Louver Lovers Unite: 1988 Subaru XT6
This next car checks a few boxes that aren’t easy to check — first it has a cool boxy look that was only in vogue for a few years in the 80s and second it has louvers that are so awesome I can’t even explain it. Find this 1988 Subaru XT6 offered for $6,500 in Montclair, CA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.
From the seller:
1988 Subaru XT6
VIN: JF1AX9425JG312636
condition: good
cylinders: 6 cylinders
drive: 4wd
fuel: gas
odometer: 89645
paint color: black
size: compact
title status: clean
transmission: manual
type: coupe
Up for sale is a true classic, rare, oddity: 1988 Subaru XT6, manual transmission, 4wd;
I have to sell this car due to new baby, and needing to fix my other subaru’s engine;
This Subaru XT6 has been well maintained, and a lot of work has been done recently to bring it to this condition; It has been repainted on the drivers side only, and the engine has received a full rebuild, with less than 5% leak down across all cylinders; It comes with numerous spare parts including:
5-speed manual transmission
Power steering pump
Wiper motor
Headlight motors
Trim
Lenses
Set of harnesses and switches for control stalks
A/C condensor
Timing belts
Tensioners
New Radiator (as a spare)
Window glass
Many of the parts above in original OEM packaging; I bought this approximately 1.5 yrs ago, and since then have put a new radiator (comes with another spare new radiator as mentioned above), recharged A/C;
It has RX Turbo Side Skirts, RX Turbo Hood, Trunk with luggage rack (includes original trunk also); It comes with a ground control coilover setup in place of original electronic air suspension; The car handles very well, but the suspension is a bit noisy over rough surfaces; It rolls on period-correct 15 inch OZ Rally Wheels on 195 width Hankooks with approximately 75% tread left; It tracks straight and there are no abnormal wear patterns on tires;
As expected, almost everything is well-preserved in this example, with the exception of a few issues: Right passenger window switch is sticky, and caused the power window regular to crap out (easy fix); backlight on stereo does not light up; right passenger door speaker is blown.
I am not in a rush to sell, because I know the rarity of this car, especially in this condition; The car runs flawlessly, and has no leaks; It gives an honest 23-25 mpg in combined driving; With the new radiator in, I would easily trust this car to take me anywhere I desired.
Serious buyers only please, lowball offers will be ignored; Clean California title in hand; It comes with original documentation, owners manual;
See a better way to drive the 80s? tips@dailyturismo.com
Love the wiper controls, oh lordy. Very Radwood era.
LOVE these, a great example of exuberant Japan before it went bust. The front clip is a blurry mimeograph of a 2nd / 3rd gen Prelude and the rest is sci-fi Subaru at their quirky height.
I remember when these sat on dealer lots unloved, now they're unicorns. Someone needs to take this to Radwood!
Boy, did i get that. was looking at the lead pic for this post and thought I was looking at a prelude. even went up to see if I had clicked onto some other post. but sure enuf. it sez subaru.
I waaaaaant
youuuuuu
to louuuuuuuuve me!
louver lovers
Would anyone else source some O.Z racing round wheels decals in a metallic gray?
It just might be the piece de resistance
My wife had an 86 XT that the dealer told her was a one-owner car that had never been damaged. It was a very enjoyable car to drive despite only being FWD. It was funky cool all the way through, in the way that only Japanese cars can be. If it hadn't been for the electrical problems and botched damage repairs, we might have kept it. It turned out that the "one owner" was the Subaru-Isuzu Automotive (it was one of their factory fleet cars).
More power and AWD would make for a lot of fun in that car.
"checks a few boxes that aren't easy to check — first it has a cool boxy look"
…and a boxer engine, how did you miss that opportunity.
"Don't box me in cause I'm thinking out of the box"
…what I imagine the cat is trying to say when he poops on the bath mat
"I have to sell this car due to… needing to fix my other subaru's engine". Hmmm, never heard that one before! Did this model eventually morph into the SVX?
I'm not sure how many mechanical parts the XT and SVX shared, but the SVX definitely picked up the torch for "extremely weird Subaru with a flat six" once the XT6 was dropped.
This would win all the Radwoods!