I have a lot of respect for cars with big miles on the odometer, and for the people who put those miles there. Even more so if those cars are the sort of cars that don’t typically rack up a lot of miles. One of today’s cars you expect to see a lot of miles on, but the other… not so much.
I’m glad to see that the majority of us were in agreement yesterday: a Ford Festiva is a little nugget of awesome, even with an automatic transmission. It didn’t win by a lot; that Mercury Cougar had plenty of fans as well, but win it did. In both cases, a lot of you wanted to make changes: the Cougar fans wanted to up its horsepower, and the Festiva fans were talking about a manual swap.
Between these two, I’d definitely take the Festiva, and I think I’d leave it as an automatic. I’m too old to go mucking around with transmission swaps, especially on a car that’s too old to find in junkyards anymore. I’m sure I could find ways to have fun with that little rollerskate, even without a clutch pedal.
Seeing low-mileage time-capsule cars is kind of cool, but it’s also kind of sad. There’s a lot of potential miles there that never got driven. It seems like kind of a waste. And the cars that are bought as “investments” and squirreled away from day one are even worse. I’d much rather see cars with a ton of miles on them. Cars aren’t meant to be preserved; they’re meant to be enjoyed and used up. These two aren’t quite there yet, but they’ve definitely got some history. Let’s check them out.
1986 BMW 325 – $3,750
Engine/drivetrain: 2.7-liter OHC inline 6, four-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Beaverton, OR
Odometer reading: 281,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well, but needs a few things
Used BMWs have gotten a bad reputation in recent years. They’re fragile, overly-complicated, and difficult and expensive to repair. But if you go back far enough, to say, forty years old, you find a much simpler and more robust machine. The E30-chassis 3 Series is a legend for a reason: it’s not only a great car to drive, but it’s also built like a tank. This isn’t the most miles I’ve seen on one of these cars by a long shot.
This isn’t the most desirable spec E30, but it’s not the worst either. It has the classic M20 inline six, but the low-compression “eta” version, backed by an automatic transmission. Yes, it would be more fun with one of the more rev-happy engines and a manual gearbox, but it’s still going to be an awfully nice car to drive. It has been owned by the same person for 38 years, and they have all the records for it. It currently needs a rear wheel bearing replaced, and it has an “intermittent engine stall,” which sounds ominous. I’d quiz them pretty hard about that one.
My favorite aspect of the interiors of these older BMWs is the fact that everything is oriented towards the driver. The whole center stack is canted towards the driver’s seat. The passenger gets a dash vent and the glovebox, and that’s it. HVAC, stereo, and everything else are all within easy reach of the driver. But that’s all right, because we all know the rule: Driver picks the music. Shotgun shuts his cake hole. The air conditioning is a little weak, according to the seller, but the aftermarket Bluetooth stereo works just fine.
It’s rust-free and nice and shiny outside, but it does have some previous damage repaired, on the rear quarter panel. That’s one of the advantages of buying a car from a long-time owner; you know about stuff like that up front, rather than finding out years later when you start poking around.
1986 Chevrolet Corvette – $4,900
Engine/drivetrain: 5.7-liter OHV V8, four-speed automatic, RWD
Location: North Plains, OR
Odometer reading: 255,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
The C4 and newer Corvette might hold the record for the most under-used car of all time. They’re not particularly rare, or special, but the majority of owners seem to think they are, and far too many of them baby their cars, or never drive them at all. This yellow C4 is an exception; it has been used for commuting, and has racked up more than a quarter of a million miles in its forty years. That may not sound like a lot to a Toyota Camry driver, but it’s a lot for a Corvette.
There’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to rack up a ton of miles on one of these; at its core, it’s just a Chevy small-block V8 and a Turbo-Hydramatic transmission. The suspension and brakes are a little more complex than your average Caprice, but it’s still just a Chevy. The transmission has been rebuilt, and the seller says everything else is in great shape. It has the Z51 suspension package, so it’s stiffer and has quicker steering than other C4s, which makes the high mileage even more impressive. I’ve never driven a Z51, but a standard C4 Corvette isn’t what you’d call smooth-riding. The seller must have a spine made of iron.
Halfway through the C4’s run, Chevy redesigned the interior, making it more ergonomic but less cool-looking. This one is old enough to have the original interior, complete with a digital instrument panel. It sounds cheesy now, but I cannot tell you how cool we thought that was back in the mid-’80s. The seller says everything works just fine except the power locks, but it’s a two-door. Having to manually lock and unlock the doors isn’t the end of the world.
It’s a little unevenly faded outside, and there are some chips and scrapes, but it doesn’t look too bad. It’s nice to see one of these in a color besides red or white, too. The Z51 package came with special wheels originally, but they’re absent from this car. Instead, it wears the classic C4 “Salad Shooter” wheels, which are fine by me. These are the wheels a Corvette of this era should have.
With a low-mileage car, or a car that has been sitting around for a long time, there are all sorts of things you have to worry about: hardened seals, leaking gaskets, dry-rotted tires, and more. But when a car has been driven a lot, everything tends to stay in better shape. I’d trust either of these more than I would trust a “perfect” example with next to no miles on it. But which one? That’s what you have to decide.
I’m taking the bus.
No, no – don’t be confused by the color. It’s not a school bus. 🙂
I thought the E30 was going to be a shoo-in, but after reading it the Corvette gets my vote. It looks entirely tossible, and it’s yellow. I’ve only driven a manual C6 once, but this C4 looks like it could be 4 grand of fun.
The corvette will be a lot cheaper in the long run to fix and maintain.
A well used Corvette is better than no Corvette.
Fact: Yellow is the best Corvette color.
Would I rather it have a manual? Of course. I’ll still have the Vette.
A 4-door eta automatic is literally the worst e30 spec and will be totally boring to drive. I’m a total BMW nerd but even I chose the ‘Vette.
Nah… there is one spec that is worse… the 4 cylinder 316/318/320 with the earlier 3 speed slushbox.
Regardless of outcome, I’m so happy to see that many miles on a Vette.
The ‘Vette.
At least the turn signals will work.
The BMW had too many doors for me.
Brain says Vette. Dumb decision me wants the BMW. Based on my experience, dumb me usually wins. I went BMW.
If I did actually buy the BMW I’d probably be regretting it but I just like it more than the Vette.
My daughter’s blue ’87 C4 could use paint. This yellow one would work well to drive while we’re working on the blue one.
Really kind of a both day. Both engines, in general (straight 6 BMW and Chevy 350) are on my list to own. Hard decision. I’m old and still wear Vans so maybe the Corvette isn’t for me… just yet.
I’d say be the guy who wears Vans in his Vette! It’s not for me, but it’s a decent example of the car, and the yellow and forest green are the best colors.
An E30 with a straight six? Yes please.
(never been a fan of the C4 anyway)
If that Corvette wasn’t 2,500 miles away from me I’d be having to fight with every ounce of strength I have to not make a trip to the bank and go meet the seller. That’s a solid price for a C4 you can just enjoy and not fret over protecting the resale value. I already like them because they were the Corvettes you saw in all of the arcade games when I was a kid.
I’m going Vette today. It would be fun to bomb around in and generally easy to maintain, plus I’ve always been a fan of the C4s looks. Also, yellow.
The BMW is probably a pretty decent deal considering what these old 3 series cars go for even with this mileage and the low compression/economy spec engine, but it just doesn’t hold much interest for me. Maybe if it had a 5-speed, but then the price would probably be much higher.
Yellow fans represent!!
I love a yellow car, but my middle aged spine says get the car I’ll actually be able to get out of after a drive.
The Corvette is far more fun than the no-revving Eta with a slushbox. I’d love an E30 and one with a diligent 38 year ownership history is rare, but that’s not an appealing powertrain.
The gall GM had to release an interior that shitty in a car that expensive is truly impressive, though.
I’ll go for the Corvette, just a lot easier to maintain. I might have considered the BMW if it was 2 door.
Corvette. Easy. I’m firmly in jorts and white New Balance age, but I wear neither. Nonetheless, I’d love a C4.
DAMN, tough call today.
I’d happily take both. Happily. I mean, both are let down by automatics when both are great with manuals, but in both cases the automatic isn’t a wrong choice. And really for what they are, it’s the least-wrong choice.
The 325 is a wonderful, nippy little two-door but when it has the eta engine – a fascinating design, nobody would expect the economy-at-all-costs powerplant to be a six-pot – spirited driving automatically (ho ho) moves out of the highest priority slot into something like fourth place. A 325 eta with auto is a lovely little commuter and weekend cruiser.
Speaking of cruisers, the C4 is possibly the Everyman Corvette. It brings chassis tuning and better handling and a stout engine aaaaaannnd that’s close to all of it. It’s a good car. It’s a good Corvette. It does nothing great; you get in and go. It won’t make you into a driving superhero but it keeps up with most things and is sufficiently composed to not let you make too big a fool of yourself. If all you want to do is drive while knowing that the car is capable of a lot, without ever actually doing a lot, this is the car for you. Couple hundred thousand miles? No problemo. Automatic? Sure, because who wants to work that hard? This car is set up to inhale the miles with confidence.
I flipped a coin. It came up Corvette.
Vette for me. But I’d argue it was the C5 that started the “waxed more than driven” thing for Corvettes.
It came along just when baby boomers were coming into their peak disposal income period and watched how pricey the Vettes from their youth were becoming. The C4 on the other hand was a classic 80s man of some means about town cruiser. You’d see people commuting to work in them.
The C5. As was once said, the car that never gets bought, never gets sold and never gets driven.
Probably an outdated sentiment now, but I believe you are correct about the C5 being the classic garage queen.
Yes, the C5 is a better car than the C4 but it’s also one you only get to buy from the prior owner’s kid or widow. Betty dabs her eyes at the funeral while doing a happy dance in her mind because she can finally get rid of Glenn’s stupid Corvette that consumed his entire retirement despite only getting driven three times a year.
I really don’t want either, but the late C4 is so much better than the early car in every way that I cannot in good faith choose one. I don’t want to be a BMW guy either, and this one sounds like it has issues, but I’ll take it over an early C4 that rides like my FR-S and handles worse.
I am paralyzed by indecision. I’d love either.
Same. I closed my eyes and tapped my thumb and it came up BMW, but I’d be just as happy if it had been Vette.
I wanted to vote BMW but the intermittent engine stall could be big $$$.
Guess I can break out the Def Leppard t shirt again & roll the windows down, even if I cut off my long hair years ago. I wear Skechers, are they allowed?
Sorry, the only acceptable Corvette footwear are those orthopedic shoes they have a display of near the pharmacy waiting area at CVS.
The required footwear is white New Balance sneakers with white tube socks, regardless of other clothing items, at all times!
But for a C4, it’d properly be a shiny vaguely racer-looking jacket with a fair amount of pockets. And big mirrored aviator sunglasses with plastic frames.
I bought a Member’s Only jacket on eBay a few years ago for some silly C&C meets in a 944 I had. Good enough?
Even though it’s a 4-door with a slushbox, I’ve always loved the E30 BMWs and have tried several times over the years to buy one.
Corvettes, on the other hand, do absolutely nothing for me.
Mark, on this one I have to go Vette all the way… The 325 is a timeless design but so is the Corvette and it was my project to graduate from drafting class in 1984 so… the Vette wins this one for me.