52k Mile Survivor: 1986 AMC Eagle Wagon
Without the financial resources of General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, upstart American Motors was always willing to push the envelope. One example came in the form of the Eagle in 1980, the industry’s first “crossover” vehicle. Borrowing from the four-wheel-drive expertise of Jeep, AMC introduced the Eagle on what previously was the Concord compact. This example 1986 Eagle wagon looks remarkably clean, has relatively low mileage, and has been treated to a lot of recent maintenance and upgrades.
AMC went all-in on the 4WD passenger car concept, building 192,000 Eagles from 1980 to 1988 (the last year under Chrysler’s watchful eye as they had acquired AMC in 1987). Coupes, sedans, and station wagons were offered and – later – the Spirit-based subcompact got similar treatment. A convertible also came about, too, but its assembly was outsourced. The Eagle was the only 4WD passenger built in the U.S. during this era.
The seller’s well-reserved station wagon was one of about 7,000 built in the 1986 model year. Its mileage is 52,000 and the impressive condition of the vehicle supports that claim. It’s powered by AMC’s venerable 258 cubic inch V8, has an automatic transmission, and the shift from 2-wheel to 4-wheel drive can be done “on the fly”. The seller is only the car’s second owner, having acquired it from the estate of the original purchaser in 2018. It resides in Arizona at that time. There is no rust, and the two-tone paint is the original finish.
Recent receipts will indicate that $4,000 has been spent in bringing this vehicle to turn-key status. Some of the work done includes new tires, a new A/C compressor, new shocks, new struts for the hatch, a new headliner, and some new carpeting. Sporting Olympic White and Autumn Brown paint, this should be a great head turner at Cars & Coffee. Located in Anaheim Hills, California, this Eagle is available here on craigslist for $11,500 OBO. Another nifty tip from “numskal”!
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Comments
Looks like a straight six in the pic.
That’s what AMC’s 258 is. I6
the 258 is a straight 6
The interior looks like the one in my 1986 Cherokee. The big advantage of this vehicle over the Jeep is it has a real engine. The Cherokee had the dreaded GM 2.8L V6.
For 1986 only the Eagle came with an open center differential instead of a viscous coupling. Front and rear diffs are also open, so if you lose traction on one wheel the car will sit there spinning that one wheel even in 4WD mode! (I owned one like that.)
So, why does this Eagle wagon look different than the one posted the other day? Should be the same car, yet this one looks like a 4×4, the other one didn’t. These, apparently are surfacing, because the elderly owners are passing on. Do the math, if they bought the car new in their 30s, in 40 years, they are getting up there. I say elderly, because that’s who this car was aimed at. Long time Rambler holdouts, and 4×4 only was used in emergencies, that never happened. These cars all sat inside during inclement weather. The only exception was rural letter carriers used these, and some still might. I go so far as to say, some of the last great AMC vehicles.
“It’s all we’ll drive.”
The reason this looks more like a 4 wheel drive is because of wheel and tire selection. This has the slotted mags with more of an all terrain tire, where the other has the spoked hub caps and white wall street tires. once these came out they are the only thing my mom would drive. The Eagle Wagon and then the Wagoneer. My dad worked for AMC in the interior styling studio and then moved to Chrysler with the Jeep products. My dad got my mom a new one every 4 or 5 years.
These are off a newer Jeep.
If the motor was basically the same one I had in my ’74 Hornet wagon I would have been tickled with the car. I really could have used the 4 wheel drive decades ago. The Hornet was bought from a soldier that had it with him when stationed in Germany and had seen a bunch of Europe. I paid $350 for it and put nothing into it but gas, oil, tie rods ends and an alignment, and a tune-up. Sold it for $250 after driving it some 60k miles.
I start out by stating I look forward to your list of cars for sale each day. I end by saying why are you go so enamored of these cars? they were crap back then, and I see no reason to revere them now. explain ricky!