Which Colorful Character Would You Choose? 1988 Toyota Van vs 1992 Geo Tracker

There’s no rule saying that just because you have a plain white or silver car that it needs to stay that way. You can jazz it up with stripes, or add a second paint color, and have something that looks really striking. Today we’re going to look at two vehicles that have had such treatments.

We looked at two classic six-cylinder coupes yesterday, and it sounds like it was a hard choice for some of you. The rust and general shoddiness of the BMW turned some of you off, but from the sound of it, for a lot of you that Corvair was just too damn charming to pass up. It won by a decent margin.

I think I agree. I’ve always admired the BMW 6 Series, and that example doesn’t scare me, but when it’s up against a nice Corvair like that, for a thousand dollars less, it’s a much harder sell. Like a lot of you, I’d prefer the second generation Corvair, but I don’t think you’re going to find one of those in that shape for four grand.

As hard as I try to find cars in good colors, I have had my share of boring ones. I’ve had several silver cars, and a couple of white ones, and one Corolla that was kinda the color of dirt. (I’m sure you know the color I mean.) In several cases, I’ve thought about adding stripes, or painting them, but I never followed through on it. I admire the sellers of these two cars for taking it upon themselves to spice these two up. Let’s check them out.

1988 Toyota Van LE – $5,895

Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter OHC inline 4, four-speed automatic, RWD

Location: Olympia, WA

Odometer reading: 179,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

Japanese vehicles often have more interesting names in their home market than here in the US. I’m not sure why we don’t get the cool names; some marketing person thinks they won’t work, I guess. But it is kind of a shame. In 1984, Toyota started importing its TownAce line of cab-over-engine vans, but instead of calling it the TownAce, we got the spectacularly descriptive name of “Toyota Van.”

Much like the old Ford Econoline and Dodge A-series vans, the Toyota Van houses its engine in a lump between the front seats. Access for maintenance is via a panel under the driver’s seat; the seat and panel lift up out of the way so you can get to the oil filler, oil and transmission dipsticks, radiator cap – and that’s about it. Anything more serious requires some more surgery to the interior. It’s not fun. Luckily, the Van’s 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine is just about bulletproof. This one runs and drives just fine, according to the seller, even with nearly 200,000 miles on it.

I don’t know why we don’t get any photos of the driver’s area. The seller says the interior is “almost perfect;” why not let us see all of it? The back seat area looks great. I hope the front looks just as good, but not showing it makes it seem like they’re hiding something.

The combination of the red, orange, and yellow stripes and the aftermarket wheels really make this van look cool – and in my opinion, that’s not easy to do with these things. I’ve never been much of a fan, but this one works for me. It shouldn’t have any rust on it, being in the Pacific Northwest, and I don’t see any damage except one ding in the tailgate.

1992 Geo Tracker – $5,500

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

Location: El Mirage, AZ

Odometer reading: 55,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

Little soft-top SUVs are another one of those vehicles that are sorely missing from the market these days. Back in the 1990s, there were a bunch: the Jeep Wrangler, the Isuzu Amigo, the first-generation Kia Sportage, the first-generation Toyota RAV4, and of course, the Suzuki Sidekick, and its badge-engineered twin, the Geo Tracker. They were inexpensive, fun, playful vehicles that sold well, so why doesn’t anybody sell them anymore? Sure, you can still get a Wrangler, or a two-door Ford Bronco, but they’re not exactly cheap, or small, and they take themselves too seriously. This Tracker doesn’t take itself seriously at all, and that makes it way cooler.

Power for this little bundle of joy comes from a Suzuki-built 1.6-liter four, backed by a five-speed manual gearbox. Don’t let the chunky tires fool you, though; this Tracker is strictly 2WD. It runs and drives well, and has a new battery. It also has air conditioning, which was just recently converted to R134a refrigerant, and works great.

Someone has been to Mexico, it looks like. This Tracker’s red and white vinyl interior looks for all the world like a south-of-the-border custom job. I like it, personally; it’s a hell of a lot more interesting than the standard Geo dark gray. They were thorough, too: Not only are the front seats done, but the back seat and door panels are as well. The carpeted dash cover sort of ruins the effect, though.

The theme continues outside, with a two-tone paint job and a matching spare tire cover. Now that’s commitment. I think it needs a third color dividing the red and white, though; at the moment, it looks a bit Marlboro-like. The convertible top is new, the seller says, so you don’t have to worry about leaks.

Personalizing a car to suit your own tastes can sometimes ruin it for other people, but I applaud the boldness shown by these two. They’re a lot more interesting looking than they would have been as just plain silver and white. And they’re both cool and reliable vehicles. It seemed like a nice way to send you into the weekend. What’s your pick?