You remember the old fable of the tortoise and the hare, right? Slow and steady wins the race. Today, we’re looking at two slow and steady cars from the ’70s, but in this case the “hare” might actually be the slower one.
Yesterday we looked at two right-hand-drive imports from Japan. Lots of you liked the idea of the Ford Ka, but it didn’t translate into votes. I think that little Mitsubishi was just too cute to pass up, and that’s before the benefit of 4WD and a much more modern engine design.
I have to agree. I really like the Ford Ka, but it feels like it’s not worth the money, especially when you can get a US-market Aspire that has the same basic vibe to it for a lot less. That Pajero, however, feels special enough to be worth some extra dough.
A rising tide lifts all boats, they say, and that seems to be the case with old car prices. In these days when bona-fide classic cars are fetching five, six, and even seven figures, everything more than forty years old is suddenly triple the price it used to be. It sucks, but that’s the way it is. You can save a little money by picking something that needs a bit of work, and that’s what we’re going to do today.
1978 Toyota Corona – $3,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.2-liter OHC inline 4, three-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Zebulon, GA
Odometer reading: 200,000 miles
Operational status: “Runs and drives but not well”
Here once again we have our old friend the Corona, Toyota’s family sedan offering before the Camry. This is the car that helped make Toyota’s fortunes in the US, way back in the early 1960s. By the time this Corona was built in 1978, the nameplate was in its fifth generation, though still using the same basic rear-wheel-drive layout. It was a common car in its day, but the vast majority of them were recycled into toasters or snow shovels decades ago, making this a rare sight on the road today.
Toyota’s 20R four-cylinder engine needs no introduction. It’s the engine that powered countless Toyota pickups, not to mention an army of RWD Celicas. It’s a reliable and durable engine, not known for high-revving antics, but just about bomb-proof. This one is backed by a three-speed automatic, which slows forward progress a bit. It has been sitting for a while, the seller says, and while it still starts up and drives, it needs some work. It might be as simple as old gas, or it might need some more extensive cleaning and reconditioning to bring it back up to snuff.
You can tell Toyota was really trying hard to appease US buyers, with a bench seat and a column-mounted shifter like it’s a Malibu or something. The interior is in reasonably good condition, but the carpet could use a cleaning and there’s a crack in the top of the dash.
Most of it is in good condition outside, but there is a pretty good wrinkle by the right headlight, and the plastic headlight surround is broken. The windshield needs replacing too; it’s a spiderweb of cracks. It looks rust-free and complete, though.
1979 Volkswagen Rabbit L Diesel – $3,000
Engine/drivetrain: 1.5-liter OHC diesel inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Fernley, NV
Odometer reading: 92,000 miles (probably rolled over)
Operational status: Runs and drives well, but needs an alignment
Volkswagen’s great shift from rear-engined air-cooled cars to front-engined and water-cooled began in the early 1970s, with the introduction of the first-generation Passat, which came to the US as the Dasher. A year later, the first-generation Golf arrived here, sold under the name Rabbit. Beginning in 1978, Volkswagen built Rabbits for US consumption in Westmoreland, Pennsylvania instead of Germany – unless you ordered one with a diesel engine. This ’79 Rabbit L diesel is a German-built car, therefore retaining the round headlights, smaller taillights, and nicer interior trim so prized by discerning Volkswagen enthusiasts.
A normal gasoline-powered Rabbit was not exactly a performance car, but the diesel engine slowed things down dramatically. This car’s naturally aspirated 1.5-liter diesel engine makes just 48 horsepower and 59 pound-feet of torque, giving it a 0-60 time longer than most Mark Knopfler guitar solos. It’s enough to climb Pikes Peak, though, as my dad proved in a Dasher diesel back in 1981, and it can flirt with fifty miles per gallon if you’re careful. This one shows just 91,879 miles on its five-digit odometer, but I imagine it has gone around at least once. It runs and drives well, but it just had a bunch of suspension work done and hasn’t yet been aligned. It will probably drive even better after that.
The seller says the seats are “very worn,” but honestly, they look better than I’d expect. The padding seems to have been beaten out of them, but the vinyl is holding up pretty well. It has a dash cover that’s probably hiding a multitude of cracks. I had no idea those dash covers were so common until I started writing this column. It seems like about every fourth car I look at has one.
Outside, it’s rust-free, missing its front bumper, and wearing the rear bumper of a later Cabriolet. The seller says the car comes with “many goodies,” but I don’t know if that includes a front bumper. No matter; my ’79 Scirocco didn’t have a front bumper for about half the time I owned it, either. It’s refreshing to see a Rabbit still at its stock ride height, too. Far too many of them have been lowered.
So from the sounds of it, you could drive either one of these home, and then plan to do some tinkering to whip them into shape. Neither one needs anything major, though, and with a little work, you could have an interesting conversation piece for Cars & Coffee. Who needs a fast car anyway? Just kick back and take it easy in the slow lane for a while, let everyone else jockey for position. Which one of these would you take?
Rabbit. It’s got the rare round headlights.
Corona, just in time for Cinco de Mayo! These are tough, friendly, well-built cars with a degree of comfort. My sister had two of these in the late ’80s, early ’90s and they’re fondly remembered.
I’ll take the wascally Wabbit and use my GPS to avoid roads with a speed limit over 40.
My buddy had that Rabbit(more rust though). We once took it to a ski day, 5 big guys. Got double passed by school buses going up Scott Lake Hill, so we all pulled out the imaginary paddles and rowed and laughed as they went by, full of kids laughing at us.
If it was supposed to have 48 HP, it felt like 2 horses pulling a busted up wagon full of dudes.
Are you high? Neither. Early 1970s Japanese economy cars were extremely fragile and rough…they were still learning. It would be another decade before they became what we think of today. The VW? It’s not far behind in the cheap as possible, economy car category. Diesels from that era were horrible smoke machines.
I guess with current gas prices that rabbit could save you a ton of money depending on what you drive to work and length of commute so I voted that. Also I like old diesels for what ever reason hah.
Nothing wrong with a slow car that a stick shift can’t fix – entertain yourself by rowing the gears while you urge the old girl up to the speed limit.
Plus I grew up on a farm, and love the smell of diesel. In this case, the Rabbit is the tortoise I’ll ride.
Wow, there are at least 87 people (at this time) that haven’t actually been in a diesel rabbit. Loud, smelly, crawling along. Door panels that feel like they’re made from the boxes Ikea furniture comes in.
Gimme the Corona still sporting the hood ornament!
So, are things “classic” soley by reason of age now? If that’s the case, I guess I’m a ’70s classic too. Anyway, I chose the Rabbit because it would probably work as basic transportation with little work.
The Corona is the better car and a cooler color too 🙂
Can I just pick the Ka that I opted against yesterday?
Well you finally got me to vote for a VW. Probably been ingesting too much Brian Scotto content, but given the German Spec details, giving me instant VW nerd cred; and the ability to drop basically any VW drivetrain into it, I expect I can make this a little roller-skate death trap. I’d probably VR6 swap it, and go meet some other Euro nerds to try and impress them with my shitbox building skills and run-on sentence crafting.
Let me share a story about my grandfather.
My grandfather was a former USAF mechanic and then a preacher, and he bought Volkswagens for many years. He had one of the first Rabbit diesels in the US. Had a huge “diesel” sticker on the side, apparently. But he couldn’t resist messing with it…
When he went to get something new, the sales manager at the VW dealership asked if he could take it out, as he was looking for a car for his daughter. Grandpa said “sure,” and the manager took it for a test drive. When he came back, he asked “…what did you do to that car?”
Grandpa had shimmed the fuel injection pump just enough to give it more power without going full super stock tractor. The manager had never driven a diesel that went like that!
So oil burna bunny it is today. And maybe I’d buy a pump shim kit as well…
I guess I have to go Toyota because I hate the smell of diesel.
Japan almost always trumps Germany especially in this case. Have ya seen diesel prices lately?
Gimme that oil burning bunny! I would imagine finding a replacement windshield for that Corona would be a bit tricky.
“Runs and drives but not well” — I voted for the Toyota based on that brutally honest description.
On the other hand, they think those seats are “very worn” so maybe they just have unreasonably high standards for a 50 year old econobox.
The VW Golf is an easy win, it’s clearly owned by someone who loves it.
The diesel will ensure you’ll take your time anywhere you go – and help everyone behind you slow down, too.
Easy today. My second car and my college car was a 78 rabbit 4 speed gas model. I do miss it.
Rabbit has a clock instead of a tach for measuring your 0 – 60 times. Or maybe a calendar would be more suitable.
Still it’s my pick. Some sort of VW diesel is on my own it list.
Lotta’ high school memories involved in a VW Rabbit.
Me too, that’s why I voted for the Toyota.
I want to vote the bunny, but I just never got the allure of diesel. Toyota by a hare. #seewhatididthere
We used to drive past the VW factory in New Stanton (Westmoreland County) PA on the way to Scout camp. Fun fact, that factory was originally build by Chrysler, but they never finished it and VW took it over. Massive tax breaks, and when they expired, VW shuttered the plant. I’ll take the VW. Buddy of mine in high school had one and regularly got over 50 MPG in it.
Mark, is that “rust-free” you threw down on that Rabbit a David Tracy “rust-free”? Because that passenger-side front quarter (and maybe the whole rocker) begs to differ. I don’t love the Corona, although the ’70s Dijon mustard color is pretty cool, but I’ll take it over a crusty diesel Westmoreland bunny any day.
Fun fact; you could still get a Corona with bench front seat and manual column shift that late in some right-hand-drive markets (US ones had buckets and a 5-on-the-floor).
But it has to be the Rabbit, there’s more potential for slow-car-fast fun without resorting to an engine swap.
I think a diesel Rabbit might just be slow-car-slow.
Even in a Mk4, with the 1.8TDI at roughly double the power was slow-car-slow.
But it was a relaxing drive. It didn’t seem to matter if you dumped the clutch and floored it, or just eased out the clutch: it would accelerate at it’s own pace regardless of what you thought.