Eagles were galvanized steel, and believe it or not, resist rust much better than most cars of the period. Mine is now in Florida, but came from Steamboat Springs CO (not a high rust area). I also bought one from VA (also not a high rust zone) that was rust free. There are tons of them out there with minimal rust. The earlier Hornets may have been more prone to rusting. Of course, in the heart of the rust belt nearly anything will turn to dust eventually. (I grew up in IL, so I'm no stranger to iron oxide)
The 4wd system is vacuum operated, but the PO disengaged the lines. Currently I need to manually flip the switch from underneath the car to engage 4wd. I'm planning on fabricating a lever to access it from the inside of the car.
MPG isn't as bad as you would imagine. I haven't been brave enough to check it around town, but I'd guess around 15mpg. My 5spd Wagon in 2wd will pull 19-22mpg at 70mph or so. 5th gear is very tall, so the big six is just putting along.
Because of the massive wheel travel, and generally soft suspension settings, Eagles have a fantastic magic carpet type ride on the highway. They really have one of the nicest highway rides I've ever experienced.
They are ugly, strange, weird, quirky, and way, way ahead of their time. The Eagle was the first "crossover", way back in 1980.
Sure, Subaru had 4wd cars, but they were tinny, economy cars, the Eagles were luxurious, big comfy machines. Mine has earned a permanent spot in my fleet.
