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My 1985 GL "Charger" Wagon Story


two85s
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I bought my wagon in 1995 from a new / used car dealer in North Denver.  They had it stickered at $4999....IIRC I got them down to $2450 and had the car looked over by Rick (I think was his name and the owner) at CCR (Colorado Component Rebuilders) before I purchased it. I had never owned a Subaru but after moving to Denver from Southern California I saw so many around and old ones too.  I went to Rick's shop with the wagon (dealer let me take it off the lot but only beacuse I was walking away if I couldn't get a machanic's opinion before buying) and met Rick, his wife and their shop dog, a cool bitch Boston Terrier.  I now have a Boston Terrier as a result of meeting that dog....a very good dog.  Rick looked over my wagon and he drove it around the block with me in it.  Rick said, "looks decent...always keep an eye on your oil and water levels, use genuine Subaru oil filters, and don't shift in and out of 4 wheel drive while turning and you should be good to go."  

Now these years later the wagon is pretty stock for sure and has been through some scrapes.  Back hatch from a MPFI 1985 GL-10 wagon and passenger side front quarter panel along with other bits.  Alternator and AC system with bonus full time second fan and various other donor parts from a 1985 GL wagon non-turbo automatic.  I have had the wagon through snow in the Rocky Mountains and even had studded snow tires for a time when I lived near Silverthorne.  I can remember smiling proudly and charging past Suburbans and the like pulled off to the roadside during blizzard conditions on the I70. 

Since moving back to Southern California, the wagon has been out to the deserts on many camping and prospecting trips on some tricky roads...even up on high sand dunes in the Superstition Mountains just Southwest of the Salton Sea. That was funny.  On a prospecting trip, my dad and I pulled up almost to the top of the dune field in my 1985 Subaru "Charger" (as I have named it) near this $70-100K massive 4X4 lifted Ford 250 or 350 (crew cab with fancy custom paint and huge tires) while they were loading quads into the bed of the truck.  We waved and proceeded back down the dune because had we gone up and over the top we were not sure of the type of sand on the other side of the dune.  That Ford was about to leave and there was no help for miles.  Lately with the Subarus help my dad I located a placer gold claim at the end of of a long 4X4 road about 3000 feet up in the Southern Sierra Nevadas.  We are getting geared up to go do some mining soon to celebrate my dad's 73 birthday....yes in the 1985 Subaru GL D/R non turbo "Charger" Wagon.  So I will see if I can post some pictures I took today.  Many thanks USMB

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Hey yeah thanks Mykey and rrgrr, very good on narrow off road trails where sometimes the roads are lined on both sides with paint scratching cactus/ tree/ scrubs plants.  lol  The Hitachi is doing fine about 5 years ago a local mechanic did a minor overhaul.  Not exactly sure what he did but I think it involved a new spacer or gasket because the old one looked misaligned or off-centered.   I have a whole second intake with a Hitachi I might rebuild at some point for when this one needs replacing.  The rear bumper was from the 1985 MPFI GL-10 I'm pretty sure and BTW I have that engine in the for sale section of USMB.  Take care all, Aaron

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  • 5 months later...

This is an Awesome Wagon, Brown in my second favourite colour after the "RadioActive Yellow" I painted mine ...  :D ... If you're gonna use this car to move heavy equipment, as you wrote here:

 

~► http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/152242-85-wagon-suspension-help-jeszek-loyale-27-turbo-help/

 

Then I kindly suggest you to do the Suspension Modifications I done, plus the Weber Carb Swap, in case your hitachi carb starts to fail...

 

Kind Regards.

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