Jump to content
Ultimate Subaru Message Board

are loyales /gls making a comeback


Recommended Posts

I resently sold my 94 loyale parts car and i volentired to deliver it to the guy as it has no motor and he is a freind of mine i had a guy follow me down the highway and in to a gas station trying to buy it from me and the next stop for.coffee i had another guy try to buy it from me then i get the thing to the guys house and some one tryes to steal it from in front of his house trailer and all lol and the next day the driver from the lumber yard stoped and asked about it and about the murphy that was sold a few months ago lol my freind was so bummed about having to sell his gl10 they got in to a bidding war in the parking lot when he sold it so he talked me out of my parts car to build another one from scratch lol i dident know there was such a interest in these old rigs but i guess with some nice rims and alittle modernizing some led lights and whatnots i guess there is who would.have ever thunk it

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was once offered $2500 for my 86 GL wagon.

She only has a homemade two inch lift but the reason I think this dude was so geeked on my car was because of the ej22 swap. 

Maybe I should have taken his offer, haha! But I spent 8 months doing the swap and I love her too much to let her go.

Even here in boulder where it seems like one in three cars are subarus there are only a handful of that body style putting around anymore, and they built the damn things forever.

I think these cars are most valuable in a trade situation, I would be open to trading for another muscle car.

But I would probably soon be looking for another 80s sube for an ej swap project! These cars are really fantastic with that engine, the power is just right for most situations, if not excessive, but still gets great gas mileage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Their value will be severely limited. Even Brats have gone up momentarily and then their value plummeted. Rare 360's can't command much even because there's just very little market. 

 

There isn't enough demand and there are virtually no parts to keep them on the road. 

 

Sure - one or two people a week stop in to ask if my lifted hatch is for sale (it's not), but invariably they have no clue that it's not a vehicle you can daily drive, nor do they understand what it would take to build another or it's value. Ultimately they haven't got even close to the money it would cost if I would be willing to sell it, no clue what it takes to maintain one, and half of them think it's a Justy. 

 

Other than iconic cars like the Brat, the rest will be a footnote in automotive history and not in any serious way desirable. My 69 GMC truck with only 130k, nice patina, and in good running driving condition is probably worth $5k and its 50 years old. Very desirable body and can get ANY part for full restoration. 

 

I'm afraid no old Subaru is ever going to be worth more than $5k. No one is that interested in them and If they are as soon as they find out you can't get parts and have to start your own junk yard and buy 20 of them to get enough parts to maintain or restore one.... They will lose interest quick. 

 

GD

Edited by GeneralDisorder
Link to comment
Share on other sites

One also has to remember that “talk”, “interest”, “offer”, “showing up”, “”showing up with full offer cash in hand” are decreasing levels of participation. Each of those is a far cry from “full value cash in hand”.

 

When there’s a smoking hot deal I show up with cash in hand waving it at people. That rarely happens with old gen subarus.

 

I have been “talked to” or “offered” something for my subarus this year. I think 2 or 3 times but none were what I’d call serious and I would have never remembered them outside of this thread.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm afraid no old Subaru is ever going to be worth more than $5k. No one is that interested in them and If they are as soon as they find out you can't get parts and have to start your own junk yard and buy 20 of them to get enough parts to maintain or restore one.... They will lose interest quick. 

 

GD

 

round here maybe, but on the east coast, were they are all gone and people are rediscovering that old subarus are awesome.  And the general economy is stronger for more expensive car options.

 

Saw a whole trailer full of restored older 1st and second gens being shipped to the east coast......selling for WELL over 5k.  Fully restored clean cars though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah maybe, but they are going there to get *used* and die of rust. People are discovering that it's cheap to ship them and cars here are clean and completely rust free. They are going there to die, not be coveted, restored, and ascend in value. 

 

Also the people buying them likely have no clue that support for them is disappearing. It's not well known by the general public that you can't get the parts to maintain them over the long term - they don't seem *that* old, and definitely don't qualify as classic or antique. People buy them without ever looking into parts availability. If they knew what a challenge it is to find a good condition EA82 short block they would probably think twice about it being a good "cheap" 4WD solution. Because even at $5k+ shipping, that's a REALLY cheap winter 4WD for the east coast where nothing over 10-15 years old exists. Newer cars are expensive by virtue of their demand - regardless of corrosion because most buyers in New Jersey don't even consider the option of importing a west coast car that's older than anything they have locally. Sure some do - but they are the TINY minority. The supply out here of really nice ones couldn't support the demand if it were more than an insignificant minority of buyers. 

 

GD

Edited by GeneralDisorder
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah maybe, but they are going there to get *used* and die of rust. People are discovering that it's cheap to ship them and cars here are clean and completely rust free. They are going there to die, not be coveted, restored, and ascend in value. 

 

GD

 

You are wrong on that one.  a few people are taking cars out there to daily drive.  But alot of them are being collected proper.

 

these were restored cars.  Maybe will get taken to the dunes in the summer, but they are not gonna be "daily drivers'  

 

these were show cars.  '80's japanese cars are the hot ticket collectables on the eastern seaboard.  They stand out from all the rice burner "tuner" wannabe's at the car shows.

 

Beisdes, everone out there drive like 90mph all the time.  Nobody wants to daily drive a Brat on 1-95.

Edited by Gloyale
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As someone who has owned over 30 vehicles, in various stages of restoration, I will say again, in a different way...

The vehicles I prize the most, are the ones that are hard to find parts for. Noone that is a real collector wants a bunch of cars that parts exist and can be found easily for. Look at Jay Leno's garage. He doesn't go around always showing you a 69 camaro, does he? It defeates the entire purpose of having something unique.

With a vehicle with such a culturally significant impact as the Brat, being the wagon of coupe or what have you variant of that, will likely become something. Will they 20,000 show cars like my Crosley, or a Franklin? Probably not, but it is WAY too early to tell.

5-8k is already a price that is regularly seen being asked, it is only a matter of time before the numbers drop enough that those cars are the ones left, and they get what they are asking. That is how supply and demnd works.

Even if the demand doesn't really increase, if it stays the same the supply will eventually drop into it.

Edited by charles_thomas
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

But 5-8k is really nothing when it comes to collectible cars. That's bottom of the barrel for collectibles. It's still under the value of other 80's icons like the Camaro and Firebird, or even the projected value of 85 Toyota pickups in 10 years - Haggarty says $30-$40k for Marty McFly's model Toy. They certainly aren't a good investment so if people are buying them it's because it's what *they* want, not what is going to be a good investment.

 

GD

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just bought a 84 GL 4wd 4spd here in Denver for $400. It's rough and the guy was trying to get the Weber carb to work right on it. He couldn't get it past emissions.

I've got it running 100% better but still a little too rich to pass. Going to try and jet down the primary and secondary as soon as I can get a baseline idea of what people are running here at altitude.

 

I bought it because since I first worked on one in the late 80's back in Iowa, I really liked the design of the Brat/Justy/GL. I'd never pay a lot for any of them, I just think they are kinda neat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The gen 3 GL/loyale era cars are definitely scarce here on the east coast, gen2 and gen1 are pretty much extinct.   I do hope many old subarus "make a comeback" to the east coast so we can have more subaru soldiers to replenish our army in fighting the salt wars.   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gah! What a horrible thing to bring to a car show - an 80's station wagon? What are these people thinking? ...

 

Somehow, my Radioactive yellow "BumbleBeast" gets more attention than many Racer and "Ricer" modern cars. Seems like in this bubble-round cars era, the good ol' Squared ones are becoming more interesting...

 

Kind Regards.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Somehow, my Radioactive yellow "BumbleBeast" gets more attention than many Racer and "Ricer" modern cars. Seems like in this bubble-round cars era, the good ol' Squared ones are becoming more interesting...

 

Kind Regards.

 

 

100% agree with that.

My son bought an 82 BMW 320i for his first car. He's received tons of compliments.

Everybody under the age of 25 has an STI, Civic or Focus SV. All are faster than his old Bimmer, but none have the style. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

i think it has to do with what the general people of the area are familiar with. in my city, you'll be lucky to see 2 of any Subaru driving around in a single day, new or old and by old i mean late 90's, and half of those have license plates from Oregon. people overhere just have not accepted Subaru, and i think it has to do with being so close to the border to Mexico, as my dad used to own a Car Lot on the border back in the 80's and 90's he mentioned that everyone disliked Subarus since the engine was strange and no one knew how to work on them, he had 2 early 80's Subarus for sale for 2 years and never sold, ended up trading one for a boat, and the other for a school bus. Therefore old Subarus are extremely hard to find downhere, but when they do show up, they are so extremely cheap its unrealistic since no one wants to buy them, and ofcourse then theres me taking advantage of every single one i ever see up for sale or hiding in someones backyard since there are non in Junkyards of any kind. heres a quick history of what i've been able to purchase mine for in my city in the last 5 years-

 

$60 for my 1979 GL Wagon 4WD manual

$900 for my 1980 GL Brat 4WD manual

$1,200 for my 1983 GL Hatch FWD auto

$350 for my 1989 GL-10 Wagon 4WD manual

$250 for my 1990 Loyale Wagon 4WD manual

$180 for my 1991 Loyale Wagon 4WD auto

$200 for my 1993 Impreza FWD manual.

 

--all somewhat ran when purchased except for the 1979--

 

>parts cars that never ran-

1991 Loyale for $200 4WD manual

1993 Loyale for $250 FWD auto

 

seems that the sweet spot of "desired" Subarus right now is somewhere between 1980-1985.

Edited by Subasaurus
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Somehow, my Radioactive yellow "BumbleBeast" gets more attention than many Racer and "Ricer" modern cars. Seems like in this bubble-round cars era, the good ol' Squared ones are becoming more interesting...

 

Kind Regards.

 

Makes me think of Huey Lewis song "It's hip to be square"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Makes me think of Huey Lewis song "It's hip to be square"

 

I just searched for it in YouTube... just hearin' it now... its new for me.

 


 

... people overhere just have not accepted Subaru, and i think it has to do with being so close to the border to Mexico ...

 

Subarus just got into mexico 'till 2005.

 

We had them in the rest of Latin America way before.

 

Honduras got the first one in 1968.

 

Kind Regards.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...