Posts Tagged ‘japanese’

After Trouble – 1985 Toyota Celica Convertible

July 1, 2014

So what do you do if you’re intimidated by the experience of owning a needlessly complex Italian car, but you still want wedgy 1980s styling and a suggestion of sportiness? Giving up on some driving excitement by accepting a durable 22R-E inline four that’s probably only halfway through its lifespan at 165,000 miles will certainly make your life easier, if not more fun. This car also comes from what you might call something of a golden age for Toyota – they had moved beyond a lineup of mostly tinny economy cars, but had not yet arrived at the mostly-appliance lineup they still have today, and had a significant proportion of sporty cars in the family. The Celica was outdone by the Corolla GT-S, MR2 and FX16 in terms of sportiness, but was still a popular contender. Check out this 1985 Toyota Celica convertible for sale for $3900 in Vallejo, CA.

1985 Toyota Celica convertible right front

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Little Blue Wagon – 1973 Mazda RX-3

June 25, 2014

You have to admire Mazda for their commitment to the rotary engine. As we’ve seen with other engineering-driven companies, their solutions don’t always contribute to the financial health of the company, but they sure do make for some interesting products any well-rounded car enthusiast cannot overlook. Right now, the rotary is down for the count, with the RX-8 having run its course with no immediate replacement, but Mazda still claims to be working on future evolutions of the rotary. Back in the 1970s, Mazda had a whole lineup of rotary-powered cars, from compact coupe to pickup truck. You can find this 1973 Mazda RX-3 wagon for sale for $3500 in Pittsburgh/Antioch, CA.

1973 Mazda RX-3 wagon left front

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Zoroastrian God – 1981 Mazda 626 Coupe

June 7, 2014

According to everyone’s favorite online encyclopedia, this automaker’s name is derived from Ahura Mazda, the name of God for those of the Persian Zoroastrian faith, as well as the last name of the founder, Jujiro Matsuda. And while you might not have any heavenly experiences behind the wheel (or anywhere else) in this little blue coupe, there’s not much to complain about at the price. For better or worse, the seller’s son used the car to get to high school, and as such, the car should suffer none of the problems of long-term storage, but you’ll want to look closely for signs of hard cornering, braking, and shifting – teenage sons are not known to be gentle on their first cars. You can find this 1981 Mazda 626 coupe for sale for C$1250 ($1144 today) in Lynn Valley, BC.

1981 Mazda 626 coupe left front

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