I first heard it a couple days earlier, its driver working the old 318 V8 very hard, and then saw it go by. And now I see it’s moved into the neighborhood; a Volare wagon in Premier trim. Or maybe still moving, given all the stuff in back. Or are they just junky? So did someone remove the Di-Noc fake wood on the sides, and leave the bleached portion on the tailgate?
A missing rear window. That’s probably starting to get a bit harder to find. Or maybe not, given how easy nationwide junk yard searches are. Oh; and a missing gas cap too. I don’t think I would rent to someone who drove up in this.
Quality problems notwithstanding, the Aspen/Volare wagons were nice, not too bulky but big enough to be practical.
I would have NO issues at all adding a 318/TorqueFlite/factory A/C Aspen or Volare` station wagon to my fleet.
Mopar got the bugs worked out by 1980, but then were dropped.
They at least got some mileage from the M body, which really was a Volare’ underneath.
I would suggest the bugs were worked out by 1978. The serious recall, driveability, and rust issues mostly affected the 1976 and 1977 model years.
The wagons were very nice, and a big success. If I recall correctly, the Volare wagon was the top-selling station wagon for 1976. The downsized Chevrolet Caprice/Impala wagons then took the title for 1977.
Its 40 years old and still being used, I guess that means something. It appears to be mostly intact except for the mentioned items. Given the lack of rust and the general robustness of the 318/TF drivetrain, it should be good for a while as long as it is not left to fall apart. Funny how a trip or two through the car wash would do many cars, and this one too, a world of good. I know real estate in the cities in Oregon is high, but that house looks like its aging nearly as bad as the car.
With that plastic taped to the window, I suspect a run through the car wash wouldn’t do this one a world of good. Of course the inside probably does need a good washing.
If I owned this one I’d have a perverse desire to run it through the most deluxe wash place I could find, “and take extra care with that rear window, my good man.”
Nothing screams “I’ve been profiled on Americas Most Wanted” like this wagon.
Love these wagons, especially in the “Premier” trim. Those wheels just do so much for that bodystyle.
Incidentally, is that a NY license plate? If so this Volare has earned all of its battle scars and is deserving of some serious respect. NY has fairly strict inspection requirements, so if that’s indeed where it came from it would have to have been in pretty fine running condition before it embarked on its journey to Oregon. As weary as it looks, it probably wouldn’t take much to make this one a nice looking driver. And who doesn’t love a mid-sized woody “sportwagon” anyway? I’d be proud to rock this.
That’s an old Oregon plate. The lack of rust alone should make it clear this car is not from NY. 🙂
But would you rent to someone who rolled up in a car like that if they *had* just driven it from New York?
Depends. The car is just one factor. Meeting the person(s) is the most important one. And a number of my tenants bike, so that’s another factor. Although I’ve had very good look with the bicyclists.
I worked for an old-school landlord for 10 years. I remember him telling me to judge prospective tenants and how they would care for the unit by the condition of their car. Is it full of garbage, etc.
I thought he was wrong but then, over time, came to realize how accurate he was. People really are consistent with their vehicle and their home.
Yup. Learned this very early on. Perfect predictor.
I wouldn’t say always. I’m a bit of a slob around the house (not dirty, but I have a high tolerance for clutter) but I don’t like a dirty car and don’t like extraneous “stuff” riding around with me. My wife is the opposite–she cannot tolerate clutter or mess around the house. Everything has to be in its place. But she has a shocking disregard for the condition of her car–if it weren’t for me, it would get truly disgusting before she finally bothered to even do basic cleaning.
Maybe we cancel each other out? 🙂
That’s how I am, too 🙂 . My apartment is a tad cluttered but there’s no clutter allowed in my cars.
That is why I parked then walked to meet possible landlords or parked at the far end of the lot for interviews so I could try to avoid judging stares.
Chrometastic! And the most important thing is there: the hood ornament!
Are you sure the Di-Noc isn’t still there? Perhaps it’s the “dark walnut” option!
As for the shack… I mean house, nice asbestos siding left over from after the war. WWII that is…
That’s not asbestos-fiber siding. Those are grooved cedar sidewall shingles, which were ubiquitous here on houses built in the late 30s through the early 50s, and some later than that. Several of my rentals have them. They’re a bit of a pain to re-paint. And they’re rather pricey now, if one has to replace-repair them. They’ll all eventually get replaced with Hardi cement-board siding. But they’re pretty durable, as they’re made from old-growth red cedar, which was once a seemingly endless commodity, until they were all cut down.
That siding was real common on post war homes in San Diego, usually with a few feet of stucco below.
Paul, many post-war homes – whole neighborhoods of two-bedroom bungalows in the St. Louis suburbs had white asbestos siding that looked just like the cedar on the house above. I had no idea that siding was actually wood!
As for the home above, I called it a “shack” but it looks to be a work in progress.
Zackman, that asbestos tile is brittle as hell too…if you lean a ladder against it and then get on the ladder it’ll probably crack the tiles and make one’s father in law REALLY pissed off. He owned a little building in Florissant that had been a house, then Florissant Mitsubishi used it to store parts, even knocked out one side of the foundation so bigger parts could be put in the basement…he eventually bought it and made a little office out of it.
Florissant? We lived there from 1977 ’til we moved to Cincy in 1992. A STL native.
I also grew up in Jennings, MO, where there was an entire neighborhood next to mine a block over where ALL the houses I mentioned above had asbestos siding, all white. A couple of friends lived over there.
My parent’s house was all masonry, all brick. The cool part was the basement was also the garage, and it was heaven on earth when I was young, as you could work on your car in comfort, regardless of the season or weather! Our house seemed to be the neighborhood garage, too, as my buddies used it as well – AND mom and dad never minded at all.
Yes, I saw many cracked tiles, mostly from ladders according to what you say!
It’s neither a “shack” or a “work in progress”. it’s an older 1.5 story house from likely the later 30s, and still very original. And it’s a rental, so the owner doesn’t have a lot of incentive to do more than basic maintenance. But it’s a solid old house.
I have always carried a torch for the station wagons built on this body. It is a shame that the LeBaron/Diplomat version disappeared so soon in the 1980s,
I got a ride home from college once by a kid whose father had bought him one of these, maybe a 76 or 77. The rust had not yet gotten ahold of it by that time, and it was a really nice car. As I recall, it was in the Premier trim and was solid silver with burgundy vinyl, an interior that was very nicely done. If the right one of these (meaning a lot nicer than this one) plopped itself in front of me, I would have a hard time saying no.
That is so cool
When my wife and I were first married in 1981, we rented an apartment in a big complex in Spring Valley, NY. There was a family with two teenage children who had a pretty Aspen wagon (no dinoc) in a nice medium blue color. The dad kept it very clean all the time..
We had a great view of the parking lot from our terrace and I still remember their family ritual. The four of them would get in the car, dad would start it up, and they would sit there for 5-7 minutes waiting for the car to warm until he put it gear and drive off. Wow! Those kids are 50+ now!
I found one of these on Craigslist in central Florida, that one was a 78 that was a light/medium green in and out. I can’t remember the engine off hand (6 or V8), or the price, but it wasn’t too high as I came close to inquiring further about it.
I’m not 100% sure I’d go for a Volare/Aspen wagon over a Fairmont/Zephyr wagon…it would depend a lot on the engine and colors/equipment.
I gotta go with the Fox (especially a Cougar or Granada version) wagons 🙂 , though I wouldn’t have a problem rocking an Aspen/Volare’ wagon.
Decent looking wagon and I found a more colorful one in Portland, OR. These seem to attract battle scars.
I own its east coast twin, albeit with quarter window still intact
Looks great. I thought the ’78’-’79 grilles looked best on the Volare. And the F body wagons had one of the cleaner looking roof rack / wind deflector combinations of the 70s.
LTDan,
Are you in the Savannah Ga area? If so, I think I have seen your Volare on the road.
No sir. The car came from upstate South Carolina and I live near Virginia Beach so while Im not too far and I do travel to Savannah a few times a year, Ive never had the Volare there.
Paul, that Volare’ Premier looks very similar to the one I saw in a Santa Clara area neighborhood a couple of years ago. Don’t remember the quarter glass being missing, though.
In spite of this Volare’s obvious overall wear, the chrome surround for the wood vinyl applique is remarkably straight, and in good condition. GIven how prone this trim was to dents and dings.
I always preferred the Volare Premier wagon’s chrome surround for the wood vinyl to the Aspen Special Edition’s ash wood treatment. As too, the early Volare’s faux Mercedes grille seemed significantly more attractive than the Aspen’s modest Dart-like grille.
I wonder if the passenger window is down or missing.
A co-worker/friend of my mother owned a 76 Volare Wagon …brown….and it had the slant-6 with the 4 speed manual overdrive transmission…..I rode in it a few times way back in the 70’s.
I had a 79 volare wagon. That harvest gold color slant six torqueflite. bought it new had it 8 yrs. It was fine. At the time it seemed a lot more solid than the Chevy or the Ford.
My ’79 Aspen wagon is my daily driver. It’s a rust and damage free example on it’s first and only repaint in the original colour. A number of functional upgrades, have been done to the car and at 155k mi, it runs just fine on its original 225-2v. The a/c blows cold for around town errands, and the cruise control does its job on long highway trips.
I had a Bronze/wood Volare Premier. 1978 with a 318 and factory 4 speed floor shift. My in-laws ordered it new and I inherited it in 1984. They had a lot of teething problems with the drivetrain, but by the time I got it, the dealer service dept had it pretty well worked out. I drove it for about three years then sold it fifteen minutes after hanging a FOR SALE sign on it. I had hubcaps on my car but always wanted to find a set of those Magnum 500 wheels for it. Two young babies and renovating a 100 year old house took up all the time and money. Luxuries like car jewelry had to wait a few years until I had some disposal income.
I don’t get what is so bad about the house. (Bearing in mind I’m from a place where everything is brick or sandstone).
Apart from perhaps dated siding (?) what’s the big deal?
Next door neighbors of mine traded in a 68? Dart 2 door with white buckets and console shifter for a 76? Volare wagon…maroon inside and out, upgraded vinyl interior, and nothing but trouble from day one. They started buying GM cars after that…