We’ve gained a lot in recent years when it comes to cars, especially in terms of safety, but we’ve lost some cool stuff too. You don’t see many removable body parts anymore. Sure, you can still take the top and doors off your Jeep or Bronco, but nobody ever does. The two cars we’re going to look at today have removable rear roof sections that are probably light enough to actually take off with the help of a buddy.
I guess the majority of you share my affinity for old Mazda trucks, because it won yesterday. I’m a little surprised; I expected the 4Runner to put up a better fight. It sounds like the body damage didn’t do it any favors. If it were in better shape, it might have fared better, but then it wouldn’t have been $3,500.
I dig those old 4Runners, but I think I’d take the Mazda too. I had an earlier B2000 Sundowner when I lived in Minnesota, and I loved it. I have no need for another pickup, but a truck like that could be for fun, not just utility.
One of the things I like about the forthcoming Slate truck, and there’s a lot to like, is the reconfigurable body. It can be a pickup, two different styles of SUV, and probably other things too, once the aftermarket gets hold of it. But it’s definitely not a new idea. Both of the cars we’re going to look at today have removable rear roof sections, and one of them could be replaced with a whole new setup if you so desired. Let’s check them out.
1989 Nissan Pulsar NX – $3,495
Engine/drivetrain: 1.6-liter OHC inline-4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Sherwood, OR
Odometer reading: 146,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Every time I see a Nissan from the 1980s or ’90s, it makes me wonder what the hell they’ve been doing for the past fifteen years. I mean, look at this thing: dramatic styling, T-tops, and two different owner-changeable rear body sections, and this was an economy car. Not the cheapest one Nissan offered, but not a whole lot more expensive. There’s no reason it can’t build stuff like this anymore, except fear that it won’t make as much money as the powers-that-be want. A modern Pulsar NX could be a really cool car, and it’s totally doable. But I suppose we’ll just have to be content with an old one.
There’s nothing special about the Pulsar mechanically; it’s the same thing as a Sentra from the era. It has a 1.6-liter four-cylinder with throttle body fuel injection that makes 90 horsepower, pretty typical for the time. It’s front-wheel-drive and has a five-speed manual. It runs and drives great, and the seller says they’ve never had any problems with it.
The interior is pretty well-preserved, but the seat fabric has a few popped threads that are concerning. You’ll have to be a little gentle with it, I think, to keep those seats nice. It doesn’t look water-damaged, though, which bodes well for the condition of the T-top seals.
I’ve always really liked the styling of the Pulsar. It’s a cool little car, with a lot of interesting details. This one is a little faded, but it’s straight and rust-free. It only comes with the standard hatchback, but that’s not a surprise; I haven’t seen one with the “Sportbak” station wagon back in years. I think it was more popular in the brochure than it was in real life.
1990 Daihatsu Rocky SX – $4,200
Engine/drivetrain: 1.6-liter OHC inline-4, five-speed manual, 4WD
Location: Warner Robins, GA
Odometer reading: 148,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Japanese automaker Daihatsu has made some really cool vehicles over the years, but they aren’t well-known in the US. Daihatsu only officially sold cars in the US for five years, from 1988 to 1992. Only two models were offered: a tiny hatchback called the Charade, and this little 4×4, called the Rocky. These things are unbelievably rare. I haven’t seen a Rocky for sale for a very long time, and the last one I saw wasn’t nearly as clean as this.
Like its rival the Suzuki Sidekick, the Rocky is a body-on-frame design with a live rear axle and independent front suspension. It has four-wheel-drive through a dual-range transfer case. The engine is a 1.6 liter four-cylinder. This one runs and drives well, and it has a new clutch, but it does have a leaking power steering pump. You might just have to keep adding fluid to it for a while; I think a new pump might be hard to come by. Oh, and yes, that’s an aftermarket air filter, but the stock air box is included if you’d rather put it back to original.
The Rocky’s seats have fabric faces, but vinyl backs and sides. And it appears that vinyl isn’t Daihatsu’s strong suit. Both seats have cracks and rips in the vinyl portion. It’s worse on the driver’s side, as you’d expect. It’s in good condition otherwise, and the seller says the air conditioning works.
This Rocky was used as a tow-behind dinghy for an RV for many years, so it’s equipped with a tow bar on the front. And someone installed those awful-looking LED headlights in it. But it has cool two-tone paint in good condition, and five nice alloy wheels. More importantly, it isn’t rusted out.
You don’t see many of either of these on the road anymore, and you didn’t see many Rockies to begin with. Either one would give you plenty of cred at an ’80s/90s show like RADwood, and both should be fun to drive. Which one is more your style?
I ached for a Sportsbak Pulsar back in the day. They just looked so cool. And those taillights! Has Torch done a deep dive on those? I have no idea what they were like to drive and I wonder how much a Sportsbak topper would cost to get these days, if they can even be found.
Anyway, that’s the way I went on this one as I have no use for a tiny 4 x 4 with zero dealer support (in the US) these days.
I had a Rocky for a few years! It was totally rad, but the head gasket refused to stay sealed. In hindsight, maybe the head bolts were stretched, but I didn’t consider that a possibility at the time. Aside from the engine issues, it was a great car, and remarkably well built.
Honestly? Both.
In college, I dated a girl with a Pulsar NX. The car was fine, if not particularly great. Ditto for the relationship.
Dated a nice girl in college with a Nissan Pulsar as well. Car sucked…(add NSFW comment here)
We are still happily married.
Maybe it should have been called a Nissan Lucky. Congrats.
My mom had a teal rocky. Thing was so cool and one of the first cars I really remember
The Rocky, in spite of the douchey hot air intake and LED headlights. It’s more of a collector’s item, although the Nissan is definitely a unique vehicle as well.
It would be cool to have a Daihatsu, although practically no one in Japan would understand why.
Both? But I love the pulsar. It’s just cool. And this one is in good shape.
I’d love to say both, but not at those prices.
This is almost a “both” day for me, but the Pulsar edges out the Rocky. I remember being obsessed with those diagonal-strip taillights back in the day, they seemed so futuristic and are like the most ’80s thing ever, for sure.
Sportbaks appear for sale rarely, but they do come up. And the Pulsar would look so good parked next to my S12. It’s like a little brother.
Nissan Pulsar for me. I like the style and it’ll be more fun. And I bet parts/service will be easier.
I voted Daihatsu but would have ticked the “both” box if there was one. The deciding factor was that I have more use for the trucklet. When I look at the prices of side-by-sides, road-legal vehicles like this and the Samurai, Tracker, etc. seem criminally underappreciated.
I sold a ton of Pulsars back in the day. Not one customer ever asked for the SportBak. A lot of sales went to high school basketball players accompanied by their coaches. Aw, their family fell on hard times and the school took up a collection to buy them a car. Practical choice, right? Despite my teeth gnashing, I chose the Pulsar. Fun car. If I had an off-roady bent I might have chosen the Rocky. What a great name for a 4wd. Add my name to the “both” wish list.
Heathens! Philistines! How could you not check the SportBak option box?
Where is the “both” option?! I guess if pushed I’ll take the Rocky, since I’ve always wanted one, but if the Pulsar had the hatchback top on it I’d have given it my vote. Both would be a lot of fun.
Rocky for sure. I’ve been sort of looking for a deal on decent one for a long time. It looks clean enough but more then I want to spend on one.
the rocky looks so cool. it’s like a buff midget. i probably wouldn’t get an east coast example though.
My wife had a Pulsar just lime this one in the early 90s. She didn’t really care for it but I thought it was great. Unfortunately it had electrical gremlins and left us stranded one too many times so she traded it for a Corolla.
I also really like that Daihatsu, so where’s the BOTH button?
I drove a 1987 Pulsar at uni. 1.6L 8V Automatic (3 speed). 70HP.
The optional 1.6L 16V was rated at 115HP.
For the 1989 and 1990 model years, both the standard and optional engine got enlarged to 1.8L. That’s when the 8V went up to the 90HP stated in the article. Also, the auto trans got a 4th gear for 1989 and 1990 years.
The optional 1.8L 16V engine had 130HP.
The car I drove was a very early model with the hatchback being a different color than the body. IIRC Nissan had supply issues is how it happened. Dad never bought the optional wagon back.
If I were local, I would test drive the Nissan, but probably not buy because it is not the 16V.
the standard engine was still a 1.6 but it was now a 12 valve design. You can tell this one has the “12 VALVE” casting in the valve cover. the 90hp were accurate
No, I cannot tell this one has “12 VALVE” on the valve cover. I am not denying it is there. I just cannot see it. Do not bother pointing it out.
I had an earlier B2000 Sundowner…
Now there’s a model designation that won’t be making a comeback. These days, when you say “sundowner” it carries a rather unpleasant connotation.
I’m taking the Pulsar today and bemusing all of my friends as I search exhaustively for that elusive Sportbak canopy.
Usually I feel like I’d choose the “neither” option if it were available, but today I wish there was a “both” option.
I like the Rocky more, but it’s in Warner Robbins GA… I went there for a work trip about 25 years ago and I don’t know how to say this nicely, but I’ve never been surrounded by dumber people in my life before or after. I was sent down there to do some upgrades to a few machines we had installed at a factory there and given a side quest of figuring out why this factory’s uptime is around 50% when most other plants with our machines strive for between 95% and 99.5%. Turns out that the main issue wasn’t the apparent lack of urgency I saw everywhere, but that about 60% of the people working the production line were illiterate. After changing the interface to be picture based whenever there was a fault instead of text based they jumped up to about 80% uptime. The customer company never even asked for this or had any issue with the factory not running half the time, and would have just continued operating this way most likely leading to a bankruptcy in 2-3 years time instead of the 10 years they had left..
I kinda want the Rocky more, but maintaining one sounds tedious. The Nissan might somehow have better parts availability at least.