We feel that it is our duty to inform you that an absolutely amazing example of a Subaru XT is currently for sale on eBay Motors. The futuristic 80s wedge that is the Subaru XT is a rare machine and this one is not only a survivor, but one that’s better than what Subaru of America has in their official collection.
Thirteen years ago Subaru of America wanted to get an XT for their “Attic” collection. They managed to find a 38,000-mile example that was as complete as one could hope for. Subaru XTs came in either front- or all-wheel-drive, with naturally aspirated or turbocharged boxers, or a flat-six after the facelift. Subaru managed to find a rare 4WD Turbo model, but its Achilles heel was that it was an automatic.
The car for sale here is a glorious stick shift model, complete with digital dash. Many aspects of the car were designed to pay h0mage to aircraft and Subaru’s origins as Nakajima Aircraft. The manual transmission’s gear selector was one of them, shaped like a fighter jet’s joystick controller with a big red 4WD button resembling a trigger.
Among the XT’s many other charms are an asymmetrical steering wheel, controls like lights and wipers on arms that tilt along with the steering wheel, and upholstery seemingly inspired by the op-art of Bridget Riley.
Subaru of America ended up having to rotisserie the whole car and repaint it anyway, but this example still has original paint that looks pretty darn shiny. The only flaw is a dent in the front right door, but that might be able to be repaired with PDR. In addition, the seller (who purchased the car from the original owner and has kept it since 1991) says every major mechanical system — engine, fuel, ignition, brakes, clutch — has been thoroughly addressed. Even its hydro-pneumatic suspension works.
The car is located in Burbank, California and is asking $29,000. That might seem steep for a 40-year-old Subaru, but just take a look at what Subaru of America had to do to restore their XT and this will look like a steal in comparison. Back then we asked Subaru what advice they might have for anyone looking to restore an XT and they said, “Start with the most complete car you can find.” And that was 13 years ago. Someone please buy this car.
I always liked how the digital dash had the car on a runway like a plane taking off.
When I was a kid looking at my Car Guides, I always wondered why anyone would buy a car like the ’90s Buick Century, a car that looked so old even in the ’80s, and a lot of the other US-made cars from that era.
This Subaru XT is exactly why these old looking cars were still going strong, it looked way to futuristic. It WAS too futuristic, and it can be said about a lot of japanese cars from the era. And it freaked people out!
And it’s why I love them so much, and I think we all are so fond of the ’80s JNC, it was an era of optimistic futurism, technological leaps and, let’s be fair, a fast-growing economy over there that made the Japanese carmakers able to market these sometimes overengineered gems.
One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor
Subaru responded to the markets reaction to the love-it or-hate it XT and rounded off the edges, upped the luxury content and the engine displacement and gave us the SVX (Alcyone). Sticking with the visual reaction of the XT, while sticking to their core tech…flat six engine and AWD.
I rather have this than a mk4 supra, or all the other hyped up 90s JDMs.