Posts Tagged ‘wagon’

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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Rusty But Trusty On The Field – All Italian Show

October 17, 2013

Every year, there’s a fun, laid-back show for owners of Italian cars in the area surrounding Alameda, CA, just south of Oakland, to park their cars on the field and enjoy each other’s company. Each year brings the usual gaggle of Fiat and Alfa spiders, along with various Alfa sedans and some more unusual cars, like an Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Cabriolet, two DeTomaso Mangustas, and even a Fiat 131 sedan. The one thing that’s always surprising is the number of nicer Alfas parked outside the show field. You often overhear people saying they didn’t have the time to wash the car, or that it really needs some paint, but c’mon, people, this is not Pebble Beach! And if someone has a problem with you driving in in your spider that you haven’t washed since March, they can go to a car show that costs $250 instead of $5. Our first example of people who agree with this perspective is below – a red Fiat X1/9 that looks well-used, well-loved, and ready to keep going.

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Snow Mobile – 1986 Subaru GL 4WD Wagon

October 15, 2013

Considering their popularity as cult cars, and their reputation for durability, the pre-1990s Subarus seem to have largely disappeared from the roads. Perhaps, as with Alfas, you’ll see more of these if you’re in the Subaru (or Japanese Classic Car) scene, but for your average Johnny-on-the-street, they might as well have gone the way of the Peugeot or the Yugo. While they’re not terribly fast, and in fact are slow, they get bonus points for being leaders with the all-wheel-drive wagon package, and having a flat four engine. It’s not an original question, but what has been done to retrofit the older cars with turbocharged powertrains? While you’re contemplating that question, take a look at this 1986 Subaru GL 4WD wagon, listed for a mere $1400 in Santa Clara, CA.

1986 Subaru GL wagon right front

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