Welcome to what is going to be a weird week here at the Showdown! I’m currently sitting in a fancy-pants hotel room in Fort Lauderdale, and in a few hours I’m going to board my first-ever cruise ship. I decided not to pass off my duties here to someone else for the week, because frankly, I expect to be bored some of the time, and this will give me something to do. But I don’t know when in the day I’ll have time to write, so I won’t be able to check results. Instead, I’ll just wait until a week from now, when I’m back at my own desk, and next Monday we’ll go through all the week’s results.
There is a theme for the week, and one of Friday’s competitors would almost fit it, but we’ll get to that theme in a minute. We looked at two Chevrolets from the bad old days, and it’s clear that not everyone shares my opinions on Camaro styling. Whatever; just know that you’re wrong. Without the “both” option, the vote may have been closer, but as it stands, the big-block Suburban by itself has won the day.
Suburbans are cool, but I just don’t have any use for it. The Camaro, on the other hand, is my kind of car, and it would also allow me a sort of redemption for a past sin. Back in the 1990s, when I was broke and had shitty credit, I went through a string of dirt-cheap cars, one of which was a clean, almost completely rust-free 1978 Chevy Nova Concours coupe. It looked good, and ran OK, and I murdered it in cold blood. It had the same 305/TH350 combo as this Camaro, and I decided to soup it up with an ill-advised combination of a too-big carb and a shift kit in the transmission. The result was nearly undrivable and not any faster than stock. Being kind to this Camaro would make up for that horrible mistake.
Now, for the theme this week: I recently sold a 1971 MGB GT, after determining, nine years and several thousand dollars in, that it just wasn’t the project for me. It was a hard blow, because it was one of my dream cars from when I was a kid, but I just wasn’t getting anywhere with it (figuratively or literally). It went to a good home, so I’m not worried about it. It does leave me with only one extra vehicle to tinker with, however: my trusty old Chevy pickup, which either runs perfectly or completely shits the bed and requires lots of work; it’s never in-between with that thing. I can foresee a future where I want another cheap car just to putter around with.
So that’s what I’m looking at this week: not these specific choices, but potential ideas for a future “park it out back and fart around with it when I have time” car. I have broad and eclectic tastes, as you all may have noticed, so these are going to be all over the place. We start out with a mid-engine sports car and a slowpoke diesel sedan.
1985 Pontiac Fiero GT – $3,650
Engine/drivetrain: 2.8-liter OHV V6, four-speed manual, RWD
Location: Winfield, IL
Odometer reading: 128,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
It seems to be a universal truth that the stuff that comes out when you’re between ages ten and eighteen sticks with you for the rest of your life. The Pontiac Fiero has definitely stuck with me; I’ve wanted one since the first time I saw one, at age eleven, in the tiny showroom of Detzler Pontiac in my hometown of Oswego, Illinois. I’ve driven a few, and built models of them, but the right car has never coincided with the right time and the right pile of money to put one in my driveway.
There are good Fieros and bad Fieros, and this one seems to fall somewhere in between. It’s a 1985 GT model, the first year for the GT, which has a strange combination of features. It’s a V6, which means it’s far less prone to catching fire than the first couple years of four-cylinder Fieros, but it has the sloping nose of the 1984 Indy Pace Car version, which personally I don’t like as well as the standard early Fiero front end. It also has a four-speed gearbox, rather than five, but at least it’s a manual. The seller says this was a kid’s project car, but the kid got a job and now has no time for it. We’ve all been there. It runs fine, but that’s about all the details we get.
This is the only photo of the interior, but it looks pretty good in there. It’s not trashed, and it’s not that drab institutional-looking GM gray. It could use a good cleaning, but that’s true of just about any old used car. As long as it doesn’t smell funny inside, you’re good to go.
I didn’t recall dark green being an original Fiero color; I thought it was just red and white for 1984, with black and silver being added for ’85. And it looks like I was right. This one’s color change was done completely, but not well; the door sills are painted, but the green paint is flaking off the original white finish in a few places. Oh well; it’s a good excuse to try a cheap homebrew paint job. The lack of the original wheels is disappointing, but the ones that are on it aren’t terrible.
1986 Volkswagen Jetta Wolfsburg Edition Diesel – $4,500
Engine/drivetrain: 1.6-liter OHC diesel inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Bemidji, MN
Odometer reading: 251,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well, but starts hard in the cold
This car I know well, even though I never experienced one exactly like this. We had a VW Dasher with a diesel engine when I was a kid, and my second car was an ’85 Golf with a gas engine. Put them together, add a trunk, and voila: diesel Mk2 Jetta. We never had anything as fancy as a Wolfsburg Edition, however; my dad never would have sprung for it in those days.
The old fable about the tortoise and the hare could have been written about an early VW diesel and almost any other car. Note that in the description, I did not say turbodiesel; this car’s engine is naturally aspirated. It makes just 54 horsepower and 74 pound-feet of torque. Zero-to-sixty is measured in Led Zeppelin songs. But it will get there eventually, and these things will happily cruise along at speed all day long, and do so for hundreds of thousands of miles. This one has a quarter of a million miles on it, and it’s still going strong. The seller says it could use new glow plugs, because it starts hard in cold weather.
This interior is eerily familiar to me; it looks exactly like my old Golf inside, right down to the color. I look at it and I remember all those VW-specific quirks: the headlights shut off when you shut off the engine, but the radio does not; the lock buttons cannot be pushed down when the door is open (to prevent locking the keys in the car); the turn signals have only one indicator for both directions. I haven’t had a VW product since that Golf, and looking at this car makes me a little homesick. It’s in good condition, too. The seller says the air conditioning doesn’t work, but honestly, you’re better off without it. It takes up too much of the engine’s already-meager power.
Outside, it’s rust-free, but missing some trim. The seller says it’s all included, though. I can’t decide if I like the aftermarket wheels on this one or not. VW (and Audi) had some great factory wheel options back in those days, and I think I’d rather have any one of them. But these aren’t as terrible as they could be.
With their age and condition, either one of these would be better suited as a third or fourth car, rather than a daily driver. But they’re not really projects in the typical sense, either. Instead, they hit that middle ground that I enjoy so much: you never have nothing to do, but you can still hop in and go for a drive when you want. Which one do you all prefer?
I’m almost certain I could sort that Fiero GT cosmetically for the cost of that Jetta.
The interior looks great and I also like how those stock Chevy S10 Baja trim Wheels look on it. Plus some BFG Radial T/A with plenty of life in them.
An old Jetta non-Turbo Diesel with tacky wheels, faded paint and tired glow plugs isn’t what I’m looking forward to spending $4,500 on
If the Jetta “starts hard in the cold” in Bemidji, it likely starts just fine year-round in most of the country. I suspect it may be a southern transplant car, as i cant imagine a 39 year old Volkswagen surviving northern MN salt.
I still voted Fiero.
Saturn Ion wheels on that Jetta are certainly a funky choice 🙂
and somehow Chevy S10 / Blazer wheels look ok on the Fiero. I’m digging it
Can’t imagine any circumstances under which I’d pick a diesel, even though that series of Jetta was pretty great. I think the Fiero looks like it’s worth fiddling with.
I have never seen a Fiero in real life I think,but I cannot imagine working on a v6 in that thing. Also I think they look kind of silly. I have however had a few Golfs before and I have a thing for diesels,so there.
No worse than any other contemporary FWD GM. Translation, an utter PITA. I still chose the Fiero.
You’re a man of taste. The original nose does look better. V6 and manual? I’m in.
I’d never own another 1986 Jetta, and a diesel from that era on top of it? No. Just no. Fiero all day long, especially in that condition. A lot of those didn’t come out of 1985 looking that good.
I didn’t want to vote, but did, for the Fiero, with reluctance. Mainly because I’ve already had a lot of old VWs, including a diesel, and enough’s enough of that.
Voting Jetta – partly for nostalgia, partly for the kind of durability suited to a post-apocalyptic hellscape.
Both of my sisters drove Mk II diesels for years. Outside of the usual VW quirks – door handles need replacing every so often – those things were damn near unkillable. Between the two cars, they must have racked up at least 700,000 km with no major engine work needed. Minimal electronics and simple mechanicals. The non-turbo ’85 might still be running if it hadn’t rear-ended an unlit horse trailer late at night.
700,000 km? Isn’t that like 140 miles?
Counterpoint: those wheels on the Jetta are insane.
I’m out at these prices. If the prices came back to reality, I’d go diesel power.
wow, I didn’t even notice the prices, just skipped right to the transmission choices.
you aren’t wrong on this.
The interior sold me on the Fiero, most are trashed and that sad,sad, GM grey. Plus, the 2.8L is a nice upgrade over an Iron Duke.
I hope those are crackpot prices either way my experience with 80s VW diesels is less then reliable. At least you could do something to the fierro. The only thing I could think to do to the Jetta is what they were doing 15 years ago veg oil conversion then glue astro turf to it. So fierro.
I had to go with the 40 year old Fierro. I was never much of a fan of these as I was the MR2 that was available around then. But after fixing it up, it would at least be interesting to talk about and to drive. And there is no desire for a near 40 year old Jetta diesel for $4500. None. And if you want to sell a car, esp. in cold weather, put in a new set of damn glow plugs. Unless there’s another issue and that just screams deferred maintenance.
I’ve wanted to get a Fiero for rallycross for sometime. That one would be perfect, as it isn’t a ragged out pile of shit, but it’s also not too nice to beat on. Its even local too me. My driveway is full, and my bank account is empty, but that might be for the best anyways.
I don’t know which scares me more; a kid project Fiero (at least I kind of know the general lay of the land for the basics) or the VW diesel (which I know nothing about the basics). I know…”diesel simple” and all that, but I’ve never strayed into those waters and I’m not sure I want to start. Of course I’d be cursing myself as I wind up undoing most of what had been done to that Fiero while dealing with the tight tolerances of the mid mount V-6, but….
I already have a Fiero, which somehow cost less and was better in pretty much every metric compared to this one (I say *was* because it has a couple of issues now), but I still voted for the Fiero anyway. I just don’t have any interest in those Jettas, although if I had to have one, the diesel would make it more interesting.
Fiero for me. But the boat anchor 2.8 is getting yeeted for a more modern powerplant.
If I’m going back to low-hp diesel, I think I would stick to the ‘ol 123 Mercedes option. Today it’s the over-priced Fiero. My daughter would have fun with it while we prep her Corvette for paint.
Dang, this was exactly my thoughts process, aside from the Corvette part. I grew up with old, slow diesel Mercedes and VWs, and I’d rather have an old Merc over this Jetta. Plus, the Fiero could be fun, even if it is an overpriced basket case.
I’ll take nostalgia today. My third car was an ’85 Jetta 2dr in this exact color scheme, though with the 85hp gas motor. Always wanted a diesel one though.
Zero interest in Fieros of any spec. If I wanted something like that, it would be a Fiat X1/9. Cheap mid-engined car done far more correctly.
Fiero for me. The weird spec is part of the charm. Seems to me that all it needs is a proper paint job.
That VW is an interesting survivor. But those old non-turbo diesels are slow as molasses. I also find it interesting… just that the Fiero is far more interesting to me.
Only the Fiero could possibly be enjoyed–if I had to live with a VW diesel of that era, I’m not sure I’d like cars at all. Both seem pretty overpriced to me. Strongly agree that the base Fiero’s nose looked better.
To my disappointment, diesel fumes give me the worst headaches/nausea after about 10min.
Also Fieros are neat.
Your body’s instincts are true. Don’t inhale that crap.
It’s not like I try to. It’s especially a bummer because I like sailing and sailboats nearly universally have diesel engines.
Oof! Tough luck on the sailing/diesel incompatibility!
A fiero is the car that got away in my youth. So I want one bad. I would swap out the drivetrain with something more modern like an Verano Type T. 4cyl turbo with a 6 speed
Skip the 6 speed manual for the auto. Trust me. The 6 speed manual in the Verano Turbo is rare as hen’s teeth in the US, shifts horribly when working right and often breaks. The 6 speed automatic can hold the power. It also takes well to tuning. Cooling might be an issue in that application. Considering folks have shoved 4T65’s in there and the 6 speed is smaller than a -65, it shouldn’t be insurmountable.
Fiero all day! If I ever move out of NYC I will get a 86-88GT for my fun car, drop in a 3.4 from a 90’s fbody (they bolt right in with very little modification), or the SC 3800 with F40 6speed