Talk about preservation, wow! This car won’t turn the crank for too many Barn Finds readers since it isn’t an American muscle car or a pickup, but for those of us who like unusual vehicles, this rust-free 5-speed 1979 Subaru DL Wagon is a gem. The seller has it posted here on craigslist in Calumet, Michigan, and the seller is asking $9,500. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Tony P. for the tip!
Not to turn this into a travelogue, but if you haven’t been to what was supposed to be the 51st state by now, at least from what we heard as kids in the 70s, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is amazing. You can’t quite make out the script on the front fenders, but this car isn’t a 4WD Subaru as you’d expect; it’s a front-wheel drive model. It may not be as desirable to collectors, but the condition of this front-drive car will help its case. That asking price, though, ouch.
Speaking of rust-free, this one looks amazing, not always something that can be said for early Subarus with their thin sheet metal and often being winter cars. Speaking of the snow country of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where they can get 30+ feet of snow (this is my TT next to a snow gauge showing 390.4 inches!), this car has never been driven in the snow, and with only 48,505 miles, I believe it.
Luminous Blue is the paint color, and the matching blue interior looks like new. Not to mention being positively fancy for a 1970s Subaru with the woodgrain dash accents. I don’t see anything inside that makes my eyebrow (or eyebrows) raise one centimeter. The best part is this car has a 5-speed manual transmission, a lot of them are saddled with a power and fun-zapping automatic. The padded dash makes me weep like a child; they’re often cracked everywhere, and especially around the speaker holes. The back seat area also looks like new. Sadly, we don’t get a rear view of the car at all, and no photos of the rear cargo area; weird.
The engine, and yes, there is one under that spare tire and air cleaner, is Subaru’s EA71, a 1.6-liter OHV boxer-four with 71 horsepower and 83 lb-ft of torque. Backed by a 5-speed manual sending power to the front wheels, this car is said to be in excellent condition. They say “bought new in 1979”, but does that mean they’re the original owner? If so, that’s even more amazing. Any thoughts on this front-drive Subaru wagon?
Almost 20 years ago, I got a parking ticket for $2.00 in Calumet. The parking meter was not located on the curb but rather the building on the other side of the sidewalk, and neither my wife or I noticed it. I had to pay the bill at the fire station in town, which I promptly did.
If you’re in the area, you should visit Fort Wilkins State Park in Copper Harbor. :)
Cool car, Scotty!
But be sure to put money in the meter,
if you can find it.
Ha, $2 around 20 years ago is only $3 today. That’s crazy cheap for a parking ticket. I’m guessing they don’t have coin-operated meters there anymore, but I could be wrong. Wait, I’m wrong! Here’s a Google Street View showing parking meters up against the buildings!
https://maps.app.goo.gl/XQoq6SXP5Bvd7S5FA
I’m assuming that’s so the snowplows don’t knock them over and/or cover them up in the winter.
Scotty, I don’t know if you noticed, but I think your Google picture shows a Sterling in the wild!
Good Grief!!! This has to be the cleanest late 70’s Subaru wagon around. That dash board, seats everything. This looks like Scotty and Tony P went back in a time machine ( a DeLorean???) And took photos. That parking meter on the building thing makes a lot of sense with the snow plows and snow. Great Find Tony and great write up too Scotty I truly enjoy all the more off the beaten path vehicles on here.
I’m thinking that Scotty’s Time Machine would be based upon a Rambler/ American Motors product!
Yes! A ’62 American, please…
Well, you lost me at not being a 4×4, I mean, I find it hard to fathom, someone from the UP, der hey, wouldn’t sport the extra $700 for the AWD, it drastically changes the capability of these cars. They were good cars, but the AWD was Subies claim to fame, and this then is nothing special, to me.
Now, as far as Calumet Mich, ( staring up at dream cloud) many moons ago, my then gf and I rented 4 wheelers in the UP, out of Calumet, der hey, and it was the most fun, scenery to die for, and Lake Superior, well, they don’t call it “Superior” for nothing. Like the author sez, Ft. Wilkins is at the very end of Hy. 41, and not much fanfare for a highway that spans 2,000 miles, and I became fascinated with lighthouses. I miss it dearly, thanks a lot, SG, now I’m “Michigan Dreamin”,
Yeah, they’re pretty rare for sure. I looked at one in a smurf blue color that was front-wheel drive a few years ago, but really wanted 4WD.
Anything north of Houghton/Hancock for me, other than 300+ inches of snow a year, uuuf.
If this was bought by someone that had a vacation home it would help explain the low mileage and lack of 4 wheel drive.
Subaru’s have a cult following, Japanese cars from this era are gaining in popularity and wagons have been hot for years. It’s conceivable this will sell, nobody is ever going to use it as winter a driver, it’s going to be used to go coffee and cars and other shows so the lack of 4wd might not matter. It appears to be in excellent condition and it’s in a segment of the market that doesn’t have to compete on price, like 4 door cars do.
Steve R
Strictly as an observation, here in FL Subie drivers are 1 of 2 types: 1) always going Mach 3 with their hair on fire or, 2) couldn’t get out of their own way to save their lives. There is no middle ground. I have never encountered a Subaru product being operated in a “normal fashion” by its driver. What does that say about the personality of their owners?
Combined with their known extreme mechanical defects in later models, I avoid Subies like the plague.
I had a 74 DL and that thing would driver great through snowbelt winters with only 2 WD. It rusted out pretty fast, though, which is what makes this car so miraculous.
What an insulting comment, Howard.
In New England, our general observational comment about Subaru drivers were that they were all granola eating Vermont hippies.
That quickly turned into being the slowest drivers on the road, with the exception of beige Camry drivers.
This must have been someone’s summer car that spent winters tucked away in a shed beside the cabin. No need for 4WD.
Wow, I used to own a 1978 Subaru DL 4-door sedan in this same color and with the same interior. Brings back some memories! The thing was reliable as an anvil, the pushrod flat four having a gear-driven cam and no head gasket problems. It was also easy to work on without overhead cams making the engine wider. The downside – a whopping 71 horsepower, though with 5-speed manual shift it wasn’t too bad.
However mine had dealer-installed AC. Not only did the evaporator take up most of the glovebox, but turning the AC on could have served as an emergency brake!
It was a funky little car to be sure. Rust ultimately took it down while it was still otherwise running great.
mine wuz the ubiquitous beige all seemed to B @ that time/location, w/auto (thnx ye gods) & alu boxer 4 (alu like-a-block w/steel liners for cylinders). My
’73 DL was my 1st frnt wheel drive car I believe. Didnt need a 4WD even pre-climate change in NE usa (never plow sno, rural area). Station wagon as per usual. Same gen, seemed to last into the 90s (21 yrs, again, per usual).
8^ )
In 2000 I picked up a ’76 GF Hardtop. One owner Grandma car with about 45K miles. Yellow with a brown interior. 5-speed and air conditioning. Mint condition. Fortunately I found a mechanic who ran a former Subaru dealership. He had plenty of NOS parts to keep it running. Fun little dorky car.
Aaron Toth,
Just the drive to Copper Harbour is worth the drive!
When I saw the first picture, because of the angle and lighting. I thought I saw a Datsun (Nissan?) F10. Which has to be one of the worlds ugliest cars. The F10 makes a Tribant look cool!
Hey ladies and gentlemen, how about discussing your feelings on the ugliest car (in your opinion) that you have ever seen?
This Subie looks good, but the price is a little optimistic in my opinion. I agree with the summer only use. It’s also possible that the original owner had a twin to this car in 4×4 for the winter!?!? And yes, the snow up there can get REALLY deep, as once it starts to snow, it just stays there and builds up until the spring/summer thaw.
Hahah. My parents had one of these growing up. I remember it was good in the snow and decent on gas. I remember my dad traded it in on an 86 DL or DX wagon, which was a total roach of a car.
In 1978 they went to permanent cylinder liners in the block. Prior to that if you had coolant in the oil from a blown head gasket you had to remove the liners and get a micrometer out and measure the copper shims that went under them. What a pain to work on those early engines. After 1978 they were good engines. Two guys could pick engine out of engine bay which was the easiest way to replace the clutch.
Calumet? In the would be state of Superior? We did visit Ft Wilkins at tip of the rabbit ear back in ’71. Driving in my parents brush painted blue GMC with slide in camper. Simply beautiful country. Fuji Heavy Industries was on their way to building normal cars. This is an excellent example.
I had a 79 4WD wagon that unfortunately didn’t survive a “sleeping while driving experiment”. It was a great car, but it was so slow it bordered on dangerous.
Yeah, I would want an AWD version as well today, but from experience I can attest the 2WD is no slouch in the snow. The morning after the blizzard of 78 I ran my 72 GL coupe 7 miles to work with the snow so deep it was blowing over the hood and up the windshield. You just had to guess where the road was. No trouble at all for that little orange Coupe.
In 1978, while stationed in West Germany, my supervisor had one of these and asked me for help installing front brake pads. Tinniest piece of crap I ever worked on. Howard, if your statement is true (and I believe you) and a recent trip through Colorado is an example, there are more people that way than I ever imagined. I cringed every time I heard their commercial: “Love, it’s what makes a Subaru a Subaru.”
a friend that’s a woman calls hers “the Lezbaru” sez all her friends (Northampton. MA has highest # female couples in usa) have em mostly cuza da advert w/that ‘love’ in the comercial…
Back in early 70’s, I worked in Chicago area at a dealer that just started getting in Subaru’s. GL & DL models, fairly basic and cheap. My job was to install after-market A/C units in them. Subarus were just coming in the market, mostly unknown back then. Years later, my wife got a Subaru Baja….it was a blast!