sunfire, or be cool in the Shadow?
Totally agree that the K-car platform and the 2.2L were very well dialed in by 1993. I had a 99 Sunfire with the same 2.4L and it was just a dreary and dreadful car.
Nothing looks worse that a tired convertible top. I’ll inspect the Shadow carefully before purchasing, but it’s definitely the better looking car.
If they were both the same price, then I would go with the Shadow. But the Shadow is overpriced at $3500
So I’m going with the $1500 Sunfire
The Sunfire already sold, and I voted for it. But really, $3500 for that Shadow? In the parlance of the old lightning sire, crack pipe!!
Choosing the Shunfire, but not happy about it.
Shadow for the win. Only WTID folks drive Sunfires.
What is WTID? The only thing that pops up in a Google search is MicroSectors Energy 3X Inverse Leveraged ETN.
According to urban dictionary:
I have no idea if that is what 1BigMitsubishiFamily intended. Also, no idea why a soccer team is named after a day of the week. Brits are weird.
The price point here screams “need transportation” more than “need fun”. A $1,500 convertible with a leaky top and broken AC also screams “more funds needed”. Fixing those probably makes the Sunfire the more expensive option.
Shadow for me – there’s less to break and no lamenting over the bits that are begging for attention (and money).
The sanded look under and around that ID plate on the radiator frame of the Shadow makes me wonder if it’s been changed, and along with the other issues, it’s an easy pass for me.
I think that’s just rust. Those plates are riveted on before the body is painted, so moisture gets in behind them and causes rust stains.
Stick, not a convertible so I don’t look like a boomer having a midlife crisis and also get sunburn on my head. Yeah. All Hail Shadow.
As one who started balding early, I have learned to love hats. Besides, Boomers are getting to the point of late-life crisis. It’s us X’ers who are set for the mid-life.
As a fellow bald Gen-Xer whose garage consists of a ’95 Miata and a ’24 Integra, can confirm on both the hat front and the mid-life crisis front.
Millenial who just turned 40. And that’s fine, I just know I’ll look stupid in traffic in a Miata with the top down. So I took The Alternative: FrsBrz.
I do love hats though.
I don’t worry about looking stupid anymore. The hot young ladies don’t want to talk to me anyway. 🙂
Aaah, you haven’t embraced looking stupid in a convertible yet. Give it time, my friend. Give it time.
“boomers are getting to the point of late-life…”
FINALLY. Can’t wait for all the worthless nostalgia trinkets to hit the dumpster. And the bottom is going to absolutely drop out of mid-century cars (it already kinda is – let’s name the effect: the Perasmenalgic Window (from perasmenos, “olden,” and algos, “pain” in Greek).
It’s basically a 50 year chunk of time looking backward from the present, with a logarithmic indicator that goes up and to the left to indicate how interest, cultural affection, and sale prices rise as we get further away from these things being just “old stuff” to being “wow, haven’t seen that in a while” to trinkum we purchase for too much money to put in the background of our podcast. And then there’s a buffer period of about 5 years, where it plateaus before dropping off steeply for, say, another ten years; still exponentially, just a lot more slope, as everyone who experienced it first hand, remembered it from their childhoods, or had the cultural hangover of it, has either left the planet or gotten one, and there is no longer a critical mass of interest or buyers to push the price mania.
And then there’s the McMansion second-order effect: houses are too expensive. Disgusting Boomer palaces are too big. And they’re all hitting a needy age of 20-40 years old. And when the home is 700K, you can’t afford to replace ugly 1990s cabinets or battle water and wear; two very patient conquerors. Let alone replace nasty carpets that smell like two generations of Dachsunds completed their entire life cycles treading atop their cut pile plushness.
Anyway – convertibles are bad.
House size is a problem. We steadily went from the average new construction being 1,000 sq ft in 1950 to almost 2,500 in 2015. Expensive to build and maintain and mostly empty as household size continues to drop.
In 2015 the average household in the average new home has 1,000 sq ft per person – or the same square footage of an entire home in 1950.
Oh for sure – heating and cooling a 2800 square foot house, even a relatively (ish) energy efficient one as something built since the 1980s, is not cheap. That’s just a lot of volume. And when I say “efficient” I mean “ideal envelope performance without built-in flaws or deterioration over time,” neither of which are reality-based assumptions.
Let alone maintenance on the physical plant. Homes that were originally oil or natural gas heat have been converting to mini splits, which is good, but costs. Incentives help. Electric water heaters are designed to last basically as long as the anode rod and then perforate – so like 7-10 years. Appliances, etc.
And builders won’t build modest homes, or at least they haven’t over my lifetime, because money was cheap and margins were better, while the cost to build, say, a 1300 square foot house like mine vs. a 2600 square foot house with a garage and bonus room isn’t significantly less for a house that will be harder to sell without the amenities everyone wants. So it will get the double-whammy, like a base model Dodge Shadow: doesn’t cost any less to build, really, and nobody wants it next to the V6-powered Duster with the Gold package in that ’90s dark metallic green. Let alone a new Ram that’s ALL upside.
But, basically, I’d like earlier generations to keep this in mind: nobody wants your crap. Throw stuff out. Sell the house. Put the proceeds in a trust (because we couldn’t possibly pay taxes on generational wealth, after all).
This bald Gen Xer keeps a hat AND sunscreen in his convertible!
I don’t have a convertible, but I still keep sunscreen in the car. Just never know when you might need it.
Hate to break it to you but X’ers are also getting old. The youngest is 46 this year and the oldest 61.
I’m on the young end of the generation and statistically past mid-life and closing in on 50. Never owned a convertible so it is the Sunfire for me.
We are not getting old (48), we are “vintage”
still basically full of piss and vinegar, but late X is the best X.
Yeah, yeah, I’m 52 and my body reminds me regularly. I’m still pretending I’m 25 though.
I chose the Sunfire. At least it looks honest, if flawed. The Shadow? Between the descrepancies and the seat covers, no thanks. Seriously, if the seat covers are as bad as the upholstery underneat, just throw them away and show what you have. Nobody needs extra trash.
There’s just something about the Shadow that would make me think I’ve made a whole bunch of bad life choices. It looks…punishing somehow, despite the stick shift.
The convertible Sunfire might be a little bit of fun for a season or two.
I feel guilty about choosing a GM product over a Mopar, but the Shadow was just too dodgy (so to speak).
Same. I’d bet there are other Shadows (or Sundances!) out there that don’t look so sketchy.
Wow, I got the first vote today! I went with the Shadow as being “cheap and cheerful” and not having a leaking ragtop. And hey, my dude, My Cayman is Guards Red and I love it! Don’t dis on the red cars! (My co-workers do refer to it as “Arrest me Red”)
I’m not a fan of convertibles, but I’m not a fan of the Shadow either. At least if the Sunfire is creaky we can blame it on the convertible. And I like its engine a lot more than yet another K.
Sunfire today, but reluctantly.
Convertible > hardtop every time.