For today’s Showdown, we’re heading into the deep south, to a state that has a really famous song written about it – and it’s one of my least favorite songs ever, so I’m not going to link to it. Coincidentally, it’s also the only state out of the lower 48 that I have never set foot in, or even driven through. Maybe that’s to my own detriment, because apparently sometimes folks there sell some really interesting cars.
Yesterday’s trucks of the great northern plains had you divided; many commenters liked the honest utility of the Chevy, while others liked the greater comfort of the Dodge. The Dodge’s air conditioning (which may or may not work, by the way) and gentler half-ton ride gave it the win, but it certainly wasn’t what I’d call a blowout.
I think I’d go for the Dodge as well, though I wish it were a manual. A half-ton longbed with 4WD seems to be the sweet spot when it comes to full-size pickups, and I’ve always liked the looks of those old Dodges. And if it’s good enough for Rick Simon, it has to be good, right?
I confess, I don’t know a whole lot about Alabama, but I don’t generally think of it as a hub for car culture. I know, it’s the home to Talladega, but it also seems that the residents there need a girl from New York to explain to them the difference between a Skylark and a Tempest. So I was pleasantly surprised fo find a cool Japanese kei car and a classic Italian sporty coupe for sale there. Let’s check them out.
1984 Maserati Biturbo Coupe – $4,995
Engine/drivetrain: Twin-turbocharged 2.5-liter OHC V6, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: Birmingham, AL
Odometer reading: 25,000 miles
Operational status: “Been in storage for years,” so probably isn’t roadworthy
I feel bad for Maserati. It’s a marque with a long history, first as a builder of race cars, later switching to road cars after the deadly crash during the Mille Miglia in 1957 – even though the car involved wasn’t one of theirs. The cars have always been fascinating, but ownership of the company has been passed around like a joint at a college party, only with not as much care. In the early 1980s, it was mostly owned by the Italian government, and helmed by Alejandro DeTomaso, after a disastrous turn under Citroën ownership. With the new leadership came a new direction, and a new platform – the Biturbo.
The name comes from its engine, a twin-turbocharged V6 that drives the rear wheels through a five-speed manual. Unlike most turbocharged engines, this one is fed by a carburetor. It’s a pain in the ass to tune, and it has a tendency to overheat, but this Maserati does do 185 – or rather, makes 185 horsepower. I can’t tell you whether this one runs or not; all the seller says is that it has been in storage for a long time. Even if it does start and run, you’ll need to do all the stuff you usually have to do to wake up a car: fluids, belts, hoses, etc.
I’ve never sat in a Biturbo, but I’ve always wanted to; those seats look like they belong in a cigar lounge at a fancy hotel, and I bet they’re as comfortable as they look. With only 25,000 miles on the odometer, this one hasn’t had a chance to get trashed yet, but it’s still a little rough around the edges.
The biggest disappointment about the Biturbo for me is not its exotic and unreliable engine, but its lackluster styling. It looks like a cross between a BMW E30 3 Series and a first-generation Chevy Cavalier, with some gaudy chrome stuff stuck on it. It’s not unattractive; it’s just dull, especially compared to earlier Maseratis. At least this one isn’t rusty; apparently its years in storage were indoors.
1993 Subaru Vivio T-Top – $4,900
Engine/drivetrain: 658 cc OHC inline 4, CVT automatic, FWD
Location: Daleville, AL
Odometer reading: 54,000 kilometers
Operational status: Runs and drives well
I find it funny that Americans never seem to want small cars – except the ones they can’t have. Ford Fiestas and Chevy Sparks and Mitsubishi Mirages are no longer available here, discontinued due to low sales, but even smaller cars are popular enough to import that they’re sparking legislation all over the country to deal with them – both for and against. Apparently, Alabama is fine with the little Japanese imports, because this Subaru Vivio T-Top is titled and registered.
Kei cars have an engine displacement limit of 660 cubic centimeters, and most manufacturers go right up to that line, as Subaru does here. The Vivio’s four-cylinder engine displaces 658 cc, just under the limit. It’s fuel-injected, fancy stuff for an early ’90s kei car, and drives the front wheels through Subaru’s electronically-controlled continuously variable transmission. The seller says it runs great, but doesn’t provide any details beyond that.
Inside, it’s in good shape, and it has the most ’90s upholstery I’ve ever seen. It looks like the intro credits to Saved By The Bell. I absolutely love it, and I think all small cars should have interiors that look like this. As you might suspect from the name, it has T-tops, as well as a retractable rear window for an even better open-air experience, but if you prefer, it also has air conditioning, and it works.
It’s nice and clean outside, but it does have some clearcoat coming off. Most Vivios are fairly ordinary three- and five-door hatchbacks; only 3,000 of these T-top models were made, making it a bona-fide collector’s item as well as a cool little weekend toy.
These are both pretty frivolous; one is an ordinary-looking Italian exotic that may or may not run, and the other is a Japanese-market toy that doesn’t make a lot of sense in America. But when has something as pedestrian as practicality ever stopped us? They both have the potential to be a cool toy for someone. Which one interests you more?
Bi-Turbo coupe because I’d want to install an Alfa V6 in it.
When I was in college I worked for a Mercedes-Benz restorer… The brother of the owner had a Bi-Turbo with a Buick 3.8T grafted into it. I never rode in the Buick-Maserati, but it looked fast when he punched it and sounded glorious!
I have an irrational love of the Biturbo and this one is clean. This could finally be the car the puts me over the edge and breaks my addiction of horrendous automotive decisions.
Hmmm. Two cars that you’d only want to drive around town, the Subie because the freeways would be too dangerous and the Maserati because you’d never want to have to tow it too far. If practicality were the only concern then there would be no contest, but the impractical choice is a very well preserved 40 year old Maserati. It’s not good looking at all, but it’s a Maaassseerraaattttiiii! I cannot resist the siren call, despite the obvious disaster that would ensue. Maserati it is.
Given the comments here, I think a lot of people just automatically assume that any Italian car is automatically beautiful and don’t think about it further. The Biturbo is one of the blandest-looking cars of the 80’s.
It’s so bland I don’t even remember seeing these on the road when they were new. Partially because they were probably all parked behind the dealership awaiting repairs, partially because its exterior is less visually interesting than the Renaults of the time.
In any case, it’s interesting now.
Definitely interesting, but if you’re looking for something different there are way better options, even at this price point. I just don’t know who is out here buying Biturbos. They’re not especially quick, not really all that exotic, not super attractive, need to be serviced by specialists, and parts costs are astronomical.
Yeah, but we only have two options here.
I’m here for the Biporte Biturbo.
My local European specialist garage would love this.
He could upgrade his boat if you bought this.
I actually test drove a 1987 Subaru Justy with the CVT some years back. Anyone assuming it was a miserable slug to drive would be correct. The CVT sapped any pop or zip the 67 hp 1.2 liter four cylinder attempted to produce and propelled the little box at a sub-glacial pace. Bear in mind, that engine has nearly double the displacement of the Vivio, and almost certainly more horsepower.
The answer might be different if the Kei car had a stick…nah it’s the Maserati either way. God help me
This was actually a legit difficult decision.
I went with the Vivio, everything about it just seems like more fun than Biturbo ownership. T-tops, and a retractable rear window!? Amazing. And the upholstery is some hardcore whimsy.
Not sure how a feel about a CVT from 1993 though.
Maser. If nothing else, I’ll take the seats out and build some kind of frame to use them as indoor furniture while I fool myself into thinking I can learn enough to fix everything that invariably will be wrong with the car.
I doubt I could even fit in the Vivio, maybe with the tops off, but I’d probably be staring at the windshield header.
For the money, the Biturbo would be an EXCELLENT museum piece. It’s in incredible condition. Driving it around, however… yeah, 80’s Maserati was about on par with Jaggggggg in terms of sketch-ass electronic gremlins haunting their vehicles.
To actually use as a little runabout, the Vivio would be the PERFECT beach house car. Air those tires down and run the lil Jellybean up and down the sand with the T-tops popped, the back window down and feeling the salty Gulf air in your hair.
So it’s the Vivio for me, but for a VERY SPECIFIC purpose.
“$5k is good money for a static display” was my very first thought. Treat it as found-art and title it HUBRIS.
I imagine it has a pressurized carb, I would NOT want to try and tune it.
The Vivio is cute as h*ck, but I’d be worried my friends would pick it up and move it to another part of my neighborhood as a prank and I’d never find it again.
Besides, just look at the Biturbo’s interior. Even
ifwhen the rest of the car winds up being hot garbage, those seats would make great office chairs.We’ll take the Maserati, knowing that we’ll still be less of a poseur than the guy driving the Ghibli sedan from the BHPH lot down the block.
I voted for the Biturbo. I’ll ride in the limo with Joe Walsh when it breaks down.
The whole Americans don’t want small cars is like NYC Tiered voting. We like and want small cars but not as the 1st choice. And since everything is so damned expensive it gets our 2nd or 3rd choice
The Maserati is clean, checks a lot of the right boxes, but also scares me to death with regard to making and keepingit running. I know nothing about the Kei Version of the X90, but I know I don’t like CVT’s. SO this is a tough one. I think I would probably still do the Kei since it claims good AC and running condition, but I would be hard pressed to seek out this option.
I had to go with the Maserati. I wonder if one could fit a Ford 2.3L Ecoboost in that engine bay?
50/50, I cast the vote just now to put the Biturbo 1 vote over.
Man that interior on the subaru is loud lol
If I have to choose one, I’m going with the Maserati. I know these are hot garbage in terms of reliability (and prolonged storage could make this car particularly nightmarish), but man, that is some damn fine looking hot garbage. For this price I will tow it to my garage and just look at it.
That being said, the Subaru is cool. I love the interior and the T-top combined with the retractable rear window is a nice feature. I’m not necessarily a kei car fan, but this car is interesting and cheap enough to make this a both day.
Also, Alabama is worth a visit. The beaches are great (particularly Orange Beach) and the best motorcycle museum I have ever been to is just outside of Birmingham. Alabama may not be known for its car culture, but at least the cars their don’t rust out from road salt. Overall, it is a fine state with a great college football team (Roll Tide!).
Maserati – even though I’ll probably hate myself in the morning.
I can’t believe so many of y’all would rather have a gutless CVT car with the steering wheel on the wrong side than that beautiful bi-turbo.
I think the ability to be used as a vehicle for the foreseeable future is swaying people.
The gutless CVT car will give you miles of reliable enjoyment. People will smile and want pictures taken with it, every trip will be an adventure, and when you eventually sell it you’ll remember it fondly.
The Biturbo will leave you stranded in a parking lot while the tow truck guy keeps driving past you because he thinks it’s a Chevy Cavalier and not the Maserati he was told to get.
I haven’t seen one since they were new, but the Biturbos do have a real life presence that pics don’t quite capture.
You’d see them now and again in the 80s, driven by the renegades who wanted to avoid the BMW or Saab yuppie label (yes, at the time, Saabs, despite their funk factor, were lumped in with Bimmers in that respect). Or at least thought about being driven.
I really surprised myself today and went for the little jelly bean of a Subaru. I’d rather have a car that will be called “Odd” and not “Broken”.
Biturbo for me, please.
Yes, car culture is really thick here around Birmingham, where it’s all about variety (you know an enthusiast because they have a Barber Vintage Motor Museum tag on their car, which are one of the most common non-college tag here). Outside of the cities, it tends to be more predictably muscle cars and drag racing culture from my experience.
The only segments that are really underrepresented are Japanese gems from the 70s-80s. I don’t even mean JDM necessarily, but I think a lot of those early imports (Z cars are rare, Nissan/Datsun in general) were snatched up in CA buyers and they never made it past the port cities for a while.
Plus Huntsville has a huge revolving door of people from around the world working in aerospace/tech, Fort Rucker and Benning (or whatever they’re calling them this week), and Mongtomery has a large military population thanks to the USAF warfare college. It’s not as thick as, say, San Diego, but a lot of people bring their favorite cars (or preferences) with them wherever they go.
Retired military tags on the Vivio doesn’t surprise me at all.
What the hell kind of Subaru doesn’t have a flat-four and AWD??? Surely they could have made a boxer engine under 660cc. And I know some of Subaru’s kei vans and trucks had AWD
Subaru has a bunch of non-boxer cars, and they are the BEST 😛
Old McDonald had a car, V-I-V-I-O
Yeah I voted for the green one because it’s just a better car, and the interior is cool, and it actually has a regular engine with no head gasket problems and T-TOPS too 😀
That tiny-ass Vivio probably still has more space inside than a fucking Camaro/Firebird which is like 3x the size LOL
The Maser will absolutely drain your bank account, but every day you look at it you’ll be reminded why. Voted with heart not brain…all the way