MtnIcePrincess Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 Hi... My cousin has an 1982 or possibly 1983 Subaru...{duh! sorry}.... GLF. It is a convertible...manual 5 speed....I do believe it is only a 2wd {oops! 2nd sorry, guess I should have had all the pertinent info b4 posting. Will have it by tomorrow.} He was led to believe that this car was a "Rare-Classic",......"much-sought-after by collectors" automobile. The only problem is: I can not find very much information about it on the web. Only that it was an aftermarket convertible...without Subaru's permission. So....That's were I'm hoping that some of you can help. I would greatly appreciate any additional info you might have about this car. Is it as valuable as he was led to believe ?? Is there even a 'market' out there for this car, or should he just hang on to it as an "oddity" ?? I can answer any questions you might have about it...tomorrow. Thanx !!!! in advance to anyone who can help & I hope that everyone reading this post.... IS HAVING AN AWESOME DAY !!! Mahalo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chef_tim Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 Welcome to the board. Had some awesome times in Santa Cruz when I was a kid. A rare oddity is a good way to describe what he's got. We have seen them go anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars to several thousand depending on the shape it is in. It is not a hugely sought after car by the general collector comunity, but to a subby nut it is one of the grails. Can you put up a couple of pictures for us???? Thanks, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosens Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 I heard from a very reliable source that there were some made in New Jersey for the east coast....and the others were made by an outfit in or near Beverly Hills...or somewhere in CA.I always thought that they all came from CA,but this guy who told me knows his stuff. Please let us know any VIN numbers and if there's a special badge on it with production numbers. Thanks and good luck with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnIcePrincess Posted April 30, 2005 Author Share Posted April 30, 2005 Okay...here is what I've found out so far: It's a 1982 {June}.... GLF VIN: JF1 AW44B6 CB31 7334 5speed....2wd.....2 door....has AC.....mileage: 073,750.2 Under the hood says: {hope this makes sense} engine family-CFJ1.8v 2FAA2 {109 cid} AIV/TWC + EGS/EGR evaporative emission family - RU The aftermarket/convertible doo-hicky was done by: Matrix3 There is a plate on the trunk that says: Matrix3 1781 Placentia Costa Mesa, CA 92627 There is also an: M3 plate on the dashboard, and inside the door frame is a little metal plate that says: "Matrix3" This vehicle was altered & conforms to all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle safety & bumper standards ...As Of: 10/82 Serial# 7334-1103 The car has the original "Matrix3 Owners Manual" and all receipts and paperwork for work done on it. There is also a metal plate attached to the back of the Matrix3 manual, that I am guessing originally came from Subaru, with the VIN & GVW and all that good stuff. As for the car's condition: I think it's in pretty good shape for being 20+ years old {But then what do I know...I drive a Ford Ranger :-\ } I'll take some pics in the morning and post them. The engine looks pretty clean {once I got over the fact that the spare tire is in the engine compartment} & doesn't look like it's dripping any vital fluids. The body it's self is in really good condition. There is a small ding on the passenger side, near the gas tank lid. It's a Gold/Bronze color {tag sez: Paint Color #44} The paint is in pretty good shape, with a tiny amount of... I really wouldn't call it rust....maybe...oxidation around the edges of the trunk lid. The upholstery & carpet is shot. The padding on top of dashboard is cracked. It has the cutest little pop-up mirror in the glovebox. Okay....now for the 'rag-top'... The top is in semi-decent shape. No rips/holes/tears. There is about a 2" part of the seam that is starting to pull apart towards the back window. There's a motor in the trunk to raise/lower the top {it works}. The back plastic window is in good shape. Well...that's about it. Hope this info helps. I'll post the pics tomorrow morning. Thanx...Chef_Tim & Moosens for the input...mucho appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfdog Posted April 30, 2005 Share Posted April 30, 2005 Yep, a 'rare oddity' just about sums it up. A real cherry one from '84 sold recently on E-Bay for about $3550, but from what I recall that had all service manuals/records, was fully detailed, low mileage, no rust, 4wd Turbo. Personally, I prefer 5spd. Be great to see pics of the car, they are rare and the more documentation posted the better for the historical record. --wd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WagonsOnly Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 Can't be an '83, there were no GLFs then. Most convertibles were made out of '83 GL and GL-10 coupes. A very few were made from lease return and used coupes--I have an '81 DL convertible that, so far as I know, is the only one of its kind. Convertibles with power tops are somewhat rarer. wolfdog--good to see you're still on the board. I still have some coupe parts down here for you. Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chef_tim Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 Can't be an '83, there were no GLFs then.Andrew Look again, 82 . Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimwhitman Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 I just stumbled onto this thread and I wanted to reply (even though it is an old one.) I have been researching coach convertibles for several years, so any of you that can enlighten me as to the different companies that did the work, I would be grateful. I would also like to see photos of your Subaru convertible!! Here is an article I wrote on the subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coach_convertible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 (edited) http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=103009&highlight=convertable http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=659&start=75 Edited September 29, 2010 by Turbone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimwhitman Posted September 30, 2010 Share Posted September 30, 2010 (edited) http://http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=659&start=75 Good to see you linked the thread I started at JNC! I am still looking for more info on the Subaru convertibles. I was wondering if that was you. Edited September 30, 2010 by Turbone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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