At $10,500, Is This 1978 Daihatsu Charmont A Charming Deal?
Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Daihatsu is a left-hand-drive export model but still has the funky-cool wing mirrors required in Japan at the time. Let’s see if this Toyota-based wagon has any more tricks up its sleeve, starting with its price.
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As a diesel-powered crossover from a company better known for luxury saloons and sports cars with standard equipment oil leaks and electrical gremlins, yesterday’s 2017 Jaguar F-PACE 20d came across as a bit of a head-scratcher. The $12,000 asking price proved a bit less of a conundrum, however, coming in with a narrow 53 percent Nice Price win.
In comparison to the oddness of yesterday’s Jag, today’s ’70s-era small wagon should look as comforting and familiar as any old Toyota Corolla might. That’s until you take a closer look and discover that it’s not, in fact, a Corolla, but a 1978 Daihatsu Charmont.
The Charmont was a license-built version of the Corolla that Daihatsu sold over two generations from 1974 through 1987. This cross-pollination of cars made a lot of sense at the time. Toyota was a major stakeholder in Daihatsu, with the latter company providing small-car expertise to its sugar daddy in emerging markets. It seems only fair for Toyota to have then lent a hand to Daihatsu on building a larger car.
Other than that unique history and some badging and trim differences, this is basically an E20 Corolla wagon — or Van in the home market. This one isn’t a JDM car, despite its quirky fender mirrors. The steering wheel on the left gives it away as an export model. However, these were never exported to the U.S., meaning this one arrived as a private import. According to the ad, it has a clean title and is currently registered through November in California. I’m not sure how that has been made possible since post-1975 vehicles still need to be smog tested in the state, and as the Charmont was never officially sold here, it would likely be verboten without a BAR sticker.
Regardless of that detail, the seller says the car has all its papers in order and is ready for a new owner. It has a 1.2-liter Toyota K-series under the hood, backed up by a four-speed stick, and drives a live axle in the back. The ad claims the car to be in excellent condition with no rust or accidents in its past. The handsome bodywork looks clean, and the paint on top of that appears to be original. Or, at least, the original color. Fresh tires on aftermarket alloys add some bling, although it would also be nice if the original wheels were available.
The cabin suffers only from some cracks in the dash cap. It’s otherwise basic and has both the original radio in the dash and a more contemporary head unit mounted above the shifter. The vinyl seats look like they’ll be wonderfully sticky in the summer.
There are only 48,000 miles on the clock, showing that the car has been lightly used in its former place of residence. It’s unlikely now that it would get any more use than just driving to Saturday car meets and the occasional JDM car show. Would such a life be worth $10,500?
That’s the question at hand. What do you think? Is this Corolla-in-all-but-name a good deal at that $10,500 asking? Or is that too much to charm you?
You decide!
Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to RevUnlimiter for the hookup!
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