A limited-production home-market-only car, today’s Nice Price or No Dice Sera is most notable for its funky butterfly doors. Those are different, for sure, but will its price make it seem like a fly-by-night deal?
The station wagon is an automotive form factor that’s like cooking lobster at home—plenty of people love the concept, but few are willing to put in the effort. I think the main fear with lobsters is that in the off-chance one escapes its kitchen fate, it could then take up residence in the walls like a giant, scuttling, be-clawed cockroach. I’m not sure why more people don’t buy station wagons.
Yesterday, we saw the opportunity to right the wagon-avoiding wrongs, at least for one lucky new owner, in the form of a 1994 Mitsubishi Diamante wagon. Slightly beat up but promoted as being mechanically sound, that blast from the past is also one of the rarest long-roofs out there. A negotiable $3,450 asking price sealed the deal, earning the Diamante a stellar 77% Nice Price win.
Que, Sera, Sera
Considering the looks of yesterday’s Diamante and then ruminating over those of today’s JDM Toyota Sera, the realization that the Toyota is actually one full year older than the Mitsubishi hits pretty hard. Even today, it appears to be from some far-flung future. It’s also quite remarkable to come to terms with the fact that this amazingly unique little bundle of mirth came from Toyota, better known here in the U.S. for building the automotive equivalent of plain-wrap white bread. No wonder the company kept this model at home.
The Sera is the productized version of a 1989 show car concept called the AVX-II and was sold through one of Toyota’s secondary dealer networks, the Toyota Auto Store. The Sera’s party piece is, of course, those big bubble doors that hinge at the base and top of the A-pillar. That allows them to open up rather than out, just like on a McLaren F1, and are incorporated into the bubble greenhouse like something out of a ’50s Motorama Show.
Paseo partner
Yep, north of the equator, the Sera is Grandmaster Flash, while below that, it’s… well, a Paseo. Both the Paseo, which Toyota introduced here in the U.S. and the Sera, which it did not, were based on the FWD 1.5-litre Tercel platform, a fairly unremarkable ride. The Sera spices that up with those cool doors and even some notable headlights, as the model was supposedly the first production car to carry projectors.
The Sera proved to be good-looking, but with all that glass on top and the structure to hold those wonderful doors in place, it was heavier and more top-heavy than its platform mates, placing an extra onus on the 110-bhp 5E-FHE engine and five-speed manual transmission. Point in fact, when describing this Sera’s performance, the ad humorously claims it to be:
Performance: 0-60 mph (a leisurely pace); Standing quarter-mile (even more leisurely).
Top Speed: Faster than a Volkswagen Beetle.
But still, those doors! That roof! It may look like the Mazda MX3’s dowdy sister below the waist, but open those doors, and you’ll get the party started. This one, in metallic silver over a gray cloth interior, also seems to be in great condition for its age.
Funky Mode
It also rocks (quite literally) the optional Super Live Sound System (SLSS), which fits multiple speakers throughout the cabin, including a set in a movable speaker housing mounted atop the boot cover. Those speakers can face forward (Casual Mode) or bounce the bass off the back hatch (Funky Mode) depending on how much the car’s occupants want to feel the beat.
Sitting ahead of that are four bucket seats, the rear pair of which can be folded down for more storage. This is not a traditional hatchback, though, as while the boot cover is removable, it’s pretty heavy and does need to be unplugged to do so. The cabin looks to be in as-new condition, and with only 82,000 miles on the clock and a clean title, it should. The exterior is just as nice, with decent paint and seemingly no dings or dents anywhere. According to the ad, this Sera has been on display at the Audrain Auto Museum in Newport, Rhode Island, which would explain its “museum-like” condition.
Big bucks for a small car
Being museum-worthy usually means added costs, and in the case of this Sera, that’s a $19,500 asking price. The car does have current tags and plates, so it appears that its import duties and other related matters have already been taken care of. That’s a good thing, considering how crazy importing anything into the U.S. has become these days. That also makes it an extra interesting way to “stick it to the man” regarding import taxes, having been brought over in the pre-crazy times. But does that make it a good bargain?
What do you say? Does this funky Toyota seem worth the $19,500 asking price? Or does that price shut the door on any interest?
You decide!
Nice Price or No Dice:
Providence, Rhode Island, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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