In the 1980s, the AMC Eagle was the only passenger car that was equipped with four-wheel drive. Because AMC had acquired Jeep years before, it enabled them to combine Jeep utility with the ease and comfort of the Concord compact automobile. From 1980 through 1988, American Motors produced the Eagle, though in its last year, it was under the watchful eye of Chrysler who had acquired AMC, the last of the U.S. independents.
Multiple body styles were offered, including a station wagon like the one here. By 1984, the inline-4 was all but retired and examples like this one came with AMC’s 258 cubic inch inline-6, a dependable powerplant. And, this was the first year that the Eagle could be shifted from 2WD to 4WD “on the fly” while the vehicle was in motion rather than standing still. Also, Eagle production had shifted to Canada so AMC’s Wisconsin production facilities could be dedicated to building the Renault Alliance and Encore.
The seller’s nice Eagle is one of just over 21,000 built in 1984 (including the sedan, the total was more than 25,000 units). This one has had just two prior owners and has only 65,000 miles on the odometer. The listing reads like a dealer ad, though we’re told the vehicle is being offered by a private party. This is a well-equipped survivor with factory air conditioning that’s said to blow cold. If you keep your foot out of the accelerator, you could squeeze up to 30 mpg out of a gallon of gasoline. When not in use, this vehicle has stayed indoors for much of its life. There seems to be no rust and the paint is tidy.
This “crossover” (a term not used in the 1980s) can be found in Fruita, Colorado, and is available here on eBay. The current bid is $6,700 with no reserve in sight. The seller says there’s a “Buy It Now” price but that function isn’t activated in eBay, so you could linger to the end of the auction before placing a bid for perhaps below whatever that figure is.
Nice unit but this one is not a shift on the fly transfer case
Its beautifull, i’d love it. Its always fun to see the mix and match of GM, Ford and Chrysler parts, but they all worked well together. I love the hood ornament and mandatory whitewalls. This one deserves a nice home.
Subaru I think had 4 wheel drive passenger cars , and Audi a couple.
When the Eagle debuted Subaru only had a part-time 4WD system that could not be used on dry pavement.
And Audi came out with the ur-Quattro as a rallying homologation special at first, not so much a mass-market sales driver.
A 4.2-liter/258 CID I-6 with a three-speed automatic is not likely to produce 30 MPG, even with a gentle foot.
Nice Eagle, good to see this one already has an aftermarket aluminum valve cover to replace the leaky plastic stock item.
This Eagle does not have the shift on the fly capability between 2WD and 4WD. The closeup of the mode switch in the ad clearly says “STOP VEHICLE”. These can be converted to shift on the fly by permanently engaging the front axle, plugging the axle disconnect vacuum lines, and removing the pull knob from the mode switch.
Things look pretty good in the engine bay and those shiny hoses should be good for a few more horsepower!
I’ve owned two of these Eagle wagons and 30 miles per gallon is a pipe dream. About 15-18 mpg is more like it. You might just about reach 30 mpg with an SX/4 or Kammback with 4-cylinder engine and stick shift at moderate steady speed on level ground. Maybe.
Too bad there are no underside photos. Those plastic wheel and rocker panel flare can hide a lot of rust!
The engine bay looks free of surface rust so odds are from Colorado this sweetheart could be rust free since AMC was undercoating cars. My CJ-7 with 258 got 12 mpg so 30 mpg would have to be a downhill affair
Was in Denver, CO for a conference in April, 1985, these Eagles were everywhere! This is a great example of a good idea!
The reason why it reads like a dealer posting is because it is! not the inspection tags and the dealer tag on the key. Note also the poetic license executed in the description. I had one of these for a company vehicle and the 30mpg may happen on a steep down hill in neutral. very best I ever saw was just at 20, and that was unusual. If you try to go in or out of 4wd on the move, you can do major damage….ask me how I know. Note the water spray on the engine to make it look nice and shiny. This is a great car in many ways and in outstanding shape, but once I smell dealer bs I would be very cautlious
The dealer probably told the elderly owner, “As a courtesy we’ll take that old thing off your hands and give you $500 for it, that’s more than you’ll get at a junkyard.”
When a building in the background has gasoline brand signs and the vehicle has California license plates (but the vehicle is Connecticut) those are major clues a dealer is trying to move the iron.
The ad says it’s in Fruita, Colorado. That’s in the very dry Western part of the state. It’s up to $11,900.
We had two of these and the Jeep Cheroke from the same time period. These were better in the snow than the Jeep!
Although I was too young to drive a car at the time, I remember the American Motors (AMC) Eagle. I remember seeing more wagons like this than either the sedan or liftback. It’s a shame that it was discontinued. I can imagine it competing against the likes of the Subaru Outback, “the world’s first Sports Utility Wagon!” This would’ve beaten Subaru to the punch by several years!