As an incurable fan of survivor cars no matter what they are, and also an incurable fan of Subarus, I couldn’t resist this 1978 Subaru DL sedan. A four-door sedan? Crazy. This rare survivor is listed on eBay with a current bid price of over $3,000 and the reserve isn’t met yet! It’s located in Junction City, Oregon, an area that knows a thing or two about old Subarus. Let’s check it out.
This thing frosts my cake, big time. It isn’t something that 99% of muscle car fans will like, and that’s ok. The car world is a vast crater of variety and there is more than enough room for all of us. Unlike some other online forums, Barn Finds readers are on a different level and hopefully those readers who don’t like these cars won’t see the need to lob a few nasty words towards this car or cars like this, in general. Or, worse yet, towards those folks who do like these cars. Any survivor car that’s four decades old and is in this incredible condition is super interesting to me. I argue that any real car guy or gal also can at least appreciate them, whether they like them or not.
Again, a four-door late-70s big-bumper Subaru with an automatic is not a car that most humans aspire to own unless they own a museum. This one really belongs in a Subaru museum, it’s that nice. This car is from the Leone family of Subarus, known as the DL/GL in North America. Subarus were all front-wheel-drive in this era other than the station wagons which had the option of having 4WD. 33 mpg was good in 1978 but today it’s hard to blink without seeing a new car that gets more than that – and with a myriad of safety features. You’re not going to want to have a head-on collision in this car with anything other than a kite.
This car would be very tempting if it had a 5-speed manual, just for the oddball factor. It comes with the optional three-speed automatic. Hey, it’s a sedan made for commuting and probably hauling kids and dogs around, not for Leno-like-clutch-riding-burn-outs. A 4-speed and 5-speed manual would also have been available. Vinyl seats aren’t ideal, maybe other than for ease of cleaning – they’re hot in the summer and cold in the winter and they crack. These, however, look like new both front and rear. That’s not surprising seeing how perfect this car looks overall.
The EA-71 1.6L, 67-hp boxer-four engine looks pretty good although a nice detailing would have gone a long way to carry forward the fantastic look of the rest of the car. Yes, the spare tire is under the hood like it was on Subarus of this era. It’s a great way to use the extra space under the hood from the low boxer engine, to give a little more weight to the front wheels for winter driving, and to free up trunk space. Have you ever seen a four-door, front-wheel-drive Subaru from this era?
I think it’s a shame, the author had to spend 2 paragraphs on the disclaimer about Asian cars. I have never met someone more attracted to these cars than him. Kind of a “personal attack” if you don’t like these, and say so.
Great cars, the early Subies, one of the only Asian cars I’d ever consider. The authors Outback with 350K+ miles, sure sold me. Trouble is, try and find a low mileage Subie, they ALL have 250g’s on them.Again, Subaru was trying hard to get in the market( after the dismal 360 start)These became the car of choice for lesbians. I know, before you throw your hands up, “WHAT DID HE SAY???
relax, I live in a community, where LGBT is not a dirty word. Lesbians liked the car, because it gave them all wheel drive without going the monster pickup route, and virtually no repairs, so much so, Subaru launched an ad campaign aimed at them. ( sharp readers will notice on a Subaru commercial, the plate says “Xena lvr”). I bet even today, many still drive Subaru’s. Now that we got around that elephant, this is an unbelievable survivor. They rusted terribly in the north, where everybody bought them to get around. Below would be considered a “survivor” in my old neighborhood.
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/nojuanshome/36119578751/
My 2008 Legacy has 183k miles on it. When i bought it, it had 8, and 4 of those miles I put i during the test drive. Its had typical head gasket and exhaust gasket issues, but if you perform the preventive maintenance per schedule its pretty darn reliable.
Women can’t handle the rigors of mechanical beasts.
I knew I was in trouble at the 1975 Florence GP when two ladies (really were combatants) showed up in their GL pulling a Holzclaw trailer with two 250 Suzukis for the race. Still have sympathetic rib pain from having to tangle with them in the corners. They were in the “Powder Puff” class and weren’t in competition with the rest of the classes. Didn’t matter to them.
I wish that I had a few early Sub motors in my shed. Long before head gasket problems that plague several engines today. Fun car.
I can lay some cement to his claim about lesbians. My stepmother’s friend, who is also a lesbian, has had a Subaru ever since she bought her AWD wagon in 1980 I believe.(She just bought a 2016 Outback after having a 2002 Outback from new) My stepmother (who is married to my mother) was new car shopping in 1979 and she said it was between an El Camino and an AWD Subaru. She bought the El Camino, and she said it was the biggest lemon she ever owned. She had it for a year and it went through 3 automatic transmissions. I think it was sold the day after the warranty expired.
Rachel Maddow – one of the country’s most well know lesbians, made quite a deal about her purchase of a Subie back in 04/05. Definitely a great choice.
Now I’m confused: I thought if a car had four doors, it was called a sedan.
I always wondered: how was the spare affected by the heat sitting on top of the engine?
They dry rot big time…..
Not only have I seen one of these, I owned it’s near-twin, purchased new in 1978. I even still have the “high-tech” Bulova LED watch given away as a promotion with that car. My ’78 was a 5-speed with air conditioning. It was slow even with the manual transmission and turning on the AC made you feel like you were climbing up a steep mountain road. The air conditioner evaporator filled most of the glovebox, leaving only a small space on the top where your papers could be stored. (I think AC was dealer-installed on Subarus at the time.)
The car was simple and reliable. It had no catalytic converter or air injection pump, instead using a clever system of harnessing exhaust pulses to pull extra air into a thermal reactor. (The system was called “SEEC-T”.)
Ignition points were still used and needless to say the engine was carbureted. Although aluminum engines had a pretty bad rap back then due to early attempts like Rambler’s and later the Vega, those pushrod, linerless aluminum flat fours were practically indestructable as long as you didn’t overheat them. At 64,000 miles this one is barely broken in.
Take a close look at the interior. A quirk of these cars is though different interior colors were available on all of them the bottoms of the seats and door panels as well as carpeting were black.
Of course the downfall of these cars was rust. Anywhere salt was used on the road they would start corroding quickly, a characteristic shared with other Japanese cars of the era.
Damn, I remember looking at wagons alongside these at Whipps Mill Subaru with my dad. Basically an old gas station off the main drag near the edge of the suburbs. Mom vetoed them because they were too narrow and it was the era when a front bench seat was what a family car needed anyway. Ended up with a Volaré after shopping just about every small wagon.
I don’t care much for foreign cars, but I’d rather see five of these (especially in this condition) than yet another $20,000 Camaro/Mustang/Charger basket case or Resale Red Special.
I drive an 87 subaru turbo, i love these rigs, but the auto must be slow slow slow, The 88 wagon with the dual range and fuel injection to me is one of the best money saving dependable get you home rigs. Sure most of them rotted away and are soup cans by now. The previous 1.8 had timing gears, you never had to worry about it. Im sure the belts brought in more revenue.
I always used to joke about the spare tire being bigger than the engine..
I had an ’81 DL five-speed we got from my wife’s dad. It had 80,000 miles then, and we put at least 100,000 more on it. They’re indestructible cars. My wife ran the thing completely out of oil once. I refilled the crankcase and off it went. You cannot destroy a Subaru boxer engine.
My grandparents had one of these in a two-door version. Bright yellow. Automatic and air conditioning. They were trendsetters, looking for greater economy than their 74 Caddy offered. The howl at kick-down for any acceleration or hill-climbing was significant (especially with the AC on), but that Subi did pretty well and was reliable. It eventually got traded for a new ’84 Maxima. You can see it here behind our then- brand new scout in 78. I eventually got an ’85 turbo wagon in ’93, my mom got a Legacy in 91, and my parents are on their third Outback. I won’t touch another Subaru because I am still bitter about the multiple cracked cylinder heads from that Turbo wagon, but I know the early models like this one for sale were a different beast.
No Cyclops light deal breaker
My grandma had 4 of these. At the same time. 3 of the 4 dropped valves and required engine work. Doesn’t anybody remember those problems? You couldn’t give these away because of that.
Those hubcaps made me think of the Peugeot 504 ones : https://imganuncios.mitula.net/peugeot_504_peugeot_504_gl_1974_7100132524937654339.jpg
Nice car!
Interesting that you mention Peugot – the only other car that used the lug spacing that the 4 lug Subies use. I found a set of alloy 14″ wheels at the local Pick ‘n Pull on a Peugot. and grabbed them for my ’86 Brat to do a “plus one” tire upgrade. I have owned an ’81 hatchback 4wd, the Brat, a ’95 Impreza 1800 -now a backup car, with 263 K on it ), a 2001 Forester ( daily driver – 276K ) , a 2009 Forester (wife’s car ) which was replaced with a 2017 Outback at 137K .
Mobil 1 and Napa Gold oil filters have kept them all going. I do most of my own wrenching – timing belts, clutches, a transaxle swap on the ’01, etc. These cars are pretty simple to work on, although the newer ones with all the electronic BS are more than I care to deal with.
Here’s a tip – to do the timing belt on a 2.5 single cam in the car, remove the battery. This will allow room for the A/C compressor to be carefully rotated into that space without having to disconnect the lines. The power steering pump can be rotated into the space where the air duct sits after removing the duct. Secure them with bungie cords, heavy wire, etc. then remove the radiator and fans, and place a piece of 1/4 inch plywood over the inner side of the A/C condenser and secure with a bungie cord to protect the condenser. A strap wrench from Harbor Freight may come in handy to align the timing mark on the driver’s side camshaft pulley when installing the new belt. ALWAYS replace the water pump ! NAPA sells a timing belt kit that includes all the other parts that should be replaced along with the belt, and READ the instructions !
Hope this helps somebody – timing belt should be done at least every 100K , possibly more often on some older models.
Love these old Subies. I’m so surprised this one hasn’t rusted into the ground.
I always wondered, if you took a front end hit with this car, would the spare tire go into your lap or head or your body ???
“Have you ever seen….Subaru from this era?” Yes, yes I have. I remember these when new. Homely then, homely now. That being said, on this forum I have defended the everyday sedan and wagon, the survivors, this car is no exception. I hope the new owner keeps this one going another 40 years.
The only new car my mother ever had was a White 1977 Subaru Coupe with a 5 speed. I had my drivers license exactly two weeks, Oct of 1979. While skipping school I totaled it, when I was hit by a coal truck. Guess, who got caught?
Nice car, nice write up. Variety as they say, is the spice of life… very true when it comes to appreciating classic vehicles. There are lots that I appreciate, but due to their popularity would never own… and some that I’d never considered, until seeing them on BF and their scarcity or oddity makes them appealing.
The only foreign car my father ever bought was a 78 Subaru D/L two door with five speed. Ziebarted [or equivalent] from new.
Purchased new after getting horrible treatment from Ford and Chevy dealers while looking for a base Fairmont and Chevette for his commute.’
‘You’re not going to want to have a head-on collision in this car with anything other than a kite.’
Scotty, stop already. When was the last time you ever read about a 78 Subaru being involved in a deadly front end crash ? Or any other 40 year old car ? When was the last time anyone ever saw one? Not that there haven’t been, but the chances are slim to none it will ever happen.
Are you as concerned about motorcycles, skateboards, people on bicycles, ATVs, stepping into a bath tub, walking on the side of the road ?
You’re sucking the joy out of the site and your find. Anyone on here is aware of the risks of driving an old car.
None of the cars featured on BF are anything one would want to be in during a front end collision. Yet this Subaru managed to avoid one throughout it’s 40 years on the road.
I love your enthusiasm for these odd ball survivors. But please spare us the saaaafety concerns.
People drove billions of miles in cars like these when they were new and the vast majority died of rust, poor maintenance or simply were driven to failure and discarded.
One’s daily life is filled with far more risk of death than the occasional drive in a 78 Subaru or any other old car.
Save yourself some energy and stress by not playing “what if”. I doubt there are even current stats for deadly accidents in 30-40-50 year old cars, much less the likelihood of them being a major risk factor compared to anything else.
I’d buy it and drive it periodically and never think twice. The benefit to feeling good and having fun far outweighs the supposed risk of death. Every time I take my 63 Valiant out for errands or a joy ride I feel the same freedom and pleasure.
Sort of like what I imagine motorcycle, ATV and skateboard or even big engine muscle car enthusiasts feel.
I do it often, and have for nearly 40 years. Same for my 86 Olds Calais, which I will happily and without worry drive to Salt Lake City the next time I go just for the fun of it.
You’re doing a good job, Scotty. Don’t undermine your own enthusiasm to appease the saaaaafety nannies.
Wholeheartedly agree, dweezil. And I’d add that there’s another factor you didn’t mention. Not only are we all “aware of the risks of driving an old car”, but we partially mitigate those risks just by being aware of them and acting accordingly.
When I drive my MGB, for example, I am acutely aware of the dangers posed by its size, structure, and lack of safety features, and take it all into account as I drive. I thoroughly enjoy the ride, but I don’t screw around with tunes, phones, or other distractions, and I pay very close attention to the situation around me at all times.
When I drive my current-model SUV with its 473 airbags, crush-zone construction, electronic minders, cameras, smart seat belts, and god only knows what else, it’s a different situation. That’s not to say I drive it carelessly, but not necessarily with the same laser focus as the MG.
And it all goes up another order of magnitude when I take one of the motorcycles. It’s all part of the drill. I think it’s basically the same for most of us here who are aficionados of old cars and/or bikes.
Scotty, it HAS to be the same car, because it is the ONLY one left.
These are an example of a car that was used and then tossed.