The automatic transmission first appeared just prior to World War II, and really hit its stride in the 1950s, when cars got big and powerful and smooth. But up until fairly recently, it was an option – if you didn’t specify you wanted an automatic, in most non-luxury cars, you got a manual. Today we’re checking out a couple of vehicles you wouldn’t think would have manual transmissions, but they do.
Yesterday we looked at a couple of Japanese coupes with sticks, and I was sort of testing the power of the Toyota brand. How much sway does the fabled nameplate really hold? Could a Toyota with more miles, in visibly rougher shape, beat out a stigmatized Nissan that was sportier, fancier, and arguably better-looking?
As it turns out, it could not. You chose the Altima by a huge margin. I think it was those red seats; I know that’s what did it for me. I’m sure that Toyota Solara is a perfectly nice car, and it will serve someone well for many years to come, but it’s about as exciting as a Hallmark Channel movie, or an Applebee’s appetizer combo. The Altima is no sports car, but it won’t make me nod off in traffic.
Walk on to any new car lot today and ask to test-drive something with a manual, and you’d probably get laughed at. With the exception of certain high-performance vehicles, I would be surprised if dealerships bothered to stock stickshifts any more, even in the few cars which theoretically offer one. But it wasn’t always like that; in 2002 I went shopping for my first and only brand-new car, and I was exclusively looking at economy cars with manuals. Every dealer I visited had something to show me, right there on the lot. Kia Rio, Hyundai Accent, Dodge Neon, Ford Focus, Toyota Echo, Chevy Cavalier, Mazda Protege, Mitsubishi Mirage – I drove them all, without calling ahead to make sure they had a manual in stock. (I ended up with the Protege, for what it’s worth.) Likewise, I’m sure these two cars were just regular dealer stock, not special orders. Let’s take a look.
1987 Dodge Mini Ram Van – $2,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.2-liter overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Selma, OR
Odometer reading: 187,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Here it is, the vehicle that arguably saved Chrysler, and definitely changed the face of American roads: the first-generation Dodge Caravan. But while most Caravans could be found in school drop-off lines and supermarket parking lots, this is the version more often seen with a ladder rack on the roof and a company logo on the side. Later known as the Caravan C/V (Cargo Vehicle), in these early days it was known as the Mini Ram Van.
A basic, honest workhorse like this needs a basic, honest engine, like the overhead-cam 2.2 liter Chrysler K four-cylinder. Long after passenger cars equipped with this engine switched to electronic fuel injection, the Mini Ram Van stuck with a Holley two-barrel carburetor. This one has recently had its carb replaced, and the seller says it runs well. It’s not a lot of power for a van like this, but this one makes the most of it with a five-speed manual transmission.
You can just see the tip of the gearshift lever next to the seat in this photo; it’s floor-mounted next to the driver’s seat, in a bit of an awkward position. It’s low, and further back than you’d think it should be. I imagine you’d get used to it, but the couple of times I’ve driven manual Caravans, it definitely felt weird. The interior is what you would expect from an old work van: grubby and torn, and missing a few bits of trim. In the back, it has carpet on the floor and plywood on the walls, as if someone started to convert it into a camper and didn’t finish.
It mostly looks okay outside, but there’s a wrinkle in the right front fender that someone tried to pound out, and I think it happened fairly recently. The grille and headlights have been replaced. Some photos show the original silver plastic grille and sealed-beam headlights, but others show a chrome Caravan grille and flush-mounted composite headlights. My guess is that it had a minor bump in the front, and the regular Caravan front clip is all that was available in the local Pick N’ Pull.
1990 Chevrolet Corsica LTZ – $5,000 (or barter)
Engine/drivetrain: 3.1-liter overhead valve V6, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Newark, OH
Odometer reading: 137,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
If you click on the header above and look at the ad, you’ll notice this is not a normal Craigslist for sale ad. The seller has it listed under “Barter.” They’re looking to trade it for something, possibly a full-size car, but they’re also willing to sell it for $5,000. But I would imagine that number is negotiable as well. It seems like a lot of money for a thirty-five-year-old GM sedan, but out of the 1.6 million Chevy Corsicas ever built, this might be one of the nicest ones left.
This is the high-level LTZ model, with a 3.1 liter V6 and the same suspension tuning as Chevy’s Beretta GT, so it goes around corners quite a bit better than most Corsicas did. Even better, in place of the three-speed TH125 automatic that most of them had, this one features a five-speed manual. Better still, it’s the Getrag 282 manual transmission, a durable unit that shifts better than you would guess. The car has 135,000 miles on it, but the engine only has 42,000 since a rebuild, and it sounds like it might not be entirely stock. I think it at least has a hotter cam than stock, if I’m reading the ad right. It runs and drives great, and comes with a whole stack of documentation and service records.
Most Corsicas were owned by fleets, or started out as rental cars, or bought as cheap family cars. None of them led easy lives. But this one, possibly because of its unusual spec, was loved. I get the impression that the current owner hasn’t had this car long, and that the previous owner probably bought it new, and babied it. I haven’t seen a Corsica or Beretta interior this nice since the one my mom owned back in the 1990s. The seller says the air conditioning is weak, but on a car this nice, it’s worth having it converted to R134a anyway.
Did anybody ever actually use these luggage racks on trunk lids? I remember having a couple of cars with them, and all they did was get in the way when trying to wash and wax it. Still, it’s a neat piece of nostalgia. The rest of the car is as clean as a whistle, and rust-free, if the one undercarriage photo in the ad is anything to go by.
The recent demise of the manual transmission version of the Nissan Versa seems to have been the final nail in the coffin for stickshifts in ordinary, everyday cars. Does it matter? Probably not, in the grand scheme of things, but it’s definitely the end of an era. But I imagine there will still be manual gearboxes, old and new, for as long as gasoline powers cars, but as playthings rather than workhorses. Those who still own and drive them will be keepers of the arcane knowledge, a cabal of Luddites clinging to an obsolete technology – or maybe an elite circle of wizards placing their faith in simple mechanical systems and their own muscle memory instead of electronically-controlled hydraulic trickery. For now, though, they’re just an old Dodge van and an old Chevy sedan, both cheap and easy enough for almost anyone to obtain. Which one interests you more?
The Corsica is eerily similar to the Chevy Lumina van I saw on Sunday driving on Highway 23 in Wisconsin. White with red trim; must’ve been 1990-1993 before the 1994 exterior update, no rust, and looked like a dustbuster. I don’t know if I saw one that nice even in the 1990s when they were new. My kids thought it was fugly.
This isn’t even close. I’ve seen the Corsica when the owner had it at Radwood Detroit a couple of years ago, and it’s great.
I had a van like that for a few months before trading it.
If you don’t actually use it to haul things, the van is OK. It would be fine for going across town to pick up a refrigerator, a dresser or some mulch.
Zero to sixty is glacial when loaded. You might think you can use the manual transmission to compensate for the 2.2’s lack of power but you can’t. If you take this camping, you’re best off packing lightly. You shouldn’t build this into a camper, but you could haul a tent or even pull a pop-up if you’re careful not to bring too much other stuff.
I do know it would be a lot of fun to abuse while empty or lightly loaded but mostly because van hooning is a rare activity.
Nitpicky point, but that’s not plywood in that janky van, it’s OSB.
That mini RAM Van with a stick and no A/C has to be the most Yankee Cheapskate vehicle on the planet. Was that thing like $1.50 brand new? It just oozes sadness and remorse. No thanks.
Have to choose the Corsica (NOT what they were universally called back in the day where I am from). Has to be the nicest one left on the planet (I can’t even remember when I last saw one), and they probably only made a dozen of them with the V6 and a stick.
I don’t see the point of converting A/C. There is no shortage of R12 lurking around – I have 16lbs of the stuff in my garage. Picked up 18lbs off Craigslist back when I was working on a ’91 Volvo for $100. It’s doesn’t go bad…
The Corsica is a nice specimen, but needs just the right fan to buy it. I voted for the workhorse Caravan.
Voted Chevy because it’s weird and clean. It’d be fun for a couple months or so.
My corsica vote is contingent on that dude knocking at least 2k off the asking price
That Corsica is amazingly clean. Almost too clean to be a DD, but its not worth anything as a weekend toy. I’m taking the more useful and less expensive van.
I don’t love the Corsica as a concept, but it’s exceptionally clean, and I have no idea what I’d do with that beat-to-hell van. So it’s the Chevy for me.
The van for sure. Turbo swap it and leave the exterior as-is. I had an automatic 89 turbo Caravan back in the day and still miss it.
Hmmm, a van that’s been in a front-end collision (probably) or a moderately sporty sedan that’s been well cared for? Gotta be the Corsica, even though the $5K price tag will never fly. But hey, it’s up for barter. I’ll see if the seller will take 3 turnips and a nice, barely used Pittsburgh Tools torque wrench that I happen to have lying around.
Rad-era Corsica all the way. The Chevy L-body cars are surprisingly comfortable, and while they’re technically developed off of the GM J-body cars, they’re significantly nicer in every respect. The LTZ Corsica is more than an appearance package, it’s a better road car than it probably has a right to be. And it should go over nicely at any Cars and Coffee.
The LTZ, like some of its various Beretta sport package brethren, is quite nice to drive and it’s actually steal at $5000. The torquey V6 isn’t as rev-happy as a 4-cylinder; it has more of a GT car vibe. It punches above its weight and keeps up just fine with the more popular contemporary import sporty sedans. A ’90 LTZ should be just a small bit behind a ’92 or ’93 LTZ in power and handling — A friend of mine who owned a ST162 Celica GT-S drove my ’93 Z52 once, and he found it slightly scary with how much power it would put on without even really punching it, and how well it carved corners. It’s just almost completely forgotten, and doesn’t command the price premiums of other “performance” category cars of the period. The Corsica only weighs about 2800 pounds — about 400 pounds less than a Fox-body Mustang of the same age. It doesn’t take insane amounts of power to hustle a fairly light car, and the upgraded suspension makes more tossable than one might think.
I’ve heard it said that the manual was dropped from V6 cars in the ’92 refresh when the 3.1 was slightly uprated because it was hitting the limit for clutch durability. The transmission was fine, but there was only so much room to stuff a robust enough clutch in the packaging limitations of the front-end design. From ’92 onward, the V6 got a bulletproof turbo-hydromantic with a lockup torque converter clutch. On the plus side, GM re-tuned the valve body and spring values for fast, positive shifts instead of traditonal slushiness. If, indeed, this one has gotten some engine work to bring it up in power more like the ’92 and later Z52 (which replaced the LTZ) then it will be quite fun, but the clutch will likely be handling as much power as it’s capable of and shouldn’t be abused.
I was never fond of the mini-bra on the hood, but it is period-correct.
Also kudos to the owner for keeping the original alloy wheels and stock tire profile, which is perfect for the car as-is. The tire profile is much better than what went on “normal” L-body cars, especially with modern rubber. There’s no need for going with lower-profile tires, and the original wheels look better on the car than anything aftermarket, even Rad-era BBS RS-style ones which usually look great on any car. The Chevy original alloys just look “right”.
Oh, crap. This thing is just one state away… Somebody needs to grab this car before I do something impulsive…
I thought the L-Bodies were based on the N-Body? Great write up none the less!
They were a parallel development. A lot of basic parts are interchangeable. The Chevy-only L-body is a little wider, especially for interior room, although most of that space is in the form of hip and elbow room between the seat and the doors. The seats are still fairly close together at the centerline of the car, which is probably a leftover from its J-car heritage. The cross-section is also very tube-shaped for aerodynamics, like an aircraft fuselage. The upper area of the doorframes/windows, would intrude on headroom (and head clearance for crash safety) if the seats were any further outboard.
At the time that the Beretta and Corsica came to market, there were rumors that there was disagreement between Chevrolet and GM corporate over the N-body being “pushed” on them, and Chevy felt they had a better design and insisted on building it. Supposedly, the compromise was that Chevy would be delayed getting the W-body (that they’d sell as the Lumina) until 1990 and would have to keep on building the very dated Celebrity for longer. I’ve never heard confirmation, but it sort of makes financial sense. If Chevy wanted to go their own way on a new platform, then they’d have to pull the money from somewhere. Keeping a highly-amortized car platform in production is one way to save money to be spent elsewhere.
A little bit more on the L-vs N-body here:
The difference between the L and N bodies | GM Inside News Forum
Ty! will give this a read!
Not the popular choice, but had to go with the van for nostalgia reasons. My mom had an ’85 Plymouth Voyager with the same drivetrain, giant gas gauge instead of a tach, and useless cup holders. Ah memories.
Hmmm, something reasonably useful vs. something woefully overpriced. I’ll take the rundown van for the DIY store runs.
That mildly warmed-up Corsica would be such a let down compared to damn near anything newer with a stick. Also, not mentioned in Mark’s description, mouse-fucking-belts!!! NEVER!!! I will never own any vehicle with that braindead, idiotic, passive-restraint solution!
How is the Corsica in the lead with a $5k price tag? I guess some people have more fake internet money than others…
Sorry? How much for that Corsica, and I’d honestly would drive that today, but not even close to 5K