1987 Subaru GL Hatchback from North America - Comments

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.

I also have a 1987 Hatchback, and I agree with you, it is not only fun to drive and terribly cute - but it is one of the best cars that I have ever driven or owned.

As for your problem with the engine temperature. You may want to check your radiator for any leaks, I know that your problem sounds familiar, and it was all fixed when I found my radiator leaking. I actually put in a new one, and I still get a bit of a bobby gage in long-term urban traffic, but it never gets close to the red... and I breathe a whole lot easier! :)

Thanks- I'll totally do that. The only mechanical problem I found on my car since I posted the review was that the air filter hose wasn't connected, so I was essentially running the car without an air filter. I fixed it (and was rewarded with a much steadier idle), but the clamp looks pretty loose. Hopefully it fell off gradually and will take a long time to fall off again. I was also really excited when I looked under my hood to see that my timing belt was almost brand new (thank God, the service interval recommended by Subaru is 60,000 miles and my car has 75,000 miles). Have any GL owners had any improvement in horsepower with a K&N filter? I was thinking about getting one.

Thanks,

Lauren.

Check for a plugged radiator that is what was wrong with mine. As for the vibration try having the tires balanced.

I have an '87 (i previously thought it was an 88, but I looked in the manual and well, it's an 87) and before I bought it the lady had some pretty major work done to it because her best friend was a mechanic and he did it for really cheap. She also has high-profile tires on it, and I was driving it down a highway near my house with my friend Stephen, and the speedometer read 55, but he said it felt like we were going faster. I thought about the fact that it had bigger tires on it than it should have, so I had him clock me in his Jeep. I was actually going 12 m.p.h. faster than what the speedometer said. So doing traveling at 55 with the rpm's around 2700, I was actually traveling at 67 m.p.h. I guess that makes it that much better for the highway. :) Anyway, it's a 5-speed with 4WD, and the lady I bought it from said you could engage the 4WD on dry pavement as long as you didn't take a sharp turn because it has a limited-slip rear differential. I Love This Car. It is so awesome. People actually ask me what kind of car it is because it has about 8 inches of ground clearance with the tires. And the spare tire under the hood is a full-size too. And can anybody tell me whether or not it matters if the engine is covered in salt? The people she bought it from in 89 lived in an area that required heavy salting on the roads, and I wasn't sure if I should do anything about that.

I just got a Subaru.

It didn't run because the timing belt snapped, I replaced it and found out that there is a certain way you have to put it on. If you have to replace one replace them both and get a book that tells you how to repair them and read how to put them on carefully

so far the car runs great and the turning is great. I only need to now how many miles to the gallon it gets!

Huh?

I am 6'7" and picked up a 1987 GL Hatchback 2 years ago. I look pretty strange getting out of this car, but it gets 38 MPG! So... TOO BAD!!! it only has 260,000 miles on it. Actually, I wish it would die so I could get something else.