gregamuffin Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 Hey guys I'm new here BUT i have been lurking around the site for probably 2 years. i had the idea of building a mild off road sub but the only one for sale around me sold and a bought a 5.0 mustang.....huge headache. anyway im looking for a new car and i cam across a 1987 Subaru GL 5speed. now i've done some searching around here and they seem to be pretty popular choices among those who wheel their subarus. I'm going to post the link so you guys can see the description (its not much) and the pictures (2 of which im sure he put up there by accident unless he's looking for a date). im going to look at it soon but i was hoping you could tell me what to look for and if this indeed would be a good choice? i do a fair amount of highway driving and htis would be my daily, whats fuel economy like, and can i travel comfortably at 70mph on the thruway in one of these? thanks in advance guys the forum as a whole seems like its filled with more people who want to help then who want to prove you wrong....(mustang forums) http://buffalo.craigslist.org/cto/1678052479.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 That car would be the perfect candidate, if only it were 4WD. That car is a 2WD version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEECHBM69 Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 That car would be the perfect candidate, if only it were 4WD. That car is a 2WD version. So the badge on the gate and mud flaps are add ons? Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 Okay, i am sorry... i spoke too soon. The description says the car is a 5spd, but they did not come 4WD & 5spd back then... all 4WD's were 4spd. However, there is clearly a 4WD badge on the back gate, so either he swapped a 5spd 4WD transmission into it (unlikely) or its ower doesnt know there is no 5th gear (likely) That's a good starting point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregamuffin Posted April 10, 2010 Author Share Posted April 10, 2010 ok so it has 4wd mud flaps and emblem but there's no way its both 4wd and a 5spd? and can you guys tell me about what it would be like to drive this on the thruway at say 70-75 mph? is that feasible? thanks for the quick responses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 My hatchback would do 75 no problem. My Brat will do 88 (i have a speeding ticket to prove it) After you put a lift kit and bigger tires on it, everything changes though. And there's a slight chance it could be 5spd & 4WD... but that is only if the previous owner removed the 4spd and put a 5spd in, and its not a direct swap... so he would have to know what he's doing to pull it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEECHBM69 Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 (edited) i do a fair amount of highway driving and htis would be my daily, whats fuel economy like, and can i travel comfortably at 70mph on the thruway in one of these? thanks in advance guys the forum as a whole seems like its filled with more people who want to help then who want to prove you wrong....(mustang forums) Rust is the only natural predator these cars seem to have. Coming from Buffalo that's the first thing that comes to mind. The oil leak is probably non consequential, as long as it wasn't allowed to run dry. There are a bazillion threads on common areas of leakage on EA81s. Most of them are easy fixes. I've had mine up to 70 a few times. Where as it didn't seem to mind it, I don't know that I would want to do it for extended periods of time. That's just me. My normal beat around driving I get mid to high 20's for mpg. The more you mod, the lower that will go. One other thing, 4wd versions of the EA81 only came in 4 spds. If it has a 5spd it was swapped. Dan On edit: I could have just waited and said "what he said" lol Edited April 10, 2010 by BEECHBM69 Too slow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregamuffin Posted April 10, 2010 Author Share Posted April 10, 2010 that seems unlikely as he spelled subaru as suburu lol unless the owner before him did it? i'll have to call and get more details, because the description does say all wheel drive and it would be hard to mistake if you had five speeds or not lol. should it have dual range as well? and what do i check for like major problem areas or known weaknesses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEECHBM69 Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 that seems unlikely as he spelled subaru as suburu lol unless the owner before him did it? i'll have to call and get more details, because the description does say all wheel drive and it would be hard to mistake if you had five speeds or not lol. should it have dual range as well? and what do i check for like major problem areas or known weaknesses? Unless I'm missing something, it just says MANUAL, it doesn't specify gearing. One thing I just noticed in one of the pictures; is the driver side window busted out? There seems to be something covering it up. Somebody chime in if I'm wrong, but I thought I remembered reading finding door glass for these things was fairly difficult? If it is indeed a 4sp, the synchros are notoriously weak. Enter the 5sp swap. You can use that as a bargaining chip if nothing else. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 the title says its a 5spd. I saw the drivers window was covered, but it looked like a sheet or something covering the window, maybe for shade? If it does need a window, you need a window from another 2 door subaru of the same era, 4 door subaru's have different windows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregamuffin Posted April 10, 2010 Author Share Posted April 10, 2010 Dan thank you for your input I'll have to check that out about the glass I figured it was a cardboard sign substituting as a for sale sign but its a good point you raised. However the actual listing of the car says 1987 suburu 5 speed. Which is why I'm lead to believe it is one but it seems tthat I'll have to call and ask or go and see for myself. Does 4wd mean its always in that as in all wheel drive or when it is not engaged does that mean its RWD then? And I most definitely will have to check for rust my current mustang needed complete new floor pans welded in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEECHBM69 Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 (edited) Unless I'm missing something the title says its a 5spd. Sorry about that It would be 4wd or FWD. Dan Edited April 10, 2010 by BEECHBM69 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asis Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 I noticed the driver window as well and that he said the AWD is leaking....??? I am fairly certain it should not be an AWD in 87' but.... But give me a "break" he wasn't real sure how to spell "brakes" Maybe he is just after a date Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregamuffin Posted April 10, 2010 Author Share Posted April 10, 2010 ya he spelled brakes wrong, subaru wrong, however it was recently inspected. im trying to go see it sometime today or tomorrow so i'll let you know what i find out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 (edited) That's an '87 4WD "STD" model hatch. It will be a 4WD, single range, 4 speed with an EA71 (1600cc) engine. Don't be scared of the 4 speed - that just means that 4th gear is overdrive (yes - they do fine on the freeway), and the rest of the gears are a little farther apart. It's not a problem - but you would eventually want a 5 speed for the dual-range 4WD option. Look for rust. The "oil leaks" are no big deal. Probably just pan and valve cover's - maybe a front main seal. It's 10 minutes to change the valve cover gaskets, 20 minutes for a front main, and about an hour to do a pan gasket. No big deal. That would make a very sweet offroad candidate - needs an engine and transmission swap but that's a great body to start with for a wheeler. A lot less electrical to worry about on the STD model (fewer gauges). You would want to add a tach and an oil pressure gauge at least. Price is right if the rust isn't bad. GD Edited April 10, 2010 by GeneralDisorder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregamuffin Posted April 10, 2010 Author Share Posted April 10, 2010 Thanks guys for all the quick replies I'll report more when I get back from seeing it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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