Am I the only person who wishes that AMC still existed? I have always had a genuine soft spot for this manufacturer because while some of their cars were not the prettiest on the planet, they produced some exciting cars on a shoestring budget. The Eagle demonstrates this trait perfectly, and when you look at its specifications, you realize what a ground-breaker the company really was. This 1984 Eagle Station Wagon is a fantastic survivor, and as you will see, there is a lot to like about this classic that has been listed for sale here on eBay. It is located in Lakeland, Florida, and while bidding has struggled to $7,452, the reserve isn’t met.
The first thing that you notice about the Sebring Red Eagle is just how clean it is. The paint shines beautifully, with no signs of marks or scratches. However, it is the woodgrain that steals the show here. I know that this isn’t to everyone’s taste, but it has survived in excellent condition on this classic. That is enormously significant because while matching older paint in repairs is possible, matching woodgrain is at the opposite end of the spectrum. If this does have issues, it is often necessary to replace all of the vinyl on the car to achieve a uniform color and finish. The panels are straight, and there are no signs of any rust problems. The external trim is in excellent order, and there are no signs of any issues with the glass.
The Eagle’s interior has plenty of the “wow” factor, and once again, there isn’t much to be critical of. The wheel looks like it might have some wear and cracking on the rim, and there is some very slight wear on the outer edge of the driver’s seat, but that seems to be about it. The cloth and vinyl upholstery is in excellent condition, while the same is true of the plastic trim, carpet, dash, and pad. The AMC was ordered with air conditioning, and this was recently serviced. It is said to blow ice-cold, and adding to the comfort are an AM/FM stereo radio, a tilt wheel, and remote exterior mirrors.
One of the most damage-prone areas of any station wagon is the rear cargo area. All manner of objects can get thrown into and around in there, and it has the potential to inflict some horrendous damage on carpet and plastic trim. This area looks spotless, with no evidence of damage or wear. Adding to security is a roll-out cargo cover, and its condition is just as impressive as the rest of the interior.
You have to delve into the drivetrain configuration of the Eagle to realize what made it so special. The 258ci 6-cylinder engine would produce 115hp, so there’s nothing out of the ordinary there. There’s also a 3-speed automatic transmission, power steering, and power brakes, so once again, nothing earth-shattering. However, the engine’s 115hp gets sent to all four wheels, making the Eagle the first mass-produced American passenger vehicle to feature all-wheel-drive. That is something that might seem almost yawn-inducing in today’s era of the Subaru WRX and the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, but in the early 1980s, it was the stuff of headlines. The Eagle didn’t need this feature to put enormous amounts of power to the road effectively, but in a similar vein to cars like the Forester, it made the AMC more sure-footed in slippery conditions. The seller says that the AMC’s odometer shows 67,000 miles and believes that this is accurate. The vehicle’s overall condition would tend to support this. He doesn’t elaborate on how well it runs or drives, but the news should be positive if appearances count for anything. We do know that the Eagle comes with a pile of original documentation. This includes the Owner’s Manual, Build Sheet, Warranty & Service Guide, and even the original Purchase Invoice.
AMC developed cars on a shoestring budget, and that shoestring was invariably pretty severely worn. In some of my previous articles, I’ve speculated just what they could have achieved if they had been given access to the sorts of development budgets available to General Motors and Ford. Would they have blown the opposition out of the water, or would they have become fat and lazy. Sadly, we’ll never know the answer to that question, so all we can do is speculate. This Eagle is one of the nicest that I’ve seen for a long time, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the bidding had a little way to go yet before the reserve is met. It is common for tidy examples to sell for around $7,500, although a real belter can sell for over $12,000. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this one achieve that sort of price, although we have seen a few bargains in the market recently. If a station wagon is what you seek, but you don’t want a full-sized version, maybe this is a listing you should keep an eye on.
I always thought these were pretty cool.
A mechanic friend told me that mechanical parts
were hard to get for them.
The mechanical parts are the same as on a similar vintage Jeep for the most part, aside from the independent front suspension. I owned Eagles over a period of 20 years and never had a problem getting parts.
Nice. Before Subaru hit the scene, many of these were used in rural mail delivery. Fact is, I bet someone is still using one. Many of these were bought by elderly folks, some diehard AMC fans, some that just needed to get to their rural home, by all rights, should have been the most popular car to have. Bulletproof engines( the gearboxes and 4wd were a bit weak) cushy interiors, great heaters, tons of room,,,,yet, nothing, bupkus, and they faded out. Again, wrong timing, as everything today is AWD and would have done well, I think. Great find.
Before Subaru, when vacationing at Lake Tahoe, these were everywhere.
My postal carrier had 2 of these. She was upset when they stopped making the Eagle. With the AMC inline 6, this one is barely broken in at 67000 miles.
One of the nicest Eagles I have seen in a long time. Another timeless design like the Grand Cherokee. I too wish AMC was still here. They certainly tried. Too bad Renault didn’t make better cars at the time. If that partnership worked out we might still have AMC.
Being bought by Renault was AMC’s kiss of death.
Please remove this. It’s politically undertoned and doesn’t belong here
When I was 16 I had a friend who’s parents owned a new one of these. I was surprised at how nice it was inside. On a cold snowy night my friend was bragging about how incredible it was to drive in the snow and promptly lost control while doing donuts in a parking lot behind a pizza restaurant. He slammed the back wheel sideways into concrete barrier and although the car was still drive-able it turned out to be totaled. He also totaled his dad’s new Lincoln town car so they bought him his own car, a ’73 Mustang Grande which he also totaled doing donuts in a parking lot.
I always thought the interior were particularly nice on the eagle.
Slow learner?
You mean his father?
Mike Adams – it must run in the family.
My family had on in Colorado, winters in Vail, never an issue. Comfortable too.
Owned a 82 4/4 sedan, best investment I ever made especially for Colorado. Really miss it now!
Wish AMC was still around!
I rebuilt my auto transmission, and removed the torque converter lock up by introducing a small rubber ball into the pressure port on the valve body. I rebuilt the entire engine. The inline six was weak at altitude. Carburetion was quite HP robbing–although the Later Cherokee FI engine was touted as highest HP / displacement of any inline 6. But, not MY Eagle! Finally, after the headliner collapsed, vinyl seats cracked, plastic interior deteriorated, and my drunken friend drove it for 500 miles at freeway speeds in 2nd gear- I gave it up. I got to know it very well. The least expensive car you will ever own, is the one you already have. Fix it!
over 8.5K$ now. All ways liked them cept for the slant rear window (no wiper/defrost, less cu ft). Right motor, right sized waggy…
I’ve owned two Eagle’s, they were good for towing the ski boat when the kids were young. I also had an AMC Hornet when I was a teen, white w/black stripes, V-8 with manual transmission… it was a fun car, but not quite as much as my 69 SS 396 Chevelle.
SC/360? I had one as well…White w/Black stripes. 4-speed, Go Pack car.
So true I’m giving that guy a check regarding politics this is about cars not what you think about the world around you
I bought a used ’84, early in ’85. The only thing that I did to it was put fog lights on it, changed it to an AM-FM radio, and installed cruise control. Just an amazing car. It was the most comfortable car / SUV that I have ever ridden in. You wouldn’t win any drag races with it, but it would cruise at 75 mph and still get 27 mpg! My ex hated that car, just because she would get stuck in the snow with her big Suburban, and I push her out with my little Eagle. Of course, the teasing I gave her didn’t help the situation, at all !!! AMC had a winner there, just too late to save the company!
Great vehicle. Still see a few on the road here in Northern KY.
I had a 1980 Eagle wagon. The original SUV! I put some Clifford Research headers and a Holley 4160 on it and the old 258 six ran well! These vehicles were ahead of their time and easy to work on.
Same car on Hemmings for 20,900
It’s hard to tell, but those odometers had a little “1” that would pop up after 100,000 miles. It was one of the earliest cars that I remember having a six digit odometer. I’m not sure if it had any other numbers, as it was clearly smaller than the rest of them.
Adam: I couldn’t agree with you more!! Many times, especially during the last five years or so I’ve said that I REALLY MISS AMC! In a world of sterile potato crossovers this Eagle wagon stands out. What they did on a shoestring budget was truly amazing. Their people were outstanding “outside the box” thinkers, designers, and engineers. I’ve actually had the pleasure of getting to know some of them!
AMC made good solid cars. I really liked the Hornet styling just prior to the Concord and Eagle models. I always thought it would look great to put the Hornet hood/fenders/grill on an Eagle wagon. (you can all curse me, I can take it). In the late ’70s when most engines were rather choked by emission add-ons, we had a 1977 Hornet 232 I-6 that was very responsive and free rev-ing. I liked it better than anything Ford or GM was offering in a 6 cylinder (V or I) at the time.
I had one of these in summer 1990, my dad bought for me since at the time I had a small family. Loved it, was an 87 I think. The ride was smooth and it was loaded with all the bells and whistles. I hauled an old metal boat from Elkhart to Evart, Mi on the top tied down, no problem. Then on Oct 18, coming back home from my daughters first bday party I made a right, turned the corner and here comes a car going about 70 in my lane and blammo, hit just past my door sideswipe busted the gas tank, all that midgrade I had just filled it with all over the ground. The kids were tied in and we all walked away but bye bye beautiful car. I had it. three months.