Our own Matt Hurst recently showed us a newer and nicer Justy and I’m surprised to see another one in almost the same configuration for sale. This is a 1989 Subaru Justy 4WD 5-speed two-door sedan but this one isn’t fuel-injected like the newer one that Matt showed us was. This white wonder is listed on eBay in probably the last place I would ever expect to see a 4WD Justy: Fleming Island, Florida. The seller has what seems like a reasonable buy it now price of $1,750 listed. Let’s check it out.
Being a Subaru Justy fanatic, the first thing I notice is that this one must have been painted at some point during its life, the graphics aren’t original. That’s not to say that they’re bad, but as a staunch keep-things-original guy I would have to track down the original graphics and redo them. And, redoing is in this Justy’s future for the next owner. It needs some bodywork despite looking almost perfect in the overall photos. 1989 was the first year of the redesigned Justy with rounded edges and flush headlights. I love the old square style of the former Justy, but then again I have to have fuel-injection so this one is doubly-out for me.
There is lots of rust showing up and I would want to see underside photos before popping on this Justy. The rear wheel arches will need to be fixed and there is rust in the nooks and crannies all over. I would imagine that the underside is fairly rusty, maybe not to the point of being unsafe but if I know anything about Justys, and about Florida’s uber-humid-and-salty-air, there is rust that will need to be taken care of on this car. It’s unfortunate because these really are rare vehicles in this configuration. “Some rust around fender wells. Tear and rust showed in pictures. Rust on trunk release. Some rust in door jams”. For the record, RS stands for Rally Sport and with a three-cylinder, 66-hp non-turbo engine with AC.. yeah. Thankfully, this car has the hard to find rear package shelf.
This car has another rare item, factory Justy floor mats! I know, for those of you who could care less about these cars that’s no big deal but for fanatics, that’s like finding Jimmy Hoffa working at a Subway in Albuquerque. The interior looks great overall with some minor upholstery work to complete, probably due to being 40 years old and from the Florida sun. Justy parts, in general, are somewhat tough to find but there are several online forums like the Original Subaru Justy Forum and there are sites like Dusty’s Justys with some hard to find parts. This car has “114,195, Cold Factory AC, Pioneer System with CD Stereo.” Cold AC in a Justy! The 4WD system is engaged via the button on the top of the shift knob, just make sure you’re going in a straight line before you press it and let’r rip, tater chip.
This three-popper is Subaru’s EF12 inline three-cylinder with 66 hp and a carburetor. The later multi-port fuel-injected cars had 73 hp which still isn’t a lot but it’s a 10% bump in power and they’re much more reliable and easy to start. With that AC running I can’t imagine the power drain, but in Florida, it would be nice for sure. Some things that aren’t nice are: “Needs some TLC, Idles high when AC is on. Will not go into 4WD. Electrical or vacuum, problem. Had the carburetor overhauled couple months and replaced the timing belt. When it came back 4WD would not engage. Most likely a vacuum solenoid.” They could be right, that would be a fairly easy fix, it’s the little unit next to the wiper motor on the firewall. It could also be a loose wire on the 4WD button on the shift knob or a 4WD sensor that’s just stuck. They say that the “Engine and transmission are strong and runs like a scared rabbit.” Even with a small 3-cylinder engine, these are fun cars to drive with a 5-speed, and in the winter they’re almost unstoppable with 4WD.
Poor Scotty, crickets chirping on the Justy. Well, he took the time to write it up, I’m going to comment, dagnabit. In the early ’90’s, I had a friend’s wife who had a Justy like this, only red, I think. She said it was remarkable improvement over her 360,, which she still had in the barn. Not sure what kind of comparison that is, the 360 wasn’t much of a car, but I think these showed people Subaru could make a decent car. Kind of a 4 wheel drive Yugo, with 10 times the quality. I think this is the same motor the Geo used, and I know a guy that put hundreds of thousands of miles on one. This would be great in Colorado, where you never know what’s going to show up at the local Walmart parking lot.
Doggone right about FI vs. that deadly “electric” carb – if it hadn’t been for that my old FWD Justy might still be popping along. That little 3-banger was a truly sweet engine – I got familiar with its innards almost first thing, after the head disintegrated on my first day of using it. Old coolant + aluminum head = bad news, but I got a decent used one for $100 (my very first online search and purchase!), got the parts and pieces my buddy Bob told me to, and then he rebuilt it on his kitchen table that evening while watching Monday Night Football. Friends like that are a treasure, for sure …
It was a great little commuter, giving me a big profit on the mileage allowance between Nashville and Bowling Green. It was a hoot in the snow, a total gas on country roads, and almost as much fun to drive as the Alfa Milano we got around the same time. When we left for California I gave it to my son, who had helped with the engine work, and he and his favorite garage kept it running for another year or so, until that awful carb could simply not be kept working.
So Yes, I would be happy to find another one. FWD instead of 4WD preferred, FI absolutely necessary!
Believe it or not but I really liked these 3 cylinder cars when they were new.
When I worked at the Chevy store, I found the Sprints to be peppy and fun to drive.