Good morning! Today we’re looking at two examples of a category of car that used to be everywhere, but is all but extinct from the market: basic, fun-to-drive manual economy cars —not necessarily sporty, but good-handling, practical, fun, and most of all, cheap. But first, let’s finish up with yesterday’s bargain-basement longroofs:
Indeed. Not that there is anything wrong with the Camry; it’s a good car, and I’m sure it will serve someone well for some time to come. But compared to that Datsun, it’s like going to Taco Bell rather than the family-run burrito food cart across the street. One is nourishment; the other is an experience.
Now, as I’m sure you all read the other day, Mitsubishi has lost its damn mind and will no longer offer its Mirage subcompact in America after next year, thereby driving yet another nail into the coffin for cheap and cheerful cars on our shores. What happened? Everyone used to offer a basic, no-nonsense economy car, and by default they all came with a clutch pedal unless you specified an automatic. (Editor’s Note: Greed. The answer is greed. —PG)
Of course, even 20 years ago when I was shopping for such a car, manuals weren’t the default on dealer lots by any means; you had to seek them out, and usually it meant some other compromise. When I bought my 2002 Mazda Protegé, there were exactly two manuals on the lot: white, and white. I chose white.
But even if the manufacturers insist on dropping the manual option and only offer automatics – or worse, CVTs – there is something honest and noble about a good entry-level car. Thriftiness is still a virtue, or at least it ought to be. The good news is that honest-but-enjoyable cars lasted long enough to reach the modern era of engine management systems and corrosion resistance, so if you can find one without too many miles on it, you can still get some life out of it. They’re not completely used up at 100,000 miles like they used to be. I’ve found two good options in the Minneapolis/St. Paul suburbs; let’s see which one you prefer.
2002 Dodge Neon SXT – $2,995
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Cambridge, MN
Odometer reading: 139,000 miles
Runs/drives? Yep
Not since New Coke has a product replacement been so ill-advised and disappointing as Dodge replacing the Neon with the Caliber. To know the Neon is to love it and to know the Caliber is to remember being happy to leave the keys on the dash at the Enterprise drop-off point. The Neon deserved a better successor. This zippy, rough-around-the-edges little sedan was a hoot to drive, proved doggedly reliable in that inexpensive Mopar sort of way, and looked cheerful and inviting. Unfortunately, most Neons got loved to death, especially the manuals, and finding a good one is getting tougher all the time.
It’s hard to tell from a few crummy dealer photos, but this appears to be a good one. It’s an SXT model, a package that combined sporty stuff like alloy wheels and a rear spoiler with convenience stuff like power windows (only in the front; Neons weirdly all had manual rear windows) and locks. The second-generation Neon isn’t quite as beloved as the first; it lost both the two-door and twin-cam options, but it gained a whole lot of refinement. Kind of like that college friend you had who used to be wild and crazy, but grew up over the course of a summer and doesn’t party as much, but is a lot easier to live with.
Because it is for sale at a dealer, there’s more text in the ad about the deals they’re willing to offer than about the car itself. They don’t even include any underhood photos. A test drive and a careful once-over should tell you what you need to know. It does look nice and clean for being a Minnesota car old enough to drink, and it doesn’t have many miles on it at all, so it’s definitely worth a look.
Personally, I could do without the big basket-handle spoiler on the back, but it’s probably better than removing it and having screw holes in the trunk lid.
2007 Ford Focus SES- $2,100
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Vadnais Heights, MN
Odometer reading: 173,000 miles
Runs/drives? Indeed it does
Ford’s Focus replaced the Escort as the small car in America in 2000, and for once, the “world car” thing wasn’t just talk; we got almost the same car as Europe did. European Focuses got a range of engines from 1.4 to 2.0 liters in both gasoline and diesel flavors. We only got the “big” two-liter Zetec engine, or the old Escort CVH four, until 2005, when Europe got a new Focus, and we got a facelift and a new Duratec/Mazda MZR engine. The facelift toned down the weirdness of the styling, especially inside, and the Duratec engine gained a little bit of power and a lot of refinement.
I owned a Duratec-powered Focus for a couple of years, and I really liked it. Mine was an automatic, which was okay, but I’ve driven a Focus with a manual, and it’s a whole different animal. Forget the fact that it’s a beige four-door sedan – this should be a fun car to drive. Economical, too; I regularly topped 30 mpg in LA traffic in mine, and a manual should be able to do even better, if you take it easy.
This is the SES model, complete with power goodies, cruise control, alloy wheels, and more. It has more miles on it than the Neon—173,000—but it seems to be holding up well. There is a tiny bit of rust creeping in around the edges, and a few dings and scrapes, but it’s clean inside, and the seller says it runs and drives well. They also have a whole stack of maintenance records for you to peruse.
I always thought, when I had my Focus, that it wasn’t a great deal for what I paid for it, but it was going to make a great inexpensive beater someday. And 17 years later, here we are. Some cars come into their own with age, and the Focus seems to be one of them.
Cheap and cheerful cars in the US are on the way out, unless some new player like China steps up and starts selling them here. The supply of used ones is going to dry up eventually, but for now, we’re spoiled for choice, and if you are willing and able to drive a manual, you have even more options, and often cheaper, too. As a bonus, some of them are legitimately fun to drive, like these two. Which is more your speed?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
I wanted to vote Focus. Better safety ratings, and while duller than the original it was still zippy in the 2nd gen. But this one has seen some ****. On top of all the other cosmetic issues, I thought SES’ had rear spoilers standard and sure enough you can see the holes where it used to be on this one. Had someone taken it off to put a giant wing on and then took it off?
Couldn’t tell you the last time I saw a Neon let alone decently equipped like this. Plus it’s before the facelift of the 2nd gen which cheapened it further still – mouse fur seat fabric instead of a wetsuit material.
Focus all the way. The Neon has the record as the least liked car among fleet pool drivers. For years at the local county auction they would come across the block with less than 60k and sometimes under 40k and still wearing their original tires at 15+ years old. Meanwhile the Focuses that came into the fleet at the same time had mile’ed out, been replaced, the replacement mile’ed out, been replaced, and the replacements had more miles than most of those Neons that people would only check out as the last resort.
Why is there never a “Spoiler alert” joke on car blogs? Anyway, I chose the Focus. I’d rather a hatch or wagon, but I kind of like the beige. And it’s the cheaper of the two.
Damn, missed opportunity. Guess I should have planned the puns out, instead of just winging it.
The Neon sedan’s lack of power rear windows is such a stupid design/cost-cutting decision. Focus for sure.
Focuses (Focii?) are common as muck in the UK, the Dodge Neon is an exotic, so that one.
Also that particular Focus looks weird with the boot/trunk sticking out and ruining what little cohesive styling the hatch has.
If you can see the rust standing next to the Focus, the underside is likely gone.
The Neon gets my vote. Solid looking car, lots of fun to drive, roomier than you expect.
Isn’t the plural of focus, “foci”?
Because of that, I chose the Neon.
I’ll take the Neon. I always loved them. The Caliber that came after was such a disappointment. Even as an SRT-4 I still hated everything about that car. The Neon though will forever be missed by me.
I occasionally see a blue Neon SRT-4 that’s been violated by many previous owners and looks beat to hell that I’d love to get my hands on and restore to it’s former glory.
Neon looks to be in better shape. I’m taking it
This is tough – both great cars and I’ve spent significant time with each. But as a current that gen Focus owner, I’m going to stay loyal. But would have no problem with the Neon either.
The Focus’ transmission is wonderful IMO – it’s from Ford of Germany’s operations, and behaves like the European market would demand. Nice medium clutch feel, easy and smooth, but positive, shifting.
Hard to argue the Neon here. Dodge actually did a solid job given the segment. Yeah, interior doesn’t compare favorably the top shelf Japanese competitors at the time, but neither did the price. If someone wanted to buy new but didn’t want to spend a lot, you genuinely couldn’t fault them for getting a Neon.
Focus was considerably more hit and miss in many regards.
Neon for that spoiler!
Also, I miss my sisters. Hers was that “it was old fashioned for the 80’s and was an antique in 2000” 3 speed automatic though.
I picked the Neon, mostly for the styling. All I have to say about the Focus is; fix the cigarette lighter.
The Neon’s going to win. I voted for the Focus; I appreciate the sleeper potential of a beige Ford compact. Also, those first-gen Foci are growing on me.
I’ve driven a Ford lately…specifically a Focus of this generation. The Neon is the better driver’s car in my opinion, and looks better to boot.
Neon. There, I did it. I voted for a Mopar product. Happy now?
Yes! One of us! One of us!
I had a neon of this vintage (a 2000). Same color, same wheels, same transmission, but minus the rear spoiler. It was a good car. It went with the ex-wife in the divorce. I miss the car.
I miss the mk2 CRX Si that my ex-wife took. I tried to keep it, but she threatened to tit-for-tat my bike so I had to let it go.
She called me about a year later saying she’d totalled it, but she was OK. Both pieces of information were disappointing, but that poor little car deserved better.
My ex had a Focus from this era – 2005, specifically. It was a disaster of a car and is still decomposing in the garage. Which is annoying since they have to get it scrapped so the house can go on the market, and they haven’t done that yet.
Anyway, Neon due to having less associated trauma.
for a family member I will recommend the Ford Focus since they are reliable and you can still see them everywhere. But for me, I will go Neon since I don’t remember when was the last time I saw one and I like quirky cars lol
A Beige Focus? Feel like getting in that car magically summons a sweater vest and sensible slacks for you, like the world’s most boring magical girl transformation.
The Neon appears to be in the better condition, lower miles and all, I am not a fan of stealer lots like this one though, so I would really want to have it looked over or look it over myslef before I paid the premium price. the trade in on that is around 500, the best price if you tried to sell it is maybe $2,400, but the thing is really only worth $1,700 This is a stealership preying on the public as usual.
These are both perfectly fine options, but I went with the Neon. Always been a fan of Neons, and I’m going to give the nod to the car that at least looks good. Can’t say looking at this beige, crumply Focus is stirring my soul quite like the Neon is.
I have owned a couple Neons, These things were surprisingly quick, and were a hoot to throw around. I saw neon and didn’t even bother looking at the Focus. Neon FTW
At least the Neon seems to have its paint, something few I’ve seen have managed.
I’m a big fan of the various Foci, so would likely go that direction. Those little rust spots take off some of the icing, though. And I’d definitely prefer either the two- or four-door hatchbacks.
Both cars can be loads of fun. You’re not going to see a decent example of the upmarket versions of either for anywhere near these prices, so it’s a very close call for me.
I have driven both in the past, the Neon is the clear winner. Rides on rails. And I’d rather have black paint then oatmeal brown.