That’s not a typo within the title of at the moment’s Good Value or No Cube Stepwgn; that’s truly how Honda named it. Let’s see if the worth of this privately-imported mini-camper additionally appears to be like like a mistake.
Many feedback on yesterday’s 2000 Ford F-150 Stake Mattress famous its utility and money-making skill. The draw back of getting such a useful truck isn’t having a free weekend at month’s finish, as buddies are all begging for assist transferring heavy stuff. Nonetheless, that’s not too large a value to pay. Neither too was the $4,700 requested to purchase the truck, as evidenced by the large 88 % Good Value win it obtained.
Right now’s 1998 Honda Stepwgn Area Deck could be much less useful for renter relocation, however on the plus aspect, it affords sleeping quarters, making a trip residence pointless.
Honda launched the Stepwgn in Japan for the 1996 mannequin 12 months. Primarily based on the up to date Civic platform, it crammed the area of interest of the standard minivan with a single sliding rear door on the curb (on this case, proper) aspect and as much as eight seats. This was at a time when Honda’s better-known minivan, the Odyssey, featured 4 swinging doorways and solely as much as seven seats.
In 1998, Honda took a web page from the VW playbook and launched the Weekender-like Area Deck as a Stepwgn choice. Modifications to the usual van included a fold-out desk within the rear of the cabin and a pop-up high with a roof-mounted mattress. The Area Deck version ended with the Stepwgn’s redesign in 2001, however Honda nonetheless sells a model of the usual mannequin to this very day.
All of these first-generation Stepwgns had been FWD, that includes a 2.0-liter, 123 horsepower B20B 4, and a four-speed automated. Honda by no means deemed the mannequin worthy of federalizing for the U.S. market, however due to the 25-year rule, a quantity can now be discovered on supply from non-public importers.
That’s simply how this one discovered its means right here, supplied by an organization referred to as Bike Warehouse, Inc., which makes a speciality of bringing older JDM vehicles and vehicles to the U.S. Attributable to its RHD format, the Portland, Oregon-based reseller humorously claims that the Stepwgn could be appropriate for postal supply. It makes you marvel if the USPS ever even thought of outdated Japanese vehicles and vans as a substitute for its growing old fleet of mail carriers. The vendor doesn’t counsel what a postal provider would possibly do with the Area Deck’s sleeping preparations, and truthfully, so long as I get my mail on time, I don’t need to know.
For the remainder of us, the van is claimed to be in good situation and to have 131,000 miles on the books. Primarily based on the plethora of stickers and decals festooning the home windows and passenger door, it will need to have led an thrilling life whereas accumulating these miles.
Aesthetically, the appliance-white paint and black-painted metal wheels make the van look a bit uninteresting and institutional, so the stickers do add some aptitude. The Volvo-esque crazy-tall rear lights assist as nicely.
Within the cabin, issues are tidy and clear if backward for our driving setting. The automated helps as neophyte right-handers gained’t have to create a singular muscle reminiscence for left-hand handbook shifting. A brand new Kenwood iPad-like stereo head unit befouls the sprint, however there are drawable curtains throughout in order that disgrace may be hidden from view when the van is parked.
The title is clear, and except for locations like California, the place the State’s smog guidelines prohibit registration with out costly mods, it could possibly possible be pushed and loved wherever one desires. The asking value for that enjoyment is $9,950.
What do you consider this oddball weekender van and that value? Does that appear truthful, given its uniqueness and flexibility? Or, for asking that a lot, can this JDM van GTFO?
You resolve!
Seattle, Washington, Craigslist, or go right here if the advert disappears.
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