Welcome back! I guess if we were continuing with the clever alliterative names for things I would call this Wagon Wednesday. Actually, you know what? Screw it; I am calling it that. Welcome to Shitbox Showdown’s Wagon Wednesday! Today we’ve got two cool old Japanese longroofs with manual transmissions. One of them is even four-wheel-drive!
Yesterday’s Mopars weren’t fair of me, I know. Neither one of those cars is likely a good deal. The van is close, but a lot would depend on the condition; I’ve seen Caravans with a lot fewer miles on them listed for the same amount. The Charger is, well, it’s a used Las Vegas taxi. You’re all probably right about the horrors that back seat has seen. But a couple of you suggested a solution to that – eliminate the back seat altogether.
Really, I just wanted to showcase that 416,000-mile Charger. As the owner of an LD-platform car that just crossed 70,000 miles, seeing one the same model year with nearly six times as many miles is encouraging. But yeah, please don’t anybody pay four grand for that car.
All right; let’s take a look at some little wagons. The prices on these feel really high to me, but I think that’s just because I’m still thinking of them as cheap old cars rather than the up-and-coming classics they are. Yeah, I said classics – the world of “classic cars” is a big tent, and getting bigger all the time, and while neither of these is a showpiece, they’re both good-running examples of unusual old cars that you can enjoy, and get some compliments on. Let’s take a look.
1982 Subaru GL wagon – $4,500
Engine/drivetrain: 1.8 liter overhead valve flat 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Bend, OR
Odometer reading: 183,000 miles
Runs/drives? “Like a top”
Subaru has made a name for itself for its all-wheel-drive systems, but there was a time when most Subarus weren’t so equipped. AWD didn’t become standard on Subarus until 1996, and for a long time, only part-time 4WD was offered. The 4WD models were popular in snowy regions, for obvious reasons, but a lot of other markets did fine with the simpler, more efficient front-wheel-drive models.
The flat-four engine configuration has been around for a long while as well, though back in 1982 when this wagon was built it was a simpler overhead valve pushrod design, like a Volkswagen engine, but Subarus were always water-cooled, not air-cooled. This one displaces 1.8 liters and is backed by a five-speed stick, driving only the front wheels. It is said to run flawlessly, and comes with a stack of service and repair records going all the way back.
Cosmetically, I think the term that best applies is “nice survivor.” It has a few tiny rust spots outside, and some grubby upholstery inside, but generally speaking, it looks quite nice. The white 8-spoke wheels are a trademark of this era of Subaru, but they’re more often seen on the 4WD models. I’m not generally a Subaru fan, but this era I quite like.
The lack of 4WD may discourage some of you, but it’s not like you’re going to be driving a 40 year old Subaru in the snow anyway, and 4WD Subarus of this era were never really off-roaders, despite a few cool features like adjustable ride height and a dual-range transfer case. 2WD is fine for getting to Cars & Coffee, and it is still a wagon, so it’s perfectly capable of earning its keep on weekend chores.
1991 Honda Civic Wagovan – $4,000
Engine/drivetrain: 1.6 liter overhead cam inline 4, six-speed manual, AWD
Location: Taos, NM
Odometer reading: 152,000 miles
Runs/drives? “Great”
Honda’s fourth generation Civic was a cool little car. It had good looks, great handling thanks to a double-wishbone suspension setup, and fantastic visibility thanks to a low beltline and huge windows. It’s the first generation of Civic discovered by tuners, and it enjoyed massive aftermarket support. But two special versions of the fourth-generation Civic stood out: the second-generation of Honda’s delightful CRX, and the Wagovan, available with Honda’s “Real Time” 4WD system, and a six-speed manual gearbox with a “granny” low gear next to first.
Powering this clever drivetrain is a 1.6 liter 105-horsepower four cylinder. Lots of Civics ended up with hotter engines swapped in, but there’s no need for that here. You’re not going to race anyone with a 4WD Wagovan – unless, of course, you want to race them in the snow, which might be funny. This Civic runs great, according to the seller, and has just been tuned up.
The seller says this car has “perfect New Mexico sun patina,” which is a nice way of saying it’s faded all to hell. The paint is more or less gone from the hood, and probably the roof too, although we don’t get a good look from the photos. It’s banged up and rusty here and there too. But somehow it all kinda works, and what should be a crusty nasty mess actually comes across as patina.
Inside, things look intact and functional, and it has that perfect ’80s/’90s Honda ergonomic design: not flashy, not fancy, but sturdy and logical. It’s pretty sun-bleached in there, and who knows what’s under those front seat covers, but at least it comes with a cool wool blanket in the back.
It is strange to think of cars this age as “classics,” especially since I was in college by the time one of them was built. If it’s a classic, what does that make me? Wait – don’t answer that. Just choose one.
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
Had an 89 Civic Wagon FWD with a 5 speed. I loved that car. It ate an exhaust valve at around 180k so I had the head rebuilt. Mistakes were made on reassembly, timing belt not tensioned correctly, cranked it over and CRUNCH. And that was that for the poor wagon.
Replaced it with a 93 Escort wagon that was inferior in every way except that it was a non-interference engine. When the timing belt broke, it was no biggie.
If I wanted a small wagon with “perfect New Mexico sun patina” and the power going to all the wheels through a granny gear I’d prefer it to be a Jessie Pinkman edition, SR5 Tercel.
For $4000 you can get a modern version of that car, a Honda Fit which may not have AWD but is a objectively a much better car in every other way.
That was peak Civic design and I will not take any questions.
Hm…
Malaise/Mopar Monday
Truck/Turd Tuesday
Wagon Wednesday
Thrifty Thudsday
Ford Friday? Fiat Friday? I’m struggling here.
Facel Vega Friday.
I like that gen of Honda, but I like the condition of the Subaru. The Subaru gets my vote.
Back when I lived in the mountains, only the noobs had 4×4 Explorers. All the guys and gals that could get out in any weather had crapcans of some sort, and the GL was the most popular. Usually with 4wd, but the fwd was no slouch, particularly with chains. This was CA, so no salt, thus they didn’t rust out. On the other hand, the Honda is a legit snow beater too. I’m going Subaru, but I’d take either as a runabout mountain crapcan.
I used to drive one of those Civic wagons in high school and college, and loved it, so that’s what gets my vote. Mine was “Superior Blue Metallic” (baby blue), but I always liked the Rio Red color more. My dad recently sold it, not running, but it looked much better than this one. One Honda nerd thing I have to point out is that this isn’t a Wagovan. The Wagovan was what Honda called the base trim with vinyl seats. The other two trim levels were just called Civic Wagons.
As a resident of Arizona for a few years I can tell you that pointless hood and roof wasn’t caused by fading as much as sand blasted by high.winds and sand desert.
My sister had one of those little AWD Civics up here in the Ontario Canada snow belt. It was a brick – lasted for years, never let her down and did great on our snowy/icy roads. She finally had one child too many and it had to go amidst a lot of tears. BTW, my first AWD vehicle was a 1988 Toyota Corolla station wagon called an All-Trac. It was equally brilliant. Who needs SUVs?
Was going to go Civic until I saw the added ground wires (and the two just floating there near the valve cover). Makes me wonder if there’s some other stuff going on…
Subaru before they were engineered to eat a steady diet of head gaskets. These ran forever until the rust turned them to Swiss cheese.
But so did these old Hondas.
Honda is 4WD, and the design is so much more appealing. And a little less money. Honda for me.
Those Subaru’s ate a less steady diet of headgaskets… they still could eat them… that may be in part due to the fact that ours was a paddock basher and lived at redline in dirt in 4wd both before and after the front cvs fell out… that car got hell
It was a steady diet of CV axles back in the day.
Both are solid if overpriced choices. It’s hard not to love an old Subie but EF Civic is peak Honda, of the era for which I am a huge fanboi. I had an ’86 Accord, my wife had an ’89 CRX and a ’91 Accord, and my son still drives his first car which was a ’92 EG Civic. I was a failed PPI from buying a CRX Si in 2018 before I bought my Fiesta ST.
So it’s Civic for me but no shade on anyone who voted otherwise.
I’m going to go for the Civic because that’s what I’m driving now, and I wouldn’t mind having a spare! They’re fun little cars to drive around here on the Oregon coast, but man, some of the parts on these things are starting to get hard to find. I recently had to order a couple of bits from Japan as I couldn’t find anything in the States.
Me too! I recently replaced my fwd civic wagon with an RT4WD one, and definitely hear you on the hard to find parts bit.
The awd bits are often nicked to make awd civic hatches and the like… bit sad really
AWD Brat and then Maybe the still painfully slow subie would be interesting. not that either of these are interesting mind you, but lesser of 2 evils of course.
Subaru is the easy choice for me. Even if condition were the same the Subaru is to me the more interesting and better looking car. It has a couple small spots of rust, but I don’t think I have seen an 80s Subaru this clean in decades. The Honda is too roached, and to me just an older used car. Checked the poll, shocked by the results
“like a Volkswagen engine” oohh boy I am going to head to the comments and say “but a Volkswagen engine is air cooled, not water cooled” then I read your next few words, sat down, took a deep breath and kept reading.
Being a car nerd can be stressful.
I guess we’re doing an Inflation Week theme? The prices are too damn high!
As a central Oregon resident, I just saw this Subaru on Craiglist! I’d be all over it if 4wd and half the price. Still an awesome ride though.
Hard call. I vote Subie because the Wagovan body style seems odd to me (though obviously not to others given the dramatic increase in sales of similarly-shaped crossovers).
Both are overpriced.
It’s funny you should say that, because to me the Wagovan is a completely different kind of vehicle than any crossover I’ve ever seen. It’s a funky wagon, low to the ground, all square.
Honda for me. I like the Subaru, and it looks to be in good shape, but the Civic would just be such a perfect winter beater.
This has been one of the tougher choices for me. I like them both. They both have nostalgia for me. My grandparents had both and so I rode in both.
Tough choice. Neither is worth the price, IMHO, but both have their charms. I’m going Subaru, because I don’t need the 4WD and the Honda is just too damned sunburned for me. And what the hell, I can amaze my friends by showing them the spare tire that’s stored under the hood!
Easiest one yet as I had an ’84 wagon, though automatic (only auto I’ve owned). FWD was enough to make Jeep guys feel bad when you show up in their spots in the forest and punch through plowed-in snow banks and that engine was a lot happier with just the front wheels to power. I also had a sedan that was a stick and this is the combo of the best attributes of both. Just wish it was closer and I still had my alloy versions of the 8-spokes and the aftermarket steering wheel adapter.
IIRC, adjustable ride height on the 4WD was a big bolt. You lifted the cargo carpet to access the cover for it and turned it in and out to adjust axle height. Valve train was gear driven and I’m pretty sure if sloths had thumbs, they could do most jobs on these engines. I miss straightforward simplicity like this. Lately, with so many people I know with new or fairly new cars eating engines and transmissions like it’s the malaise era, but far more expensive to fix, I’m wondering if I’d even give up the hp in exchange for it. WTF do you get parts now, though? Toward the end of the ’90s, they were already disappearing from yards (damn rust) and there were a couple times I was told I got the “last NOS one in the country”.
I love this era Civic, but I never liked the wagovan bodystyle and this one’s more beat up.
We all live in a grubby Subaru, a grubby Subaru, a grubby Subaru.
Went Civic but could make an argument for the Subie instead. The Subaru interior does look to be in great shape for the age. The Civic will likely run forever, rust killed most examples of both of these cars up my way.