Which One Would You Drive Around In Ireland? 1997 Toyota Starlet vs 1999 Peugeot 206

I imagine there are car enthusiasts just about everywhere, but some places aren’t really known for it, like Ireland, for example. That’s a shame, because the Emerald Isle has some great driving roads. They’re best suited for something small, so today we’re going to look at a couple of nice simple little four-door hatchbacks for cheap.

We were in Germany yesterday, looking at a tiny Volkswagen and a hacked-up Opel. I guess I’m not surprised that the VW won easily; a backyard build like that Opel is a little sketchy no matter where you go. The majority of you went for the car that’s still in possession of all its sheetmetal.

The Polo is my choice as well. I’ve liked this style ever since I first saw a photo of one way back when, and I do like VWs of this era. It’s a tiny car, so there is a chance you could lose it in a parking lot, but the great thing is that you can find it again just by shouting “Marco!”

Many times when I visit someplace outside the US where I have to rent a car, I end up falling in love with the rental. It has happened in Curaçao with a Toyota Hilux diesel, in the UK with a Vauxhall Corsa, in Tahiti with a Peugeot 208, and in Ireland with a Renault Clio. None of those are particularly great cars, I realize, and a big part of it may just have been the scenery through the windshield, but I ended up wishing I could bring all of them home with me.

Which got me thinking – What if you could bring home your vacation car? Instead of renting something, if you’re shopping for a car to import anyway, go buy it in person, drive it around on its home turf for a bit, and then ship it home. Since a vacation abroad isn’t generally a cheap affair, and neither is shipping a car across the ocean, you’d want to stick with an inexpensive car. But it should also be something that would make an interesting souvenir. Let’s see which one of these you’d rather drive around Ireland and then bring home.

1997 Toyota Starlet 1.3 – €1,495 

Engine/drivetrain: 1.3-liter DOHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD

Location: Dublin, Ireland

Odometer reading: 59,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

Much like the Ford Fiesta, the Toyota Starlet was imported to the US early on, then disappeared from our market, but continued on in other places. This Starlet is three generations newer than the version sold in the US, and driven by a different pair of wheels. It is very similar to the Tercel and Paseo that we got here, and about the same size.

Power for the Starlet comes from a 1.3-liter twin-cam four and a five-speed manual. As you would expect from an economy-minded car, it’s not a powerhouse, but I bet it gets fantastic mileage. The seller says it runs and drives “perfect.” It doesn’t have very many miles on it, but then, Ireland isn’t a very big island.

It looks really good inside; someone took care of this car. And it has really fun fabric on the seats and door panels. I really wish automakers still understood that if a car is cheap, it should be cheerful too.

It’s a little rougher outside. The clearcoat is almost gone from the paint, and there’s some sort of poorly repaired damage above the right rear wheel. These are the only two exterior photos in the ad, and they’re both of the driver’s side, so we have no idea if there’s more damage on the other side.

1999 Peugeot 206 LX 1.4 – €1,195

Engine/drivetrain: 1.4-liter OHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD

Location: Somewhere in Ireland; listing doesn’t specify

Odometer reading: 133,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

French cars seem to be really popular in Ireland; I saw a lot of Renaults and Peugeots on the road when I was there. But the 206 was popular everywhere; I think the North American market was the only place it wasn’t sold. Like its predecessor the 205, the 206 has a respectable pedigree as a rally car, which means even the ordinary ones like this should be reasonably fun to drive.

This 206 LX is powered by a 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine that only makes 74 horsepower, so WRC glory probably isn’t in the cards for this car. But you can always pretend. It has a five-speed manual gearbox, of course; automatics in European economy cars probably aren’t quite so rare now, but they sure were when this one was built. It runs and drives great, according to the seller, and it was just serviced.

This is the only interior shot in the ad, and it doesn’t tell us much. There is some wear on the gearshift knob, and I would guess that the steering wheel cover is hiding some more wear. But for the equivalent of $1,400, who cares? It looks way nicer than most cars in the US for the price.

It looks sharp outside too, and I really like this shade of blue. I suppose this is kind of a nothing car in Europe, and five people here would even know what the hell it was, but I think it could be fun to own. A right-hand-drive French car from Ireland? You’d be the talk of Cars & Coffee.

Everybody always talks about importing a car from Japan, but I’d be a lot more interested in bringing something over from Europe. And I like the idea of going and getting it in person. It wouldn’t be a cheap vacation, but it would be a memorable one. Is it feasible? Probably not, but it’s fun to think about. Which one of these would you drive around Ireland and then ship home?