I meant to get this post up this morning, but between putting down a coat of floor finish and having company over for lunch, it didn’t happen. So it’s a bit late, but I want to thank all the contributors that pitched in to make Wagon Week chock-full of wagon-tastic content, and all of your comments and added pictures .
So if you’re still game, tell us what you’d like to see in the driveway tomorrow morning.
It’s the kind of question that I could answer dozens of ways depending on the lunar cycle, weather and time of day, but I have always had a major soft spot for the 1955 Nomad, in all-white please. But then I’d sure like to have our Peugeot 404 wagon back too. And then there’s a fuselage Town and Country. And….ah…. Your turn.
I’ve only owned one wagon, so I can’t speak too well on all of them…
For a classic, I’d like to own a 1996 Buick Roadmaster Estate Collector’s Edition (Any 1996, pretty much)
For a daily driver, I’ll stick with what I have- a 1998-2004 Audi A6 Avant.
If we get to do a “What If”, I’d like to have an Audi A8 Avant. It’s like a German Roadmaster! Other countries apparently did get one….
Matador, there has never been an Audi A8 Avant. That’s an artist’s impression.
The biggest factory-wagons are in the E-segment. In Audi’s case that’s the A6.
Darn it! I may have to do what that guy with the Crown Victoria did, then!
On second thought, the RS6 is good enough for me. Compared to my pedestrian 2.8, that sounds awesome!
Nothing wrong with a 2.8 I’d say !
Audi A6s typically have a 3.0 liter V6 TDI around here. With or without quattro. Competition from Mercedes and BMW, ditto. (as in 3.0 liter 6-cylinder turbo diesels).
The 2.8 is a nice, reliable engine. But, it’s not too quick. My 1995 LeSabre will easily out-accelerate the Audi. I’d love to see what that car could do with a 5 speed auto like the Audi has.
That said, it’s not a bad engine by any means. But, a 4.0L BiTurbo V8 sounds like a lot more fun!
This is Audi’s current undisputed King of Wagons. The RS6 Avant with a 560 hp 4.0 liter BiTurbo V8.
I would NOT kick that out of my driveway!!! Audi really has been bringing it in the last 15 years or so.
Oh…I forgot. Audi RS wagons are popular among criminals. You know, for heists etc. Good idea: ultra-fast, excellent handling and extra cargo space.
From what I’ve heard RS stands for “Rijden en Schieten”. Which means “Driving and Shooting”.
Here’s an RS4 Avant after a not so legal job:
EDIT: that’s “Racen en Schieten”, of course (Racing and Shooting).
71 Buick Estate Wagon or Fiat Maremma or 50 Buick Woody or 65 Pontiac wagon or Fiat 128 wagon or Lancia B51 woody or 1960 Galaxie woody or HQ Premier wagon or 404 Pug longroof or….
Thanks all and thanks Paul.
This was probably my favorite feature on CC thus far, even more so than Mopar week! Thank you Paul!
To answer the question, last week I picked up the wagon I wanted and now this 1979 Volare is duking it out with Camcords on my way to work every morning.
Your Volare looks quite at home with the Coronet R/T and the Dodge pickup. The wheels truly give it some extra visual pop.
318?
thanks Jason! Yes it has a standard issue 318 and it just turned 80K miles this afternoon. Ive been looking for a driver-quality V8 Volare or Aspen wagon for about 2 years and they are not easy to come by; most have sixes or are grossly overpriced. It came with some truly awful Walmart hubcaps and I had those Magnum 500s leftover from another car so they found a new home on the wagon.
That’s a sweet looking ride. Those wheels and the wood really set it off. Magnum 500s, like Torque Thrust wheels help just about any car. Here’s to a long partnership with that wagon.
As to a wagon for me, I would like either a black ’59 Country Squire or a ’60 Edsel Villager in any color.
I’m not a wagon person but I would also like to have back my folk’s favorite car and the one I got my license in, a white ’62 Olds Dynamic 88 wagon.
The wheels look great and this was definitely the best Aspen/Volare body style!
Very nice. The Volare/Aspen wagons were exceptionally nice looking; some of the very best to come out of Detroit ever. Always had a soft spot for them. Congratulations.
sorry paul i’m disappointed; was hoping for a little german wagon love such as audi, bmw.
At the time I had two choices, either a 225 Volare sedan or 318 Wagon . I chose the sedan because it comes with six ( so it’s more fuel efficient ) and I would expect the AC to work, which the wagon didn’t ( if it did, I wasn’t confident about how good it was at cooling down the big cabin )
In the end, I think the AC is marginally acceptable after the recharge on a moderately hot summer day ( converted by previous owner already ) in mine and it returns 20mpg on average, as high as 24 at 55mph, but I still think if I missed something, like this one spotted in the campus. ( I still think the ride quality is pretty good on F-Body compared to those K-cars ) and wagon never has the worries about vinyl roof.
Very nice! The wagon was the only Volarspen that was really attractive. Love it.
Wow, congrats! Magnums were a factory option and they look perfect here.
Thats an impressive roundup, Lt Dan. The Magnum 500s really give that car some attitude. You chose well!
wow, thanks for all the compliments guys!
I agree, I think the wagons are the best-looking of the F-bodys. Im 6’2″/250 lbs and it has headroom that cant be matched by anything built today. The 318 is pulling 20 mpg, but I think it will do better when I ditch the Lean-Burn for a conventional electronic ignition and it will free up some HP as well.
I had a thought driving it home from work today. These were the cars that played a big part in sinking Chrysler. But I think my Volare proves that it was actually a well-designed car, and if they had just waited one more year and brought the Aspens/Volares out for the 1977 MY after another year of development while selling as many Darts and Dusters that they could screw together, they might well have been one of Chrysler’s Biggest Hits instead of a Deadly Sin. Mine’s a ’79, built in the 4th year of its product cycle and there is not one spot of rust on it anywhere, it starts quickly, handles well and not one rattle anywhere. The AC blows frigid cold and every electrical accessory works as designed. That usually doesn’t happen on 60s/70s Mopars!
Definitely… the Aspen & Volare’s failures can be blamed entirely on initial build quality issues. The Dart & Valiant had built up such a great reputation as unkillable workhorses and then it all went out the window within one model year. Any F-body that survived its first decade on the road was undoubtedly “one of the good ones” – which they all could have been with a little more time/attention to detail from the get-go.
This applies to so many US-made cars during that period it’s untrue. I’ll stick my neck out and say the same about the Chevy Citation.
1975 Pontiac Grand Safari. Light blue or dark green with the obligatory di-noc and the Pontiac 455 if available. Preferably green or navy vinyl.
I love all the articles posted in wagon week. I have always loved wagons and I’m sorry that they are no longer as popular as they once were.
This website makes me so nostalgic – even if there are members who don’t agree, the maturity of their responses is so appreciated.
Kudos to Paul and others for making this such a great place!
+ 1000+
I like the ‘Vair wagon. A Custom Cruiser tugs my heart. But the ultimate dream wagon would be my parents’ 1st new car. A 1966 Olds F85 Deluxe wagon. Dark green w/ a black interior. Especially if it was that actual car! Manual steering and brakes, crank rear window and all!!! Not all that exciting to you all. But the memories!
Bob
This has been a fantastic week of longroof specials!
So many wagons, so little time. I’ve loved many over the years – the Nomads for sure, the first-gen Falcons, the Oldsmobile clamshell, the mid-’70s Mercury Colony Parks, but if I had to choose one, it would be the final run, C-body Town and Country (440 please).
You have excellent taste!
Thank you! I almost forgot one of the most definitive wagons in my life – the one that started my love of everything automotive: the Matchbox Studebaker Wagonaire that I had as small boy. I literally wore the paint off of it!
If a wagon appears in my drive it will be because one of the younger grandyoungins left it there. I’m not a fan of station wagons. We drove them only because we needed the room for our 5 youngins. Now we need a bus for our 28 grandyoungins and our 1st great grandyoungin that was born yesterday.
It’s already there and I just washed it:
This makes more sense if the picture is actually attached.
Nice Leggy GT! I’d go for an SG series Forester XT myself. It was before the Foz got upsized and nearly the entire drivetrain and chassis was interchangeable with the ’04-’07 WRX/STi. Most of the Impreza aftermarket stuff also just bolts right on.
Which reminds me, tomorrow it’s off to the dealer to partake in that holiest of rituals in the Cult of Pleiades – timing belt replacement!
My driveway alrwady contains a not-so-prosaic wagon, my 02 Outback.
But a mid 60s intermediate – Falcon, Chevy II, Rambler, Tempest – would be fun. Or, I wouldn’t mind getting back my parents’ 77 Impala. Great childhood vacation memories, which is, I think, why I love wagons.
It looks like this one will remain in my driveway for some time.
Nice Colony Park! The magnum 500 style wheels work quite well on it.
1962 Oldsmobile F-85 Deluxe Station Wagon.
Fun week of reading!
My dad owned the village shop when I was growing up, so he always had an Estate car (UK, so not a station wagon). He would have loved the capacity of a giant American station wagon, but such a beast would have been a liability on the little country roads we went on every day.
I think I would let nostalgia rule and have one of the cars of my childhood. First was a Simca 1500 (I remember the boot floor also being a picnic table, and the heavy rear tailgate with windy window). Then there came some long-lived Cortinas – a Mk III first in green, then a Mk IV which my mum rolled in a moment of inattention. To replace that he got a 504 estate which smelled of horses.I learned to drive in that one, and then rolled it before I was 18. Then we had a Volvo 244 for a few years, followed by a Renault 21. All good cars. If I had to narrow it down further, it would either be the Mk III Cortina or the 504.
1965 Impala Wagon please? Same color, or light blue. Image courtesy of Google Images.
So many choices. I love my 96 RMW but if I could have one more, The Chrysler above, the 60 or 61 which was featured a while back, the 58 Buick featured the other day, A 71-76 Custom Cruiser, just can not decide. Of course a Vista Cruiser or 55 to 57 Nomad is always there, Oh yes how bout a 55-57 Pontiac Safari. I guess that is my choice. Enjoyed the week!
Any model Country Squire from 1957 to 1971; an ’80 or ’81 Dodge Diplomat wagon; any Edsel wagon; a ’72 Dodge Monaco; a ’72 or ’73 Matador wagon; any Plymouth or Dodge C-body wagon from 1974 to 1977.
Ask again later and I’ll give a different answer – I’m also quite fickle on this subject!
Any Forward Look Wagon from 1957-1960 would be welcome in my driveway tomorrow morning. A plus would be if it were 9 passenger wagon!
http://cdn.barrett-jackson.com/staging/carlist/items/Fullsize/Cars/154451/154451_Side_Profile_Web.jpg
There is one currently in my garage – an ’05 Forester. It’s a second gen car which for all intents and purposes is a slightly jacked up Impreza disguised as a wagon. The two subsequent generations are true CUVs.
For a classic American wagon it’s no contest. I’d take a ’68 Chrysler Town & Country. Of course it would have to be woodgrain with a 440 and rear HVAC. (which IIRC you could only get on Mopar wagons in those days)
I shall choose a late ’80’s Cressida Wagon.
+1. Would love another Cressida.
1972 oldsmobile custom cruiser
https://www.flickr.com/photos/that_chrysler_guy/6199455592
Well, this week’s been a fun ride. Wagon Wish List: Peugeot 404, Fiat 2300, Citroen CX, Mercedes Fintail Universal by IMA, Volvo Amazon, 56 Cadillac Broadmoor Skyview, 49 Buick Roadmaster, 56 Oldsmobile Caballero, Citroen GS, Volvo 245, any Chrysler Town and Country, Alfa 156 Sportwagon, early Type 3 VW, 70 Toyota Crown or a VE Valiant VIP.
I’d be very happy with any one of them.
I would love to have my first station wagon back. It was a 1984 Ford Granada I bought when I was stationed at Ramstein AB. I bought it in 2002 for $900 it only had 80k kilometers on it. It wasn’t perfect and the 2 liter four cylinder was pretty slow with a three speed auto but I loved it and wish I could have brought it home with me. The one in the pic is not my car but practically identical, same color same wheels.
I already own it. I just need the $$ to dig into it. Meanwhile it sits out of the weather while my and my wife’s daily rides sit out in the weather.
Can’t say we don’t have our priorities straight! 🙂
Tough choice………either a fuselage Town & Country or a ’56 Nomad……..I guess the fuselage Town & Country wins for sheer utility.
A Paul Newman edition Volvo 960 longroof. Big stonkin’ V8, 6-speed, other go-fast bits.
Oh, the achilles’ heel of a Nomad?
The roof rail.
The liftgate runs up past the roof rail on a Nomad, causing a split in the rail at the D pillar. From new, they were known as prone to water leaks. Regular wagons’ roof rails run uninterrupted around the back; the liftgate is entirely below the rail.
But they sure are beautiful to look at!
Great week of longroof love, Paul and contributors!
Of the many cars I have owned, only one has been a wagon; a ’76 Dasher. My choices today would be:
*Lancia Beta HPE
*’03-04 Focus wagon
*’00-08 Subaru Legacy GT wagon
*Hornet Sportabout 360/Torque Command
Any or all would work for me just fine, thanks.
Nothing like three rows of seating on ninety-eight inches of wheelbase
+1
2 stroke or V4?
Powell Sportwagon! or for the euro touch, a Gilbern Invader. Sabra Sussita anyone? Russia’s Gaz 13 or Chaika made a good looking beast. You up for some two stroke fun? Trabant, DKW or Saab has us covered. So many great wagons and so little space.
Which wagon, other than the Jetta wagon that already lives here? Practicality wins out so no orphans or anything that wasn’t really offered in the US.
Have they developed enough replacement parts to make a 70s VW Dasher reliable? If so, then a 78-79, with the refreshed front end, upgraded interior and the EFI that had been introduced in 76. Shoot the bumpers flat black (what were they thinking with grey?) and I’m good to go, with some of the cleanest styling ever drawn, which I think looks better on the wagon than on the 2 or 4 door hatch, or the Fox sedan for that matter.
Holden Commodore wagon of course, not the sport wagon, but the traditional wagon that I believe was available in the 2000s with the 5.7 V8 and 5-speed manual.
Not sure if you could get those with M/T. No one has stopped anyone from converting them as there some out there like that.
Then again, I’d take any version of the Aussie Ford Falcon wagon too!
Great Series. My first reaction based on my age would be a 55 2dr or a 56 Nomad, then I thought about a 50 Ford Woody. Then maybe something from the mid 60s with a big block. Then— The list is too long. I’m glad I’m not rich I would drive myself nuts thinking about what car to buy next.
I had a floor and carpet cleaning/restoration business in the mid 80s to early 90s and did not like vans or trucks although the minivans were beginning to grow on me. The first owned was the Ford Fairmount Futura grilled yellow woody. It was still running when I sold it to the junk yard. It was replaced with an 89 Taurus which I liked very much. But my all time favorite would be the first gen Sable Titanium and fully loaded.
Saw this at a the 2013 Western Canada Super Run, and fell in love.
The 60 Ambassador wagon my grandmother owned. Pinkish tan and maroon top.
Any one of the big RWD American wagons from the 70s and 80s are something I’d drive, though I generally prefer the sedan versions. If I had to pick, it would probably be a Buick Electra Estate. I also like the aero Roadmaster/Custom Cruiser/Caprice from the mid 90s.
Wagon week really has been awesome – incredible contributions from everybody!
So many wagons to choose… I’ve got Fiats on my mind from the 130 Maremma article, and I’d love to own a 1500, 2300 or 130 Familiare. I also really love that red Corvair Monza wagon featured earlier today. Peugeot 505 Dangel or SW8 Turbo… Citroen DS23 Break… so many good Volvo wagons… so many good Subarus… and Audis, and Cross Country Ramblers, and a ’61 Dodge Lancer with the “Hyper-Pak” and the countless wood-bodied wagons of the ’40s… and about a million others…
I can’t make up my mind, but since I actually am looking for a new-ish car right now and notoriously indecisive, I wouldn’t mind if one of these magically poofed itself into existence outside my window and made the decision easy:
These were so handsome, I regret never having gotten one, although the interior was just a bit too cramped for me. Otherwise, it seems these were terrific cars to live with.
BMW E34 M5 Touring.
This!
Also one of these… which are now old enough to be imported into the U.S.
Honda Accord Aerodeck:
Now you’ve got me going. Toyota Crown ‘Vista Cruiser’ Grand Surf…
Surf’s Up!
hehehe
Last one, I promise!
I sort of have one now – an ’03 Toyota Matrix. It looks somewhat like a small wagon.
For something older, a 1973 Vega GT Kammback would be my first choice (Yikes!!!). But only if I get to keep the Matrix, too.
Also, how about a Pinto Cruising Wagon, an Opel 1900 (Ascona) wagon, a Corvair Lakewood, or, for a real oddball that might not be seen as a wagon, how about a late ’80s Nissan Pulsar Sportback.
Wagon week has been a lot of fun, thanks to all.
This one! Come on over and see it, Paul…….
A Hornet Sportabout with a nice 360 would be my top choice. But in the meantime, I’m living the wagon life pretty well.
1994-95 Alpina B10 Allrad Touring
Here is a good link on them
http://www.alpina-archive.com/?p=1577&nmt=B10-3.0-Allrad-01
There are so many good choices, but I must admit that the “surprise” factor really pleases me: for pure obnoxious home-made pleasure, the 442 Vista Cruiser, preferably W-30 equivalent.
It might be cliche, but it would have to be a ’55 Nomad.
Damn, everybody really brought it with Wagon Week! What a wonderful week of posts 🙂
As for my dream wagon, I think I can say without surprising a soul that it would be a Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon.
I wouldn’t mind a 1977-90 Pontiac Safari as well! I’m sure there are a few others I can think of too, like a new Holden Calais-V Sportwagon.
Well for a daily driver there is only one choice a Flex with all the goodies and maybe the aftermarket woodgrain.
For a toy there are a handful that would be hard to choose from.
Buick Sportwagon but only one of the true Sportwagons with the Vista Roof, 1st gen preferred.
Pretty much any Edsel.
A number of Country Squires especially the 60, 65-67 76-78 and 89-91, though a Colony Park wouldn’t be dismissed.
Pretty much any full size 2dr wagon.
I started to count up the number of Station wagons Ive owned I got to 30 or so then remembered others and gave up but I’ll take another Pug 406 in diablo red but in 2.0 HDI manual this time good performance and near 50 mpg is not to be sneezed at.
Peugeot 406 wagon in Diablo Red (according to the ad).
So much better looking than the later 407.
+1 An underrated beauty and modern classic indeed. Classes ahead of its predecessor the 405 and its successor the 407.
Apart from my current one (2004 Citroen C5 HDi 110 hp LX) and a tame clutch fairy – they cost the earth to replace (the clutches, not the fairies)..
Among current models (in the UK) a Skoda Superb or a Peugeot 508 diesel.
On the banger/classic market a Mercedes W123 or W124 or a Mk 2 Ford Granada.
Among US wagons a 1967/8(?) Rambler Rebel – if US readers wonder why, I grew up not far from the US bases in Suffolk and the parents of an American girl at my school had one – absolutely identical to the one in the 1968 Ladybird book of motor cars (After it expired from old age they got a Mazda 323 – not the same sort of thing at all) It has the advantage that it’s a useable size on British roads – imposing as the 70s full size wagons are, I couldn’t get one in my street never mind my garage; and dare I add that they don’t appear to be as big on the inside as you might expect from the outside? .
From nostalgia my dad’s 1967 Mark 2 Cortina (UHK 342E, an ex-Ford press fleet car and a very unusual 1500 Super – has it survived?) The 1973 Mk 3 1600L that replaced it in 1978 was never as good a car.
And of course my mum’s old 1963 Minor 1000 Traveller, suitably restored to retain its patina and the wrong colour door pull strap; and my own first car, a 1979 Chrysler Avenger 1.6LS, EPV 762T, shabby but absolutely reliable and with a surprising turn of speed – and unfortunately sold when it was borderline economic to fix it for the MoT test. It remained in use for some time after as a plumber’s workhorse in Mansfield.
All I need now is to win the Euromillions lottery.
And one I definitely don’t want to see again – a 1982 Morris Ital – a completely useless heap of something good for the roses. I eventually abandoned it at the kerbside and would have set it on fire only it might have taken Sutton-in-Ashfield town centre with it.
I’d love the Moggie Traveller to putter to the shops in.
You’re so right about the Ital. Lemme guess, was it babyshit brown?
Nearly, it was hearing aid beige.
1965 Sunbeam Rapier Convertible, in a strong 2-tone finish
As that’s not a wagon, how about a 1980 Mercedes 280TE instead?
Plenty wagons I’d like to have,63 Galaxie woody(I saw one from the USAF base and my parents told me we’d be in one on holiday.Not strictly true as we always rented a non woody).55 Mercury woody,55 Nomad or Safari,Falcon or Fairlane woody or the Mercury versions from 55- 70,Olds Vista cruiser or Buick Sport Wagon.Chrysler 300 wagon
Ford Mk2 Zephyr/Zodiac wagon,Mk1 Cortina woody(long time since I saw one despite going to shows a lot),Morris Minor Traveller and the Daddy of new wagons a Vauxhall VXR8 estate
Let’s keep it a bit earthly today.
A Peugeot 508 GT with a 180 hp 2.0 liter HDi (diesel) engine and a 6 speed automatic.
My wagon comes either from Germany or from France, for sure (since the Alfa Romeo 159 is no longer with us). I’m not interested in the rest, when it comes to today’s wagons.
I keep coming back to the 60 Town & Country.
Natürlich dieses brasilianische DKW “vemaguete” baujahr 1957.
Easy. A 1979 Chevrolet Monza Kammback, V-6, 5-speed, suspension handling option with the widest available factory tyres, upgraded interior, chrome roof rack. In dark blue.
Yes, an exact duplicate of the POS that weaned me off Chevrolets for the next twenty years. A constant litany of troubles, but when it ran, it hauled! And despite the problems, I came very closely to buying it back from the Dodge dealer I traded it in to, two years later. (That is not a misprint, he had the car on the lot for two years until he finally got rid of it.) When it ran, it was that good.
My handpicked answer to the final version Volvo P1800 and various low production English sports shooting breaks like the Reliant Scimitar. Only this time, I get the full instrumentation package that GM cancelled on me while it was in the build line.
Second choice: Corvair Lakewood. Because I love Corvairs.
Third choice: Any GM clamshell. So I can sell it to someone who does demolition derbies.
For a daily driver, Golf by default. Gas, manual, panoramic sunroof.
As a collector car a clamshell calls, or maybe a Morris Minor or Mini Traveller, or a Datsun 510 or a Ford woody…
What a great week! Thanks for running it. My greatest discovery is that Di Noc is still manufactured in many colors and patterns. No telling what we will see when someone creative gets their hands on a roll.
my old 1996 Ford Falcon EFII. 6 seater with column auto, “Olympic Classic” no less. It was 10 years old in this shot.
Looking good ! The houses included.
I spy a Holden One Tonner with a Statesman front.
spotters badge awarded!
Hi, hope you can help me with the details about your wagon. I have its sister. Auto 4.0 computer olympic special. what is a 6 seater like inside? is there a bench seat in front? and an auto? on column? sounds good. i am selling mine. did the gaskets on motor and coolant mixed with the oil and water. big job.love to see the photos inside. i am in qld outback. Dalby.4405.
I think station wagon design peaked with the ’55 Nomad. That’s my vote.
I really enjoyed wagon week learning a lot about this style of car and it’s variations around the world.
There are so many makes of station wagons I would want in my driveway. But in the end and partly because of the 85 grand Marquis I’ve been enjoying since last summer, I would want a Colony Park wagon. No particular year, from 79 on up. Like the 86 model whose image I’ve pasted inn from Google.
I think I’ll take a Euro Mazda6 wagon. Although, if we’re fantasizing, how about a Ford Flex that’s closer in size to an Escape? I wonder if someone out there has Photo-chopped such a beast.
I’d love a V8 VE-II or VF Calais V. The V6 would also do the trick.
Or a Saab 9-5 Aero, or a 9-3X TTiD. Or a Skôda Superb or some of the Subaru Liberty (Legacy for you) with a turbo pancake 4. Or an Insignia or an current Astra
Somebody must really hate me. Instead of finding a Colony Park or Town and Country, there was a hideous puke green Family Truckster there !
The one I already own: my nearly worn out Toyota Matrix. Some would call it a hatchback. I would disagree with them. My Ford Focus is a hatchback, even though it’s about the same size and form factor. I’m finding it hard to articulate why I consider the Matrix to be a wagon and the Focus to be a hatch. I think the key difference is the Matrix’s flat load floor, even when you fold down the rear seats.
I love wagons. I’d drive nothing but if I could.
Here’s a Toyota example where the difference is very obvious.
Toyota Auris 5-door hatchback:
Toyota Auris 5-door wagon:
From a daily driver perspective I would have to take the Toyota Venza.
Ive actually caught the itch for a Magnum. Clean low mileage specimens arent getting easier to find, and i can afford to but one outright AND keep the RumbleBee. Make mine any 2wd Hemi in blue, red, or black with sunroof but no roof rack or touchscreen. Ill take care of installing some deep dish coke bottle mags and a Cherry Bomb exhaust.
I would love to have a 1954 Nash Rambler Cross Country Wagon in white please with the woody trim. Also would like a 56 Ford Ranch Wagon like the one I learned to drive in. But for practicality, give me the 1973 Matador Wagon I used to have. I will pass on the 2007 Volvo V-70 I got rid of last August because of its weird electrical glitches and poor gas mileage. It was a comfortable driver and practical hauler though.
There’s the ghost of a woody in my driveway right now.
In 1969 I bought a 1952 Chevrolet 4-door station wagon from a garage owner for his $100 mechanic’s lien on a replaced rod. It had a beautiful wood paneled interior, a 216 straight-six, and standard 3-speed column shift. The photo is of a similar one parked in an interesting neighborhood, a still from the 1956 movie, The Killing.
The single central tail light was on a hinged stalk that kept the lens vertical if the car needed to be driven with the tailgate down. The bottom piano hinge of the tailgate was nearly rusted through but the light worked so I didn’t worry about it. After breaking the crankshaft, replacing the motor with a 235 from a field of Chevrolet parts cars, and then breaking a half shaft, I sold it to a junk yard for 5 or 10 bucks. We used a rope and while I steered, my friend towed me there with his Chevy sedan. My rear wheel fell out just as we went through the gate and we had to bumper-jack the car up and stuff the wheel back in. It had a great radio. In fact, the radio was on the last night I drove it. Just as a newscaster said, “Branch bank in the Bronx bombed,” the engine revved and that was the end.
The street number of my girlfriend was carved into a window post.
Obviously, Paul, you saved the best for last; Chevy Nomad. I’ll take any year, but 1957, of course, would be my favorite.
If I won the lottery and could really go all-out . . . it would be fun to mod a ’69-73 T&C with a doghouse and frame off of an Imperial LeBaron of the same years. I always liked the look of these cars with the hidden headlights and huge loop bumpers. It would take some extensive work with the 4″ extended front end, but man would it be sleek!
Should that not pan out, I wouldn’t mind a Cadillac DeVille conversion like the one pictured below, except in Apollo Yellow or Persian Lime . . .might as well be in tacky 1970’s colors with really thick wall to wall shag inside 😀
Volvo 240 series wagon with a 5 speed and 4 cylinder, normally aspirated. Not fast but rugged.
It would have to be an Opel Rekord C Caravan, 2 door version in dark green. My brother had one and he handed me the keys to go on on an “urgency” trip to Paris, France.
Here is one in white, as shown in the Pedia of Wiki:
Excellent choice !
The little red car across the street is a first gen (introduced in 1996) Ford Ka. My mother had one, all black. Old-school 1.3 liter engine (dating back to the fifties), handling like a go-kart !
Well I’m too late for the magic. But if I could get a late pass and summon one for tonight…hmm. I’ll limit myself to a few choices. Classic era? ’61 New Yorker Town & Country hardtop. “Recent Classic” era? Volvo 850R Wagon. Modern/new? Audi RS6 Avant.
Any one of the above will do!
The Diesel Ford Focus station wagon with a manual transmission and engine stop-start feature that I rented from Sixt at the Frankfurt Airport last September :-).
Appropriate plate for a kid-hauler 🙂
I’ve been waiting to see the cockroach of the wagons; no pictures however,
so I’ll show you mine, here it is used to haule a whole Ikea kitchen.
And driving my wife who chose the color (of the kitchen, not the car).
We’ve been using this car for over 10 years, itself beeing 30 years old.
Did about 120k miles in those years and still having fun with it.
You guessed it I suppose: a 300 turbodiesel.
Really, I’d like just about any full-size Ford wagon, late 50s until ’72 or so. Country Squire, probably Wimbledon White, black, or red.
Then again, I’ve got a special fondness for the low-spec models. Ford’s 1960 cars weren’t the longest ever, but likely the widest, and this one’s a two door with only the single bench seat:
Whoops–brochure says this “Courier” is even lower-spec than I thought. Standard equipment is just the driver’s half-bench, with armrest and visor on the left side only. Still, payload capacity is a half-ton—lots of potential there.
I love the 1960 shape. It’s a bit of an orphan, but the best looking until from 56 to 65 . The Quicksilver that inspired it is even better looking.
Made my choice below already but if I could have an extra a 60 would be nice…
Well, considering I bought it over six months ago and promptly delivered it to my mechanic, I’d really like to see my Ford Sierra wagon magically (re)appear in my driveway tonight… Although, after 6 months worth of work, the new sills are fabricated and installed, the floor and chassis patched, the engine’s fitted with all new seals etc and my mechanic is putting it all back together this week, so the end is in sight…!
Scott, I remembered your CC column about this (19 December 2014), and just went back and re-read it. Bravo to you for giving the car a whole new life; I hope you’ll give us an update sometime soon.
Disappointed in wagon week, not really. Not a single mention. Unless I missed something.
A week is only 7 days, can’t hit everything… and there was a ’60s Nissan wagon featured.
I’m sure at least 50% of us would want a 510 wagon, I know I do. I really love its predecessor, too:
Ah yes, the real answer to which ’72 wagon I’d buy.
I’m so ready to have my ’64 Falcon Squire back….
– If it were a modern car in Austria, an Alfa Romeo 159 AWD with the 5 cyl. diesel, chipped to about 250 hp.
– If the US, fully optioned Ford Flex.
– Austria, classic vehicle: 1960 2-door Studebaker Lark, rodded with modern Euro turbodiesel of more than 300 hp and the suspension tied down etc.
– US, classic vehicle: 1952 Desoto keeping the 1st gen Hemi but with a 6 sp g/box, sorted suspension/steering/brakes etc.
Both of the above two keepong their period looks, so no silly 20″ “mags” and so on…
I have owned three Subaru wagons (we’ll get to those soon, actually) and I think I’d LOVE to have a first generation Subaru Outback in white with the gray trim along the bottom, but not with the 2.2L. No. Instead, let’s have something a bit more… exciting in it, something turbocharged, like the 276 horsepower EJ22G engine from the awesome 22B. Either that or a third generation Legacy 2.5GT wagon, white with a tacky carbon fiber hood and dark gray or black rims because I have very questionable taste. Either way, those cars should also let me shift gears myself.
It’s common for auto manufacturers and journalists to say “Americans don’t buy wagons”. I think that is short sighted and wrong.
Look at the success of the Subaru Outback and Impreza 5 door, the Kia Soul (which is a short miniature wagon) the Jetta/Golf Sportwagen and others. Those alone probably represent 500,000 cars sold per year, just in the US. Look at the dramatic increase in interest and prices of old collectable wagons. Who wouldn’t like to own an Olds Cutlass Vista Cruiser or a nice Ford LTD wagon? They drive well, are extremely practical and are really cool.
I don’t like SUV’s and CUV’s. They are too tall and ride like buckboards, and handle poorly in bad weather. I’ve driven nothing but wagons since about 1990 (currently have a 2014 Outback – best car ever) and would not consider anything but a wagon.
If I could have any station wagon?
I would take a Checker Marathon with a Continental Engine…which means it would have to be a ’61 or ’62 model year.
Plain white, lots of chrome, no roof rack