I guess nobody wanted to deal with the mold in the 380SEC, as the 924 has shuffled its way to victory. It’s a bit of a shame as those AMG parts are worth a mint, but that’s just the way the game is played. Anyway, large swaths of America are about to get their shit rocked by Jack Frost, so let’s bolt on some snow tires and see which practical AWD car can pull us out of this mess.
2004 Subaru Outback – $2,000
Engine/drivetrain: 2.5-liter flat-four engine, five-speed manual gearbox, all-wheel-drive. Location: Antioch, California Odometer reading: 216,492 miles Runs/drives? Yes. Is the Subaru Outback a car to blame for killing low-riding wagons in America, or a car to praise for saving wagons in America by lifting them up? The right answer depends on your personal beliefs, but the way this is even a question suggests the impact of this car was monumental. This is a second-generation Outback and while not mechanically perfect, it should take just about everything you need to your campsite.
Under the hood sits a 2.5-liter flat-four engine that’s known for being a bit shit. Cooling system issues and external head gasket leaks often conspire to keep these things off the road, so owning an EJ253 can often be a labor of love. Still, at least it’s hitched to a five-speed manual gearbox and all-wheel-drive. On the plus side, this Outback has recently had its timing belt done, but on the minus side, it failed smog.
On the outside, this Outback looks fairly clean, with just a mark on the rear bumper to detract from the gleaming blue paint. Even the headlights look fairly clear, an uncommon sight on vehicle this old. Then again, I’ll likely need a few more pixels to determine exactly how well-kept this Subaru is.
Moving to the interior of the Outback, the good news continues. The driver’s seat is in great shape, with none of the unsightly splits that can come from years of sliding across the bolster. The dash plastics and carpets look well-kept, and although the wood trim is egregiously fake, it’s still brighter than black plastic.
1991 Honda Civic Wagon RT4WD – $1,750
Engine/drivetrain: 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, six-speed manual gearbox, all-wheel-drive. Location: Fairfield, California Odometer reading: 130,412 miles. Runs/drives? You bet. I bet you didn’t expect to see one of these things today. Upon first glance, the Civic Wagon RT4WD is a weird artifact of Honda history. It doesn’t seem to fit into any traditional Civic pattern. However, think of this as the CR-V’s daddy, the forerunner of a car that helped permanently reshape American roads.
Under the skin, this patinated Civic packs something even a brand new Type R doesn’t – all-wheel-drive. Its 1.6-liter D16 four-cylinder engine puts power through a six-speed manual gearbox to all four wheels, an anomaly for American-market Civics. Also, that six-speed manual is really a five-speed in daily use. First is an ultra-low granny gear for when you need greater torque manipulation. Neat, right? On the outside, this Civic Wagon shows evidence of a life well-lived. The clearcoat is flaking, dents abound, and the left front fender is a completely different color from the baby blue paintwork, but the California weather means that the bodywork looks free of rust.
Unfortunately, the seller hasn’t included any pictures of the interior, so we have no idea what shape the cloth upholstery or interior panels are in. West coast sunshine probably hasn’t been the kindest to the plastics, but who knows? At this point, it’s probably easier to expect nothing and potentially be delightfully surprised. So, here we are, two very different Japanese wagons that put power to all four wheels. One has a longitudinal layout and a legendary name, the other packs a certain joie de vivre along with a granny gear. As ever, choose wisely.
(Photo credits: Craigslist sellers)
Throwing Common Sense Out The Window: 1980 Porsche 924 vs 1984 Mercedes-Benz 380SEC The 2024 Subaru Impreza Revives The Impreza 2.5 RS And Kills The Sedan The 2023 Honda HR-V Looks Like A Reasonably Nice Way To Leave One Place And Arrive Somewhere Else Here’s Every Car The $43,990 Honda Civic Type R Competes With There Was A Time When Americans Could Buy A 300-Horsepower Supercharged Wagon From Audi: Holy Grails Got a hot tip? Send it to us here. Or check out the stories on our homepage. Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member. Subaru it is! Damn if they don’t like this Honda. Time fer a test drive. In reality, that Civic has been beat to shit by a kid who lives with his parents and managed to kill a Honda D16 before it hit 100K miles. And THAT tells me that not only was it beat to shit, it also was not properly maintained. And I bet there are no interior shots likely because the interior is trashed. And he’s “selling it to move out of his parents house”… riiiight. For some reason, that explanation doesn’t add up in my mind. About to get blasted with snow if the weather is right. With how clean they both are I’d feel guilty about killing them with ne Ohio rust The engine is actually a good one except for the head gaskets. It’s almost a certainty that the head gaskets have been replaced by 150k miles much less 210k miles. If they were replaced by MLS gaskets and done properly, it’s a one-time permanent fix. It’s worth getting under the car and looking at the edge of the head gaskets to see if they are MLS, but if its leak free, that’s good enough. I was in the market for a used outback at one point but decided I didn’t want to deal with Subaru engines.
