1990 Subaru XT

If you haven't noticed already, I love the Subaru XT. These were forgotten for years until just recently when Subaru themselves restored an XT for their museum that caught a bit of attention. Subaru also doesn't currently offer anything similar to it.

The XT was sold from 1985-1991. It featured either front or four-wheel drive, four or six cylinders, and was either normally aspirated or turbocharged.

Perhaps the coolest aspect is the avant garde styling. Sure, at first glance it looks like a 1980s vision of the future, perpetually auditioning for a background shot in Blade Runner or Total Recall. But a careful examination reveals the design to deceptively thoughtful. The wedge shape provides for a .29 drag coefficient, and the large greenhouse glass and blackened pillars give it superior visibility in and out, while looking super stealthy. The thin taillight strip no doubt inspired the Alfa 164. The whole thing is almost primordial, progressive but ancient feeling, like some kind of aborted project or lost code, and reminds me of the Apex building in Pawtucket, RI, like it should be the structure's emergency shuttle craft or something.

Inside, the futuristic theme continues with an asymmetrical steering wheel, joystick-like gearshift and tightly spaced and intense instrument cluster.

Not many were sold and most were thrashed during ownership so even less have survived. The seller of this example says the odometer reads 119,997 miles, but a complete engine rebuild was done at 101k. They say nothing is wrong with it and they are just selling because of excess vehicles. Cosmetically, they say it has normal wear, dings, and scratches but nothing major. They say the interior is even better.

If Subaru is restoring these, we're not far off from the days when individuals start doing so too. These are interestingly styled and fun to drive. This is just the front-wheel drive version, but the turbocharged four cylinder examples with four-wheel drive are first in line to become modern collector classics. Snatch these up before they all get scrapped.

Available here on craigslist in Seattle, Washington for $2,300.