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?
LOL no Corsica is worth $5k dude is a crackhead
I voted for the Caravan
5k for a Corsica. hahahahahaha. Wait you are serious, let me laugh harder HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Corsica for me. My Beretta had that shifter and can confirm, it’s surprisingly nice for an everyday car. Also, the seats on the twins punch way above their weight.
Corsica all day if you can get the guy down in price a bit. Great shape and car chow ready. It’s got the hood bra that is very period correct. Open up the exhaust a bit and that GM pushrod 60 deg V6 makes great noises too.
The 60-degree V6 noise is burned into my memory. ???? As GM upgraded it through the early 90s, and put in a hotter cam, it just got better.
The “GEN III” version starting in ’94 was a letdown, though, when GM decided to make it “quieter and smoother” to score better in focus-group research. It lost its soul as time went on.
I wanted to vote for the Corsica, but that is way too much money for it. Van me.
Shouldn’t the Mini Ram Van have been called the “Dodge Lamb Van”? In a better timeline, it would have been.
But, despite its ovine charms, the condition says “Mutton doin'” to me. They’re both overpriced, but the Corsica is retro (and with the V6 and five-speed, quite sprightly) I could daily, which is a big plus with a single-car driveway. A color would be nice but isn’t necessary. The song of the Mediterranean entices me… probably to rocks, but that’s no worse than where I am now.
Bah, I know everyone’s flocking to the Corsica but you’d be fleecing yourself if you paid $5,000 for that. For utility, that Dodge van is the GOAT.
“fleecing” isn’t the f-word I would have chosen. Something more vigorous comes to mind.
Ewe bleat me to it.
This is quite possibly the best spec Corsica ever available, and in this condition, that’s a solid win.
Where else are you gonna find one?
I guess the Corsica for me. It looks quite clean and Rob has sold me on the “fun” factor. Although there is no way in HELL the claim that it never saw rain until 3 weeks ago is accurate.
Age and rarity have conspired to make the Corsica at least somewhat desirable. The late 80s GM styling has aged particularly well, and the LTZ package looks great. Anybody voting for the van has probably never had to deal with a carbureted 2.2.
I voted for the van. I don’t know if I want to pay $2,500 for it, but I could see having fun with this thing. I would add shag carpet and paint it to look like the Mystery Machine. That is probably not a good use of time or money, but a manual Dodge Mini Ram Van Mystery Machine sounds bitchin’.
Also, the Corsica is a hard pass. It may be the least boring Corsica, but that is like saying a show is the least boring program on CSPAN. The barter thing is also sketchy. I have never felt the need to buy or sell a car (or anything, for that matter) without using our typical means of exchange (i.e. money); it makes me wonder why this person is pursuing that option.
As a guy whose first car was an ’86 Plymouth Voyager with a five-speed, I can say you made the right choice.
IF the van had a turbo-4, it would be no contest! But, it doesn’t, so Corsica for me (but not at that price!).
I picked the van. It’s more useful, I don’t have anything to trade for the Corsica, and there is no way on God’s green Earth I would pay FIVE GRAND for it.
I never thought I’d mutter these words, but that Corsica is SWEET!
Amazing how time heals all wounds.
Yep. And that girlfriend I had back in the late 90s, the one who played guitar in our band, she was a nice person…
My grandfather had a van nearly identical to that one for his business, though his was in far better shape when he traded it in on a newer Caravan panel in the mid-90s before he sold his business and retired.
I also had a good friend with a Corsica. His was in terrible shape for how old it was(n’t), and he wasn’t the handy type so he just drove it how it was. The rear shocks were completely blown, and we discovered when he went over a speed bump one day that the back end would bounce hard enough to lift the back tires off the ground. Being stupid 20 year olds, we then tried popping the clutch in reverse to see if he could do a “reverse wheelie”, which amazingly he could. I think we ultimately expedited the car’s demise when we attempted using the speed bump in the parking lot of my work as a ramp for the reverse wheelie and not only managed to get the back wheels high enough that the front bumper scraped the ground but also caused structural damage to the rear suspension mounts upon landing. Good times.
Van, because there is no universe where any Corsica is worth $5k in 2025.
Assuming I could get it for $3500, and find a trunk lid without that awful luggage rack, it’s the Corsica for me.
I’d like to DRIVE the Ram just for the novelty, but I’ll never own a carbureted vehicle again. Fuel injection is just too good.
I’m going to go Corsica and use every bit of sales knowledge I have (shoes, fine art, and Volkswagens) to work out a better deal. That thing is clean and also pretty hilarious. I’d take it to car shows and daily drive it. It is cheap enough to not baby it, but also clean enough to want to show it off some.
Caravan is definitely a better deal and I think you could get that price lower. I’ve got a business idea I’ve been kicking around and that little thing would be perfect. Clean it up some, put some good graphics on the back, and call it a day.
Still, going to stick with the Corsica because I think there is more smile potential there.
Kudos to Mark for a Shitbox Showdown that really made me pause and think!
Van. I would use it occasionally as a van for hauling things and stuff. I really have no use for a Corsica in my life.
Those nostalgic for 80s / 90s GM vehicles have never had to rely on them.
I would not want anything to do with that 2.2 engine. I’d either swap motors or use the van for parts.
My old man had one of those workhorse Caravans – bought it very second hand cheap when a local pool supply company went under. I used it a couple times for moving early in my post-college life, and the interior photo shows one of the most fascinating things that I noticed even back then…the “cup holders” on top of the HVAC/radio cluster. What can they possibly hold? I’m pretty sure that they were not actually intended as cup holders, rather *cup coasters*, for when the vehicle is stationary, which is interesting in/of itself, but I digress.
I don’t have much to move these days, and it doesn’t have enough power to trailer anything beyond a light utility, so I’m not sure I have much use for it. I don’t have much use for the Corsica either, but it would be something interesting to take to car shows, even those of the non-Radwood variety. A vehicle like that is probably more relatable to the gen-X and younger set than much of the older chrome that is typically at those shows, so I’ll roll with it.
The cupholders with actual depth to them came in the later and higher end models. I actually cut mine out of my 85 and put ones in from an 87 model.
The Corpseca is the better car. The van is the better value.
Since haggling isn’t my thing, van for me today.
I really like the Corsica but I could USE the van as a toy hauler for my bike. For half the price I have to go for function over cool. I feel dirty for that
The Corsica and Beretta have aged extremely well, considering that the basic design is almost 40 years old. The interior is Little Tykes-adjacent in materials, but it still looks nice and those seats are comfy. We’ll take the Chevy.
I like them a lot more now than I did back in the day. The Beretta was always the flashier uncle, tho.
Styled by Irv Rybicki, who’s got a string of great stuff in his portfolio and took over after Bill Mitchell: Irv Rybicki – Wikipedia
There’s some more background about him at Deans Garage Search Results for “rybicki” – Dean’s Garage
The ’91/’92 interior refresh (I can never remember the exact year, probably because GM insisted on doing it on the “half-year” mark) was a big improvement in materials and style. And it did away with the Federally-mandated passive belts since it introduced a driver airbag.
Probably ’91 when it got the fluted taillight lenses. School principal bought a red metallic one that year. I was in 8th grade
Even with fake internet money, I could never look myself in the mirror again if I paid $5000 for an old Chevy Corsica. I don’t care what it’s speced like, it’s still an indifferently designed, indifferently assembled, crappy, generic, appliance for the road that is over 3 decades old. No, just no.
The Sh*tbox van wins by default. Maybe I could make something interesting out of it.
3.1 w/Getrag is a decent performance surprise. That’s what they were putting in J-Car Z24s, and the Corsica isn’t that much heavier.
Not usually a fan of someone else’s project because, you know, skills vary and you’re chasing the ghost of some ADHD weirdo with an internet connection and wrenches, but this one looks pretty cleanly done. The interior is real nice!
I would never pay 5K for that Corsica, but I suppose I might buy the van, for perhaps half the stated price and trade for the Corsica. Honestly, I still would probably not want to drive either though.