1984 Subaru 1800 GL Hatchback review from North America

Dead battery, wiring.

I like subarus. but I like older Subarus. I'm somewhat dissapointed by this GL.

It has the same cruddy plastic that disintegtrates when exposed to sunlight as earlier models, the interior is far too "American" for my taste - the seats are flat and unsupporting, and there is no metal visible inside of the car, just plastic and rubber.

Although having an 1800 engine, this car is slower than my old Renault was - but it isn't any worse on gas, despite the larger engine. It's also as noisy as my old renault, but less fun to drive.

The brakes are pretty good, and it handles nice and tight, with not too much under steer.

It has 4wd, but this is just dead weight so far as I'm concerned, and invites the possibility of more things to break (it sounds like the rear CV joints are getting pretty worn by now).

The previous owner had a rebuilt engine installed, it runs smoothly, but doesn't respond or rev as well as my Renault did, however it has decent power.

The earlier 1300 and 1500 models look better, were more economical and more fun to drive, but I guess this 1800 GL will do for now. Other than 4wd, it doesn't have anything that really sets it apart from other small hatchbacks.