Do I know anything about early-to-mid-80's Japanese cars?

No, it is quicker because it weighs one motorcycle less than the AMC. And the AMC may have a reliable engine, but almost nothing else on the car is well-made.

Subaru any day of the week. No matter how cool the AMC looks, it's just simply not as reliable or quick.

Dammit. If it wasn't on the other side of the country, I'd have already bought it.

There are many cars I'd strip for, but this is not one of them.

There are. I'm sitting ~10 blocks from where this happened.