zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
For $15,000, Own a Binary Starlet System
For $15,000, Own a Binary Starlet System-January 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:10:08

While movies typically only have one headlining star, today’s contest features a pair of co-stars- Toyotas that are the same but slightly different. It’ll be up to you to determine if their combined price is a supernova of value.

They say everything is bigger in Texas, and while Toyota’s Starlet was one of the smallest rear-drive economy cars around, the fact that this is offering up two of them makes it a pretty big deal.

That perhaps would not be the case if they were stock - wonder-twinning up a meager 116-bhp out of their 4K engines' combined 2,580-cc. Of course this being Texas, that’s very much not the case.

Let’s take these two Starlets one at a time, starting with the poop-colored one.

This tiny hatch has had its 1,290-cc 4K unceremoniously ripped out and replaced with a twin-cam 4A-GE four, notably late of an AE86. Stock, that Yamaha-headed engine pumped out anywhere from 112-126-bhp, depending on the model. This one has the cam cover lettering painted red, which could indicate that it’s the higher tuned edition, but we’re not stopping there.

In addition to the bigger (1,600-cc) mill, this Starlet gains a Garrett turbo and NOS, just freakin' because. No horsepower rating is given in the ad but it’s likely to be in the hoo-hoo, hee-hee, oh-my range.

Backing up the heavily stressed 4A is a 5-speed W55 gearbox, and that sends power back to a 4:30 rear-end with a disc brake conversion. Aside from some shiny wheels, this turd-colored rocket appears intended to travel in stealth mode.

I guess you could call the other one poop-colored as well, but it’s more of a baby’s-first-summer yellow than traditional cinnamon starfish brown. It also features and entire left front fender and pinned hood are painted in tough-guy primer gray. Unlike the other Starlet, this one seems somewhat rough - sort of the Merle to the brown one’s Daryl.

It’s also different in what lies under its hood, eschewing Toyota power entirely for Mazda rotary motivation. That means a 12A which stock put out 101-hp, a nice upgrade to the Starlet’s factory 58, but, seeing this is Texas, not nearly enough. It too gains a turbo, this one blowing through a Holley carb. No other specs are given for the yellow car although it does appear to have traded its front bumper for a nice air-to-air intercooler.

The seller says that both cars are in great shape and they come with clean titles. Again, this being Texas that probably doesn’t mean a damn thing. If you were to try and title either of these rides in someplace like California they’d probably lock down the DMV and ship you off to the CARB re-education camp. I’m just hypothesizing that last bit, but let’s just say that Texas is a little more liberal in their automotive emissions standards, and nothing else.

So there you go - two for one; twin sons of different mothers; a binary starlet system - all for $15,000. Yeah, the seller is willing to sell the cars individually, but that would be like splitting up Chang and Eng Bunker, the original Siamese Twins. Sure, these two aren’t conjoined by anything other than their shared Craigslist ad and price, but it just doesn’t seem right.

Considering them as a package deal, perhaps serving both you and your attic-bound brother, what do you think about that $15,000 price tag? Is that a deal for so hot a pair of Starlets? Or, does that price mean these two are not burning so bright?

You decide!

, or go if the ad disappears.

Help me out with NPOCP. Click to send a me a fixed-price tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
Might You Go $4,500 For This Beautiful 1968 Benelli/Wards Riverside 350?
Might You Go $4,500 For This Beautiful 1968 Benelli/Wards Riverside 350?
Keats once noted that truth is beauty and thus beauty equals truth. Today’s Wards Riverside is a true beauty, but its price may just prove an ugly truth. Nothing quite says happy birthday baby jesus like a . That might not be what YOU would like to find under your...
Jan 21, 2026
The Best Cars (And Trucks, And Bikes) We Drove In 2015
The Best Cars (And Trucks, And Bikes) We Drove In 2015
Looking through the cars Jalopnik has driven in 2015, I’m not sure there has been a better year for driving. At least, not in many decades. New cars have reached unprecedented levels of performance and rickety old cars are still a Craigslist search and a pair of jumper cables away....
Jan 21, 2026
For $4,000, Would You Be Dying To Buy This 1965 Cadillac Hearse With Its Anti-Fap Wrap?
For $4,000, Would You Be Dying To Buy This 1965 Cadillac Hearse With Its Anti-Fap Wrap?
With today’s Caddy Hearse you go in style, no matter what your final destination might be. Its price and condition however might just have you reaffirming the maxim that you probably can’t take it with you. In Sweden they . If you’re not quite ready to ride to Valhalla however,...
Jan 21, 2026
Watch Out For Dealerships That Give Things Away For 'Free'
Watch Out For Dealerships That Give Things Away For 'Free'
Dealerships will try all kinds of things to convince you that they are offering HUGE SAVINGS. Some of them even resort to giving things away like free televisions, free maintenance, or even a free car. Usually, the deal isn’t so great once you run the numbers. I immediately get suspicious...
Jan 21, 2026
How About This 2005 Volvo V70R Six Speed for $7,950?
How About This 2005 Volvo V70R Six Speed for $7,950?
It may not be talk like a pirate day, but our Volvo does say “R” none the less. Let’s see if this checkbox-ticking Swede also has what it takes to shake out your booty. Named after the noisy surf that defines it, Malibu is a tony beach community north-west of...
Jan 21, 2026
For $5,500, Would You Like To Find This 1970 Datsun 1600 Under Your Tree?
For $5,500, Would You Like To Find This 1970 Datsun 1600 Under Your Tree?
Before there was the 240Z there was the Datsun Roadster. Today’s 1600 lets you enjoy the sky and is painted a sky blue. Will you find its price to be sky high as well? They say that there are two things that one needs to do to ensure popularity and...
Jan 21, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved