Even Subaru was not above jumping on the subcompact bandwagon in the late 1980s, producing a small car to help Americans and others save on fuel costs. Of course, being Subaru, they figured out ways to do things differently. That’s how they ended up with not only a three-cylinder engine, but also the smallest all-wheel-drive car on the market. Of course, the all-wheel-drive detracted from this car’s main objective, saving on fuel. Needless to say, Subaru was not too successful in this endeavor – perhaps it would have gone better if they’d fitted a turbo to the all-wheel-drive car and called it the Justy WRX. Either way, these cars are surprisingly capable in rough terrain, and would have lasted longer were they not low-cost throwaway cars. You can find our survivor 1988 Subaru Justy for sale for $1800 in Alta Loma, CA.
Posts Tagged ‘under $2000’
Sightseeing – Borgward Isabella Coupe and TS Sedan
November 4, 2013Some makes and models of older cars are so obscure that the most common way to find them is as a sun-baked hulk in someone’s yard. Such is often the case with Borgward, a Bremen, Germany-based manufacturer of upper-middle-class luxury cars that slotted in the gap between Mercedes and VW/Opel. With a top speed of over 80mph, 4-wheel independent suspension, a hydraulic clutch, and more competitive features, it was quite a nice car in its day, and fairly successful with production of just over 200,000 cars. Unfortunately, the parent company failed to take advantage of economies of scale across its four divisions (Borgward, Hansa, Goliath, and Lloyd), and thanks to this and a slump in demand at home and abroad, went bankrupt in 1961. The current seller of this Borgward Isabella coupe, for sale for $900 in East Los Angeles, CA, will probably also not be clearing a profit on his car.
Senior Seven – 1980 BMW 733i
October 31, 2013While we’re on the subject of cars that cover long distances well, or at least did when they were new, the BMW E23 7-series is one of those cars. If you missed the 1984 BMW 745i, or it was beyond your financial or mechanical abilities, rest assured, there are even cheaper alternatives out there, even with a manual transmission. That’s how we get to this grey-market 1980 BMW 733i, for sale in La Crescenta, CA for a mere $1400.


