Pleasant Pleiades: 83k-mile 1985 Subaru GL 4WD Turbo

It's just not everyday you come across a 27-year old Subaru GL in this kind of condition.

Subaru in the 1980s were a really cool car company. This was before they became the dull L.L. Bean-mobiles of today. It was when they still placed an emphasis on all-wheel drive, but their cars were economical, compact, and relatively lightweight.

They were also styled somewhat provocatively with hard, crisp angles and edges. Their XT coupe is a new classic of modern auto design, and it featured a lot of technology that was ahead of its time.

The GL was close behind.

Japanese manufacturers had finally emerged from the shadow of European design and came into their own. The fuel crises of the 1970s combined with form over function design principles forced the Japanese to create highly utilitarian products intended for maximum usage while also being aesthetically pleasing. Although even the best Japanese designs were usually inspired by something from Germany or Italy, it was their entry-level economy cars of the 80s (something that the Germans and Italians hadn't quite mastered, at least for the U.S. market) that defined Japanese design as clean, simple, and uplifting. They were family-friendly but still sporty looking. They were distinctive without being decorative. They just fit on modern American roads.

Subaru used the GL nameplate for several generations of vehicles. This is the first year of an all-new body that lasted until 1994.

The seller is a dealer who have done a phenomenal job photographing the car with a ton of high-res photos and offering documentation and proof of the low mileage and careful ownership that car has. They state the odometer reads only an utterly remarkable 83,520 original miles, and the car has spent its whole life in California, before coming to Nevada where it is now.

Perhaps even more impressive is the condition. The deep "Crest Brown" metallic paint looks new. The vehicle has no rust. The interior is nothing less than immaculate. The owner wisely realized the dry and sunny west coast climate usually cracks plastic dashboards so they placed a nicely fitting mat over it. Note the digital speedometer, a visual treat for fans of vintage electronics.

What makes this GL an extra special treat is the equipment level. This example has a 1.8-litre SOHC 4-cylinder engine that is turbocharged, on-demand 4-wheel drive, and on-demand pneumatic air suspension with height control. Awesome. Cruising down the highway at 80mph? Lower the suspension. Need to maneuver through water, mud or snow? Heighten the suspension, switch on the 4WD. Nowadays, most Subaru owners don't have these choices, let alone almost all vehicle owners. When the consumer loses choices, we all lose.

The seller states the vehicle has recently been given new axles, distributor cap, plug wires, battery and an a/c charge.

This car is not only a low-mileage survivor, but it's in unusually good shape and has some really cool optional equipment. It definitely deserves a new owner as loving as the previous was apparently.

If you are a Subaru fanatic or just have an itch for this, grab it. There probably isn't another one like it.

Find it here on ebay.