I bought a Subaru Outback brand new in 1997 and drove it for 359,600 miles before it literally rusted to death and was donated to an automotive tech college. If Chrysler wouldn’t have killed AMC back in 1987, I would have loved to have had a chance to buy a new Eagle wagon. This 1985 Eagle wagon is listed here on eBay in Caldwell, Idaho. There is no reserve and the current bid price is up to $8,500 and there are two days left on the auction.
Those wheels are huge on this Eagle wagon. There’s no word as to if the original wheels/rims come with the car so I’m guessing not. These are too big for my personal taste but that doesn’t seem to be hurting the bid price any. Obviously, other people have better taste than I do. They say that this is a survivor so I’m assuming that everything else is original. This beauty also has the Golden Eagle decal on the hood.
The seller has provided a ton of great photos which is nice and somewhat unusual. It’s more normal to wonder what some portion of a vehicle looks like in an online sales listing and they seem to be getting worse, not better. This seller goes in the other direction, so don’t forget to click on the eBay link and check out all of the great photos.
The interior is gorgeous. The seats look perfect both front and rear and the rear cargo area also looks perfect. 1985 was 35 years ago now and it’s nice to see such a well-preserved vehicle as this Eagle wagon. It looks like this wagon has power locks for those of you who like power accessories as much as I do.
The engine is even clean! This is AMC’s rock-solid 258 cubic-inch inline-six and the seller doesn’t tell us much about it other than it’s solid and has been well-maintained. I would have to believe that given how clean this car looks overall, that there wouldn’t be a big problem with how it operates. Have any of you owned an Eagle wagon?
Wow, this could easily pass for 62K, and the “1” in the odometer looks different than the other numbers. Mighty impressive, I see a few of these out here, mostly behind garages, or in a field lying dormant. They were a popular choice of 4×4 for a spell, especially with the elderly in rural settings. Like an AWD Sportabout. Probably where this one came from. One thing crystal clear, someone loved their AMC Eagle wagon. Lot of Jeep stuff, so I’d think parts are not a problem. Tell you what, the more I look at Jeeps, and the crap people want big bucks for, still, just because it’s a Jeep, this car makes a heap of sense. Sorry, nice find, but I’d have a tough time paying $8 grand for one.
yes, AMC jammed that million mile digit into it when it was becoming more needed. This ride it awesome and well worth 8, IMHO. I don’t think the eagle is OEM, but CERTAINLY fitting, and AMC probably could have had a Golden Eagle edition AMC Eagle.
I like it! Ok with the tires and lift but would source some period wheels from a Cherkee Limited. Too bad AMC didn’t have a 2 door Eagle wagon.
There was a 2 door Eagle hatchback called the SX/4. It was based on the Spirit. Made from 1981-83
I had an sx4 about -( years ago. All wheel drive, That car stuck to the road like glue, and got 30 mpg. The 258 was too big for the car, and it easily did 90 on the interstate.
I had a friend that bought a new (’83?) SX4. It was a 5 speed, and had transmission woes right from the get-go. It was a nice car, went through anything, comfy, but after a 2nd bearing in the trans( that took weeks to fix) went out, he traded it after 2 years.
I’ve had 3 of these Eagles. Beware of the headliner falling down, an easy fix. Also, the original valve cover gasket was foam and did not work. Good cork ones are now available, also an easy fix. These are great cars, and 8k is not bad for one in this fabulous condition. Fly in and drive it home.
Kammback eagles were pretty much that.
I’m sorry Scotty but I think I’m missing something: what does this have to do with your Subaru? Some of the story seems to be missing.
He’s saying he bought a Subaru, but if this had been available new in ’97, he would have bought this.
What helps with engine cleanliness is the aftermarket aluminum valve cover. OEM in 1985 was plastic and guaranteed to leak.
It looks like the suspension has been lifted a bit. Easy enough in the rear with extended leaf shackles, front more of a problem due to very short halfshafts.
These cars had a ridiculously complex emissions system with a feedback carb and seemingly miles of vacuum plumbing. Can’t tell from the single engine photo if it’s all still intact but a popular mod is to pull all of that stuff out and install a Motorcraft carb – a problem in places with emission testing.
I would like to see one of these lowered but maybe guessing it can’t be done since I’ve never seen one.
That’s called a Concord. :)
I’ve seen people lower Audi Allroads. I imagine you could lower this to some degree but I don’t know what the transfer case looks like. I personally would try to lower it as much as I could. It’s a little bit too high for my taste.
I don’t know about the Audis, but on Eagles the problem with changing suspension height is that the front halfshafts are very short. Any major change has them working at an extreme angle. I’ve read of people who want serious lifts fitting a solid front axle. (Lots of custom fabrication needed!)
http://theamcforum.com/forum/uploads/billd/eagle-013.jpg
Had a 1980 Eagle wagon same color. 1980 was the first year of the line and I believe 1987 was the last. Ran it for about 3 years including one cross country trip. It was great in the snow, and actually was set up for light duty off-roading with skid plates under the tranny and gas tank. I used it mainly for towing a boat and it did an awesome job on steep and unimproved ramps. Had a CJ5 before that, a new baby forced me to sell the jeep and replace with this. Not a bad swap for what I used it for.
This is the same car my wife learned to drive on.. Debated finding one as a present, but she shudders each time I mention it..
It.s way too high. Those wide tires will eventually friction wear out the the connective angles and damage the transmission, plus cause horrible gas mileage. Put it back to stock specs and save this beautiful historic vehicle.
Sheesh. I used to buy these for $400-$600, fix the ubiquitous 258 exhaust leak and sell them easily. But $8000+ for one now? Wow.
I like these cars. Never owned one…was in the military and had custody of three kids…. no way to save money or make the payments. So,I stood on the sidelines and just looked and admired…plus all the wishful thinking. I did have a Rambler several years earlier. It was a great car!! I would like to have this one. It would fit my needs quite well. But, too far away, too expensive, too many changes to be made to get it back to stock. If I were to bid, the owner would have to return it to stock AND do the work AND reduce the price. No hard feelings. That’s just the way it is. Check Butchb’s comments. I’d take it from there. Sounds right.
Winning bid $8500. I would leave it at the height it is, and replace the half shafts when they are worn out. There is some underside photos on the ebay listing where you can see the half shaft angle. Doesn’t look much different than what I see on late ’90s (early 2000s) F150 with IRS.If I every build one, it will be 5 speed or maybe even a 6 speed. I would also go with the fuel injection.
I bought this car after the auction fell through. I always wanted an Eagle, but I am picky. You can eat off of this one. Everything on it works including the AC and cruise control.
I changed the suspension to get rid of those terrible rear shackles and front coil spacers. It is now about .5″ lower and riding on Cherokee turbine wheels. The tires are under the flares now. I replaced the AMC distributor with an HEI unit and it runs like a top.