Ever hear a fragment of a song and then have it stuck in your head for days? That happened to me the other day with the Smashing Pumpkins’s “1979.” So I thought maybe choosing two cars from that year might exorcise my Billy Corgan demon. Unfortunately, 1979 is right smack in the depths of the malaise era, so the choices weren’t great. I did the best I could.
Yesterday’s Showdown was also a musical reference, in which we Monday-morning-quarterbacked the choices made by the subject of Cake’s “Short Skirt, Long Jacket.” By a slim but decisive margin, you determined that Kitty should have stayed Kitty and kept her MG. I guess I could go either way on this one, which is why I included the “both” option.
And I got schooled by our resident LeBaron expert, Stephen Walter Gossin, on Slack: apparently the transmission in this one is a four-speed Ultradrive. I was counting gear positions on the shifter and came up with six – P, R, N, D, 2, and 1. But Stephen told me the D is actually OD, and the lower positions are 3 and L. And the LeBaron actually has a cupholder ashtray, not armrest, which, ew.
The sprawling double album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by the Smashing Pumpkins is now thirty years old, meaning nearly twice as much time has elapsed since its release than between 1979 and then. Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan was twelve in 1979, still too young to party with Justine, hanging out with the freaks and ghouls. I was six, and obsessed with the Disney sci-fi flick The Black Hole. What does this have to do with cars? Not a damn thing, I suppose, except that none of us are exactly spring chickens anymore – not me, not Billy, and certainly not these old wrecks. Let’s check them out.
1979 Toyota Corona – $4,800
Engine/drivetrain: 2.2-liter overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: Bailey, CO
Odometer reading: 114,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
Japanese cars got a foothold in the US in the 1970s in part because American cars back then – and I say this as someone who actually likes some of them – sucked. They were built haphazardly and on shoestring budgets. They were powered by ancient V8 engines that made half a horsepower per cubic inch or less and still managed to get lousy gas mileage. Japanese cars, by comparison, were well-built and efficient, if not always the most exciting things on four wheels.
This is the Corona, Toyota’s predecessor to the Camry, a rear-wheel-drive sedan powered by the same R-series engine as Toyota trucks. You could get it with either a five-speed manual or a three-speed automatic; this one has the manual. It runs and drives fine, and with only 114,000 miles, it’s just getting broken in. The seller doesn’t tell us much about its service history, but the engine bay looks encouraging: a few shiny parts, and no obvious bodged repairs.
The interior hasn’t weathered the years quite as well as the mechanical parts; it’s threadbare, and both the upholstery and the plastic parts are faded to pink. It’s not damaged or abused, just old. It has air conditioning, which may or may not work, and an aftermarket radio/tape player, which is more likely to.
In the saltier parts of the country, all these ’70s Toyotas rusted away ages ago. Even this one is a little crispy around the edges. It’s also missing a taillight lens, and I’m not sure where you would find one. Coronas aren’t exactly common in junkyards these days. You could make one, I suppose, if you’ve got nothing better to do.
1979 Chevrolet Corvette – $7,500
Engine/drivetrain: 350 cubic inch overhead valve V8, three-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Long Island, NY
Odometer reading: 132,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
At this point, I’m beginning to wonder if the late C3 Corvette is ever going to get any respect, or if it will forever be associated with chest hair, gold chains, and Dirk Diggler. They’re starting to creep up in price; does that mean their value is increasing, or just that the rising tide of classic car values lifts all boats? Whatever the reason, if you do want one, it’s looking like you had better hurry.
As much fun as people make of this era Corvette now, you can’t say they weren’t popular at the time. 1979 was the best-selling year in Corvette history; more than 53,000 buyers rolled out of Chevy dealerships in one of these swoopy numbers. This one has a 350 V8 and a Turbo 400 automatic, like most of them did. It puts out 195 horsepower, pretty good for the malaise era, and actually up a bit from prior years. It looks like hell under the hood, but the seller says it runs and drives great.
It looks pretty good inside, with just a little wear and tear. The horn button is missing, and the seller says it needs to have the contacts replaced. There is also some play in the steering column, but we know how to fix that. It has T-tops, of course, and they have been given a mirror tint on the outside. Gaudy, sure, but I bet the tint keeps the interior temperatures down.
Most of the outside is pretty gaudy, actually, with an aftermarket spoiler, a bunch of added chrome trim, functional side pipes, and aftermarket wheels. It’s nowhere near Corvette Summer levels of modification or tackiness, but it’s certainly not subtle. Most of that stuff is reversible, at least, if you wanted to. The paint has quite a few flaws, but all the fiberglass and rubber parts are in acceptable shape.
1979 was not a great year for cars. Low power, gaudy trim packages, and hit-or-miss quality made vehicles of the late 70s hard to forget, but even harder to love. On the one hand, you have a sturdy but stodgy import sedan, and on the other, an exercise in excess based on America’s flagship sports car. Which one better represents such a bleak chapter in automotive history to you?
Corona for fuel economy.
This generation Corvette simply ISN’T good enough….
And the next decade was the beginning of Chevrolet’s QC troubles, the rise of films excessively portraying women innappropriately….pretty sure thats what Fremont workers watched and half did the QC on cars with their mind high on some of that content….
Anyways, the Corona will save me a ton of fuel , so….
I’ll take the Corolla. It has a 5 speed and will run forever. They’re both peak malaise, with carburetors trying to emulate fuel injection, but the Corvette took a bigger hit to its identity when tailpipe emissions became a thing. But jeez, they’re both over priced by at least 2x IMHO.
That C3’s wheels are hideous, I’ve never liked side pipes and it’s entirely too expensive for the condition. I’ll take it!
Seriously, I appreciate the (unintentional) white-and-red homage to the first C1, and even a malaise Corvette is more interesting than 75% of everything else on the road. But for real, the side pipes and rims wouldn’t make it out of the Eastern time zone.
The Corona is somehow too nice AND not nice enough; it isn’t beaten to death, but neither is it preserved in amber for the next RADwood. It’s just another old car, which deserves respect … but today, not the vote.
I love old Toyotas, but not this old. I forsee a hard time finding parts.
With the Corvette, you have a limitless selection of NOS and aftermarket parts to choose from. Plus, it’s way more fun, even standing still.
I like Disco Vettes. I probably wouldn’t pick that one, but I’ll have it over the Corona that does nothing for me.
I already have a pointless 2-seater, and the lack of chrome bumpers and 3rd pedal rule out the Corvette—though I rather yearn for sidepipes. I’m sure I could have good fun with the lightweight Toyota.
Even though it’s only internet money, I’d want to talk the seller down quite a bit first.
4-speed? Corvette would be clutch (pun intended?)
But yeah, this corvette is too common for me to care, a Corona, even with an auto, is going to be rare, but a stick? Doillie seat covers, slammed on some XR4s, and an external oil cooler is all it needs.
Agree, except for needing to be “slammed”
Gimme the ‘vette but I’m taking $1000 off the price because I need to airbrush some 70s stripes on that plain white canvas.
While I like the C3 more than a C4, I still hate the C3, so Corona, I guess. It’s less money at least.
I guess I would take the corvette for parts. Not sure if I would be able to recoup the price though. that thing is pretty rough, but I do see and MSD ignition box, so maybe the SBC has some life in her….doubtful. I feel Like Derek Bieri needs to go get that though and see if it can be driven home, or maybe straight Sick Week. The Yota is kind of interesting in that it is manual and rear wheel drive, but I would really only want it to beat on it in a Gambler Race, and it is too expensive to really do that.
My dad bought a Corona back in the mid 80’s to patch up and flip.When he left for work my brother and I who were years away from legal driving age would run it through the fields on our property.When he got home he would yell at us about sneaking it out but he always left keys in it…..I’m sure he understood but had to put on a show for our mother.Even with those great memories I’ve always LOVED the C3 and picked that one today.
My stepdad used to have a 72 Vette and later got his 59 Vette. 72 was eh, 59 is nice, but that 79? I think even he would go “um, too much work for too little result.” Yeah, I went Corona. Surprised me initially, but then again I have another Saab so obviously I’m a glutton for punishment.
I still want a late 80s black 900 Turbo cabrio! Knew a kid in high school that got a new one for his 16 birthday and totalled it with a week.
Ooh black would be nice. My 88 convertible is a turbo automatic in white. Needs some work so I got it cheap. Check out Saabnet classifieds and don’t blame me when you pick one up.
That’s the perfect year and the white looks great as well. Does it have tan interior? Got any pics? I still remember how cool the key/ignition location was at the time. Thanks for info. I saw a listing for a custom painted green one with tan interior out of Denver not to long ago that was tempting.
How are they to work on and get parts?
I really wanted to vote for the Toyota, and it’s definitely the better choice. With the manual, it probably would be the better drive too, but side pipes and a V8 were too much to resist even though I hate the later C3s, 69-72 is the sweet spot for them, but I still had to do it.
Proto-Camry!
(Corona = Kanmura in Japanese = Camry, Americanized term. And, of course, they all mean Crown, a long-running theme with Toyota)
C3s are beautiful, terrible things.
Sitting in the Lonk Eyeland salt air hasn’t done any wonders for the cheap shiny metal from the Pep Boys chrome aisle.
Late C3s are the nadir, and a tacked-on dumb-looking spoiler and polished wheels aren’t helping.
It’s twice the price of the Corona, too. Probably an estate sale, or someone clearing out before they punch out. Fewer people want common old junk. WEIRD old junk, however, is both cheaper and more interesting. Hence, Corona.
I voted Toyota. I am firmly within the jorts and white New Balance shoes demographic, but I just don’t want to de-uglify that Vette.
Plus, stick shift and AC!
Neither really. Both seem overpriced. I went corona as my dad had a similar vintage vette that spent more time in the shop than on the road. He always said the best thing that ever happened to it was when someone stole it while he was trying to sell it.
The Corvette is the ultimate example of something that looks and acts completely different. It is slow, drives and rides terribly, and is driven by dudes who don’t believe no means yes. The fact that the worst Corvette ended up being the best-selling one says a lot about who buys Corvettes.
The Toyota is infinitely more fun to drive and would likely take a curvy back road much more quickly than the Chevy. All while being far more interesting in beige than any ’79 Corvette could hope to be.
I went Corvette. All of its driveability issues are fixable via the aftermarket and you’d have fun doing it.
Plus, T-roof. They go a long way toward justifying the purchase.
Despite knowing how awful those Corvettes are I’ve always wanted one. Even driving a few didn’t dispel me from this. So for me this was an easy vote.
I’m usually into the idea of choosing the 70s or 80s muscle car, growing a mullet, and blasting Def Leppard but this just seems like a depressing example of the worst Corvette ever made. I actually don’t hate the C3 across the board…I do think they look good and if you ever see one that’s been babied or restored they definitely stand out.
There are also manual ones out there if you’re willing to be patient, which is what I would do. So I guess I’m cracking open a Corona with the boys today, but it’s certainly not getting my heart rate up.
What has 9 arms and sucks?
….
…
Def Leppard.
Classic!
Here’s the irony of the C3; the early ones had great engines and looked nicer without the 5-mph bumpers. The later ones had choked motors and weighed more, but after a decade of refinements they drove and handled significantly better. They were also far quieter and more lux inside.
If you buy an early one, stock, you have to leave it stock to preserve resale value. If you buy a late one, you can modify it without penalty. Throw in a strong 350 or an LS, a 6-speed from a C4, and a cool wrap, and this Vette is a baller.
Yes, power for the Vette’ is only a parts catalog away.
Junkyard LS – even the cheapest 4.8 or 5.3 would TEAR compared to whatever is in there.
Incidentally, I bet the same thing fits right into the Corona and is even more hilarious.
“Resale value”
C’mon – just enjoy the thing. People deny themselves joy because they’re planning to get rid of the thing they just worked hard to buy.
You can modify your things if you want to. You going to pre-emptively let someone else punish you for being yourself? Do what you want with the thing you own.
If you had a 68-71 big-block or LT1 Corvette, in good, stock condition, it’s worth 50 all day so yeah resale matters.
Meh. Then sell it. Do what you want.
As much as I hate pop bottle Corvettes, owning the Corona would be pretty much pointless. At least the Corvette could be a platform for upgrades.
It’s that simple.
I have a strong dislike for the C3 corvette relative to every other generation, especially the late 70’s smog choked, 3-speed auto slow as all else disasters of build quality that this one is, and the Corona is so neat, but the seller of that Corona did such an awful job listing and justifying nearly 5k, that I still went Corvette.
*Burnout Noises*
BWAAAAAAAARRRRmmmmmm…. 10mph… BWAAAAAAARRRRRRRMMMMMMmmmmmm… 20mph… BWAAAARRRRMMMmmmm… 30 mph…
Gimmee the ‘Vette, it will provide the most fun making its way to the speed limit.
I’ll takes burnt legs on the Corvette always liked the batmobile look of C3’s. That Toyota does nothing for me at all outside the 22r.
Memories – burned a leg on the sidepipes of an airbrushed C3 Vette’ on July 4 Holiday as a youth as mom was taking a picture of me with it. Aghh, the ’80s.
The 22r was weak in power, but a beast in reliability. Am sure I would get better mpg everyday in the Corona than I would in the Corvette, not to mention this generation Corona beats the Corvette in quality (and maybe reliability too)….because thats how bad in the next decade Chevrolet became….
They did improve in the 10s a bit, but with Ms Mary they went down again, so…
Well nowadays everyone makes expensive products with QC not even being the point, ….
The C3 Corvette is, by all accounts, the WORST Corvette. It handles poorly, the construction is questionable, no trunk, terrible power output, the list goes on.
So you can have any car you want, so long as it’s a Corona.
I don’t disagree, but at least these late ones have a massive shelf behind the seats. Even if it isn’t accessible from the back it still holds a decent amount. But I would still prefer a 69-72 with the vertical rear window because it looks a million times better and has actual power.
When those C3s were new, there was an aftermarket kit that added hinges to the back window, and I think Chevy incorporated the idea into the very last model year or two.