American Motors was always the little company that could. To survive, they were always trying different things to see what would stick to the wall. One was the Eagle, a 4-wheel-drive version of the Concord compact, which was followed by the SX/4, the same approach with a subcompact. But the latter was marketed as a bit of a sports car, and they managed to sell 30,000 of them in three years. This 1982 edition reads like it’s a project considering the price, and it doesn’t appear to be in rough cosmetic condition (though far from perfect).
Thanks to its acquisition of Jeep in 1970, AMC gained some experience in the 4X4 world and put that to the test with the industry’s first crossovers, the Eagle (Concord) and SX/4 (Spirit, previously Gremlin). The underpinnings of the vehicles were developed through a partnership with Ferguson Research, but surely some Jeep people were involved. The Eagle was in production from 1980 to 1988 (at the end of AMC’s life when Chrysler came courting), and the SX/4 just from 1981 to 1983. Both vehicles were positively received by the trade media.
The seller tells us very little about this car and the photos provided are also few in numbers. It supposedly has just 30,000 miles, which means it may have been sitting for extended periods. The little car is powered by AMC’s venerable 258 cubic inch inline-6 with an automatic transmission. We don’t know if the drivetrain or its factory air conditioning work.
Cosmetically, the body and paint look okay but won’t win any awards. And the single photo of the interior shows things to be in order. Located in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, this semi-rarity (about 10,500 were produced in 1983) is available here on craigslist for $2,900. Could this cheap wheels opportunity be a potential gold mine in disguise – or am I being overly optimistic? Thanks, Tony Primo, for another tip from yesteryear!
I’d like to see the underside, hard to believe it wasn’t driven in winter, since that is where these shine. I can fix the mechanicals, but a body man I am not.
If one ignores that it needs new wheels/tires, it looks to be in nice condition. How can you go wrong with that price. The interior looks amazing.
I’m with Rumpledoorskin, I’d like to see the underside; Michigan is too far to drive with a trailer to find out whether it’s rotted out or not.
I’ve always wondered what kind of privateer rally car you could build out of one of these, just for laughs. It would look great in a 4WD drift coming out of a corner sideways.
gimmie da late model (able to disengage 2nd axel) wagon…
I bought one of these in red in the early 1990’s. It was a 1982 model. Southern PA had a lot of snow when I drove this car and it was great plowing thru snowdrifts or driving on ice. One of the best cars I ever owned. I liked it way better than the 1978 AMC Concord that I bought new. A small car with a pretty big 6 cylinder motor was a great idea.