There was a time when getting 100,000 miles out of a car was doing really well. I remember plenty of 80,000 mile cars feeling used-up and ready to die. Nowadays, it’s not uncommon at all to get a solid 200,000 out of most cars. But 300,000? You’re still in some rarefied air at that point. Both of today’s cars have odometer readings that start with a 3, making them worthy of respect.
Most of you didn’t have a lot of respect for yesterday’s Chevies, but that’s all right. I appreciate you being good sports about it and voting anyway. The Beretta took an easy win, mostly based on the correct assumption that loafing around Florida is a lot easier on a car than dealing with Alaska. The Corsica’s body damage didn’t do it any favors either; that’s probably the worst spot for a car to get hit like that.
The Beretta would be my choice too. I don’t have a problem with the 3.1 and automatic combo, and its damage is a lot easier to fix. The mismatched wheel is a bummer, but I bet I could find a set of some other factory GM wheels that would fit. Or, alternately, three more steelies and a can of white Rust-Oleum.
The highest-mileage car I’ve ever had was a 1991 Nissan Pathfinder, which served us well until electrical problems finally got the better of it at 365,000 miles. It still ran and drove all right, but man, it felt tired. These two have similar miles on them, and I would imagine they feel about the same. But they’re both still game, if you are. Let’s check them out.
1988 Subaru GL 4WD Wagon – $3,000
Engine/drivetrain: 1.8-liter OHC flat -4, five-speed manual, 4WD
Location: Tukwila, WA
Odometer reading: 364,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
I’ll just come out and say it: Subaru these days is coasting on past glories. But what did those past glories look like? Well, they looked like this. The basics are much the same as they are now: a flat-four engine driving all four wheels, and a roomy station wagon body. But instead of superfluous black plastic cladding and a bunch of electronic bullshit, this one has a dual-range transfer case and tank-like durability.
The flat-four engine in this GL (that’s it; no model name, just a trim level) is a 1.8-liter overhead cam unit, backed by a much simpler and more mechanical 4WD system than a modern Subaru. This one is front-wheel-drive in normal driving, but 4WD is just a lever-pull away. When the going gets really gnarly, you have low-range 4WD at your disposal, just like a Jeep. Try that with your Forester. This car has 364,000 miles on it, but its engine has been rebuilt. The seller drives it regularly, so expect that mileage to keep going up until it sells.
The interior is where most high-mileage cars show their age, but this one doesn’t look too bad. The steering wheel rim and shift knob are worn completely smooth, and the driver’s seat looks a little mashed down, and a couple of buttons are missing from the HVAC controls on the dash. But I’ve seen much worse interiors on cars with far fewer miles.
It looks tired outside too, but well taken care of and not abused. All the black trim is gray, and all the horizontal surfaces are devoid of clearcoat, but there is no rust, and I don’t even see much in the way of door dings. It has aftermarket roof racks, like most Subaru wagons in the Pacific Northwest. Gotta carry that kayak around somehow.
1994 Mazda MX-3 RS – $2,500
Engine/drivetrain: 1.6-liter DOHC inline-4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Whitehall, PA
Odometer reading: 360,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Mazda was on a roll in the late 1980s and early ’90s. Even its “boring” cars were pretty cool. And between the RX-7, the Miata, the MX-6, and this little fella, its sporty car game was second to none. The MX-3 gets a little overshadowed by the Miata, but those who know, know. And after 360,000 miles, I think the owner of this one has a pretty good idea.
The most well-known version of the MX-3 is the GS, which features a tiny 1.8-liter V6 engine. This isn’t one of those. What it is, however, is the updated-for-1994 RS model, with a twin-cam four-cylinder, similar to what the early Miata had. It’s not as cool as the V6, but it has quite a lot more power than the older single-cam engine. This car’s engine was replaced 185,000 miles ago, but the seller doesn’t say why. It doesn’t matter, I suppose; it runs fine now.
This one is holding up remarkably well inside too; it’s nice to see cars this well cared for. I shudder to think how much Armor-All it has taken over the years to keep that dashboard that shiny, but it does look impressive. The seats even look good, though there is a little hole in the driver’s side bolster where the seat belt has rubbed across it who knows how many times.
It looks good outside, too. It’s actually kind of hard to believe this car has this many miles on it. I would be worried about rust, since it’s a Pennsylvania car, but I also know that Pennsylvania has some pretty strict inspections, so if there is any rust underneath, it can’t be too bad.
Some folks might be leery of cars with such high mileage, but if they’ve been well-maintained, I don’t think it matters much. And we probably have the big numbers on the odometers to thank for the lowish prices of these; they’re both cars that are riding the nostalgia wave, and prices are going up. Which one of them do you think wears its miles better?
I’ll risk the rust and go with the Mazda. That interior is just too nice for the car not to have been taken care of in exemplary fashion. The Subaru isn’t bad for it’s age, either, but it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun to drive.
A 30 year old Mazda in PA is a pile of rust. I don’t trust it as much as even an older car from the west coast.
So I voted for the wagon. The EA82 actually has space around it, and SOHC is easier to deal with than their DOHC motors which are pushed right against the frame. And of course, the wagon has more space inside.
Oh man, nostalgia alert. My mom drove a GL wagon in the mid 90s, this is a core childhood car for me. It was also an ’88, but in blue. Thing rotted out FAST in the northeast, but we loaded that sucker up with unreal mileage (we got it well used with close to 150k on it). Towards the end of it’s life we’d have to stop at exit 23 on the Northway on our way to my aunt’s house to let it cool down, it couldn’t handle the climb straight through lol.
Obviously my pick is the GL; this was the best beater my family had outside of the 1983 Volvo 240 sedan that replaced it.
Much as I am not a Subaru fan, at least it’s a wagon. And in most of the country, that generation has long returned to the Earth as iron oxide. The Mazda seems a bit pointless. If I want a not terribly practical Mazda that is for fun, then Miata is always the answer.
Both are great options depending on your need. The Mazda edges out the Subaru for me. It’s nice to see a vehicle for sale that’s actually been cleaned.
I voted for the Mazda. It is in much better shape.
I would rather have the Subaru. I just can’t justify paying that much for a ratty worn out Subaru. At $2k I would be considering a road trip.
U R A Bus for me. Tiny economy cars dressed up as sports cars (even if it is legitimately sporty) are far less useful than a 4WD station wagon.
U R A Bus is just Subaru spelled backwards.
Nicely played. And I agree with your original point.
Lexus spelled backwards is Suxel, who would drive a Suxel?
I play a lot of scrabble and also sit in traffic a significant portion of every day.
The MX-3 is right down the street from me lol
The Mazda is the more modern, more likely to start, and cheaper choice.
BUT I VOTED SUBARU
I haven’t seen one that nice since 1996, when I was looking for my first car… and they weren’t exactly plentiful then. Whoever owned that tried to race it to the grave and lost. So not only does it have brutal simplicity, the utility, and buckets of character, it’s likely haunted. Dig it.
MX-3 for me. It’ll be more fun to drive and is a bit cheaper. All it needs is the rear spoiler from the GS V6 model and it will look perfect too.
There have been no small number of cars with rear spoilers that I felt looked worse with them and would have wanted a spoiler delete box on the order sheet. I don’t drive 100+ mph where the spoiler might have a noticeable effect.
The funniest thing I ever read in Consumer Reports was an observation that the spoiler on the deck lid of some early 70s Mustang they tested was so effective that it caused the lid to shut at a dead standstill.
I was so looking forward to that narrow angle V6. Alas, I4…
Subie it is.
We had a ’87 (I think) Suaru wagon and I beat the crap out of that one, and it kept on going. Easy choice. Cleaned up nice for resale as well.
No V6 in the blobby Mazda, so the angular Subaru!
Looks fine so AOK with me 🙂
Mazda! The MX3 is just such a great looking little sporty econobox, we had some really fun hatchback designs back then (Impulse, Geo Storm, MX3). I’m a sucker for it.
I remember the Mazda. They were cool, but were really tiny when they came out, and not cheap. If I remember right, they offered a micro-V-6(why?), that wasn’t faster, or better, it just had less room under the hood, with worse gas mileage. I would still go for this Mazda.
Busy day yesterday and I miss not one but two L-Bodies? Just my luck.
I feel like I should like the Subaru more on paper, but a fun Mazda to throw around for $500 less seems like the better choice.
Very tough choice, but Mazda wins. Forgot about these things.
This is a tough choice, because they both look so well taken care of. I went for the fun one. It would be a both day, had you provided the option. This would be an excellent two cheap car solution.
I’m going with the (Leone) GL. My dad had a 1986 GL in the same color, also manual and 4WD. Some of my earliest memories were in that car. He got rid of it in 94 and replaced it with a Taurus, which he hated and sold after 6 years. That was the last time he ever bought a domestic car. Apart from a couple Toyota minivans and the aforementioned Taurus, my parents have always been Subaru people. They still drive them to this day.
Well shoot! I was gonna start of by complaining about the price but for newer engine and the maintenance that these owners have stayed on top of, I really can’t complain too much. Yeah, 360k+ miles is a lot but these are really clean for the age and miles.
I like that Mazda but it is a 4 seater and I would need 5 at a minimum just for the fam so I’m going with that Subie that I could really use in the mountains.
Well, here’s a good example of a Subaru when they had a cohesive design. The front and back look like they were designed in the same building.
Mmmmh. Mmmmmmmmrh. Oh I so want that Subaru wagon. It’s so weird and perfect. Just dulled enough to WRX swapped and no one will care, but perfect for leaving be as well, and trying to buff some life back into that paint.
But that MX-3! Good word, what a clean little thing! Yes, I already have a red sporty coupe, but I can’t resist something that nice. Even if it’s the “wrong” engine, it’s got my vote today.
That MX-3 is near me, and it’s cheap enough that I wish I had an excuse to buy it.
I’m considering reaching out – Pittsburgh area as well.
I have no love for either of these cars, but their owners certainly did. Forced to choose, I’d take the Mazda because it has been cared for so well.
I test drove an MX-3 once and it was like sitting in a bathtub. Subaru for me.