Which Four-Speed Would You Stick With? 1984 Dodge Rampage vs 1990 Honda Civic

Manual transmissions aren’t even an option on most cars these days, but once upon a time, you could choose from more than one. Spend more money, get more gears. Three was the standard number of forward gears for decades, but by the time today’s competitors were built, the three-speeds were gone, and even four-speeds were on the way out. But that’s what these two have to offer.

On Friday, we looked at two old Fords more than four decades apart. The old ’51 took home an easy win, as I suspected it might, but the little purple Escort had its fans too. But I think the rarity of the old Custom worked in its favor, as did the rumble of its flathead V8.

Back in 1999, when I was shopping for a car, I test-drove two Ford Escorts. One was almost exactly like Friday’s entrant, except it was fuchsia instead of purple. The other was a bright blue four-door with an automatic. I was young and insecure and couldn’t bring myself to buy a “pink” car, so I got the blue automatic. Now, older and wiser, and not giving a shit what anyone thinks, I’d happily take this little purple hatchback. The old ’51 is interesting, but not something I’d actually want to own.

When I was a kid, if your car had a five-speed manual transmission, everyone knew it. A little chrome badge on the back of the car let them know. Our cars never had that badge; my dad always bought manuals, but never spent extra to get that overdrive gear. His first five-speed was an ’85 VW Golf – because the five-speed came standard. He would have appreciated these two, as basic and no-frills as they are. Let’s check them out.

1984 Dodge Rampage – $3,800

Engine/drivetrain: 2.2-liter OHC inline 4, four-speed manual, FWD

Location: Hagerstown, MD

Odometer reading: 96,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives, but needs brake work

Small pickups were all the rage in the early 1980s, but I would like to have been a fly on the wall when someone at Chrysler proposed turning the L-body Omni 024 into a ute. Ford’s Ranchero was gone, Chevy’s El Camino was barely limping along, and all eyes were on the traditional body-on-frame small trucks from Japan. But for just three years, Dodge offered this little ute, with the front half of an 024/Charger and a just-barely-half-ton truck bed. It’s possible, now that I think about it, that they were just copying VW’s homework again; the Rabbit pickup had appeared just a couple of years earlier.

The only engine available in the Rampage was Chrysler’s 2.2-liter K-car engine, equipped with a two-barrel carburetor. Since it was a truck, it was spared the indignity of the 1.7-liter VW and 1.6-liter Simca engines that base-model Omnis and Horizons were stuck with. I once had a K-car with the 2.2 and a four-speed manual; if this is the same setup as that, which I suspect it is, then fourth gear is really tall, possibly a bit of an overdrive. This one runs well and is drivable, but the front brake calipers are sticking, so you don’t want to go too far before taking care of that.

Inside, it’s a little grubby, and it could use a few items from the Dorman “Help!” section of an auto parts store. It could also use a junkyard steering wheel that’s in better shape. Almost anything should fit; Chrysler seemingly mixed and matched steering wheels in the ’80s based on whim, or what they had on hand. If those vinyl bucket seats won’t clean up, I guess you could just throw some covers over them – unless you got lucky and found a wrecked Daytona from which you could steal the Recaros and the aluminum-spoke steering wheel.

I don’t know if the outside has been repainted or is just really well taken care of, but it’s nice and shiny. Rampages tended to get used as trucks, and most of them were beaten to death before Bush Sr left office. There weren’t many of them to begin with, and there are very few left now. This looks like about the nicest example you’re likely to find.

1990 Honda Civic – $4,500

Engine/drivetrain: 1.5-liter OHC inline 4, four-speed manual, FWD

Location: San Jacinto, CA

Odometer reading: 117,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

“We Make It Simple” was Honda’s slogan in the ’80s, and when it came to the most basic model of the Civic, they really took it to heart. This isn’t even a Civic DX; it’s a step below that. It has no rear wiper, no power anything (except brakes), vinyl seats, and plain steel wheels. It has a right-hand outside mirror, but if memory serves, that was an option on this car.

Power comes from a 1.5-liter four making all of 70 horsepower, and a four-speed manual transmission. The good news is that it’s fuel-injected; Honda ditched carbs after the previous generation of the Civic. It’s shocking how empty the engine bay of this car looks; fourth-generation Civic engine components are usually packed in like sardines. But without an air conditioner, or power steering, there’s plenty of room to work. Not that this one needs any work at the moment; the seller says it runs and drives great.

This thing is so plain-Jane on the inside that it doesn’t even have a center console; it’s literally a “four on the floor.” The instrument panel is nothing but a speedometer, a fuel gauge, a temperature gauge, and a bank of idiot lights. The seats are, as previously mentioned, cheap vinyl, and they’re not holding up all that well. Probably sticky as hell in the summer, too. You can, and should, find some better seats for this thing, at least.

Since this is a California car, it has avoided the most serious old Honda problem with its exterior: rust. It is missing a piece of trim on the passenger’s side, but otherwise it doesn’t look beat-up at all. The bumpers, once black, are faded to that streaky gray that those of us of a certain age remember well. It’s rare to see a Civic hatchback of this generation still completely stock; far too many of them are slammed to the ground, with gaudy aftermarket wheels and obnoxiously large tailpipes.

I think a little bit of my dad’s frugality rubbed off on me, because I have always appreciated base-model cars like these. Strip a vehicle down to its essentials, get rid of the bullshit, and just give me what I need. And technically speaking, you don’t need a fifth gear. Or power steering. Or cloth seats. What are you, a Rockefeller? Let’s just keep it simple. Which one of these are you going for?