Sometimes, when you look at a used car, you can tell what it was used for, and how it was treated. Completely stock, worn-out driver’s seat, other seats immaculate? Commuter. Unicorn stickers on the inside of the rear windows and Cheerios in the cracks of the seats? Kid-hauler. Huge aftermarket stereo and flashy wheels on a base-model car? First brand-new car of a fast-food restaurant manager. Today we’re looking at two vehicles both priced at $2,300, and I’m going to take a stab at guessing the lives they led up to this point.
Yesterday was all about cheap cars, as we took a look at what a stack of ten Benjamins will get you these days. The idea of a nearly 300,000-mile Jaguar scared a lot of you, as it should. But then, a lot of you disagreed with my assertion that a basic 2.0/manual Golf should be plenty reliable. But enough of you liked it, or disliked the Jaguar, to give the little VW a comfortable win.


I’m definitely on Team Golf here. The best cheap cars are simple ones, and a manual gearbox with a new clutch should be pretty much foolproof. I mean, there was that one time I was leaving a Guns N’ Roses concert in my old Golf, and fifth gear went out on the highway, but that had to have been a fluke, right?
Now then: For your consideration today, I have an economy car with really low miles and a bit of body damage, and a V8 SUV with a bunch of aftermarket parts for sale at a junkyard. Let’s see if we can suss out their backstories.
1995 Ford Aspire – $2,300

Engine/drivetrain: 1.3 liter OHC inline 4, three-speed automatic, FWD
Location: San Diego, CA
Odometer reading: 86,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
The first time I saw a Ford Aspire, I was giving it its first oil change, at the garage where I used to work. An older gentleman had bought it to tow behind his RV. “They call it an Aspire,” he told me, patting the roof of the shiny white hatchback. “They can call it whatever they want, as long as it doesn’t expire.” I saw quite a few more while I worked there, and while some were driven by college students, the majority of owners were elderly. I’m guessing that this one had an elderly owner as well, based on the low mileage, the generally excellent condition, and the wrinkle in the driver’s door, which could have come from an altercation with a garage door sill.

The Aspire was the replacement for Ford’s tiny captive-import Festiva, and like the Festiva, it was built in South Korea by Kia. It’s powered by a Mazda 1.3-liter four-cylinder making all of 63 horsepower. Two transmissions were available, also both from Mazda: a five-speed manual or a three-speed automatic. If you’re hoping for a manual in this one, you’re in for a disappointment. It does, however, run and drive just fine.

The Aspire is still an economy car, but it was a huge step up in refinement over the tinny little Festiva. I mean, its door panels actually cover the whole inside of the door, rather than leaving a strip of painted steel at the top. This one is in pretty good condition, though the driver’s seat shows a little wear. It has air conditioning, and it works, though I bet switching it on feels like dropping an anchor.

Outside, it looks good, except for the aforementioned dent, and one missing hubcap. The Aspire came in some good colors, like all Fords in the 90s; this one is literally called “Blueberry.” One thing I have started to notice about cars this age, though, is that the paint on the bumpers seems to fade more quickly than the rest. Maybe it has something to do with the additives in the paint to make it stick to the flexible bumpers.
2000 Dodge Durango SLT – $2,300

Engine/drivetrain: 5.2-liter OHV or 4.7-liter OHC V8, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Stockton, CA
Odometer reading: 205,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives
The SUV craze was in full swing by the time Dodge introduced the Durango in 1998. It followed the same formula as its Ford and Chevy counterparts: it was based on the Dakota mid-sized pickup. Like the Ford Explorer and Chevy S-10 Blazer, it was meant more for suburbia than for the trails, but of course, it could be modified for some better off-road chops. This one looks like its modifications are more for show than for ruggedness, though. My guess is that this one was owned by a young guy who came into some unexpected money and lavished his truck with gifts.

2000 was a changeover year for the Durango’s engine; some had the old 5.2-liter Magnum V8, and some had the new 4.7-liter overhead cam V8. I can’t tell you which one this one has, because the seller has provided neither an underhood photo nor a VIN. It’s being sold by a self-service junkyard, and while they’re awfully enthusiastic about it, they’re a little light on the details. They do say it runs well, and “sounds mean.” Of course, since it has gone into a wrecking yard, it’s coming out with a salvage title, but that’s not a big deal on something this cheap.

It’s pretty fancy inside, with leather seats and a bunch of power options. From what I gather, that means it’s an SLT Plus model. It’s in surprisingly good shape inside, though there are two replacement door panels in the back. Does that mean they need replacing? And how many of those power goodies still work? Your guess is as good as mine.

It has a bunch of modifications outside, including a slight lift, a roof basket, a brush bar, lots of extra lights, and a truly appalling set of aftermarket wheels. Really, who thought those were a good idea? Fortunately, some people pay good money for foolishness like that, so you might be able to sell them and recoup some of the price after you replace them with something more appropriate. It’s a good color, though, and it’s not beat-up or rusty.
My favorite description of a used car’s history comes from Douglas Adams. In The Long Dark Tea-Time Of The Soul, he describes a Citroën 2CV as having had “one careful owner but also three suicidally reckless ones.” It’s such a great description, because you know exactly what such a car looks like. You can never know everything a car has been through before it got to you, no matter how many service records it comes with. And sometimes, ignorance is bliss, I think; just deal with the car as it is now, and try to treat it as well as you can during your stewardship of it. So which one of these could find a home with you?
The Aspire would be great for trips to Olive Garden.
Or Red Lobster!
Golden Corral, please
All I would do there is load up on that Bourbon Chicken.
This one may even have power steering. I remember one big quirk about the Aspire was you could only get power steering on a 4-door with an automatic. My friend’s 2-door auto didn’t have it.
I’ll save money and my dignity with the Aspire. It’s painfully slow? Good, speeding tickets are a waste of money.
I voted Aspire and already regret my decision, I’m sure I’d feel the same way driving away after my theoretical deal, but less so than the Durango.
The Aspire is the better choice here, and it is a cooler color 😛
So-called “real” Fords aspired to be as good as the Kia. The Aspire was better than anything else in Ford’s mid-90s US lineup, except the Probe, which was a Mazda.
It has folding mirrors and separate amber turn signals in the tail lights, both of which were rare for American cars at the time, yet this cheap lil Korean hatch has them.
“The Aspire was better than anything else in Ford’s mid-90s US lineup, except the Probe, which was a Mazda.”
Nah… I’d say the 1991-1996 Escort was better than the Aspire as well (I owned a couple of them in the past… as well as the Aspire’s predecessor… the Festiva. )
Of course the Escort was also mostly a Mazda.
The Panther triplets would like a word.
Also “anything else in Ford’s mid-90s US lineup” might imply trucks as well. Rangers, F-Series and Broncos were all fine.
nope, they all sucked
shitty garbage build quality, outdated even by the standards of the time, lol no real American Ford was worth a damn, and they still aren’t today 🙁
Check out a 90s Ranger than check out a 90s Japanese truck. We got those trucks into the 90s. The original Tacoma as well as the last Hilux we got here.
Those trucks are so shitty they need a fucking 25% tariff to protect them LOL
The Panthers were outdated even in 1980 when they first came out. 220 hp from a V8 was mediocre even 30 years ago.
Without competition, there was no need to get better. They should’ve just made the Australian Faclon here in LHD and made that the Panther replacement.
Those wheels! My God. Like Gran Turismo on crack.
As I have an SUV I’ll take the Aspire, but in reality I’d skip both of these.
“truly appalling set of aftermarket wheels.”
Yep. Totally agree!
The Aspire is truly a penalty box and that 3 speed auto combined with the tiny engine are going to be a bad time. It’s the Rango minus those wheels. If I were king for a day: right to jail, right away.
“The Guide says there is an art to flying”, said Ford, “or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” More Doulas Adams please!
I always thought that someone at Ford had a pretty good sense of humor naming that shitbox the “Aspire,” because NOBODY aspired to own and drive that heap. If anything it would should be called the Ford Sigh.
They should have kept calling it the Festiva. And they should have gone with the 1.5L version of the same engine that was used in other markets.
If it has the 5.2, I’ll take the Durango. It’ll make a great tow pig for what I need. The Ford Aspires to greatness, but it’s slushbox only bring misery.
Kinda a both or none day. The Aspire can be the parts runner for when you’re fixing the Durango, which will probably be all the time. Guessing “sounds mean” means it’s missing most of its exhaust (I don’t see a tailpipe) so we can put that on the list…
Or the exhaust was cut when the cats were stolen?
When I see a car for sale and the pictures are showing the car just washed but not dried to make the paint look better and hide the scuff marks, I just close the ad.
In this economy I can only aspire for something cheap to run.
I my first vehicle was 97 Dakota was a pos (mostly due to Midwest rust) but I still voted for the durango I like this style of durango they might not have been good vehicles but get rid of those wheels and being on CA shouldn’t really have to worry about rust. That aspire does absolutely nothing for me.
I’m normally all about smaller cars. But for the same price, auto vs auto, sell the hideous wheels and replace with Sparco Terra’s with decent snow tires. Guess I’m…buying a Dodge…shudder.
I’ll dodge that Aspire. I have a motorcycle to keep my fuel economy up.
The question could have been Durango vs a random car from the worst used car lot in whatever town you live, and the random car should win.
The Durango wasn’t a good car when it was new, and at 200k miles, which includes an owner who made very poor modification choices, has a zero percent chance of improving it.
Sure, the Aspire is about as nap-inducing as a car gets, but at least it would be a reasonable option as a second car for errands around town that doesn’t require constant repairs while using tanks of gas to go around the block.
Boring is the better of these two options.
You tried your best, Mark. But I’ll never vote for a Durango.
I can’t believe this is even a question. The car (about which Peter Egan once said “Aspire to what? Owning a real car?) vs. an SUV that seems reasonably complete *for the same price.* it’s a no-brainer even with those rims, which someone might buy (hey, somebody already did once).
Even with the high mileage, parts are cheap, and it could make a great weekend offroader.
I remember when Car and Driver tested the Aspire. It vibrated so bad the shift knob fell off.
I’ll Aspire to choose the gas guzzling Durango. Those Auto Zone wheels can live at the scrap yard though.
If I’m buying an auto, it will have a V8 behind it. Durango.
I could use the Aspire as an around town run about and it wouldn’t take up too much space. It’s pretty homely, but I could get some use out of it.
I have no need or want for the Durango.
I remember a rental company commercial in the 90’s with a 2 door Aspire in it. One of those “this is what you get from the other guys” kind of commercials. They called the Aspire a Speck. I had a friend with one and we called it a Speck all the time to make fun of it and that cemented the name eternally into my brain. To this day if I see an Aspire I call it a Speck.
That’s what my brother in law calls his Spark EV!
Had a Dakota of that year. Body rusted through, all body mounts rusted through, steering box fell out. I think I’ll take the Durango and place it back on the market. I just can’t imagine driving a car with 63 HP and an auto. Specially if it’s that small. It would get crushed in a light breeze.
The Dodge will be useful, if thirsty. The Aspire is a penalty box not even redeemed by a manual.