Good morning! I hope you all had a good holiday yesterday. While you’re nursing your cookie hangover and watching the kids play with their new toys, I’ve got a couple of old cars for you to check out. And since it’s Boxing Day in some places, they’re both boxy – and both boxers.
On Wednesday, we looked at a couple of clean, low-mileage ’70s cars, and I knew going in that the old Chevy didn’t stand much of a chance. And you’re right; it’s an Impala, not a Caprice. I could have sworn I saw a Caprice Classic badge on the front fender, but now I see it’s just a rust spot. And it does say “Impala” right on the dash in that one photo. The only excuse I can give is that I’m in the middle of moving, and my mind is a thousand places all at once.
But screw that car anyway. We know the Mazda is way cooler. Sure, the old faded paint doesn’t quite match the new paint in places, but that houndstooth interior is to die for. I’m in agreement with the majority of you; make mine the old Mazda 626.
Now, I don’t need to tell anyone in Canada, the UK, or much of the rest of the world this, but Boxing Day has nothing to do with organized pugilism. Nor does it have anything to do with horizontally-opposed engines, but why should we let that stop us from looking at a couple of boxer-powered rides? I’ve got one from each of the engine design’s most prolific makers: Volkswagen and Subaru.
1985 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia – $4,600
Engine/drivetrain: 1.9 liter OHV flat 4, four-speed manual, RWD
Location: Petaluma, CA
Odometer reading: 146,000 miles
Operational status: Runs well, but needs brake work
Almost no vehicle in the world is more instantly recognizable than a Volkswagen van. Whether it’s the earlier Type 2, or this later Vanagon, when you see one, you know what it is immediately. And that goes double for the pop-top camper models, like this Westfalia.
The Vanagon follows the mechanical design of the old VW vans, with a flat 4 engine under the rear floor , and driver’s and passenger’s seats over the front axle. This is a “Wasserboxer” van, with a water-cooled 1.9 liter engine. The radiator is up front, receiving airflow from the extra grille just above the front bumper. This one has been sitting for a few years, and the seller has done some work to revive it. It has a new fuel pump, and it runs great, but apparently it needs some work on the brakes. Whether or not you could drive it home, I don’t know.
It’s a little rough inside; the seat upholstery is worn through in some places, and the carpet isn’t in great shape. It does have a barefoot gas pedal, as any good VW van (or any old van, frankly) should have. We don’t get any good views of the rear area, where it’s supposed to have seats that fold down into a bed, a sink, and a small stove. If it’s anything like the front, it’s livable, but not what you’d call nice. But really nice Westys cost a lot more than this these days.
It’s rust-free outside, but man, that rear bumper has seen better days. I get that a brick on wheels is hard to maneuver from way up high in the front, but if you back into something, you’re supposed to try not to back into it again. Maybe it needs one of those special Japanese mirrors on it.
1990 Subaru Loyale Wagon – $3,650
Engine/drivetrain: 1.8 liter OHC flat 4, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Bloomingdale, NJ
Odometer reading: 86,000 miles
Operational status: Runs well, but needs brake work
For many years, Subaru’s standard line of cars, known as the Leone in Japan, had no model name in America. It was known only by its trim level, usually DL, GL, or GL-10. But when Subaru introduced a new, bigger car with an actual name – the Legacy – the old model needed a name. Rather than call it the Leone, Subaru badged the old model here as the Loyale.
The Loyale is powered by an overhead-cam version of Subaru’s flat 4, displacing 1.8 liters. This one has an automatic transmission. The seller seems to think it is four-wheel-drive, but it is not. The rear hubs tell the tale, but in case there was any doubt, there’s an undercarriage shot that clearly shows the lack of a rear differential. It runs well, but the seller says the front brakes lock up, and the tires are old and dry-rotted. They suggest towing it home, and I concur.
It looks like it’s in great shape inside, except for a little fading. It does have motorized seat belts, I’m sorry to say; Subaru didn’t spring for airbags in its cars until they were required. I’m sure that makes it a no-go for some of you.
Outside, it looks pretty good, but there are a few rust spots here and there. But there are quite a few underside photos in the ad, and it doesn’t look bad under there at all. There is, however, one bit of weirdness I want you to see:
Is that old license plate covering up a rust hole in the quarter panel? I have a feeling it is. Interesting choice.
Volkswagen has, I think, finally given up on boxer engines, though Porsche has kept the flame alive. But Subaru grabbed the concept and ran with it early on, and shows no signs of abandoning the design anytime soon. These older ones have a good reputation, but later ones have been a mixed bag. And the old VW Wasserboxer engines have corrosion problems if you’re not judicious about keeping the coolant clean. Life is probably easier with a more typical inline or V-shaped engine, honestly, but I know a lot of folks who still love their boxers. If you had to choose – and you do, that’s how we play this game – what’ll it be: the VW you can sleep in, or the rusty but trusty Subaru?
Late to the party here, but as a serial Vanagon owner, I can tell you that this one is largely comprised of redflags and rust. All vanagons have seam rust, and by the time you see rust anywhere, it’s too late for the body and it’s being eaten from the inside out.. Also this is the least desirable of the water boxers and body styles. It’s only one leaking fuel hose from transforming into an inferno.
I’m going to break with my “the family has one no dupes” rule because it’s technically my In-Laws, theirs is lifted, and it’s purple. Wasserboxer Westy for me.
That Vanagon looks exactly like my garage ornament, It’s a Weekender or Multivan. No sink or stove but it does have the bed and closet and a jump seat behind the driver.
I’m going to pass on both. Sometimes you have to just walk and find better choices.
My girlfriend and I both owned red, manual, 4WD Loyale wagons. Another good friend had the maybe the rustiest red, manual, 4WD GL wagon on the road here. We all loved our cars. They were the quintessential Alaskan cross country skier/outdoor athlete car. I’d pick the Loyale here just because I’m loyal to old Subies.
You had me at “Vanagon”.
Considering my first car was a slightly older version of the Subaru (though with a manual and a carburetor), that’s what I’m going with today.
Jeesh! Two absolute shit boxes. Having been there, done that with both in the past, I’ll take the Subaru IF FORCED. Otherwise, walking seems the better choice. The doctors say it’s good for me, which neither of these would be.
Definitely an opt-out day.
Vanagon for me. It’s manual, doesn’t have those stupid mouse-motor seatbelts and it can be useful for me as a vehicle to haul the odd bulky thing or for camping trips.
Also that Vanagon, based on past VW vans, just might become a future classic.
Though personally I wouldn’t bank on that.
I’m guessing the Subaru already sold because the link is gone
Vanagon hands down. Don’t need more Subaru headaches and that’s a crackpot price. The vanagons were going for serious money not so long ago that seems almost a good deal. Plus it could be useful.
Yes but crappy pictures are a RED FLAG
Vanagon.
I’ve already had too much Subaru in my life, and this one isn’t even AWD.
A camping VeeDub is exactly my vibe.
A non-AWD, non-manual Subie? Hard pass.
I guess I’m the only one going with the Subaru. I’m not much of a van guy, so I don’t really care that other wasserboxers go for a lot more money. The front seats are pretty ratty and based on that, I’m guessing that it would take a fair amount of work before I’d want to actually sleep in the back. I’m willing to take my chances with the wagon. I had those “automatic” seatbelts in a previous car and while they’re not great, they don’t bother me all that much. I’ll figure that what rust is there won’t get much worse here in Northern California and that I could nurse it along for enough time to make it worthwhile.
No automatic seatbelts!
One of those “neither” days, but I voted VW, and it takes a lot for me to go Kraut. I think I could overlook the slushbox and the dry rot, and the mouse belts don’t bother me anywhere near as much as they do for some… but for some reason that license-plate sheet-metal repair did me in.
Westie. Those are rare in any shape on the East Coast. So I’ll take it and budget for rewiring. There are what, 10 wires?
The Subie is more interesting due to being a less common sight, and if it was manual and/or 4×4 it would be much more attractive. A Westfalia for that price in the current year is cause for a double-take in any condition. Nice ones can easily exceed 10x that price.
A note on the automatic seat belts: While those of us old enough to have lived with them have nothing but contempt for them, I’ve found the younger set to have an odd fascination with them. They get oohs and aahs at TriangleRAD events.
Weird kids.
Having owned an ’80 Westi for about 14 years, and an ’87 Subaru, this is so far the only Showdown where I have experience with both! The Westi wins without even reading anything else. I basically wore out the Westi commuting 100 miles each way in the drive from the foothils of California to the valley, finally selling at about 300k miles. This includes the many over 100 degree F days. Not good for the early still-air-cooled Vanagons. In the area where I worked we had pickup soccer games three days a week, and I took advantage of that as much as possible. After getting sweaty I would head to Lake Natomas and go for a swim. Since I had the Vanagon, I had a mobile changing room and place to hang wet stuff afterwards. A grand time it was I had for about a decade until Aerojet decided to stop manufacturing Titan IV rocket motors.
I choose neither. There are better options than a tired VW bus and I don’t want to deal with the rust on an FWD Subie with a slush box.
I will get my boxer fix in the smaller, faster, and far easier to work on BMW Airhead. On a bike without a lower fairing you can change head gaskets in an hour.
I had a ’79 VW camper and loved it and always wanted another, but I’m getting to the age where I prefer a real bed, bathroom, etc… when I travel (which isn’t often anymore anyway). So I chose the Subaru because station wagon, and I’ve never had a Subie before, so that lets me cross it off my list. 😉
Looks like another thing today’s entrants have in common is they both run but can’t stop. A good slogan for potato chips not so good for an automotive vehicle.
I’ll take the Westie. Parts are plentiful and it will retain its value.
You know what they call a Leone with cheese in America?
They don’t call it a Leone with cheese?
No, they got trim levels there, they wouldn’t know what the fuck a Leone is.
What’d they call it?
Loyale with cheese.