I think it’s fairly safe to say many early 1980s subcompacts were treated as “throwaway” cars, so when the seller of this 1980 AMC Spirit says, “These cars are nearly impossible to find, and especially in this condition,” it would be hard to disagree. Barn Finds reader Pat L. found this one here on craigslist in Temecula, California with an asking price of $5,000.
Available from 1979 to 1983, the Spirit served as AMC’s replacement for the love it or hate it Gremlin. Many considered the Spirit nothing more than a restyled Gremlin. This liftback variant seen here may offer an argument that it actually was more than that, but the sedan looked VERY Gremlin-y. Whether it was or wasn’t, nearly every manufacturer during this era had a car in their lineup that looked something like the Spirit. Benefitting from what must have been a string of proud owners, the exterior looks to be in remarkable shape after 40 years of road faring. My eyes fooled me, so hopefully, yours won’t do the same to you — this car is not white, it’s powder blue.
The seller touts the interior’s excellent condition, noting the seats are almost perfect and there are no rips or tears in the carpet. The photos support that claim. I’ve long thought that buckets with a column shift looked a bit odd, but it seems to work well here. The wood dash offers a slight luxury feel and doesn’t look out of place.
The back seat matches the condition of the front and, I must say, those rear window louvers are a nice touch. While there are no pictures under the hood, the seller confirms the original 2.5L is in place, backed by a 3-speed automatic transmission. This Spirit has served as a daily driver for the seller, so it’s presumably roadworthy. There aren’t any required mechanical repairs mentioned, but the seller notes the liftback struts are worn out, the exterior driver door handle needs to be replaced, and the radio works intermittently. Hopefully, simple fixes as time allows.
I don’t think the general public will be lining up for their chance to own a 1980 AMC Spirit, but this one shouldn’t be overlooked. Most recently serving as a daily driver, this 40-year-old subcompact has aged gracefully and shows no signs of needing a facelift. Would you continue to drive it daily or reserve it for those grocery store runs?
Had a girlfriend whose parents were both full size Oldsmobile for primary car, and Ramblers / AMC for the kids. If I remember correctly 4 teenagers passed one of these down racking over 300k miles. The poor thing was so rusty underneath that even though the paint looked good, you could easily put your finger through anyplace below the door handles. Exactly the same color as this. Good memories…
When I was fourteen years old, this older girl who tried to get her boyfriend to give me a beat-down had a car just like this. She usually drove an elderly relative’s Concorde coupe instead, since that car had handicapped plates for parking convenience. Her boyfriend didn’t think being three years older than me guaranteed his success in bullying me, so he called me out while he was in the company of a 6’6″ football lineman he thought he was friends with, who turned out to be far more concerned with how my older sister would view him being part of jumping me. Oh well. Some people just lose, like the girl with the AMCs. She went to prison for embezzling from the bank she worked for before she reached 22 years old.
At the time, I thought this car was decent, particularly with the V8 and 4-speed. How did the wheelbase compare to that of the Gremlin that this stylish fastback was based on?
Needs 360 /4 sp
My wife had this car, one just like it, that was handed down to her from her older sister. Took it to Germany with us in 1987. Drove it from Bremerhaven to Wachendorf, one Saturday when I picked it up…then to Frankfort & back on Monday to pick up my wife. Driver’s seat was broken & had been swapped with the passenger seat. All in all a good car, that we used daily, tooling around southern Germany in the late 80’s! Tempus Fugit.
Had the same car, same color, same engine but with a four speed. Was a good car. Traded it in for a new Cavalier Type 10. Regretted that decision every day after.
I see a 70 Chevelle calling my name in his garage.
I’d rather have a 74 Gremlin , but I wouldn’t kick this one out of my garage !
My sister bought one new in ’80, my brother bought one new in ’79, and I bought one used in the late ’90s for $300 and drove it up the ski hill.
Parents had this engine in a Grand Am. It wasn’t.t the smoothest idler,but it would flat get that Grand Am up and go. It too was a 3 speed auto. It got good gas mileage. I always did like that Grand Am two door. It was a sharp car back in the day.
Worst car ever was an 80 Cutless LS, it always had electrical and mystery ghosts that would shut it off when you were out of town. Best car day ever was when it got traded in on a new Mazda. The interior of that Grand Am was not fancy but it was sporty sharp. Funny but when my parents got older theye started. buying 2 doors, after their Grand Am they bought a 2 door Chevy Impala, it was big but what a vacation cruiser it was. I.d have to say GM and early Chyrsler always made the most beautiful body styles, but I know that.s subjective,we all have our favorite classics. I am looking forward to traveling from mid Arizona to Tucson some day in a full EV without stopping.We.’ll learn to love EV.s, sure it will be different, but we humans are very adaptable.
We humans may be adaptable, but we can still act like fools no matter how much technology there is or will ever be. :)
And an EV car (even if we convert this classic AMC to an EV) may make someone happy :) A guy once looked at my 81 Ford Durango to see if it was a candidate for converting to an EV vehicle. He didn’t choose it as he was looking at another classic vehicle to convert maybe a Saab or a Volvo.
I’m sure I can adapt to an EV as I like to think that I am adaptable. But somethings just can’t be changed :)
I was getting on the on-ramp to the freeway. Behind me was a Tesla. I was going at a moderate speed that was descent. Lo and behold the Tesla driver couldn’t wait. He/she full throttled that Tesla passing me on the right side going up the ramp. Teslas seem to have good get up and go on the throttle. Needless to say, at the off-ramp, I pulled up to the Tesla driver at the light. When the light turned green, He/she zoomed off again – another restless Tesla driver. Soon we will all be that possibly. Till then, keep driving them classics, like this AMC Spirit! Hooah!
not worth 5k. Iron duke was the worst engine ever made.
At 5k i’d buy a spirit AMX with the 304 engine. Or a regular spirit out there that has a swapped sbc. Might get 3000 for this stock spirit….maybe.
This is per Rock Auto April Newsletter:
The “Iron Duke” 2.5L four cylinder was installed in countless GM, AMC and Postal Service (LLV) vehicles from the mid ’70s to the mid ’90s. What part on the The Iron Duke is made of thermoset plastic composite material (similar to what circuit boards are made of) instead of conventional metal?
A. Camshaft Gear
B. Intake Manifold
C. Valve Cover
D. All the above
Again this is the answer per the Rock Auto April Newsletter from the question above:
The “Iron Duke” 2.5L four cylinder was installed in countless GM, AMC and Postal Service (LLV) vehicles from the mid ’70s to the mid ’90s. What part on the The Iron Duke is made of thermoset plastic composite material (similar to what circuit boards are made of) instead of conventional metal?
Answer: A. Camshaft Gear (The Iron Duke does not have a timing chain or belt. A plastic camshaft gear with a steel bushing in its center meshes directly with a steel gear on the crankshaft. The engine is a non-interference engine and simply stops running when the plastic gear teeth eventually break off.)
B. Intake Manifold
C. Valve Cover
D. All the above