Go From Zero To Snooze In The Most Boring Car Comparison Ever

"DailyTurismo" (thedailyturismo) 08/12/2014 at 11:38 • Filed to: daily turismo, blog

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How do you make the world's most boring dull-machines a bit more exciting? Carbon fiber wings, fart can exhaust and neon underglow? Nope, not even close. Try leaving them 100% stock, but make sure they are low optioned, manual transmission as original as possible...then, and only then will the buyers come running.

It just so happens that two discount specials from appliance city just fell into our tips inbox... time for a comparison! If you had 3 large burning a hole in your pocket, would you pick the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! or the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

The basic truth is that neither one of these cars will ever be remotely collectable, but that isn't the reason you should consider one. The real reason is that you can plop down less than the deposit on a new car and drive away with something that should run a few more 100k miles with only simple hand-tool maintenance.

Up first is this !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! offered for $2,600 in Kila, MT via craigslist ( Tip from Oldsmobuick.) With 82k miles on the odometer, this one is the winner in terms of miles/use, but you gotta wonder, who only puts 2,600 miles per year on a low-option Accord? Did it rack those miles up like a normal commuter and then sit for a few years as indicated by the seller's diagnosis of carb issues? Finally, a seller who has only owned the car for a few months never leaves a nice taste in your mouth either.

On the other hand, this thing looks really nice on the inside for a 31 year old commuter. Under the hood is a 1.8 liter Honda EK1 engine good for around 72 horsepower and mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox attached to the front wheels.

Up next is that !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! offered for $3,000 in SF Bay Area via craigslist ( Tip from Kaibeezy) . This Camry has a decent number of miles on the odometer, but at 146k it is still young for a 2nd generation Camry. The key to this car is that it is being sold by the original owner, making it more desirable than something that has been passed around to a bunch of college kids.

The US spec Camry could be had with an optional V6, but this car uses the 115 horsepower 3S-FE twin cam inline-4. It is a DOHC 16 valve engine equipped with fuel injection and mated to the front wheels via a 5-speed manual gearbox. If you have to drive a Camry, this is gonna be as fun as it gets.

See a better 5-speed equipped beigemobile? !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Originally posted as !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! on !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

HammerheadFistpunch > DailyTurismo 08/12/2014 at 11:39

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My first (shared) car was an 89 camry with the 3s-fe (4 speed auto though) and it was solid. I mean it was wheels and I didn't care about the rest since it never gave me problems.

No Prius Needed > DailyTurismo 08/12/2014 at 11:41

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What is going on here?!?!

Milky > DailyTurismo 08/12/2014 at 11:43

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You're doing $3k JDM wrong, this is doing it right.

OPPOsaurus WRX > DailyTurismo 08/12/2014 at 11:44

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my mom had a camry, brown very close to that one. The only thing i remember is kicking the dash to get the radio to turn on.

MIATAAAA > No Prius Needed 08/12/2014 at 11:44

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Seat's on drugs.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > Milky 08/12/2014 at 11:47

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are those cadillac sts wheels?

PS9 > DailyTurismo 08/12/2014 at 11:48

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It might be boring to you guys who buy and sell used S8s and M3s like unreliable trading cards, but buying a car (especially a first car) is a HUGE desicion for someone who has to drop a few months salary to do it. Make a wrong choice, and it could set you back considerably having to do it all over again.

They don't have AWD, 10k RPM and a 200 MPH top speed limit, but that doesn't mean reliable, trustworthy, no-frills transportation has no place in the world. People need cheap reliable cars, and I'm glad the zillions of used Camrys and Corollas and others built to take the punishment of Daily Driving exist to fill that role.

DailyTurismo > PS9 08/12/2014 at 11:54

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I like the concept of an unreliable trading card. Or a beanie baby that leaks oil.

PatBateman > DailyTurismo 08/12/2014 at 11:54

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I'm totally Team Camrzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

*snort What happened?!

DailyTurismo > No Prius Needed 08/12/2014 at 11:55

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That funny looking thing is for changing the gears.

Boxer_4 > DailyTurismo 08/12/2014 at 11:56

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1988 was the first year for the Camry All-Trac, which I believe was the only Camry ever offered with AWD. It was also available with a manual transmission.

No Prius Needed > DailyTurismo 08/12/2014 at 12:20

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Look at the seats.

Milky > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO 08/12/2014 at 12:23

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No idea, they're better than stock though.

Raphael Orlove > DailyTurismo 08/12/2014 at 12:26

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Man, I love those second gen camrys, and one with a five speed hits my want meter very hard.

I'd rock that thing no question.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > Milky 08/12/2014 at 12:31

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EL_ULY > DailyTurismo 08/12/2014 at 12:36

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i'd love to have both of these 2 legends! I can respect a guy in a clean one of these than a doucher in a A4 cabriolet

angusparvo > No Prius Needed 08/12/2014 at 12:39

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That's the rare Deluxe Bucket-Scalloped Seat package

Inline6jdmturbo > Milky 08/12/2014 at 12:43

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Oh how I want one to do a 2jz vvti or 1jz vvti with a r154 swap

Milky > Inline6jdmturbo 08/12/2014 at 12:52

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Didn't it get vvti in like '97 when they updated it? I had a 400, so I'm no expect on 2J's though.

Harris_the_Unknowing > No Prius Needed 08/12/2014 at 13:27

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Crinkle cut....

signintoburnerlol > DailyTurismo 08/12/2014 at 13:29

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Those Accords were pretty good cars, both are great hoon machines.

Not really boring at all.

BabyClaude > No Prius Needed 08/12/2014 at 13:50

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willing to bet the seats got soaked, then dried in hot sunlight about 50x

cream wobbly > BabyClaude 08/12/2014 at 15:33

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Which means the sunroof leaks. Or leaked.

KSEGGFTW > No Prius Needed 08/12/2014 at 15:37

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lmfao, that shit looks scary.

Inline6jdmturbo > Milky 08/12/2014 at 15:45

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yeah but it was NA and it lost the manual plus i live in ny so 95 and older engine swaps are allowed

mrbaits > DailyTurismo 08/12/2014 at 16:02

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My first car was an '85 camry, white with the 5 speed mt and 4 cylinder engine. It looked very much like the one here on the inside. That thing ran well and never had a problem with the engine or transmission. It did have the clutch cylinders replaced, which was pretty easy and didn't require the engine or transmission to be removed. I also had to replace the radiator and parts of the exhaust. The timing belt failed on it but didn't destroy the valves, so it was replaced, although the shop that did it didn't replace the bad bearings or water pump so it had to be done again in 20k miles. Lesson learned on that one. The steering rack leaked ps fluid and basically would have costed more than the car was worth to replace, so I never did. I eventually sold it when the AC went and it would have costed more than the car was worth to fix.

Ian Wilson > DailyTurismo 08/13/2014 at 13:38

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"With 82k miles on the odometer, this one is the winner in terms of miles/use, but you gotta wonder, who only puts 2,600 miles per year on a low-option Accord?"

Probably because Kila, MT is in the middle of freakin' nowhere.

Under 100K, hatchback Honda twice as old as me and in amazing shape for $2,600? Yes please. It may not be fast, but it has CHARACTER, dammit.

Ian Wilson > No Prius Needed 08/13/2014 at 13:40

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Salty sea air wrinkling the seat worse than your grandmother in a bathtub. That is pretty weird.