1987 Subaru GL Hatchback review from North America

The one thing really wrong with the car was a slight rip on the side of the driver's seat, apparently from usage by a heavier driver than myself. I sewed it myself well enough that you can't tell it was ripped without looking closely.

The lower parts of the body (mainly the panels below the front and rear bumpers) are beginning to rust despite having undergone Rusty Jones rustproofing during its previous owner's time with it.

Overall, in the 4,000 miles I've put on the car in 3 months, it hasn't shown a hint of trouble.

My '87 Subaru GL is the best first car I could dream of. All its features some could find fault with, such as its 73 horsepower and lack of power steering, make it a great car to learn to drive on. The car was an amazing bargain at $699 (not bad for a car with 69,000 miles, but owing to a MA state law that states that dealers must insure cars costing $700 or more for a month). The cute, quirky look of it is unique and highly endearing, and its small size makes it really easy to park (I can turn it around in my driveway and perform other tricky feats that leave most passengers amazed). The only things that I could desire in my car would be less vibration at higher speeds (the steering wheel and gas pedal shake at 60 mph so I don't take it on the highway) and less of a tendency to overheat (I don't like to drive the car in more urban areas because stop-and-go driving leaves the temperature gauge precious little distance from the red area next to the "H".) Nonetheless, my car is full of wonderful little touches- the wipers and headlights are controlled by separate knobs on either side of the steering wheel instead of having one stalk with 50 different functions on it (this seems to inevitably cause confusion and headlights and windshield washers turned on at the same time) - the only functions of the stalk are turn indicators and high beams, there are lots of surprising little storage areas, the hatchback is really spacious and the front seats recline far enough for a comfortable nap, the steering wheel has little notches to rest the thumbs on during casual driving or for the pinky fingers when the driving school-style "10-2" steering is needed, the material of the seats is soft and velvety, and the carpeting is such a pretty dark blue that I wouldn't mind having it in my bedroom. The car seems to keep getting better- at my first oil change the mechanic checked my fluids and asked if my A/C worked, which was the first time anyone mentioned anything about it having A/C. I turned it on, and sure enough, a blast of cool air blew from all vents. The car's mileage is quite impressive for an '87 with an automatic (it doesn't however, have 4WD), and the brakes are quite good even without ABS. Overall, I genuinely want to keep the car forever, even if it's just for a few summer drives when the car and I are both 60- I was born in '87 too. The car might not appeal to everyone as much as it does to me, but it is and always will be my baby.