“Captive import” is the term for a car made in another country, but sold by a domestic brand. But what about cars that go the other way around, that are made in the US, but wear the badge of an import brand? Is there a term for them? I don’t think I’ve ever heard one. Regardless, I’ve got one of each for you to check out today: a captive import, and a whatever-you-want-to-call-it.
Yesterday, we looked at two Dodges that weren’t really Chrysler designs. One was a Renault by way of AMC, and the other was mostly Mitsubishi. It was a closer call than I thought it might be; the Dodge Monaco’s price put a lot of you off, but it still put up a good fight. But as of this writing, the Stratus coupe holds a small but decisive lead, so I’m declaring it the winner.
That would be my choice as well. The Monaco is interesting in theory, and it’s supposed to be a really nice car to drive, but it just doesn’t hold enough interest for me to choose it. The Stratus isn’t that interesting either, but it’s cheaper and it should be easier to keep on the road as time goes by, so it gets my vote.
In my past life working in a service station, I had a co-worker who was staunchly “buy American.” He actually got in trouble a few times for insulting imported cars, and sometimes their owners. At the time, I drove a beat-up old Nissan/Datsun pickup, which he, of course, scoffed at. But apparently he liked the idea of a small pickup, so much so that he showed up one day in a beat-up old Chevy LUV. My boss and I looked at each other, smirked, and said nothing. What made it even funnier was that my Nissan was built in Tennessee. That guy was fired not long after that, so I don’t know if he ever found out that his Chevy truck was built in Japan. I certainly wasn’t going to tell him.
Anyway, let’s look at a Japanese car built in America, and an American car built in Japan.
1990 Mazda MX-6 GT – $3,950
Engine/drivetrain: Turbocharged 2.2-liter OHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Modesto, CA
Odometer reading: 131,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
By now we all know the story of the Ford Probe: how it was almost the 1989 Mustang, how Mustang fans cried foul and persuaded Ford to keep the Fox-body Mustang in production, and how the new car was released alongside it as the Probe. But the Probe’s sister model, the Mazda MX-6, doesn’t get nearly as much attention these days. Maybe it’s because its styling is much more subdued, or because Mazda didn’t sell as many MX-6s as Ford did Probes. Whatever the reason, seeing a first-generation MX-6 is a real rarity these days, especially a GT like this one.
Like the Probe, the GT version of the MX-6 received a turbocharged version of Mazda’s 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine, bumping the horsepower from 110 up to 145. It also got disc brakes in the rear and some suspension tuning. There was also, briefly, a four-wheel-steering option, but I don’t think this car has it. This one has only 131,000 miles on it, and the seller says it runs great. That’s all the info we get, though; this car is being sold by a wholesale dealer, and they’re not big on descriptions. I can tell you that it leaks oil from its valve cover, which is an easy fix, but a negotiating point.
Sadly, this being a 1990 model, it has passive restraints in the form of automatic shoulder belts. One year older, and it wouldn’t have been subjected to this foolishness. There are a few cars for which I might be willing to put up with motorized belts, however, and this is one of them. I used to have a 1989 Ford Probe, and it was a fantastic car to drive. This MX-6 should be the same, only quicker. The worn spot in the seat bolster is unfortunate, and the duct tape covering it even more so, but overall it’s not too bad inside.
It’s a sharp-looking car outside, with just a few blemishes. The paint on the hood is scorched, and it appears to be missing a badge on the trunk lid, but those are minor quibbles. It’s a Japanese sports coupe (built in Michigan) from an era that is rightly celebrated for its designs. This is one of those cars that I hope finds an owner who appreciates it.
1994 Eagle Summit LX wagon – $4,995
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter OHC inline 4, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Salem, OR
Odometer reading: 152,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
When Chrysler bought AMC in 1987, it created the Eagle brand for AMC’s legacy models, hoping to ride the popularity of AMC’s most popular model, the Eagle wagon. To give Jeep/Eagle dealerships a full range of cars to sell, Chrysler stuck Eagle badges on some of its captive imports, like this Mitsubishi-built Eagle Summit wagon – also sold as the Dodge/Plymouth Colt Vista and Mitsubishi Expo LRV.
The Summit wagon was powered by either a 1.8 or a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine. This being the fancy LX model, it has the larger engine. You could get either a manual or an automatic transmission; this one has the automatic. The seller actually doesn’t make any mention of how it runs, typical of a dealership, but I have to assume if they’re asking five grand for an economy car from the 1990s, it runs and drives flawlessly. It had better, anyway.
Eagle called this a wagon, but it’s really laid out more like a small van. It has two normal front doors, a sliding door on the passenger’s side only, and a rear hatch. It’s a pretty versatile and roomy little car. It’s in fine shape inside; it hardly looks used at all. This car has a weird arrangement to meet the passive restraint requirement: it has an airbag and a standard three-point seatbelt for the driver, but the passenger’s seat has an automatic shoulder belt and a manual lap belt.
It’s generally in good condition outside, but there’s some strange wear on the B-pillars that I don’t quite understand. Is it just sun-bleached paint? Nothing could have been rubbing against it there and wearing out the paint that I could imagine. But you could easily repaint the pillars black, if you so chose. At least there’s no rust.
Does it matter where a car is built? It shouldn’t, but I understand why it does to some people. If your livelihood is building cars, you want people to drive the cars you build, not the ones built somewhere else. But that ship sailed, metaphorically and literally, a long time ago, and cars come from everywhere now. And badges are no longer any help in telling you where a car actually came from. So I guess what really matters is, do you like the car? And more specifically, for our purposes here, which of these cars do you like?
I’m going with the MX-6. They are engaging to drive and still look more modern than when they were released. Plus turbo and a stick.
No go on the van. Just looks like a basic smaller minivan with a giant auto handle in the middle and one fugly dash. And 5 grand is crazy for a 30 year old white van. By the way, the dealer video was shite and made me nauseous.
I have a thing for tiny vans – gimme the Summit
Blech on both because of the money. Both are wildly overpriced. I went with the van purely for the utility of it. And then shift it on soon for something more interesting or useful. Probably at a loss.
I chose the van because I don’t want an infection from the Mazda or get strangled by the automatic seatbelt. The van utility is beneficial, and it looks like someone is trying to improve the sellability.
Agreed on all counts. These cars are three decades old and high mileage, even for the era.
Same. Old minivans are great specifically because of their utility and the fact that they aren’t worth a warm bucket of brake fluid. You can get scuffed-but-functional examples for $3K any day of the week. $5K for an undersized 30 year old one is an IQ test in disguise.
Modern minivans aren’t very mini, and $3K minivans are generally garbage, abused Chryslers or Kias with crapped out interiors and slipping transmissions.
The summit is a fine little utility people carrier, more tall wagon than van, with a very reliable drive train. It also looks to be in excellent condition. The small size also makes it more fun to drive than most fat family carriers. Its a touch overpriced, but still not a bad deal if its got a good carfax and runs out with no issues. The real IQ test might be overlooking it.
I like them both, but that Summit is a bit pricey, so I’ll have the cheaper/prettier/more fun one.
I bet the B-pillar wear of from kids grabbing it to get in and out.
I’m not so sure; every Expo variant I’ve photographed (Mitsubishi Expo, Mitsubishi Expo LRV, and Eagle Summit Wagon) has had the wear to some degree, and the Summit had it on the black trim just ahead of the windshield wipers.
You would be the only human being who could possibly have that data point, and I love it!
I could be wrong, or they could all be worn for that reason. Doesn’t really matter. It’s a great example, even if it is spendier than I’d be willing to pay.
We had a ’91 MX-6 GT with the 5-speed. I LOVED that car. Factory adjustable suspension, great maroon exterior and interior, and even the little sweeping center vents. I miss it to this day.
The Summit is an interesting and quirky little van-let, but I loved both the MX-6 (and gen2 probe) when they came out, so it’s an easy choice for the best-spec MX-6.
I didn’t so much vote against the Mazda as I voted for the Eagle. I’ve always liked those little things.
Not too fond of the asking price for this one, but it looks to be in much better shape overall. Rattle-can the window frames and cowl, and you’ve got yourself a nice, little parts-getter there. The rear seats will make a nice couch for the garage.
The MX-6 1,000%! My first car was an 88 MX-6 LX. I LOVED that car. It was so easy to work on. I miss it quite a bit but unfortunately I don’t have the money or room and most of these in the trim and color I want are a rare find. 🙁
I like both today but I’m gonna have to go with the turbo 5-speed.
Nostalgic choice: the MX-6, because some aimless teenage times were spent cruising around in a 5-speed 626 of this vintage.
I got an ’85 626 2-door when I turned 17. Hooned the shit out of it.
I have a fever, and the prescription is more Zoom Zoom.
I like MX-6 but this one is just too beat. And with a turbo, you never know the expiration date. Plus, the next-gen MX-6 is waaaaaaaaaaay better-looking.
The Summit is really clean, probably one of the best ones left. You’ll never run into another one, that’s for sure.
In my first year of college we had the seats of a totaled Eagle as chairs in our dorm..
just thought Id share.
The Eagle Summit easily accepts the 4G63. It gets my vote for that.
As a previous owner of 2 cars with 4G63T power I approve this message.
I have a 2g JDM rvr, which is the successor to this, and mine is a 4g63t AWD manual. Such an awesome daily.
Tough choice. The Mazda drivetrain wins hands down but it’s kinda trashed. Man, that Summit is in really nice shape.
Yeup. I voted for clean, and the “once-over” by the seller. There’s gotta be a reason it didn’t go to Wholesale.
Dang, Crackpipe for both of these. Is this really where winter beater prices are right now? Neither of these cars are worth that money. the Probe is perhaps better on paper, then you see it and find out the stealership is a BHPH lot and the result for me is to just walk on by.
The Eagle is probably the better car, but 5K for that. Really?
I guess wagon this go round, but very reluctantly and because of Autopian Play Money.
These are too old to be winter beaters. One winter up here and they’d disintegrate.
That is actually the nature of winter beaters for me. a cheap often rusty but sort of reliable runabout for a little over scrap prices that I can flip or scrap after saving my nicer cars the negative effects of salt covered winter roads. Few if any actually become long term use cars in my opinion.
Yeah but if the rust has crept into the fasteners, it’s days are numbered.
Unless it’s a southern car, but then why would you expose it to the salt? You’d leave it in the garage until spring.
A good winter beater is about 10-15 years old, has a trashed interior and lousy paint finish, but starts, drives, and heats every time.
Eh, if you read the MX-6 add it allegedly is the OTD number. It’s in CA so fees for paperwork and taxes will likely be fairly significant. Not saying it’s not overpriced but it’s better than it looks at first glance.
Both of these are a little too special to be winter beaters (maybe not in California, but in the Northeast they would get tons of love at Cars and Coffees).
The Mazda B2200 from 1994-2010. VW Routan minivan.
There are a ton of them. I was wondering if there’s a term for it, analogous to “captive import.”
“Released domestic”?
My grandmother had an Eagle Summit with a 5 speed and peak 90s teal. It was the car I used to learn to drive stick.
Both very cool cars today!
I’ve got questions about automatic seat belts, though. I’ve never seen a car with them. Is that just because I’m too young, or because they weren’t sold/required in Canada?
Also, does anyone know what Geo Trackers did to comply with those regulations? I’ve never heard of a Tracker with anything other than normal seat belts, and they didn’t get airbags until 1996, so what were they doing to stay legal?
That’s a good point. My 1995 Nissan Truck (Purchased and operated in the USA) didn’t get an airbag until 1996 and it had traditional seat belts. Maybe the regulation was only for passenger cars and the Nissan Truck and Tracker/Sidekick were exempt.
Yeah, that’s what I was starting to wonder. Trucks being regulated differently than cars
Trucks were regulated differently (still are!)
Correct about Canada – I believe Canada didn’t require airbags until 1999, but US had passive restraint laws requiring by ’90 an airbag or a passive seatbelt that could stay buckled for the driver, passenger side by ’94, and just for passenger cars, so light trucks/multipurpose vehicles didn’t have to have them in the US like Nycbjr said. I think whether a Canadian model had passive belts was matter of if the US was the primary market, or if the model was sold with ‘normal’ belts in other markets.
Couple examples I always found interesting, 91-96 Ford Escort had motorized belts in the US but normal in Canada, and US Escorts kept motorized belts even after adding dual airbags in ’95. Guess they didn’t want to re-test and certify the manual belts that late in the stage. Some did though, namely Chrysler – adding a motorized passenger belt to models like US-market Spirit/Acclaim in ’94 (which had a driver’s airbag since ’90) even as the cloud car replacements were about to arrive.
Do I want cool or useful in my oddball ride?
Today, I chose cool. That MZ-6 just looks great. And it come with a turbo and a 5-speed? Sign me up!
Looks Pretty Well used to me, not sure where the word “great” comes from here.
Eh, I just like that boxy styling.
Turbo stick Mazda is an automatic click for me. Seatbelts and all. 145 hp in a late 1980’s designed car is going to move decently even by today’s standards. Just have to keep the snail spinning since it won’t move off boost.
I have an ’86 300SDL that would like a word with you about it’s 142hp and acceleration.
That’s a German tank. This is decidedly not.
…on one hand, do want stick and turbo. On the other, that hood. And power belts.
The mini-minivan, on the other hand, still smells plenty minty. But it’s an auto. And one power belt.
…neither of these is going to be a winter beater, and the Mazda needs work to make it show-ready. I’ll pilot the Eagle.
Yeup
Turbo manual Mazda or an auto wagon thing? Gimme the Mazda, it’s cheaper too.
I mean, I want to vote neither, just for stupid seat belts, but I’ll take the MX-6.
Normally I’m all about turbochargers and stickshifts, but that Eagle looks ready to soar. It’s clean and quirky. It’d be a hit at RadWood, Cars & Coffee, or Oblivion.