We’ve had a few of these over the years here, but I can’t ever resist a fine old Volare wagon, especially a woody. And this is obviously still very much in front line service, which adds that much more to the appeal. Don’t we all imagine ourselves still driving one?
Not unlike quite a few others of its kind I’ve seen over the decades, it’s rather fragile grille gave up its plastic ghost some time back. The way those windows are all fogged up on the inside suggests maybe there’s too much moisture in there. A leak? I’m trying to imagine what odors might greet one’s nose upon opening a door. I sure wasn’t about to get any interior shots through that condensation. We’ll leave it to our imagination, and pretend it’s pristine in there.
Chrysler styling under Dick MacAdam was a little uneven but sometimes they simply nailed it. The Volare wagon was beautifully done, unlike the other body styles which were both a little off.
Had these not been such quality disasters they could have cleaned up as the only smaler wagon outside of the Hornet.
Agreed on the styling. The proportions are just right to my eyes.
Totally agree! When I saw these pics, I couldn’t help thinking how this wagon was “just right,” taking advantage of the then-current trend toward larger greenhouses and rational size combined with familiar American styling touches and interior comfort. The net effect, from a styling and packaging standpoint, was pretty good.
Whenever I consider the Aspen/Volare, I can’t help but lament how it was such a huge shame that the quality was so poor (at least on the earlier cars). If Chrysler had gotten these right from the start, I wonder if the company trajectory could have been different.
I thought these were great cars!
Good looking, perfect size (Pinto/Vega way too small, US “mid-size” too big and thirsty).
And even more amazing was the fuel economy–1976 EPA rated at 18/30*, city/highway. Even better than the sedan’s 19/27*, which was better than a Chevy Nova’s 18/24*. I was impressed with the 30 mpg, and showed this to my dad, whose reaction was “that’s nice.”
*with standard transmission (3 on tree…which no one owned).
I was only 11 then, and I believed the EPA ratings.
Don’t forget their relatives M-body wagons, Diplomat/Canadian Caravelle and LeBaron Town & Country https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU7-RnthXmk
With the M-body wagon made from model years 1977½ to 1981. They’re very few survivors.
Drove two—they were news cars at my first TV station. They actually were seen more on the backs of tow trucks than they were moving under their own power.
That looks like its a fairly loaded ’76 or 77 Premier so it should have the nicer interior, it could even have ’70s-sexy plaid inserts.
Our neighbor was the Chrysler salesman for US military stationed in Greece and had a Volare Premier–wood grain.
Not sure what motor it had (probably the 225 six), but I remember thinking the interior was so luxurious! And the car was so smooth and quiet!
When my family moved to Long Island in 1977, these wagons were everywhere!
I also remember it had the up-level 60/40 seat AND the nice padded steering wheel, and a carpeted cargo area too (thought it wasn’t as big, and hence not as much fun, to play in as a Coronet or Montego for full-size wagon)
Yes, that interior is probably so 70’s-sexy, it’s sweating and fogging up the windows from the plaid passion… 🙂
I rode in one of these wagons only once. Back in my high school days I took a field trip and a girl from the host school drove us to the train station in an Aspen/Volare wagon that had a floor mounted manual transmission. I don’t know what shocked my 16 yr old eyes more, a girl driving a stick or the manual transmission itself!
As a 10 year old I was very proud of my parents when they brought home a beautiful burgundy red ’77 Aspen SE in full brougham treatment – vinyl roof, whitewalls with the ‘turbine’ full wheel covers, wide bodyside moldings, and that swirly rear applique that was unique to the Aspens. Imagine my shock when a year later, at a campsite in Ohio, a guy came up to my Dad to ask him how he like our Aspen because he was thinking about buying one, and my Dad replied “very poor quality. This is the worst car I’ve ever owned.”
I believe only two cars have ever been the subject of NHTSA recalls for rust: the FIAT 850 and the Aspen/Volare twins.
I was riding in a Volare wagon, owned by the parents of a friend, when all of a sudden the radio stopped receiving any stations. Someone looked out front and realized the antenna had dropped straight through the fender, due to rust. The car was less than 4 years old at the time.
Like others here I really liked the styling of these wagons, but even more I fell for the 2 door “coupe” that appeared so often in Volare ads.
How do these compare to the Malibu and Fairmont wagons of that time?
These wagons sort of “split the difference” between Malibu and Fairmont wagons. The Chevys had a (slightly) higher price and had a more powerful optional V8 engine….at first. The Dodge was heavier than the other two. Barely heavier than the Chevy, a few hundred pounds heavier than the Ford.
Neither Chevy or Dodge offered a 4 cylinder engine in their wagons, while Ford did.
In it’s cheapest iterations the Ford was VERY cheap looking, the Dodge was (IMHO) the nicest looking, in and out….the the Chevy was very close.
The Chevy wagon, the 1978 model is THE best of the 3. After 78 the Malibu wagon no longer had an optional 350 V8. So 79 and later? The Ford loses it’s 302 in 80.
My mother-in-law had one of these when my wife and I got married in 1985. Actually hers was probably a Dodge now that I think about it, but still pretty much the same, I believe hers was a 1978. We borrowed it a few times to move bulky items that wouldn’t fit in the car and I was not impressed. As someone who grew up driving American cars with V8 engines I was shocked at how strangulated the 318 had become by the late seventies. Not only was the vehicle underpowered, it didn’t get very good mileage either; 14-15 MPG was the norm around town. As a bonus you were never sure when the engine would just completely stall; one tried to avoid left turns in front of oncoming traffic and hoped for the best.
Volare wagons always remind me of the cartoon Bob’s Burgers. The animators quite obviously modeled the family’s car on a Volare wagon.
I had a 79 in yellow without the wood. bought new drove it for 8 yrs. Much better car than its reputation. But toward the end it developed a leak. Had to drill a hole in the spare tire well to let it out. Water stayed hidden never got any carpet or other wet.
The quality was so bad on these…my uncle and aunt from west virginia were crying over the issues they were having with their late 70s Volare wagon, which was their first (and last) new car. That shocked me so much that it has kept me away from Dodge, Plymouth or Chrysler ever since, except for a momentary look at a Neon…which I didn’t buy.
OK, I like station wagons. But this one? No. And have I ever imagined myself driving a Volare/Aspen wagon? No.
No need for me to imagine driving an Aspen woodie, all I have to do is walk out to the carport.
Yeah, the die-noc is under that paint. The Chrysler parts of the car all work well, its the things the previous owner(s) have done that have given me trouble. Got most of the bugs worked out.
My main association with these was being obsessed with the commercial as a child and running around the house screaming VO-LAR-E at the top of my lungs until my mother had had enough of it.
My friend’s mom picked us up in hers once and it was a very exciting moment for me. LOL
These were the perfect size for many, and the fact they were so ubiquitous on North American roads for several years, helped prove it.
My family owned a ’76 Volare Premier wagon with the 360 V-8, and a ’78 Aspen wagon with the 225 Super Six. With the newer Aspen wagon showing better build quality, and rust resistance.
Thought they looked sharp with the rally wheels. This low mileage example was profiled at Hemmings.
https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hcc/2015/07/Premier-Plymouth—1979-Plymouth-Volare-Station-Wagon/3748693.html
The 1979 Volare sales brochure shows a very rare two tone paint package available for the Volare wagon.
We had a number of folks in our little Austrian/Bavarian enclave in Northeast Ohio that had these Volares and Aspens. The early adopters got burned, at least most of them. But, by 1978 these cars were much improved. The late adopters in my parent’s circle of friends made out with the later cars.
As an example, I had a friend in my college years who had a 1980 Volare Coupe that he drove throughout our five years. When I last saw the car, it was still running like a champ, with no real rust (amazing for a Northeast Ohio car) on it’s way to a new life in Virginia.
I believe 1980 was the year that Chrysler began using galvanized steel on all outer lower body panels across all of their lines, though I could be off by a year or so.
I had a copper/wood grain 76 Premier wagon. It had a 318 with four on the floor. In the depths of the malaise era, it was pretty fun to drive. When it came time to sell it, I drove it to work, stuck a FOR SALE in the window and had an asking price buyer in less than two hours.
With the local dealer being Mopar, these things were everywhere in my world in the late seventies and eighties.
As was said above the early ones were disasters but the later models did well.
The first two I remember were a family that traded a plain green bullet proof slant six 68 polara on a plain green slant six volare sedan. It ended up being scrapped in 81 and replaced by a used Caprice.
A young couple bought the first wagon, a fully loaded volare premier in white and woodgrain as their first new car. By the end of the first winter the front fenders were solid brown from rust. It really showed on the white!
By the time of my parents 79 Aspen, it was a reliable car but too boring for Dad who was trying an economy kick. It was quickly replaced by a Cordoba.
This was the Plymouth version of the car that ended my family’s purchases of American vehicles (one F-150 excepted). Dad bought an Aspen coupe for my sister and a wagon for the family…they both had such horrific problems that my dad threatened to cancel further orders of Dodge vehicles for the public agency he ran unless the dealer bought them back. They did and we’ve been a Toyota/Honda family ever since.
Properly optioned (318/360 V8 engine, Torqueflite automatic transmission, factory A/C, the upscale interior package with the fold down arm rest front seat) these “small” station wagons were pleasant driving cars….”back in the day” as well as today.
I’ve seen a couple of these wagons advertised on evilbay with “Buy It Now” prices well beyond the reach of this Early Retirement former federal civil servant.
I had a beige ’76 Volare wagon with the slant six and 4-speed overdrive. In the 55 speed limit days, it would turn an honest 30 mpg on the road, running at 60. Comfortable, quiet, and it was a pretty good car. Not afflicted with the problems that others had. Although, I did see it several years after I had sold it, and it was one big rust blotch.
I’ll agree that these were styled really well – and they were popular. In ’77, the wagon bodystyle outsold both the coupe and sedan, despite having only two trim levels instead of three (wagons – 157K, coupes – 99K, and sedans – 127K).
What a find – how is it not rusty? Besides the healing rains of Eugene, of course… 🙂
These things rusted like Vegas in northern Pennsylvania anyhow. A girlfriend’s parents had a Volare (sadly not the wagon) while my older sister had inherited our family’s 68 Plymouth Valiant. The difference in quality, engine performance -and rust- between the two was amazing. When the Volare was 3 years old, it was a worse (rusty, falling apart, bad running) car than the 68 Valiant…. that shocked me.
Perhaps a Chrysler’s deadly sins series, Paul?
No, the company didn’t completely die -technically- but it sure descended into Hades, and like Persephone, queen of the underworld, escaped but periodically returns…..
It’s a shame this generation of automobiles are experiencing extinction from everyday commute. I will surely miss these vehicles….and I already do, since they have been phasing out. I dearly hope places like Washington and Oregon will be filled with these in he future.