Which Uncommon Sedan Is Your Pick? 1994 Infiniti G20 vs 1997 VW Passat

As you might guess, I look at a lot of classified ads for cars in the course of doing this job. But for every ad I click on, I scroll right past fifty more. Why? They’re all the same thing: all the best-selling vehicles from fifteen or twenty years ago. I don’t have any interest in writing about them, and you probably don’t have much interest in reading about them. That’s why I gravitate towards cars I haven’t seen in a while, in the hope that you haven’t seen one in a while either. I can’t speak for anyone else, but for me, these two qualify.

On Friday, we explored the classier side of cheap cars by looking at a pair of Rolls-Royces. The two cars were very similar, basically just an older and a newer version of the same idea, which usually means a pretty close vote, and indeed, it was. The Silver Shadow’s more classic R-R shape won by a slim majority, despite its higher price and love-it-or-hate-it green interior.

That’s the way I’d go too. The Shadow is such a classic shape; it’s unmistakable for any other car. The Silver Spur’s unfortunate rectangular headlights make it look too much like an American sedan from the era. That body style looks a lot better as a Bentley, with round headlights.

I know they’ve fallen out of fashion a bit in recent years, but I still like a good sporty sedan. A willing engine and a good-handling chassis wrapped up in four-door bodywork so your friends can ride along easily is a wonderful thing. And it doesn’t even have to be all that fast; just a little something extra over your average commuter-mobile does the trick. They’re often a little nicer inside than typical commuter-oriented sedans, too. You’ll have to search pretty hard to find a good one on the market today, but back when these two were built, they were all over the place. Let’s take a look.

1994 Infiniti G20 – $4,500

Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter DOHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD

Location: San Diego, CA

Odometer reading: 171,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

Nissan launched its Infiniti brand in the fall of 1989 with a bunch of weird ads that didn’t even show any cars. When we finally did get to see the cars, they included the complicated V8-powered flagship Q45 and a rebadged Nissan Leopard called the M30 (there’s Nissan denying America the cool names for its cars again). Those two were followed shortly after by this car, the G20, which is a fancy version of the Nissan Primera, a popular model in Europe.

Unlike later Infinitis to carry the G nomenclature, the G20 is front-wheel-drive, powered by Nissan’s SR20DE four-cylinder engine. It’s a rev-happy engine that became a darling of the street racing crowd thanks to its ability to be modified to make way more power than Nissan ever intended. This one is stock, from the sounds of it, and is paired with a five-speed manual gearbox. It runs and drives great, according to the seller, and has been very reliable.

Since this car was part of Nissan’s premium lineup, it’s better equipped than its European counterpart. All the power stuff you would expect is standard. Only three options were offered on the G20: an automatic transmission, a sunroof, and leather seats. This car has the two good ones. We don’t get a great view of the interior; this is about as good as it gets, but it does look clean from this angle. The seller says it was never smoked in, which is a bonus.

Unfortunately, the outside isn’t as pristine. The right side looks good, but the left side has several dents and scrapes; something bad happened to it. Looking at the tight neighborhood in the photos, I wonder if it was street-parked and hit by a passing car (or three). I just noticed that the left rear wheel doesn’t match the other three either. Better check the alignment carefully, I guess.

1997 Volkswagen Passat GLX – $3,500

Engine/drivetrain: 2.8-liter OHC V6, four-speed automatic, FWD

Location: Portland, OR

Odometer reading: 78,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

The VW Passat was a new name to US buyers in 1990, but we had seen the car for years. The first generation Passat was sold here as the VW Dasher; the second as the Quantum. Neither one was a huge seller here, and they’re incredibly rare cars today. The third- and fourth-generation Passat isn’t exactly a common sight on US roads either. I haven’t seen one of these for sale in quite a while.

Unlike earlier and later Passats, which shared a platform with an Audi model, this generation of Passat is basically a stretched Jetta. Its engine is mounted transversely instead of longitudinally, and it uses VW’s narrow-angle VR6 engine designed for such installations. A VR6-powered Passat with a manual transmission is a fun car to drive, but unfortunately this one has an automatic. It’s still quick for its day, and it still handles well, but it’s just… you know… automatic. It runs and drives well, but it currently has a check-engine light for a P0411 code. That’s a fault in the air pump system, part of the emissions controls, and it means it won’t pass Oregon’s DEQ emissions test until it’s fixed. If you live somewhere that doesn’t require emissions testing, it can probably be ignored.

It’s a fancy GLX model, with leather seats. It’s generally in good condition inside, but there’s a weird stain on the rear seat, and some discoloration on the driver’s door panel. I don’t know if they can be cleaned up or not. The seller doesn’t mention anything being broken, but like a lot of VWs, this car’s Achilles heel is minor electrical gremlins. Make sure everything works, or that you’re able to fix or live with anything that doesn’t.

Outside, it looks great. It’s a good color, and it’s straight and rust-free. Some of the black plastic is fading to gray, but that’s typical of any old German car. It is also sitting at the stock ride height, and wearing its stock wheels, which is increasingly uncommon for VWs of this era. I guess being an automatic Passat helped it escape some of the indignities heaped on Golfs and Jettas.

So, we’ve got one sedan that’s in great shape mechanically, with a manual for extra fun, but it has some unfortunate body damage. And then we have a really pretty sedan with a powerful engine, but it suffers from an automatic gearbox and the potential for electrical issues. Shopping at this end of the market is always a compromise. Which set of attributes is more important to you?