I just picked this thing up about a month ago, after 6 months of searching for a good one. It's an 87 with 172k on it, but I have a very detailed maintenance log including oil changes every 2,000 miles. It drives like it's 5 years old, not 25. It was also originally from Virginia so the body is almost completely rust free, minus a soft spot behind the front driver's side tire that will need tended to. The options list was pretty basic on it. Crank windows, basic seats, standard mirrors, automatic trans. One of the few options it seems to have is the console around the shifter with the storage compartment. Surprisingly, the A/C is ice cold and even the cruise control works.
Then of course there's the leaking windshield, leaking fuel tank, rusty fuel lines, cracked flex plate, and leaking valve cover. Just the typical kind of thing you discover 2 days after buying the car but would have really liked to know when handing over $3k cash.
The PO bought it as a winter vehicle for going to college in northern PA because the salt did horrible things to his IH Scout last year. But after he bought it, and realized how nice it actually was, he couldn't bring himself to let it get ruined by PA's road salt, and put it up for sale/trade to get a vehicle that would be less of a shame to get all rusted up.
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Here's Virginia parked next to my parts car I picked up a couple weeks ago (Eagle fever has a very rapid, uncontrollable onset, I've found). It has half the miles of Virginia, and almost every option box was checked. Power windows, power mirrors, power seats, all that good stuff. The car was definitely cared for well, unfortunately it had an unfortunate incident where the driver slid sideways on black ice, then hit a dry spot, flipped onto the driver's side, and slid until the roof hit a tree in the rear. It's a shame because it was garage kept, the body is almost completely perfect minus the damage from the accident which isn't worth fixing.
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This last pic was the one the PO had posted in the clist ad. I think this was taken when he bought it in Maryland a couple of months ago. Was there a meet down there?
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Nice looking wagon, too bad about the unforeseen problems.
Yeah, that parts car kills me. When i bought It I was told it was purchased at an estate sale in a private collection. There was this 88 Eagle, a Lotus, and a Corvette. Seems like an odd collection. It was definitely babied too, the very few spots the paint was chipped along the front of the hood were touched up, and the red interior looks like new. I probably shouldn't have, but I took it for a short drive after I got it home. It runs smooth and quiet, shifts smooth, 4x4 works perfect, steering is tight, brakes are firm and smooth, and all the lights and gauges work perfect. No leaks underneath. Basically, it's a perfect car minus the damage to the driver's side and roof. It's nice to know that I have a parts car that's in better shape than my driver, and for $450 I couldn't pass it up.
Too bad Virginia has a tan interior, or the nice power leather seats and 3 spoke wheel in the parts car would be getting swapped over.
Given some things have rust issues, and the 'soft spot', make sure you check out the integrity of the front rails. In particular, the resulting tray on top of the front rail below/behind the front spring, at the bottom of the shock/spring tower - common place to rust through as dirt builds up, holds moisture and salt ~= rust. If you can catch it before that, you're a major leg up.
Quote from: Canoe on September 21, 2011, 08:43:19 PM
Given some things have rust issues, and the 'soft spot', make sure you check out the integrity of the front rails. In particular, the resulting tray on top of the front rail below/behind the front spring, at the bottom of the shock/spring tower - common place to rust through as dirt builds up, holds moisture and salt ~= rust. If you can catch it before that, you're a major leg up.
I just checked that out. The passenger side looks 100% perfect and the driver's side looks like someone might have wire brushed it and resealed it within the past couple years. So it looks like i'm good, I'll definitely keep an eye on that spot and take special care to wash it off after it goes through salt.
Being that there's almost zero rust underneath the car anywhere else, I'm thinking the soft spot I have was probably caused either by damaged undercoating holding in the moisture from the outside, or from water leaking down the firewall and sitting on the floor inside. Being the windshield leaks badly on the passenger side (my glove box fills up when it rains), it wouldn't be far fetched for there to have been a small leak on the driver's side for a long enough time for the rust to occur. Hopefully i'll be able to track down the source of the problem when I pull up the carpet to fix the rust.
I think i'm going to cut out the bad part, and use the same section of my parts car as a patch panel. It feels almost savage to cut into the floor of a rust free car to steal it for another car, I just have to keep telling myself it's a parts car and there's no way it will ever see the road again.
Quote from: eaglefreek on September 21, 2011, 08:33:42 PM
Nice looking wagon, too bad about the unforeseen problems.
Thanks.
The unforseen problems is frustrating, but i can't really be mad because the guy that sold it to me drove it less than 200 miles since he bought it. Basically he only drove it from Maryland back to PA, and then drove it around town a couple times before he decided to put it up for sale. He never really got an opportunity to find most of the problems with it.
I talked to him right after it started making noises from the flex plate. I immediately thought the worst, that it was a rod knock, and knowing that he and his father were both mechanics and AMC nuts i was hoping he would have an answer that was less terminal. He came up with the diagnosis of the cracked flex plate, and has also offered to replace the flex plate and give me $100 back towards getting the windshield resealed.
It's very good of him to do that, and is definitely more than I expected from him. The last time I bought a vehicle privately I drove for a month and then discovered all the emissions controls were tore out of it and the jerk wouldn't even answer the phone or return my calls. And all i wanted to know is what shop he took it to that passed it for inspection that way, so i wouldn't be stuck forking out hundreds of dollars in pointless repairs.
don't you just love the sellers that "take the money and run" I have been chasing a guy down for a little over a year for a title to a 1991 jeep cherokee that i traded my 1987 mercedes benz for. when i finally get ahold of him there is some reason or another that he can't just meet me to get the paperwork done. Sadly i have just given up (but not defeated) and I am going to just part that jeep out and take the good bits to get the 2 I have now in the condition i want them to be in.
I think it is great that the fellow you purchased the car from is standing behind the sale and i am also happy there are still good people left in this world
Nice looking wagon you have there. I'll bet you could get the other one fixed by the right body man and body shop. Flex plate shouldn't be too hard of a problem, leaking windshield can be a problem, may have to have it removed and resealed.
Your on the right site if you need parts. I'm sure some one will have them if you need them. Good luck
It's pretty bad. Maybe it could be fixed but that kind of work would require another parts car, and would end up costing me more than this one is worth. It's better off as a parts car in my opinion.
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Nice woody, and 3k still seems like a pretty decent price for the condition it appears to be in. Looks a lot like my newly acquired woody, which I'm starting to think is too nice of a car for me to drive in the winter as well.
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now thats a shame....looked like that poor old car was bretty nice before the wreck. atleast it should render a ton of good parts though.
i think that Eagle is a perfect canidate for an Eaglemino. >:D >:D >:D
Quote from: maddog on September 22, 2011, 02:41:58 AM
i think that Eagle is a perfect canidate for an Eaglemino. >:D >:D >:D
I was thinking this exact same thing!!! Make it a truck car!!
The thought crossed my mind more than once too. If it was a full frame car I probably would be rolling around in the first sundancer wagon, unfortunately I've seen firsthand how structurally important the roof of a unibody car is. When I cut the roof off my CRX to scrap it the car pretty much folded in half under its own weight. The eagle would have a stronger chassis than a little honda, but the eagle also weighs 3 times as much.
So with these issues "...leaking windshield, leaking fuel tank, rusty fuel lines, cracked flex plate, and leaking valve cover." everyone still thinks $3K is a reasoanble price?
If that's the case then what I paid for the war wagon is almost criminal.
Quote from: craigp29690 on September 22, 2011, 10:18:01 AM
So with these issues "...leaking windshield, leaking fuel tank, rusty fuel lines, cracked flex plate, and leaking valve cover." everyone still thinks $3K is a reasoanble price?
If that's the case then what I paid for the war wagon is almost criminal.
The condition of the rest of the vehicle seems quite nice. The Windshield, fuel tank, and fuel lines don't sound like very pricey fixes...maybe I don't know what that would entail to fix them though. And the leaky valve cover is pretty much a given with most Eagles! :)
I'd say you did well! As long as your happy then so be it! Wish I had a parts car like that! Except for the damage it looks really nice and should provide you with many years of useable parts that you won't have to run all over trying to find. Way to go guy!!!
Yeah, I'm still very happy with my purchase, I knew better than to expect a 25 year old car with high miles to be perfect. I'm looking forward to getting it back to problem-free status so I can begin the little tweaks that will make it my own.
An Eagle is worth what you are willing to pay! :) As long as you are happy that's all that matters. I paid 5500 for mine, but it is a low miles pristine specimen. I'm happy with my purchase.
Quote from: WoodenBirdOfPrey on September 21, 2011, 08:58:23 PM... I'm thinking the soft spot ... I think i'm going to cut out the bad part, and use the same section of my parts car as a patch panel. It feels almost savage to cut into the floor of a rust free car to steal it for another car, I just have to keep telling myself it's a parts car and there's no way it will ever see the road again.
Photo of where this soft spot is?
I see that the parts car has the seldom seen garnet leather interior...I remember discussing it an another thread on interiors and couldn't even find a picture of it.
Quote from: DarthGremlin on September 22, 2011, 03:21:01 PM
I see that the parts car has the seldom seen garnet leather interior...I remember discussing it an another thread on interiors and couldn't even find a picture of it.
I was wondering about that interior, I didn't recall seeing the same seats on anything else. I think I'm probably going to offer the interior for sale. The interior in my 87 is in nice shape and the red interior in the parts car wouldn't do me much good anyways. I would hate to let it sit and waste away. The interior is still nearly perfect, it just needs aired out and cleaned. I keep it in the woods under a tarp, but mice like to ruin car interiors, and tarps leak.
Quote from: WoodenBirdOfPrey on September 22, 2011, 09:11:07 AM
The thought crossed my mind more than once too. If it was a full frame car I probably would be rolling around in the first sundancer wagon, unfortunately I've seen firsthand how structurally important the roof of a unibody car is. When I cut the roof off my CRX to scrap it the car pretty much folded in half under its own weight. The eagle would have a stronger chassis than a little honda, but the eagle also weighs 3 times as much.
bracing, bracing and more bracing and it is possible.
Quote from: WoodenBirdOfPrey on September 22, 2011, 03:37:51 PM
Quote from: DarthGremlin on September 22, 2011, 03:21:01 PM
I see that the parts car has the seldom seen garnet leather interior...I remember discussing it an another thread on interiors and couldn't even find a picture of it.
I was wondering about that interior, I didn't recall seeing the same seats on anything else. I think I'm probably going to offer the interior for sale. The interior in my 87 is in nice shape and the red interior in the parts car wouldn't do me much good anyways. I would hate to let it sit and waste away. The interior is still nearly perfect, it just needs aired out and cleaned. I keep it in the woods under a tarp, but mice like to ruin car interiors, and tarps leak.
Well shoot me a pm if and when you think of offering it up for sale : )
Even though these cars are still revered as pieces of junk by the masses they are getting to that golden age where they are now becoming "classics". Every year that passes complete, running specimins as well as good useable parts are getting harder to come by....Ive noticed in the past few years the price of these cars going up. Ive even seen a few on the net....and Im not talkin sundancers or turbo diesels...selling for upwards of ten thousand dollars...weather or not they get that price is another story but i just goes to show these cars are on their way to becoming somewhat collectable it the world of classic autos.
Ok, you have two Eagles and I have none at this point... so price, leaky windshield, etc aside... there is a uneven distribution of Eagles in the universe. :rotfl:
Quote from: Big Abe on September 23, 2011, 06:27:20 PM
Ok, you have two Eagles and I have none at this point... so price, leaky windshield, etc aside... there is a uneven distribution of Eagles in the universe. :rotfl:
You'd be surprised...or maybe you wouldn't...at how many members here have a number of Eagles and AMCs in general.
LOL, I have 4 , rangeing from 1968 - 1984 .
I got 2 myself....but neither run at the moment...I guess I cant complain a whole lot though one cost 300.00 and the other cost 97.00 so.
I would be interested in a few interior pieces from your parts car...
Quote from: Canoe on September 22, 2011, 03:12:04 PM
Photo of where this soft spot is?
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The previous owner did a quick patch on it, as you can see. The damage was covered, but all I did was poke at the area in front of the patch with my finger and it pushed right through. That's the only real rust issue I can find on the entire car other than brake and fuel lines, which seems pretty good for a car with this many years and miles on it.
The more I look at it, the more I think the rust issue is from water getting in through the wheel well at one of the seams. Then the water just runs down to the floor right under the parking brake pedal, and sits there until it finally dries out on its own.
I'd say your probably right on how the water got in. But from the looks of it should not be to bad of a repair.Just time consumming. Good luck with your project.
Perhaps the water is getting in from your leaky windshield?
Quote from: priya on September 25, 2011, 12:07:24 PM
Perhaps the water is getting in from your leaky windshield?
Did for my '81.
Also, water got into the A pillar and ran right down.
For a much more robust and lasting repair... http://forums.amceaglenest.com/index.php?topic=36571.0;all