Archive for December, 2013

Flat Four #1 – 1984 Subaru GL Wagon (plus 2 bonus Scoobies!)

December 5, 2013

After talking about the purity of the earlier Saabs, and how they strayed from that to find greater appeal, it’s interesting to see how Subaru has followed a similar path, but with much greater success. Early Subarus grew out of the 360 microcars, into cars that were originally in the mid-size class with cars like the Accord, but are now probably smaller than a current generation Civic. Current Subarus have kept pace with their competition in terms of size, but Subaru has managed to cling to some of their brand DNA with their flat four engines and all wheel drive. Funny enough, while Subaru spends a lot of time publicizing the all wheel drive, they seem to have realized your average consumer does not care much if their cylinders are inline, flat, or in a vee, and as such they don’t say too much about it. You can find this 1984 Subaru GL wagon for sale in Enumclaw, WA for $3000.

1984 Subaru GL wagon right front

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Prettiest Small Coupe – 1970 Fiat 850 Coupe

December 4, 2013

When it came out in 1965, the Fiat 850 was recognized as one of the most successful designs of a 4-place compact sports coupe. From its raised headlights through the sloping roof, to the spoiler lip of the engine cover and quad tail lights copying and foreshadowing Ferrari designs (respectively), it had the true look of a sporting Italian car. Sadly, as a budget sports car, very few remain, and fewer still are in regular use. But this is where you, dear reader, come into play. Take the opportunity to get this 1970 Fiat 850 coupe, for sale in Oakland, CA for $3900, back on the road.

1970 Fiat 850 coupe for sale right front

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Two Swedes Walk Into 2.8bar – 1983 and 1985 Saab 900 Turbos

December 4, 2013

In the excitement surrounding the resumption of Saab production (even if at a trickle), we turned up a couple more classic 900s. While these older cars seem to be more in keeping with the soul of Saab, as opposed to some of the rather porcine GM-era cars, their devotion to the cause of great engineering is also partly why Saab is in its current predicament (see Lancia). Failure analysis aside, these make great classic cars, and we have two, presented in no particular order. First is this 1983 Saab 900 turbo for sale in Bellingham, WA for $2500.

1983 Saab 900 turbo for sale left front

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