RE: Subaru Justy: PH Heroes

[MJK 24]

henrycrun said:

(apart from the Panda) what other small modern alternatives are there ?

Suzuki Swift 4x4 is available in the UK.

http://www.suzuki.co.uk/cars/cars/new/swift/swift/...

[Dafuq]

Had one of these back in the mid 90's as a winter thrasher, albeit the pre-face lift version. Absolute scream.

I expect the dreaded army of tin worm have done for he vast majority of them, as it did mine. Seem to recall the panels being wafer thin and much like slugs, not keen on salt.

3 cyl rev your motor was way ahead of its time when you consider all the power units in the majority of city cars these days.

Would have another in a heart beat, especially if it were to have a modern anti corrosion warranty with it, now there's an idea, c'mon Subaru YKYWT!

[Yertis]

StescoG66 said:

Always pisses me off how Audi take all the credit for 'mass market' 4WD when really Subaru did it long before them with the 'Leone' - badged DL/GL/Station Wagon I think. Although it could be argued Jensen did this and ABS first.......

Audi made 4WD 'cool' in the 'mass market' (although at that time Audi were a bit left-field/sub-premium). Or at least the brand values they projected – of which the quattro system was a part – appealed to those of a certain mindset. No one aspired to own a Subaru pick-up in the '80s (or that thing in your pic ) and I don't think I've ever actually seen an FF outside a show or magazine.

[Jimmm]

My friends mum had one of these somebody broke into and all they stole was a pound that was on the dashboard. True story.

[Dafuq]

Jimmm said:

My friends mum had one of these somebody broke into and all they stole was a pound that was on the dashboard. True story.

Laughing here, it comes to something when a spotty yoof would rather nick the bus fare home rather have it away with an hours entertainment and ready made bonfire.

[seefarr]

MJK 24 said:

henrycrun said:

(apart from the Panda) what other small modern alternatives are there ?

Suzuki Swift 4x4 is available in the UK.

http://www.suzuki.co.uk/cars/cars/new/swift/swift/...

Just about every Japanese passenger car is available as 4WD locally.

Daihatsu Tanto 4WD? You bet.



4WD Toyota Bb? Yes!

Toyota Isis 4WD? Yes, it's a thing!



And finally, the beautiful Toyota Alphard 4WD:

[V8RX7]

chandrew said:

The lady of the estate which my grandparents house backed on to had one of these. Great thing about these old Subarus is they were truly classless.

Mostly to do with how they were sold - alongside farm supplies / machinery

[Krikkit]

MJK 24 said:

henrycrun said:

(apart from the Panda) what other small modern alternatives are there ?

Suzuki Swift 4x4 is available in the UK.

http://www.suzuki.co.uk/cars/cars/new/swift/swift/...

Worth noting that those have a bit of a design flaw - the rear diff and propshafts actually hang slightly below the rear bumper - back over a rock that pokes up (one that wouldn't trouble you in another supermini) and you'll be in a right mess. It hangs about 6" over the road surface.

[vanordinaire]

Was it the second generation one that was essentially a rebadged Suzuki Swift?

The first generation were brilliant off road, I remember attending a Landrover Owners Club Trial around 1990 and someone managing the full course(which a new Discovery demonstrator couldn't do) in a Justy.

[mazdajason]

I owned one in March 2004, was my first car after passing my test in New Zealand. Albeit only the FWD 1.2 but I loved that car. Had the manual choke pull on it. All my mates called it the Rusty Justy but it had no rust! My best man even tore it to shreds in his speech, so many memories of that car. NP3160 if you are still on the road - hi!

[StescoG66]

[quote=seefarr]

Toyota Isis 4WD? Yes, it's a thing!



/quote]

Do these blow themselves up at the end of every journey??

[AW111]

Yertis said:

Audi made 4WD 'cool' in the 'mass market' (although at that time Audi were a bit left-field/sub-premium). Or at least the brand values they projected – of which the quattro system was a part – appealed to those of a certain mindset. No one aspired to own a Subaru pick-up in the '80s (or that thing in your pic ) and I don't think I've ever actually seen an FF outside a show or magazine.

Subaru sold shed-loads of 4wd wagons in Australia in the 80s. A lot to farmers and rural dwellers, but they were also prized (2nd hand) by some of the surfies I knew : boards on the roof, drive to the dunes, sleep in the back until the sun comes up

[Yertis]

Well, were I come from, lots of people had Subaru pick-ups for carting around hay bales and feed etc, but I don't think anyone thought "one day I promise I'll treat myself to a Subaru pick-up."

Just as an aside, while thinking about this, I've realised that the Mark 1 Impreza STi seems to have suddenly all but vanished from the highways and by-ways.

[Scorhill]

I did the Mongol Rally in one of the these beauties! Unstoppable! Never put a foot wrong, and we drove it hard over hundreds of miles of truly punishing terrain! Still tempted to find another one!

[microflight86]

Was my first car 10 years ago, absolutely brilliant faster than all my mates and actually handled well engine would just Rev and Rev and sounded great. Great choice of first car in the snow I was great I had to pull a few Land Rovers out of drifts and the justy just blasted along.

[Spudgun Heskey]

I had a 1987 L series 1.8 Turbo coupe back in 1995.
The most memorable car I ever owned, for good & bad reasons.
Yes the red button on the gearknob was a 'toy', but only use it in wet & snow because the lack of centre diff would chew driveshafts up in anything but these conditions.
I remember limping home with broken driveshafts on two occasions after they cried enough......I think the previous owner played once too often with the 4WD button prior to my ownership.
Once I had both front shafts replaced & a set of Yokohamas put on, & of course preserved the new driveshafts with [mostly sensible] driving it was an absolute blast.
The front seats were utterly comfortable, & even used the load rear as a bed on the 1995 RAC rally in the forests.
The one thing that killed it for me was the economy with the stop start job I was doing visiting customers daily.
It's now long dead & I regret parting with it to this day.......should have changed jobs really.

[GravelBen]

The old Leones were great, I had an '86 1.8 NA wagon as my first car. No power to speak of (probably a good thing for a teenage me) but heaps of character and pretty handy off road if you didn't mind scraping the belly.

I'd quite like an RX-II coupe (full-time 4wd with switchable difflock by that stage) with the boost wound up for a toy.

[RoverP6B]

Not really a car I'd want, but definitely one I respect.

As for the Brat pickup, I understand Ronald Reagan was quite the devotee...

[Gompo]

I'm very much a fan of the original Justy, it would have to be the rarer 3-door version for me though,

There's one that I pass quite regularly that's been off the road since 2006. I'm expecting it to be scrapped very soon..

[johno_78]

My old man had one for a few years. I recall one snowy night returning from getting fish & chips from the next village to find that the road had closed due to a lorry sliding into a ditch. We detoured around on unmarked C-roads blasting through 3 foot snowdrifts like we were on the finnish rally, and left others cars trying to follow far in the distance.

I always fancied dropping an Impreza running gear into one of these but ebay searches regularly drew a blank.