What’s Your Pick: The Saturn, A 1986 Toyota MR2, Or Another Mystery Car?

I can already tell this new format isn’t going to stick around. But we’ll tough it out for this week, and go back to normal next week. I’ll throw in a few “mystery car” days here and there, but this feels too gimmicky to be a regular thing. Hey, you don’t know unless you try, right?

Yesterday’s winner, to the surprise of probably no one, was that amazingly clean Saturn SL2. It took quite a few of you on a trip down memory lane; Saturns were popular enough in the ’90s that almost everyone has a story about one. And they were good solid used cars for a lot of years, too. I had one for a while, a royal-blue SC1, and it was a fine car. I bet this one with more power and better gearing is a lot more fun to drive, though.

There were some dissenting voices, and some nearly-heated discussions in the comments. Goodness, I hope none of you are here looking for actual car-buying advice. Like those old 1-900 numbers, the information presented here is for entertainment purposes only. Don’t get me wrong; we’re very serious about cars around here, but that certainly doesn’t mean you should take everything we say about cars seriously.

With that in mind, let’s reveal yesterday’s mystery car:

2006 Chevrolet Corvette convertible – $27,900

Kachow! That’s right; it’s a C6 Corvette done up as a tribute to everyone’s second-favorite sentient Disney race car, Lightning McQueen. This baby has just 56,000 miles on it, and the seller says it’s “ready to go.” But lest you think that some copyright-infringing graphics are the only thing this car has going for it, check out what’s under the hood:

Yep, it’s supercharged. The seller doesn’t provide any other information about it, so I can’t tell you what else has been done, but I bet it’s putting quite a lot more power than stock through that 6L80 automatic. But is it enough to win the Piston Cup? Doesn’t matter, I guess; it lost here. Let’s take a second look at the Saturn before we move on to today’s new challenger.

1995 Saturn SL2 – $3,500

The 1990s were a good time for sporty sedans, and nearly all of them were offered with a twin-cam engine that brought a little more heat to the party. This Saturn SL2 is an economical and practical little sedan, but you can also toss it into a corner or wind it out in second and third gear on an on-ramp, and it doesn’t act all offended like some lesser economy cars do.

Sure, there are any number of more modern cars available for the same price that might be “better” in some ways, but just look at what this thing has to offer: acres of glass for good outward visibility, a 2,400 pound curb weight to keep it light on its feet, three pedals on the floor, and bright shiny teal paint. Now that’s living.

1986 Toyota MR2 – $4,700

Engine/drivetrain: 1.6-liter DOHC inline 4, five-speed manual, RWD

Location: Pico Rivera, CA

Odometer reading: 155,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

Of course, if you don’t need four doors or a lot of cargo room, there are a whole lot of small, economical cars that are a lot more fun. Want great gas mileage and Toyota reliability, but in a wedge-shaped sports car with the engine in the back? You’re in luck. I present to you the first-generation Toyota MR2. Mind you; it’s economical, but not cheap. These cars have gone up in value quite a bit in the past few years, like everything interesting from the ’80s. A used MR2 used to be a thousand-dollar car, but times have changed. I think the only reason this one isn’t ten times that much is that it has a salvage title.

Nestled behind the seats of the MR2 is Toyota’s 4A-GE four-cylinder engine, mounted transversely and driving the rear wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox. It’s the same basic layout as a Fiat X1/9 or a Pontiac Fiero, but, you know, a Toyota. This car should be as reliable and efficient as any Corolla. The seller says it runs great, but they don’t elaborate. The ad contains more enthusiasm than information.

There has to be a catch, right? There is: the interior is hosed. It’s badly sun-damaged, and has ill-fitting covers on the seats. I don’t know what the seats look like under the covers, but I fear that if you looked, you’d want to put the covers right back on. It’s still more or less functional, but it sure isn’t pretty. Oh, and the air conditioning doesn’t work, but kudos to the seller for not trying to claim it “just needs a charge.”

The outside looks considerably better, but I don’t think it was originally black. Based on the photo of the engine compartment, I think it started out as champagne gold. The black paint suits it, though, and it goes well with the gold aftermarket wheels. I’m less enthusiastic about the dark window tint, but if the AC doesn’t work, then it probably helps keep it cool inside. There are some slightly wonky panel gaps around the front bumper and headlight doors, which may have something to do with the salvage title. It’s not perfect, for sure. But if you always wanted an MR2, waited too long, and don’t want to pay auction-site prices, this could be a decent deal.

Mystery Car – $?

You can’t blame me for today’s mystery car. The Bishop is the one who found it; I just picked it up and ran with it. All I’ll say is that it comes with a parts car.

Fun and reliable is a good combination of traits for a car to have. I would say both of these cars have those traits; the mystery car has the potential to have one or the other, but probably not both. So it’s up to you: are you sticking with the Saturn sedan you loved so much yesterday, dumping it for the Toyota sports car, or rolling the dice on the mystery car?