Replaced Radiator: 1986 AMC Eagle Wagon 49K – Sold?

September 26, 2023, Update – We confirmed the listing for this “ClassiFIND” expired, so with no replacement found, we’re assuming this ride is “Sold?” While this one got away, please reach out either by email or call us directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.

July 29, 2023 Update – The seller of this ’86 AMC Eagle wagon we’ve been tracking the sale of since April posted a fresh listing. While the $12,000 asking price remains the same, the seller now notes the car recently passed California SMOG testing, a big plus in that state.

June 26, 2023 – The seller of this ’86 AMC Eagle we’ve been tracking the sale of since April posted a fresh Craigslist ad after letting their previous listing expire for several weeks.  While the description has been updated slightly, the pictures and $12,000 asking price remain the same.

June 7, 2023, Update – We confirmed the listing for this “Classifind” expired, so with no replacement found, we’re assuming this ride is “Sold?” until we come across a replacement listing.

May 5, 2023 Update – The seller of this ’86 AMC Eagle we first spotted in April 2023 replaced their original Craigslist ad with a second listing. While they elected to change the description slightly from the original ad, the photographs and the $12,000 asking price remain the same.

It’s no secret one of our favorite wagons to feature is the American Motors Corporation (“AMC”) Eagle 4×4 from the early 1980s.  Most examples we come across are the upscale Limited Models that feature faux woodgrain.  So it’s refreshing to find a base model clad in body color only.  This all-burgundy 50K-mile 1986 AMC Eagle Wagon For Sale, last spotted on Craigslist in April 2023 in Mill Valley, California (San Francisco), fits the bill nicely.  However, in this case, it may be a base model. However, it is nicely optioned, featuring factory air conditioning and an automatic transmission.  You must confirm with the seller whether power steering and brakes are included in the mix.

Last offered for $12,000, Classic.com, the analytics and search engine for the collector car market, confirms the ask is slightly below the one-year rolling average of this guide’s summary for all AMC Eagles produced between 1980 and 1988.  By clicking on the green dots in the graph below, you can navigate to each comparable car sold as a way to help you evaluate the price of the truck featured here:

As a second data point, the  Collector Car Market Review Online Tool reveals the seller’s ask falls slightly above this guide’s #1 “Excellent” appraisal of $11,400.

American Motors Corporation (“AMC”) produced its compact-sized four-wheel-drive passenger vehicles from 1979 through 1987 when Chrysler bought the company.  By the late 1970s, the last independent American car manufacturer AMC struggled to compete against the onslaught of Japanese imports with its Pacer and other aging compacts.  In a moment of brilliance thirty years ahead of its time, AMC predicted consumers would embrace a vehicle with the comfort of an automobile, but the ride height and foul-weather capabilities of a four-wheel-drive utility vehicle.  While the company had no money to develop a new car, AMC was able to leverage their knowledge from the Jeep’s Quadra-Trac four-wheel-drive system to develop a powertrain they could fit underneath their already decade-old Hornet (by that point rebadged as the Concord) and Gremlin platforms.  Launched in August 1979 as 1980 models, AMC Eagles were the only four-wheel-drive passenger cars produced in the U.S. at the time. Consumers saw they were affordable cars offering a comfortable ride and handling on the pavement together with superior traction in light off-road use.  Ironically, while the rear-wheel-drive Concord and Gremlin were not seen as fuel-efficient, the four-wheel-drive Eagle versions fared well against traditional truck-based SUVs of the day.

The Auto Moments YouTube Channel provides a great history of these innovative, ahead-of-their-time wagons using a similar 1986 example:

This 1986 AMC Eagle Wagon for sale appears to be a nicely-optioned base model that’s a refreshing change from the typical faux wood adorned Limited models we typically come across.  With only 49,500 original miles, the only non-stock item we notice is what appears to be an aftermarket aluminum radiator.  No harm, and no foul in our book.

If you are serious about buying this Eagle wagon, you can start the conversation by contacting the seller using the information provided in their Craigslist ad.  When you connect, please remember to mention you saw their restored pickup featured here on GuysWithRides.com. Good luck with the purchase!

Here’s the seller’s brief description:

Show or go: What would you do with this 1986 AMC Eagle Wagon survivor?  Please comment below and let us know!