1997 Subaru Sambar HD Dump#BUC67911

We have this 1997 Subaru Sambar on the lot, finished in White, imported direct from Japan. The chassis code on this one is KS4, and drive is four-wheel drive. We have it on file as stock number Wu-WWo, chassis KS4-319873. There are 12 photographs of this exact vehicle on this page — not stock images of a similar one.

The 1997 Sambar in context

Enthusiasts nicknamed the rear-engined Sambar the "agricultural Porsche", and the joke does real work: rear engine, rear drive, four cylinders, independent suspension all round. Subaru's rocker covers carry a cast "CLOVER4" badge with a four-leaf clover — a nod to the four-cylinder layout the company built its kei reputation on. The Sambar is the odd one out in the class and deliberately so: Subaru put the engine right at the back, behind the rear axle, and drove the rear wheels from there.

1997 Subaru Sambar: engine, gearbox and running gear

Under it is the EN07, a 660cc 4-cylinder engine. The EN07 is a genuine four-cylinder in a kei-sized package. Subaru kept building it long after almost everyone else had settled on three cylinders, and it is the single biggest reason Sambars have their own following. Behind the White bodywork sits a manual gearbox.

Recorded condition of this 1997 Sambar

It shows 40,876 mi on the clock, with a condition of used on file. Interior colour is recorded as Grey. Fuel type on file is Gasoline.

Where a Sambar earns its keep

A 1997 Sambar is old enough to be simple and new enough to be usable, which is most of why this generation gets exported rather than scrapped. At 29 years old, this 1997 Sambar is outside the window where federal safety-standard conformity applies to an import. The asking price is $8,757.