Good morning! This week we’re doing Shitboxes Without Borders, and taking a look at some cheap cars for sale outside the US. I’m only giving myself two limitations: It has to be a car that wasn’t available in the US, and it has to be more than 25 years old so it’s importable. For our first installment, we’re going to take off to the Great White North.
Friday was international in name only; I think the House of Pancakes is more “International” than the Race of Champions our two contenders were built to commemorate. The Camaro suffered from too high of a price tag for being as relatively common as it is, and the much rarer Dodge Daytona won easily. Having the proper transmission for a sporty coupe helped the Dodge’s cause as well.
You know which one I’d take, if you’ve been paying attention over the last four years. I dig Camaros, but there’s no way I’m choosing an automatic Camaro over a stickshift Daytona. I’d prefer it in dark green or Black Cherry instead of red, but you can’t have everything.
As you would expect from a country so nearby and so closely aligned with the US, the Canadian auto market is a lot like ours. There are a few import models that they got that we never did, and a couple of nameplates that didn’t exist south of the 49th parallel, like Fargo, Beaumont, and Acadian. And a few brands known to US car buyers sold models we never got, too, and that’s where our focus is today. You know Mercury and Acura, but if you’ve never been to Canada, I’m betting you’ve never seen either of these. Let’s take a look.
1966 Mercury M-250 – $2,500 Canadian
Engine/drivetrain: 390 cubic inch OHV V8, four-speed manual, RWD
Location: Preeceville, SK
Odometer reading: unknown
Operational status: Runs and drives, needs brake work
Yep, that’s right; for twenty years, Ford sold pickups with Mercury badges in Canada. As far as I can tell, there is not a whole lot of difference between Ford and Mercury trucks apart from trim and badging. This is, therefore, just a Ford F-250 with a different grille and horn button.
Behind that Mercury-specific grille is a 390 cubic inch FE big-block V8, backed by a four-speed manual transmission. It’s all standard Ford stuff, so parts should be no problem at all. The seller says it runs and drives, but it needs minor brake work. The parts are included; you just have to do the work.
This is the only interior shot in the ad, and it looks like the opening shot to a 1990s alt-country song video. Which is cool, but not terribly useful if you’re trying to assess its condition. I would imagine it’s as rough as most old trucks are inside, but it’s also dead-simple to fix up. Of course, you could always just throw a blanket over the seat and call it good.
All old trucks end up with the same aesthetic eventually, and you either love it or you hate it. Personally, I love it. You can’t get this look by trying; it takes years of use. Not abuse, not neglect, just lots of things loaded in and out of the bed, lots of dirt roads, lots of miles. You could clean it up, repaint it, and make it shine again, but then it would take another 60 years to get back to looking like this.
2000 Acura 1.6EL – $4,300 Canadian
Engine/drivetrain: 1.6-liter OHC inline 4, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: St. Catharines, ON
Odometer reading: “About” 250,000 kilometers
Operational status: Runs and drives, needs brake master cylinder
The story goes like this: apparently, the four-door Integra was a complete sales flop in Canada, so Honda Canada decided to replace it with a domestically-produced model. Honda Civics were already being built in Ontario, so adding Acura badges and some options to a four-door model was easy, and presto – the Canada-only Acura EL was born. It sold well, and lasted for two generations. This is the final model year of the first generation.
The standard engine in the EL is Honda’s D16Y8 four-cylinder, but the seller mentions that it used to have a K-series engine. I guess it was modified and then un-modified? Or something? Honestly, I have no idea what’s under the hood of this car. The seller says it runs fine, but the brake pedal is soft. Nothing is leaking, so the seller suspects the master cylinder is going bad.
There’s definitely some wear and tear inside, but we’ve all seen a lot worse. The front seats aren’t original, and they’re pretty rough. The EL is more or less the same as our Civic EX, so it has a lot of power stuff. How much of it still works after the modifying and un-modifying and a quarter-million kilometers is anyone’s guess.
The suspension has been modified as well; it’s been lowered like so many Civics on this side of the border. I’m surprised there isn’t a little stuffed animal hanging off that tow hook, or is that fad over? What was that all about, anyway? It was partially repainted by the previous owner, and the seller says there isn’t any rust on it.
Neither one of these is really anything different from what we get here in the US, except for the badges. But if you factor in the conversion rate, they’re pretty cheap for the condition they’re in. You could just get a Ford truck, or a Civic sedan, or you could head north, have a little adventure, and come back with a conversation piece. Which one would you bring home?
It would be a tougher decision if the Acura Civic was a stick, but I think either way I’d have to go with the truck. I don’t know the conversion to freedom dollars but that still seems like a pretty good deal for a running and not completely clapped out ‘60s truck. Especially with the 390/4-speed combo.
Love old Fords! I had a 1960 1 ton. Similar body, but mine had 4 headlights. Manual everything, including brakes! Notice no vacuum booster on the master cylinder in the under the hood shot? Even in perfect working order, stopping quickly is a spiritual experience.
I had a “caribbean turquoise” ’66 Mercury M100 in highschool, so obvious nostalgia choice. The truck is cheap because it’s in the middle of nowhere, even for Saskatchewan. The grill isn’t Mercury-specific, but it is from a ’65. The 390 isn’t original, it would have come with a 352. The tailgate is a Mercury-specific stamping, but the panel between the hood and the grill is not. It has extra tabs spot-welded in to hold the E, C, R letters.
I love that generation of Ford trucks, and that looks like an honest one. Fair price too.
Rebadged Ford or Honda? In this case, Mercury Monday for me.
Apparently they both run and drive but don’t stop, haha! I’d actually take the Acura, I always liked the little Acura Civics for some reason.
As a Bonafede Honda Nerd I’ve got to go with the Acura EL, it’s pretty rare anywhere other than Canada; and it’s as simple as Lego to make anything I’d want out of it. Being rust free is really the bar to clear in my area for these, and it would even be kind of a big deal in SoCal.
I’d go with a B16 and manual swap, splash out for some BRIDE seats, and some updated tunes and have a very nice (for a golden era Honda) cruiser for less than 10 Grand. It’ll be a nice addition to my “collection” and be the start of a true fleet of Hondas in my driveway.
Today I learned all those ELs I saw were specific to here.
I’m picking the Mercury because I’ve been watching the Canadian Civic market, and this car is about double the price it should be listed for. I’d only be using it as a drivetrain donor for my mini, and it has the wrong transmission.
But the Mercury? I could actually make something of that.
IF you wanna go halfsies I’d be game for the rest of it 😀
Nah, there’s plenty closer to me for cheap.
I’m going against the grain once again. The truck just isn’t my think. I’ll clean up the Acura as much as possible.
The red flags with that Acura aren’t the good kind of flags.
I can’t remember the last time I saw a stuffed animal on a car, and it’s been a little while since I saw one strapped to the grill of a truck.
Respect to the Acura owner. It’s hard to blow that much fabric off the seat with a diet of Tim Horton’s and Maple Syrup.
I always wanted a Mercury truck, it instantly got my vote
I was always interested in the Mercury trucks, and this one has the mercury tailgate still intact. I thought they were more expensive than this.
I picked the Mercury simply so I could add a “Ride Engineered” badge to the glove box door. Oooh, and maybe one of those Marquis heraldry crests to the B-pillar. That would be sweet.
Way, way too many questions on the Acura. And there’s no way in hell it has “no rust” after 250,000km of St. Catharine’s winters, even with the body work.
LOTS of questions for me. Yeah, I’m going the truck as well.
Heck yeah I want that truck. I want to show up at our local cruise-in and watch the confusion ensue. I want to drive the embodiment of Alan Jackson’s Ford truck ads being merged with his original version of the song.
I look at that Mercury truck and a single name comes to mind: Rowsdower https://mst3k.fandom.com/wiki/Zap_Rowsdower .
Why… in the blue hell… would you put a D16 in that car when there are so many other better options? Was it free? That’s the only reason I can think of.
The D16s are starting to get rare and desirable as they are getting too old to easily find lying around. In this case I suspect it was leftover from before it was swapped so they put it back as it was cheaper.
Which upsets me greatly, as a D series is exactly what I need to fit in my Mini subframe. B series and K series require throwing out the factory suspension and fiberglass front ends or serious firewall work to fit.
Plus, I don’t need more than 160whp in a 1600lb car.
Honest truck every time. Does this mean it’s Mercury Monday?
Mercury all day long on this one. Looks like a fantastic project and the price is more than fair given the current prices old trucks are currently getting. Bonus points for being an uncommon model (south of the border, at least) and getting doubletakes when out on the road.
My first car had that 390 FE, no thanks I will pass on this one.
My second car was a ’63 Galaxie with the 390, and it was a smooth running engine. You could stand a nickel up on the air filter while it was running. And with the distributor right up front, you could adjust the points in your Sunday clothes and not get them dirty.
I am at the point that I do not want to be adjusting points, using a manual choke, etc. any more.
Agreed on both points. I put electronic ignitions on my old cars now.
Amen! Unless I ever can afford one of those1960-70’s Italian sports coupes I adore (and the matching mechanic), I don’t want to fuss with carbs ever again.
Same. I was discussing this with a buddy. He likes working on carbs I hate it. There is a HUGE difference between “want to” and “have to” when working on cars.