$5000 Cars for the Summer: Window Shop with Car and Driver

Window Shopping regular and C/D contributor Jonathon Ramsey is ready to sell the 1997 Buick Park Avenue he found for our reliable-car challenge. While he loves the Buick’s comfort, features, reliability, and supercharged goodness, warmer weather has him itching for a change. So the Window Shop crew went to work finding Ramsey a new-to-him $5000 car to enjoy until the snow starts falling.

After spending the past year seeing what sorts of cars and trucks Ramsey likes, contributor John Pearley Huffman should have at least a fair idea of what he likes. But Pearley goes in a strange direction, picking an electric car that can’t go very far on a charge.

Despite missing the mark by 73 miles, Pearley still levels plenty of criticism at senior editor Joey Capparella’s very original pick. While the Mazda minivan might be slow, we can't deny its undeniable JDM vibe, and its four-wheel drive appeals to Ramsey.

Though the pandemic has made us hesitant to board a plane, deputy testing director K.C. Colwell tries to convince Ramsey to take a vacation to Hawaii, where he can pick up a clean 1996 Volvo 850R. Smitten by the choice, Ramsey appears to consider the trek until he hears just how affordable it is to simply have the car shipped from the Aloha State.