With so many manufacturers besmirching the coupe name by applying it to four doors, it’s good to see a REAL coupe in the form of today’s Nice Price or No Dice AMC. Let’s find out what this crazy 4X4 two-door should rightfully cost.
Two issues loomed over yesterday’s 1994 Toyota Pickup. One was a big dent in the side that, while admittedly could be lived with, was a glaring advertisement for poor driving habits that no sane person wants to be associated with. The other was the mad mix of high mileage and the vague recommendation for the need of a valve adjustment which together could portend more expensive engine work in the near future.
While not quite a greek chorus of woes, that did cause some of you to voice caution in the comments regarding the truck’s $2,800 asking price. In the end, however, the Toyota’s stellar reputation for durability won out over the challenges, and the truck took home a solid 76 percent Nice Price win.
How brash a person are you? Are you bold enough to cut a big, juicy fart in a crowded elevator and then pridefully claim ownership of the resulting mauvaise odeur? Would you likewise not consider it too cheeky in demanding that the clown ahead of you carrying more than “10 items or less” choose to checkout somewhere other than the express lane, thus engendering the respectful nods and murmers from those behind, several of whom reverently suggest that “not all heroes wear capes?”
If you’re all those things, then yes, you are bold. You are, however, not as bold as the seller of this 1982 AMC Eagle SX4 Coupe. I mean seriously, how many people present an automobile for sale wearing remnants of winter’s wrath, while providing evidence of a well-worn repair guide and with sizable streaks of bird shit caked to the window and trim? Even if the seller is a she, that shows some pretty big huevos.
As we all know, the Eagle was AMC’s attempt at a niche car at a point in the company’s narrative arc when both time and money were running out. The model took the Jeep’s four-wheel-drive running gear and 4.2 liter straight six and bolted those into the Concord chassis. Actually, AMC made Eagles out of almost their entire lineup, offering 4X4 versions of the Spirit in both Liftback and Kammback models as well as the Concord.
Demonstrating AMC’s parsimonious nature and its bent for innovation, the Concord and Spirit were themselves versions of, respectively, the Hornet and Gremlin, car designs that had both been around since the late 1960s.
This Eagle is the Liftback and that makes it probably a bit rarer than the usual Eagle wagon. You almost never see Kammbacks or the two-door notchback coupe versions anymore. That’s likely because they weren’t all that popular, to begin with.
The car comes with a clean title and, reportedly, just 97,000 miles on the clock. It looks like there are many more than that since both paint and trim seem to have taken a turn into the Mad Max universe. At least it’s all there, and a set of new wheels and tires does offer a little bit of bling to counter the flaking paint and worn-to-the-primer bodywork. Plus, there’s that bird shit on the window. That’s nice touch and evidence that the car lives in a climate where you just don’t wash your car much in winter.
Inside, there are mismatched buckets and a wavy, cracked dash cap. More importantly, however, there are three pedals and a stick shift. We all like those. The Eagle’s old-school origins shine through by way of the manual window winders and corner dash vents that target your knees more than anything else.
According to the ad, the engine “starts and runs great.” New hydraulics have been installed for the clutch and the seller avows that “everthing seems to work and function as it should.”
On the downside, not everything seems to work and function as it should. The seller does note in the ad that the rear hatch will not presently open, and that the key is missing to open the locked glove box. Other issues include a leaking power steering pump and the need for some TLC. And yes, “no duh” to the latter.
Nothing in the car’s description seems terribly daunting and, while it’s presented as rough and tumble, this Eagle seems to have good bones and some life left in it. Most importantly, all the mechanical pieces should be reasonably easy to come by and not all that expensive.
We’ll now need to decide if the car itself is too expensive, or if it’s a deal. The asking price is $5,000 and you now need to get your thinking caps on and weigh in on both price and car. What do you think, is $5,000 a good price for so bold a ride? Or, for that much, would you let this Eagle soar away?
You decide!
Seattle, Washington, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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