Dear readers; I have shocking news to share. Time actually doesn’t stand still here in Eugene, although it does sometimes seem that way. I am starting to see a definite drop-off in the number of genuine beater CCs from the good old days. Like this Justy; it just occurred to me when I saw it that I hadn’t seen another in way too long.
There was a time not that long ago in the early days of my curbside hunting (2009-2010) when these were very commonplace. But the recession has finally ended in Eugene too, and ever-more folks are succumbing to the lure of comfort, power, room, air conditioning and riding tall above the hoi polloi, and are ditching their little shit-box CCs for new or newish cars and trucks. Is it time to end this gig?
It’s not just Justys; where are all those Stanza Wagons? There used to be four in my immediate neighborhood. And the Coronas? And that classic Eugene-mobile, the Tercel gen1 4WD wagon is getting quite scarce, although there’s still two or three know of yet. I could go on…the number of running Citations is getting precarious.
Folks, I’m just not cut out to write gushing, in-depth CCs on 2002 Oldsmobiles or such. It’s cars like the Justy that got me started in this business. And inspired me to glorious creative and journalistic heights, like my original Justy CC from 2011. I read it now and feel like such a burnt out old hack, stuffing car sausages, with nary a creative fiber left in my arthritic brain.
And just what can I come up with tonight? This Justy is the preferred five-speed stick version; the CVT that was available was one of the first of its kind; let’s just say they’ve come a long way.
And: The Justy is a very small car, best illustrated by this shot with an older Impreza, which is also looking quite small in today’s traffic. Maybe Justy drivers were feeling a bit insecure sharing the road with all those giant pickups that are selling so well, even here.
In conclusion: The Justy had a tiny three-pot mill, and was of the same class of cars one step up from a kei car, like the original Chevy (Suzuki) Sprint, and…ah…what else was in that class sold here? You see; I am justifiably ready for retirement.
But when I finally do so, there will be plenty of stuff in the archives; we have no less than three takes on the Justy. That might well be a record of sorts, for such a modest little car. Peruse them now, or save them for a time when Eugene is all out of CCs and I can finally rest. The end is…always getting closer.
CC Justy: Extra Justification (by David Saunders)
CC Justy: Before Fuji Found Its Mojo (by Kevin Martin)
Like a powerful fishing dredge that takes all the valuable life away, no matter what the species … The net that singlehandedly got rid of 75% of older cars and CCs, no longer the apple of their once proud owner’s eye…
Cash For Clunkers.
Paul, I hate to say it, but sadly it’s TRUE. What a effed up program that was. 🙁
Last time, I saw a Justy used as a daily, was in the 90’s, an all white 4WD edition, owned by my friend who used it to promote his window tinting business.
I did see one a year and a half ago, a silver 1988 on CL, for sale. The owner wanted $3000. Too much for such little car, literally, IMO.
Now, as far as Toyota Coronas go… I sold my mint running(needed paint) 1981 Corona Deluxe in 2011. Wish I never did, it was a great lil car with the bulletproof 22R.
I don’t think the Justy qualified for C4C. Qualifying cars had to be rated below a MPG threshold. My 93 Crown Vic missed it by 1 measly MPG.
Well, maybe not the Justy’s case as far as CFC, but a contributing factor to some older cars or CC’s been less available.
I think Justy’s slow demise is what plague most 80’s Subarus… The outrageous price of replacement electronic parts, the tin worm, and just outright availability of resources( unlike the available Internet sites for the 2000+ WRX).
Like my AWD 85 RX sedan, and the wedgie XT(6) sport coupe… The Justy wasn’t as abundant as the offerings from Toyota, Nissan, Mazda and Honda to survive in great numbers. Sad really.
The CVTs on these were like grenades. Not surprised that this one is a manual.
Technical pioneers once again got arrows in their backs.
Now that so few cars are stick-shift I wonder what this will mean for the survival of future CCs. Automatic transmission failure is a major expense that has frequently sent many a potential CC off to the boneyard.
Good point!
I think we’re a few years too late to beat that tired CFC drum. The enemy is time and entropy.
Perhaps in the US but that is exactly the type of car the Israeli equivalent (which did not refer to fuel consumption, the only condition was that the car must have a current roadworthy certificate) killed in droves. These were very popular over there but just like in the US are nowdays very rare. In Austria, where I live, they hardly sold on account of the usual European suspects (VW Polo, Fiat Uno, Renault 5) which were judged better and were no more expensive.
I think models like this will come out again from behind the greenhouse the next time fuel spikes up in price the way the Metro XFI’s did in 2008. In the meantime, it is perhaps Justyfied that these RIP.
Cash for clunkers required you buy a new model that got 10mpg? better than the old one. I doubt it claimed many Justys. On the other hand $9 gas in the real world requires your new beater get 10mpg better than the old one. Here comes the Justy, it just needs a new battery.
I loved my Justy!
No better urban street rat available, although my Aspire gave it a good shot.
Ya know, you can hardly get 12″ tires anymore…says it all.
You’re so right about 12″ tyres. The last set I got for my old Swift were some brand I’d never heard of. Found out from a pilot friend they made light aircraft tyres. No wonder it felt like it was flying…..
paul, better sell out now at the high point. turn it over to someone else, get away from the grind of daily blogging, before you become a retreaded, shadow of your former self. be progressive; focus on efforts more likely to return a profit.
unless of course it is a labor of love.
focus on efforts more likely to return a profit.
Yup; I’m determined to finish the new house I’ve been messing with for three years now 🙂
Paul, there have to be plenty of vintage commercial trucks and busses in the Pacific Northwest awaiting your careful eye and practiced pen. Your work is not yet done…
“It’s Justy the right car at Justy the right price”.
I think a more on target analysis of the Justy and its departure is Murilee Martin’s observation that the Justy wast the last of the truly punitive small cars sold in the US and the fading away of the Justy can be attributed to both owners wanting a less unpleasant driving experience and the increasing difficulty of obtaining parts for something Subaru US would prefer to send to the memory hole.
As a side note, in addition to being one of the first cars in the US with a CVT, the Justy was the last car in the US market with a carburetor.
I thought of that too with the last carb and 1st CVT duality.
Damn you guys really get into the ‘ penalty box hate ‘ thing .
Every where else in the world folks are just happy to not be riding a scooter in the rain or direct sun .
As long as I’m not walking , I’m happy .
-Nate
Time does march on (another birthday next sunday) and willingly or not it takes you with it. Personally I have a hard time thinking of some of our stories featuring anything from the 80s or 90s as classics. Some days I still see them as late model used cars. You may as well get used to it.
The site is something else.
The site is an opportunity for youngsters to see some old cars as they were seen when new by us oldsters. It’s an opportunity for oldsters to chew the fat about pet projects and things we should have done. It’s sort of a vehicular watering hole or oasis that needs to continue and the archives are always a welcome revisit. Eugene might seem to be running short of classics to you but I expect there is a new generation of car nuts who think it’s just fine.
It’s probably time for a vacation.
Your right…a vacation is in order. And the tickets and reservations have already been made. August will be a bit slower here.
Lee your statement about the younger ones learning from the older people is spot on. My being somewhere in the middle (I’m 42) allows me to see all cars in a different light from those on the younger or more seasoned perspective. Granted there are some cars I cannot get excited about but a recent such find involved sending pictures to William Stopford who is significantly younger and who has an appreciation and enthusiasm I hope rubs off onto others, even those of us who don’t possess the same initial excitement.
If I ever take pictures of the ’02 Oldsmobile you’ll see it in some fictional setting. It’s a used car to me also.
In my country it’d be “Wow – an Oldsmobile!” from me. And “What’s an Oldsmobile?” from the 99% of the population that aren’t car nuts. But it wouldn’t be just a used car.
Very good point. If I saw an ’02 era Holden, I would be just as ecstatic as you describe for seeing the Olds.
Ditto, guys
Heck, if I see ANY Renault, old or new, I’d be content.
I wasn’t around when they were building the Justy. To me, a 1995-1998 Riviera or LeSabre is very much a Curbside Classic. Heck- the W-Body Impala’s are just starting to reach 15 years old. In a couple of years, they’ll start to be the older cars, and then the Curbside Classics.
That’s the beauty of this site- I hope it keeps going for another many years!
Totally agree and that was my point but possibly not said well. I was born in 1943 and the classics to me are from that era and the one preceding. Most of my comments here are about cars I have owned or driven often.
I totally get it that classics for people born 50 years later will be from another era. I comment far less than I used to because I have a lot less to offer when a car from the 90s or later comes up. Not sour grapes, just not in my wheelhouse.
Nothing to complain about there. It’s been going on for thousands of years. Enjoy. I’ll be right here watching.
I completely agree. The oldest vehicle that I’ve ever driven (Not counting diesel farm tractors) is a 1986 Dodge RAM. I have very little experience with carburetors, have never dealt with points/condensers, dwell angles, or manual chokes. I have no knowledge on those topics. But, every car has a story, and it’s neat to hear firsthand accounts on what life was like, and for some of us lucky few, still is.
It’s amazing that these vehicles will be available for us to look at forever. In fifty years, my LeSabre will probably be looked at with similar awe to how we look at an old LaSalle or Nash.
If I have to spend a lot of money to keep the privilege of not having an autonomous car, so be it. I work with computers all day, and there is no way that I’m giving the wheel up to one of them!
It’s all relative to our age, I reckon. When I was a kid, Dad couldn’t understand why I was interested in 1940 Fords. To me, they were old and cool. To him, they were a new car. But then he’d learnt to drive on a T when they were still in production.
My interest in new cars stopped about ten years ago. To me, my now-ten-year-old Mazda is still a “new car”, and I’ll resent having to replace it. But will I keep it for the 22 years my Dad kept his last car? We’ll see. I kept my first car for 30 years…..
For me, an early 2000s car has everything you could want. Even my 1995 LeSabre has pretty much all the amenities that you want/need. Instead of piloting a computer, I’d rather have the true driving experience.
These have intrigued me for a long time. They definetely aren’t common anymore but I have a seen the odd one or two around SoCal. I recently saw a CVT equipped one in the junkyard that was in pretty nice shape. I like the interior of these, something about them was homely and didn’t reek of cheapness like, say a Tercel.
Well, I sure hope you hold off on retirement for a while yet. I always enjoy your writing, no matter what you are writing about, though I can certainly sympathize with your lack of enthusiasm about 90’s era vehicles. Being a fair bit younger than most of the CC community (in my mid 30’s), I sure like hearing about the cars I love from guys who were there. Regardless of how much longer you keep writing, thanks for all you have done!
Regarding the Justy, one thing I’ve often wondered is where the name came from? It sounds too mediocre to be a typical made-up marketing group name (like Achieva, Summit, Fiero and so on), but on the other hand, “Justy” must relate to something, somewhere, right? I just can’t figure out what it is.
Regarding your website, I consider it one of the gems of the automotive world (I’m not exaggerating), in terms of the articles, the images and the commentary. I can’t thank you enough for all of your time and effort in putting together and maintaining this site. Of course no one would blame you if you decide it’s become too much effort for too little reward, but I will echo others in hoping that that day doesn’t come for quite a while!
Yeah, it is a weird name. Casting around for something similar in meaning, they could have called it an Only. Then they could have advertised it as “Only. A Subaru.”
Or maybe not.
Inscrutable Japanese.
I think the name has to do with ‘just’ as in ‘right’. So they called it Justy as a descriptive, like “trusty”. Fits in with Subaru naming the-then uplevel car the Loyale.
Time is a relentless bitch. The days of finding 30 year old Jetta’s in the U-Pull is pretty much over. If you can’t get parts easily at a reasonable price, eventually the old war horse is too expensive to “Justify” keeping it going. Lucky for me the A2 was built for almost 30 years in other countries, especially China so parts are still cheap and plentiful, especially with a little internet searching. If you have to pay $75.00 and up an hour for a mechanic, it doesn’t take much to give up and replace the old CC. unless your really dedicated or have more sense than money. I spent almost a month and 3 wrong parts before I finally could find a new fuel pump that was affordable and correct. There will be a market for popular classic models for a long time, but those cars are opposite to what this site is about. I spend hours yesterday reading all the articles on Corvair’s until I could read no more and went to bed. The contributors and commenters over the years have changed, after all, there are only so many older cars in the world. I love this site but at the same time have noticed the changes which are necessary so you can have a life with your family. And I’m months away from the big 60 and I believe you may have 3 or 4 years on me. I’m probably under estimating the amount of time it takes to maintain this site, and you have your fleet of rental houses and a family to take care of as well. It may well be better to fade away than to burn out. What ever you eventually decide to do, I thank you for endless hours of entertainment and education about old cars, and your great writing skills and humor. Do what you feel is right for you.
There definitely is a life cycle for unpopular classics. They go from new to used to beater, at which point they’re either maintained, make their way to the junkyard, or end up being hoarded in a state of disrepair. Pretty soon you see more in the junkyard than on the streets, then those in hiding get sent to the junkyard, then they are all gone except for those owned by the faithful. My Peugeot 504 is in the last stages – there was a surge in the salvage yard a few years ago as the last owner/hoarders finally threw in the towel and or died. And now nothing left.
But I still want to hear about these cars, their context, the battles to keep them on the road, and the road trips. No one does it better than this website.
That’s what happened to my old Cortina. Even in the junkyards, parts were getting hard to find. I advertised it in local old car magazines, but nobody wanted to buy it. So I just let it sit in the shed, and eventually gave it away to my son’s friend who got it going again and found a buyer. It helped him get through college, so I was okay with that.
Yup, that time-cycle thing is real. It appears that you can no longer buy a rebuilt alternator for $20, or a 60k mile Mopar C body from the 60s for $900. My “there are no good cars for under $700” rule sort of became “there are no good cars for under $2500”, and I am starting to fear that another adjustment is in order.
It has only been recently that I have begun to understand my tastes in cars. I like huge and soft, and I like teeny and fun. I have owned very few in between. This Justy fits perfectly in the little-car end of my spectrum of desire. I wish I had considered one of these when they were cheap and (relatively) plentiful.
Ah, my first brand new car. 1988 5 speed. As a courier in DC at the time, it did the job. I haven’t seen one in at least 10 years, maybe 15.
To me, the modern day version of this car is the Nissan Versa. The base model still has crank windows, a manual transmission, only 106 HP and for about $12,000, is a car for someone looking for basic transportation with no frills. (At least A/C is standard, unlike the Justy that I’m sure rarely had A/C added as an option). The Versa Note resembles the Justy more but is priced at $15k. Either way, consumers can still buy an inexpensive, brand new, basic car just as they could back then. (Too bad the Versa wasn’t available in AWD – then it would be a direct hit!)
True, haven’t seen a Justy in years. One of the few cars that probably would even look small next to a Metro or a Festiva.
Don’t mourn the Stanza wagons just yet though. There are two still trundling around Richmond, including one that is the daily driver (in good weather) of someone who works at the same facility I do. It’s in near-showroom shape; I keep hoping I’ll run into the owner some day so I can compliment him on his preservation skills!
I’d say that the modern equivalent of the Justy would be something like the Skoda Citigo below. It’s the cheapest (new) car on the market right now.
It’s clearly fully based on the Volkswagen Up! (sometimes amiably called the Volkswagen Up Yours!)
As a matter of fact, there are more tiny, basic, cheap hatchbacks on the market than ever before. With 3 cylinder engines and manuals.
There may be more than ever, but we don’t see most of them over here. The most basic car you can buy in this country is probably the Mitsubishi Mirage, which is a 3-cylinder manual, but it gets pretty universally terrible reviews. Hard to say though if it’s truly a bad car, or if they’re just expecting a bottom-rung subcompact to have the same level of refinement as its more upmarket competitors.
I think the new micro Mirage gets awful reviews, because it went from being a car on par with the Civic and Corolla, to being a car on par with a Geo Metro.
Although, I would take the Geo Metro over that ugly piece of rubbish, any day.
Could that be this car ? It’s called the Mitsubishi Space Star here. The number 2 on the list of cheapest cars. The Ford Ka is the number 3.
Here’s the whole list, counting from 10 to 1:
http://www.autoblog.nl/nieuws/top-10-goedkoopste-autos-van-nederland-editie-2015-76690
Just checked, and it is indeed the same car. Apparently someone else has the rights to the Mirage name in Europe.
I only know the Mirage as the French (Dassault Aviation) jet-fighter.
When I was in Denmark last week, they were advertising the crap out of the Space Star/Mirage. I would have thought Mitsubishi would have faded out of Europe when they sold their Dutch plant.
In Denmark at least they were advertising a tiny Kia called Picante cheaper and the cheapest I saw was the new? Opel Karl and bragging how German it was. I assume that means it is really a Daewoo. At least in Europe they were emphasizing price and not just payment
We don’t have the Skodas in the U.S……
We do in Australia, but not this small. VW used to sell the Up! here, but gave up last year.
The Skoda Octavia and the top model Superb are often used as police cars and taxis throughout Europe. Roomy, comfortable and with an excellent price/quality-ratio.
Here’s a Skoda taxi from Germany.
Nearby my good bros house is one of these in immaculate condition owned and driven by an elderly gent, its in regular though not daily use, My British VW nutter friend has finally parked his Kombi van in favour of a Subaru ACE a tiny kei car type thing that refuses to use fuel and goes better than his 66 VW van, the Ace is some 20 years old but has only travelled 40,000kms so is almost new mechanically.
Cars last longer in the Willamette Valley so where do you think they go when they disappear if not the junkyard?
Well so far this decade this country has experience record flooding in several state, wildfires, blizzards, and other types of intense weather. Of those states and I know I am forgetting some, but Texas, Colorado, and Oklahoma are home to bunches of classic vehicles. Amazingly enough the begining rumblings of the 2008 Recession were nearly 7 years ago as was Dubya’s hand out to General Motors and I agree that the Recession sure does seem to be over. I need to contemplate posting photos of classic cars on the Cohort from around Portland and Missoula. More rural areas tend to have a better selection of older vehicles too.
I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet, but this is definitely better than it was a few years ago.
Come to a Wyoming or Montana junkyard sometime- there are tons of cool vehicles that never really rust away. They just become sun-baked, but they’re still there.
Need parts for your old A-Body? We’ve got them somewhere in this state!
Whatever small amount of these once puttered around the streets of Toledo, Ohio have long since been dissolved by rust. It has to be nearly 20 years since I’ve seen one in the wild, although when I was in Japan I’m sure I spotted one or two of them.
Wow, I have not spotted one of those on the road in years. The old”too expensive to fix a cheap car” did most of these in. Should have called them Subrayugos.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of these cars before. If there were any in Indiana they must have disintegrated years ago.
There was a green one around here, but I haven’t seen it in recent months
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5533/9241914926_64f8745521_b.jpg
Cool, I like seeing old cars still sitting around. I was coming home today and saw a dodge omni GLH turbo sitting by a shop. Went up the road and saw a car from high school, 72 caddilac , puke green, red steelies and a 472 v8. Being born in 96 , I can say I love seeing 90s beaters still running around. Its odd but I like seeing old Luminas and cavaliers. Mostly old gmt400 pickups. And I would love to have lived back in the early 80s, cause I can’t imagine seeing z/28s and 442s running around as 10 year old beaters..
I’ve owned two of the GMT400s- they’re a great truck. I prefer my 1987 though- there is just something about the sqaure body styling- it just seems to come together perfectly.
I’m in Nebraska and I havn’t seen a Justy since before the turn of the century.
A couple at the end of our street used to have a small fleet of them. Two in the yard for driving, and a few more up the back paddock for parts.
Even smaller than the Justy and with less power this is the Subaru ACE, not my friends one but another at the curb wanting a new owner.
These are sent to the Middle East. I see them fairly often here in Oman. Tons of Cedrics as well. I think a full 50% of cars on the road here are Toyota/Lexus though.
One car I predict that will never become a Curbside Classic is the Nissan Leaf. Just about the point where they reach beater status, the batteries will require expensive replacement, and so, off to the yard they will go. Just out of curiousity, has anyone even seen one in a junkyard? I wonder- wouldn’t they require some manhours to remove the batteries before they go to the crusher?
Haven’t seen one yet but I would expect the battery to be the first thing to be removed as it’s the most valuable item.
Nissan dealers seem to budget 3hours for a full replacement so it can’t be that hard to remove, of course doing some research first and using a set of thick rubber gloves would help too…
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=17168
Don’t know about that. Battery prices are coming down, so eventually that $5500 battery pack might become that $1500 battery pack. And then it might seem reasonable. Maybe not for one that is completely roached otherwise, but for a clean and well kept example, some folks will probably take the plunge.
It’s amazing the difference only a few years can make. Less than 10 years ago there seemed to be a never ending supply of domestic ’80s beaters roaming around Michigan… Buicks, Caprices, Cutlass coupes, Monte Carlos, LTDs, Celebrities, Fifth Avenues. Now most of the cars around are mid-late 90s at the oldest, and even those examples are dwindling as they begin to reach their 20th birthdays. Anything with a hard edge or angle in the sheetmetal sticks out like a sore thumb from a previous automotive eon. Yes, even those indestructible Cutlass Cieras.
I’ve noticed a lot of re-runs on the site lately, and I can’t blame you. Between all the models written up already, a dwindling selection of older cars, and the sheer time it takes to run a daily blog like this, it’s understandable. I do enjoy reading the old entries though, even if I read them back in 2011 when you first posted, it’s been long enough that they become “fresh” again.
I know there are plenty of people in their 20s who will have the interest and verve to write in depth articles about 2002 Oldsmobiles, et al. I don’t think it would be hard to find someone to take the site over, or at the very least, keep the archives up and running.
Some vehicles are surely destined for eternity to incorporate guaranteed immunity from any future century journalistic eulogising ..can you imagine a sane person ever ‘euwing and arrrghing’ over a ghastly early Chinese automotive attempt as the inaugural ‘Great Wall’ V240 Pick-up with the nightmarish looney ‘face’ more off-putting than your mother-in-law’s, or the very first Korean SsangYong or Kia attempts for that matter?
..or is this a bit harsh? (the latest from these producers are very nicely harmonised attractive stylings now are they not?)