Photo : Craigslist

The seller of today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Brat says he doesn’t know why he’s even trying to unload it. Let’s check out the custom Subie’s price and see if we can help him figure it out.


Yesterday we looked at a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland CRD. The Grand Cherokee is America’s response to the clarion call for opulent offroadability, and has also been imagined by the British with the Range Rover, the Germans with the G-Wagon, and the Japanese with the vastly more reliable than all of these put together, Land Cruiser. Our candidate Jeep even had a diesel engine to make it seem more in tune with the ethos of its foreign compatriots.

Sadly, neither its oil burning engine nor its excessive man-tan interior were enough to impress, at least not $12,000 worth. That was the asking, and that doomed the car to a 75-percent Crack Pipe loss.


That was our first loss after a run of winners, and it makes me wonder, have we all become too jaded? I mean, we used to be fun. What the hell happened to us?

Maybe what we need is a candidate that can put a smile on our collective faces. Maybe, what we need is a lifted bog brawler Subaru Brat.

Oh look, there’s one now!


This 1984 Subaru Brat GL takes everything you love about the Brat and then jacks it all up a few more notches on the bedpost. The sassy trucklette comes with 180,000 miles on the clock, and three owners under its black belt. Among other modifications, its been raised just shy of half a foot and rides on gnarly Super Swamper tires. Those probably drone like CSPAN at max volume when out on the highway.


Up front there’s a custom tube frame front bumper with a cute little winch and some LED lights. A WRX hood scoop punctuates the engine lid, while the tube top in the bed gets five more LED lamps to light the way. The factory bed seats are intact below that, while out back there’s another extended bumper, this time carrying the spare, a Jerry Can and the trailer hitch.

Inside, you’ll find some custom work on the dash, with a new panel chock-full of switchgear for the lights and the radio. Aftermarket Corbeau seats sit under the porthole-like T-tops here.


The seller notes a number of mechanical upgrades and updates, including a bigger carb and fuel pump to feed the beast. The 1.8-litre EA81 under that has seen a spate of new kibbles and bits, all detailed in the ad, as well as a new engine and transmission mounts to keep everything in check. Strangely, the exhaust stops just after the cat so it must be pretty loud to drive. I’d guess the exhaust fights with the tires to see which can make you deaf first. I SAID...


New axles and brakes help put the power down and reel it back up, and there’s a giant jack in back for the times when you get stuck in between. Apparently the car can also summon Satan® at night if needed. That’s a handy if (hopefully) infrequently required skill.


Now, the seller is somewhat reticent about releasing his Brat into the hands of some new owner. Or at least that’s how he opens the ad for it.

He’s obviously put some serious work into the little Subie, making it a symbol of his individuality, and deep belief in personal freedom.


If you know the movie I just referenced there, you’ll probably also get this Brat and understand the seller’s mixed feelings about letting it go.

Still, if you set something free and it comes back it’s yours forever. If it doesn’t, it was never meant to be in the first place. Should the seller never see this Subie again, I’d imagine that the $15,500 asking price received in its exchange would be suitable solace.


What do you think, could this benobled Brat be worth that $15,500? Or, is that just the seller’s way of telling it, don’t go?

You decide!




Knoxville, TN Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to Toomanyjasons for the hookup!

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