AMC Eagle

AMC Eagle Eagle Wagon

Eagle Wagon

The Eagle most people remember. The wagon outsold every other Eagle in all but one year, and in 1988 it was the only Eagle still being built.

The site owner's 1988 Eagle Wagon, one of the last 2,306 built
The site owner's 1988 Eagle Wagon, one of the last 2,306 built

The best seller from day one

When the Eagle went on sale in August 1979 it came as a two-door, a four-door and a wagon, all built on the AMC Concord. The wagon outsold the other two combined in the very first year: 25,807 of the 45,379 Eagles built for 1980.

It stayed on top in every year but one: in 1981 the brand-new SX/4 outsold it, 17,340 to 10,371. By the end the wagon was the only Eagle left. In the final 1988 model year Chrysler sold it simply as the "Eagle Wagon". Of roughly 197,000 Eagles built, about 118,000 were wagons, around three in every five.

Wagons built each model year

  • 198025,807
  • 198110,371
  • 198220,899
  • 198312,378
  • 198421,294
  • 198513,353
  • 19866,943
  • 19874,564–5,468
  • 19882,306

Sources disagree on 1985 (13,335 or 13,353) and 1987. Full breakdown on the specs page.

How the wagon changed

1980
A Concord wagon raised three inches, with plastic flares filling the gap around the wheels, on permanent four-wheel drive. The 258 six and a three-speed automatic were the only drivetrain. It came in base and Limited trim, and a Sport package added Durham plaid seats, a leather-wrapped wheel, fog lamps, 4X4 graphics and blacked-out trim.
1981
A new 24-square grille, bumpers that blend into the flares, and three inches less length. A GM four-cylinder with a four-speed became standard, with the six optional. Select Drive, which lets the car run in two-wheel drive, arrived mid-year.
1982
Select Drive on every Eagle and a five-speed manual on the options list. The wagon made up 20,899 of 37,923 Eagles.
1984
With the SX/4 gone, the line is down to the sedan and the wagon, offered as a base wagon, a Sport and a Limited. Every Eagle is now built in Brampton, Ontario.
1985
Six-cylinder only, a five-speed as standard, the "power bulge" hood from the SX/4, and Select Drive that shifts on the fly. Remote keyless entry becomes an option.
1986
For one year the transfer case is a New Process 128 with an open differential.
1987
The last year for the sedan. Chrysler buys American Motors in August.
1988
Wagon only, still wearing AMC badges. Air conditioning, rear defroster, halogen headlamps, AM/FM stereo and a tilt wheel are standard. Woodgrain side panels, power windows and seats, cruise control, a rear wiper and a cold-climate group are options. The last one leaves Brampton on 14 December 1987.

Wagon at a glance

Figure19801984–1987
Wheelbase109.3 in109.3 in
Length186.2 in180.9 in
Height55.0 in54.6 in
Curb weight3,407 lb3,311–3,452 lb
Ground clearance7.0 in6.9 in
Fuel tank22 gal22 gal
Towing (light / medium-duty package)2,000 / 3,500 lb2,000 / 3,500 lb

From AMC's 1980 and 1984–1987 brochures. Engines, axle ratios and fuel economy for every year are on the specs page. In a VIN, a wagon shows 38 in positions 6 and 7; try the VIN decoder.

Wagons through the years

1982 wagon in Copper Brown with woodgrain
1982 wagon in Copper Brown with woodgrain Photo: Christopher Ziemnowicz, CC0
1984 Limited wagon
1984 Limited wagon Photo: Christopher Ziemnowicz, CC0
1986 wagon in white with garnet trim
1986 wagon in white with garnet trim Photo: Christopher Ziemnowicz, CC0
1987 Limited wagon with woodgrain
1987 Limited wagon with woodgrain Photo: Christopher Ziemnowicz, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sources: Wikipedia: AMC Eagle; AMC Eagle brochures 1980–1987 (see the specs sources).