The Blobfish is generally considered one of the ugliest things on the planet—at least by those who have not yet made introductions with today’s Nice Price or No Dice SsangYong. Let’s decide what might be a fair price for this extremely rare and arguably aesthetically challenged private import.
When its engineering team presented the 10th-generation Thunderbird to Ford’s leadership, they expected praise for the abundance of innovation and style they had managed to cram into the car. Instead, the team was pilloried for having missed the project’s targets on both weight and cost. That might have jinxed the car from the start, and the derision continued in the comments on the 1989 Thunderbird SC we looked at yesterday. Most of you thought it was just an old car with little recommending that it be kept in as nice shape as it appeared. A $23,951 asking in Canadian dollars sealed the T-Bird’s fate, shooting it down in a narrow but decisive 53 percent No Dice loss.
One has to wonder, were he alive and hitting the swinging singles scene today, what vehicle the Elephant Man might look at and declare, “Finally, a car uniquely designed for me!” Well, wonder no further as I present to you a 2008 Ssangyong Actyon Sport SUT.
This private import from a sibilant-heavy minor South Korean manufacturer has somehow made it not only to our shores but to the uber-strict emissions compliance state of California. No doubt, you’ve all done the math and have figured out that this truck doesn’t even meet the federal government’s 25-year import rule, so it’s anyone’s guess as to just what the flip this thing is even doing here.
The emissions aspect might be easy to understand, as this Actyon—and yes, we’ll get to that name in a sec—is diesel-powered. Not only that, but it’s a Mercedes diesel. That’s a 2.0-liter direct-injected turbo-diesel making 139 horsepower and 228 lb-ft of torque. Behind that is a five-speed automatic also sourced from Daimler-Benz. These were made available with either two or four-wheel drive, but the ad doesn’t say whether this one spins all its tires or not.
In fact, the ad is annoyingly light on details such as how this truck came to be here at all or how it got through the maze of DMV machinations, enabling it to wear California license plates. It doesn’t even explain that the name—Actyon—is supposed to be a mashup of the English words “Action” and “Young.” That, by the way, sounds more like a legal firm advertising accident injury payouts on freeway-adjacent billboards.
The truck looks in decent condition, albeit in white refrigerator paint and matte black trim. The styling is what really makes the Actyon stand out, as it’s a combination of Honda Ridgeline and a large, pustulating zit. To be fair, it’s pretty unique, and if you like it, then you’re probably not going to find another easy way to satisfy that kink.
It’s less weird in the cab, although it does have a bespoke dash cap that’s got to be the most random thing ever. The truck appears to have power windows, locks, mirrors, and A/C, so it’s at least not wholly parsimonious. A gander at the odometer shows the truck to have done a mere 16,635 miles. Many of those were probably at night so as not to offend those with a sensitive sense of aesthetics. The title is clean, and the ad does note that the Actyon has been well-maintained and garage-kept—likely at the behest of its neighbors. A $16,500 asking price puts the SsangYong into play.
What’s your take on this South Korean rarity and that $16,500 asking? Does that seem fair to get your weird on? Or is that just asking for trouble?
You decide!
Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
Help me out with NPOND. Hit me up via email and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your Kinja handle.
