I was looking back over the week’s winners, trying to decide whether to do a runoff or not, and I started looking at that Mazda 626 Touring Sedan from Monday. That really is a great design and a great idea. Why haven’t more four-door sedans over the years been available with a rear hatch instead of a trunk? As I was pondering that, without even trying, two low-mileage examples of such cars practically fell into my lap, so I decided to show them to you.
Yesterday, we looked at a couple of fun Toyotas (more or less). From the sound of it, a lot of you had a hard time deciding between them, and there were many calls for a “both” option in the poll. And by the way, I apologize for the weirdness with the poll; I don’t know if I did something wrong or if something happened on Crowdsignal’s end, but it’s all better now, and the votes got counted.
When all was said and done, the ’89 Corolla GT-S emerged as a pretty clear winner, and I think I agree. That Vibe will make a great inexpensive used car for someone, but the Corolla is something to take care of and cherish. (Words never spoken about a Toyota Corolla before, I would imagine.) You just don’t see cars like that anymore, and that makes it special. It would be my choice, too.
I have a car-guy confession to make: I’ve never actually owned a station wagon. I’ve come close a couple of times, but never ended up with one. I have, however, had a couple of four-door fastback hatchbacks, and I have a huge appreciation for that bodystyle. These days, I guess the closest thing to them is a Prius, though it isn’t available as a traditional sedan. Come to think of it, one of today’s choices wasn’t either. Anyway, the point is that hatchbacks rule, and we’re going to look at a couple of examples that don’t even have eighty thousand miles between them.
1986 Chrysler LeBaron GTS – $2,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.5-liter OHC inline 4, three-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Greeneville, TN
Odometer reading: 43,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
The original Chrysler K cars were many things, but stylish wasn’t one of them. Chrysler seemed to know this, and in 1985, it tried to rectify the situation with the LeBaron GTS and Dodge Lancer models, with tighter suspension tuning and styling that was almost European if you squint hard. More importantly, while they looked like sedans, these cars actually had a hatchback, a design that would carry over to the Dodge Shadow and Plymouth Sundance models a couple of years later.
Under the skin, this car is all garden-variety K car, though. You could get the GTS with a turbocharged 2.2-liter engine, but this one has the non-turbo 2.5-liter. The transmission is Chrysler’s strong A413 Torqueflite automatic, not the most refined unit around, but it’s durable and reliable. This one has a scant 43,000 miles on it – and yes, it has a six-digit odometer, so it hasn’t rolled over – and the seller says it runs and drives well.
It’s as clean inside as you’d expect from a car with only 43,000 miles, and as sloppy as you’d expect from a mid-’80s Chrysler. Don’t get me wrong; I love these cars, but I don’t delude myself about their build quality. Look past the misaligned trim, though, and it’s a pretty comfy car. This is a basic Highline model, with crank windows and no frills, but it does have air conditioning, and the seller says it works fine.
It’s a little faded outside, and there are some paint blemishes, but it’s rust-free. It also appears to be missing all the badges on the back, which makes it look like one of those generic cars used in ads. I always liked the looks of these, though, and they’re definitely more practical than the average K-car.
1990 Geo Prizm Liftback – $3,700
Engine/drivetrain: 1.6-liter DOHC inline 4, three-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Cumberland, MD
Odometer reading: 33,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
The NUMMI plant I mentioned yesterday started out building the fifth-generation Chevrolet Nova, a badge-engineered Toyota Sprinter. The Nova was available as either a four-door sedan or a five-door “Liftback.” I had a Nova liftback for a while, and it was an excellent little car. In 1989, when GM created the Geo brand for Chevy’s captive imports, the Nova was replaced by the Geo Prizm, based on the next-generation Sprinter. These cars were absolutely everywhere one day, and almost completely gone the next. I haven’t seen a Prizm sedan in many years, and I can’t even remember the last time I saw a liftback.
The base engine in the Prizm was Toyota’s 4A-FE four-cylinder. It’s not the most powerful thing in the world, but it’s reliable and efficient. It drives the front wheels through a basic three-speed automatic. Hey, it gets the job done. We don’t get a lot of details about this one, only that it was well-maintained by an elderly owner. I guess that explains the low mileage.
We also don’t get any photos of the interior, so I can’t tell you anything about its condition. I would hope, with only 33,000 miles on the clock, that it’s pretty much immaculate. Based on the fact that it’s a base model, it’s also probably pretty plain-jane. I can’t even guarantee that it has air conditioning.
It’s clean and shiny outside; I think this car was kept in a garage. I don’t see any signs of rust, but again, the photos aren’t great. The Prizm hatchback isn’t what I’d call a handsome car, but at least it’s more interesting-looking than the sedan. And if it’s anything like my old Nova, there is a ton of room in the back.
Super-low-mileage rare cars like these exist in kind of a weird place in the market. They could be collector’s items, if anybody cared to collect them, but they’re also inexpensive enough that you wouldn’t feel guilty just using them as regular old cars. And with the practicality of the hatchbacks, that wouldn’t be a bad way to go. Which one interests you more? And would you use it as a daily driver, or save it as a classic? I’m giving you four poll options below to make your choice.
NUMMI cars are 1 to 1 as of the last two days. I’d happily daily the Prizm because I know I can count on it.
“Why haven’t more four-door sedans over the years been available with a rear hatch instead of a trunk?”
Because they hold 2 cubic feet less of cargo than a standard hatchback and they don’t look rugged enough for real Americans.
Too bad that LeBaron doesn’t have the cool Chrysler Electronics ™️ digital dash…
When I was younger, our worst neighbors had a LeBaron GTS and a Colt Vista. In hindsight those were neat cars, but the association is still strong enough in my mind that I couldn’t vote for the Chrysler today.
I know what you mean. Our worst neighbors had Merkurs–a Scorpio and an XR4ti.
Still don’t like those cars to this day. Not that I’ve seen one on the road in probably 20 years..
I’m not kidding; if the Geo isn’t a 3-cylinder Metro, I have no want of one.
LeBaron all day! I wouldn’t DD, but I would drive it occasionally in the summer for the fun of it.
Let’s see…a LeBaron (Jon Voight’s? No, wrong year/body style) vs. a…
Geo Prism? Too easy… I’ll take the Yoda, I mean Geo…as a daily. Neither of these are collectibles but would be perfect for a new driver who can get them cheap, and they are practically brand new (just need to go through and check everything)
I agree that they’re not collectable at all, but I can’t help but think that maybe perhaps the Prizm is somehow worth more than asking price here? Maybe it’s because you can’t easily replace it if some dude bro in a 54% APR RAM blows a redlight to get to the liquor store and you have the green.
Geo all the way, LeBaron is always on the top of never buy. It’s so classic and clean keep it and show it off as a regular car don’t kill it using it as a daily.
The Gism as a collectable although I wouldn’t mind daily driving it over my current ride that much, save for what I’d be doing to Mother Earth.
BTW 3 speed automatics aren’t so bad, I’ve had a couple.
I owned a Geo Prism LSi in light blue (sadly not a GSi) back around ’04-’06 as my first car. $700 bought from a coworker of my mom’s. As a Geo who lived it’s entire life in the ADKs it was ROTTED. DT would have gasped at it’s presence.
It had a lot of problems thanks to that rot (and because I was an idiot teenager doing stupid things to it) but goddamn did it refuse to die. It wasn’t particularly fast, but it did handle well. The seats were shockingly comfy. And the hatch was excellent.
You could do a lot worse for a daily. Just… don’t get into an accident, ok?
Prizm as a collectible. No way I’m feeling comfortable surrounded by a bunch of full size pickup trucks and SUVs on a daily basis
I wouldn’t drive either of those cars.
In the 90’s I had a coworker who bought the most luxurious pickup truck he could afford; a 2-door F150 in white. It was 2WD only, and he discovered that it wouldn’t drive straight in the snow, so he kept his Geop Prism for winter duties.
I’ve heard people brag about their Geo products, but never brag about their LeBaron.
I wouldn’t daily drive either of these. And the Prizm is a much better car.
So I guess my vote goes to the Prizm as a collectible.
What I would do is keep it in the condition it’s in and completely stock. I would rent it out on Turo for those who want to experience a 1980s economy car as well as renting it out to the movie industry.
Now if that LeBaron had the manual and the turbo engine, it might have swayed my vote.
Well, I don’t love either. I get that both have low mileage but they are also a 40 year old car and a 36 year old car respectively. Low miles also means they have sat for a lot of time so I hope the owners kept up with hoses, seals, tires and all the other things that dry and wear out.
I never hated the Prizms or the Storms. They at least had a little bit of style. The Lebaron never did and that’s ok. So today I’m voting Geo and as a daily driver. Neither of these is a collectible (any more than the weird guy on the corner who collects Kleenexes or pill bottles). So a reluctant vote for the Prizm to daily.
Curious, for those voting for use as a DD vs a collectible, are these cars better than your current DD? Or are simply saying that you don’t care enough about either to consider it a collectible?
There is no way I’d drive either of these as a DD over my current car.
I’d never spend money on either of these as a “collectible”, so either the answer is neither or putting myself in the imagined scenario of choosing one or the other as a daily, and the Geo is the much better option.
So yeah, I just don’t care about either as a collectible.
Honestly you said it right here. I don’t care for either, but if I were in the scenario in which I had to choose, I’d take the Geo as a daily.
Wow that Prism is getting a fair amount of love, I have never driven a Geo or K-car so I am voting purely on emotion. Give me the cheaper K-car. It looks better, costs less, and has a bitchin red interior.
I think the Protege5 is considered a hatchback under Torchinsky’s taxonomy of two box vehicles, so I have had one wagon, three hatchbacks, and a liftback coupe.
Props to the Chrysler for still existing and being in that good of shape, but I had to go Prizm. My aunt & uncle had one of these in royal blue and was one of the first cars not owned by my parents that I drove after getting my license. Even being a basic car I remember thinking it was a nice little thing.
Prizm is the better car. LeBaron GTS is here for a good time. OBVIOUSLY the Mopar.
The idea of “collectible” cars offends me. Use that shit up. Sitting is bad for them and you owe it to the resources that went into it to get the most use out of them
I picked the Prizm because my grandma had the same car in light blue.Hopefully nothing behind the rear doors gets damaged because those parts were almost impossible to get when it was a fairly new car.It got hit it the rear and the hatch,rear window,and middle taillight bezel weren’t available through the GM dealer back then.I remember the insurance adjuster calling me at the body shop I worked at and telling me the only way they could fix it was by using used parts they found somewhere down south.If she didn’t agree to used parts they would have to total it out even thought it was less than a year old.She agreed and I couldn’t believe that when UPS delivered them they were wrapped in blankets and bubble wrap.The best part was they were the same color so it turned out to be a fairly easy job.That car ran for years until it finally rotted to the point where it wouldn’t pass inspection.
The LeBaron because it’s cheaper and the seller was thoughtful enough to let us see the interior. As for how I’d use it, put me down for collectible because I would’t drive it daily. The current condition won’t hold up long if you expose this almost as old as I am economy car to the horrors of commuting 5 days a week.
Hell, I’m barely holding up to the horrors of commuting 5 days a week.
LeBaron, all day.
Great choices and write-up as always, Mark!
The Prizm is the winner by default.
ooh I like the [extra] collectible/daily options; it totally changed my vote!
Is the only 4-door hatchback available now the Audi A5/S5? That’s not a lifted coupe/SUV abomination?
There are at least 4 still available here: Corolla, Civic, Impreza, and Mazda 3
If Herr Kreuz is referring to the steeply raked hatchbacks that have more of a fastback sedan profile, then I’d say the Civic is the only one of those 4 that qualify. While the Corolla, Impreza, and Mazda all have fairly raked rear windows, their profiles are all more traditional hatchback rather than fastback style.
Yes I meant more of the “Fastback” profile; is there an angle that determines if it is “Fastback” or not? What about the “Kammback”?
Hmmm, that sounds like a Torch question. I’d say a fastback is an angle of 45 degrees or less with the beltline.
I would put Kammback’s in their own class. Basically, if there’s a second piece of glass in the hatch, or the glass makes a drastic bend towards the bottom of the hatch, then it’s a kammback.
One other car that comes to mind as meeting this fastback definition is the Porsche Panamera. The Tesla Model S would have qualified, but it’s been cancelled, iirc.
Don’t forget its buck-toothed competitor, the BMW 4GC/i4.
Prizm as a daily. A few decades ago I owned a pristine Shelby Lancer, so I know exactly what that Lebaron is and isn’t, meaning I know better than to choose it over a rebadged Toyota.
Owning the Shelby is exactly why I voted Lebaron! Although it was tough, as a Geo Prizm rental I had in Phoenix shocked me with how great it felt driving – first car I’d ever driven where it felt like I was seated in the center of gravity for the car, and it just rotated around me when turning. But… Shelby memories FTW.
Classic collectible? Look at Mr. Funnyman over here. You buy these on the cheap and you drive them mercilessly into the ground. With the Geo that’ll take a while.
The smart move is the rebadged 33k mile Corolla. The heart, however, says pristine red velour. But there’s a lot of rusted components underhood, so I’m not so sure that LeBaron is rust free. But then again the Prism seller made a crappy no-effort ad and the driver’s seatbelt loop is hanging out of the closed door. Maryland is also a salty place and 1989 Toyotas rust hard.
So what the hell. LeBaron. I’ll be comfy.