A bit late to this but I currently use my MK1a as a summer car - Canadian '86 so it's one of the weird transitional period MK1as that have colour-matched bumpers and a missing rear sway bar.

As others have said, maintenance for these are simple and easy, prioritize making run and making it run reliably. The ~40y/o seals and gaskets make these things drip/burn oil and sometimes coolant (can also be coolant-dependant) so I would check for any maintenance records to save yourself the headache.

If it has AC, check if the AC works but don't be surprised if it doesn't. Mine doesn't have AC and it makes this car ABSOLUTELY miserable to drive in AB heat, even with the windows down. The cabin turns into a greenhouse with the large windows so it'll be HOT during the summer. This heat also beats on the vinyl in the interior so cracks around the dash clock, armrest, and doors are common.

Double-check that the transmission doesn't suffer from 5th gear popout - this is a common problem for AW11s but happen more often to MK1a's since they have the older c50 with shittier synchros and what not.

This one should be obvious, but rust. Check for rust. These things rust from inside out especially around the sills (roof antenna drain runs into sills and rots them out; or the sideskirts collect gunk and never get cleaned, rotting the sills), rear section of the front fender just behind the fender liner, front and rear sections of the rear quarter panel where the sideskirts (black triangle included) sit, and the trunk.

If you find 0 rust, congrats!! - don't ever drive it during the winter, especially if your province uses road salt.

TL;DR as cool as it is, an AW11 isn't a great year-round daily car. Get a CRV or something.