Until very recently, there was almost always a station wagon in my life. I remember my first encounter with a station wagon. It was 1976-77, I was between four and five years old, and I saw parked on the curb a comfortable looking car. It was long and black and I remember remarking to my Mom, “Mom, that’s a pretty comfy looking car….there’s an area in the back where you can relax…I can tell because there are nice curtains back there!”
This is a true story that my Mom still likes to give me a hard time about. Nevertheless, this was the first time I remember seeing a station wagon for the first time and also the first Cadillac I remember seeing up close. This was the beginning of my long history with station wagons.
During this time, I collected Matchbox cars. My “daily driver” was this Mercury Villager. It just seemed so classy, roomy, and comfortable.
In fact, my imaginary garage had two wagons. This Citroen CX was also a favorite. Sadly, I have never seen a real one.
Fast forward to 1981. My aunt and uncle acquired a 1981 cream-colored Caprice Classic wagon without the fake wood siding. This car represented several firsts for me–this was the first car equipped with power windows, seats, locks, antenna, and mirror I had ridden in. It looked and felt like a limo to me.
The rear-facing third seat was the default seating station for me and my cousin. Come to think of it, the whole cargo area became a sort of clubhouse on wheels. Many times we did not even bother with the third seat. We took some blankets, toys, snacks, and comic books and just sat or lay in the large cargo area…one big playpen. Times have changed…we would never think of doing this today. And yes, as a kid, I remember riding in pickup beds as well. I remember long trips to Washington DC, and to Ithaca, NY to visit my uncle, who was then finishing his PHD at Cornell University. The way back became the best seat or bed for those journeys. We would ride in the way back even if there was no one else in the other seats besides the driver. My uncle’s family of five and my immediate family of four very often traveled together in this wagon. The adults also very much appreciated its ability to haul things, many things, of all shapes and sizes. My Dad and my other uncles borrowed it often for all kinds of projects.
My immediate family’s income was a bit more modest than my uncle’s, so we couldn’t really afford the big Caprice, but we got the next best thing: a 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser, in the color pictured above. With crank windows and manual locks, it was not as well equipped as Uncle Clem’s loaded Caprice. Thankfully, it did have ice-cold AC, which was necessary because of the hot vinyl seats and, as many have lamented about these cars, the rear windows did not roll down. We used (and abused) this vehicle for many years, overloading it often. I remember helping my Dad cram full-sized couches, washing machines, and refrigerators into its mid- sized interior and hauling a mattress secured to the roof rack. There was no third row seat but that didn’t stop my sister and I from relaxing back there during a summer vacation that took us from Maine to Virginia. Our luggage rode on the roof, while we rode in the back.
The most annoying thing about these A/G body wagons? The tailgate rear glass setup. Over the keyhole in the rear was a type of handle. If you turned the handle to the right, it would release the glass. Once the glass was released, turning the handle left would allow you to lower the tailgate. Unfortunately, the handle was not too well secured and would come off, often making it a challenge to open the glass and the tailgate. The other annoyance was that once opened, the glass was held up by pressurized struts. Unfortunately, the struts would fail at the most inconvenient times (i.e., when loading the cargo area), causing the class to come crashing down on your head, neck, or back. I still cringe whenever I remember what that feels like.
We owned that car until the late 80s, when it suffered rust issues that made the exterior very brittle. In addition, all the interior hardware began to disintegrate around us. What replaced it? An identical 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser. Our relatives didn’t even realize we had gotten another car. This was one of the cars I learned to drive in. We kept it for a few years until it suffered transmission failure as Dad was driving it to work. He actually drove it home backwards!
That car was replaced by another A/G body, a low-mileage ’83 Pontiac Bonneville, this time with fake wood sides. We purchased the car from an older gentleman who’d bought it new, so it was in pristine condition.
The interior was in particularly good shape. I found the dash to be interesting. The large, circular gauge to the right of the speedometer held a clock where I expected to find a tachometer. Although the car was attractive and comfortable, it proved to be a disappointment–the reason being, its predecessor Cutlasses both had V8s whereas the Bonneville had the 110 HP, 3.8 liter, two-barrel V6. We had gotten so used to the performance of our older G-body wagons that the Bonneville just seemed gutless. I remember flooring it once and being amazed at its lack of performance. However, the struts holding up the rear glass were practically brand new and never gave us a problem. I think its low-power engine is what ultimately led to its demise, as we pushed it pretty hard to perform until it eventually suffered head gasket failure.
That car was later replaced by our first Ford product, a 1979 Mercury Zephyr. I remember reading a book that described the Fairmont/Zephyr as “the automotive equivalent to the spinster librarian.” The car was extremely plain and mechanically very simple. This was actually a good thing. It was a no-nonsense, reliable car. No frills except air conditioning, and everything just worked with no drama. The only strange thing that I remember about it was the location of the horn button on the turn signal stalk. It was a good appliance that served Dad well. Ironically, it met its end at the mechanic’s. The car was idling outside the shop as the mechanic was running an emissions test on it for the required New Jersey State Inspection when someone off the street climbed in and drove away. The car was eventually recovered a few months later but it had been lived in by whomever stole it to the point that it was no longer the same car it was when it was “borrowed.” By this time, my sister and I were out of the house and a wagon was no longer such a necessity for my parents, so the Zephyr was replaced by a Buick LeSabre sedan.
This left me to bear the mantle of wagon ownership. I have written COALS on all my wagons, including the three pictured above, so I will only briefly mention them with links to their COALs, including this trio.
My first wagons were small J-body wagons, a 1985 Chevrolet Cavalier and a 1984 Pontiac Sunbird; their stories can be found here. After my J-wagons and until I had a family of my own, there was a time when I did not own a wagon. After that began a decade when there was always a wagon in my driveway, starting with a 1993 Buick Roadmaster Estate wagon, follwed by a 1988 Chevrolet Caprice Estate, a 1995 Caprice wagon which we kept for a long time along with two pictured above, a 1995 Buick Roadmaster Estate wagon and a 1993 Chevrolet Caprice wagon. These were our last GM cars as well.
My last wagon was a 2002 Subaru Forester which we owned until Thanksgiving 2014– leaving us without a wagon for the first time since my oldest was born almost 11 years ago!
A very nice tribute to wagons. I have always been partial to these cars perhaps because the first car I ever drove was a 1956 Ford Ranch Wagon with manual transmission and V-8. It was our family car from 1956 – 1963 when it was traded for a new Corvair Monza 4 speed. Have to say I really enjoyed driving the Corvair and the 65 Corvair that followed it. The Ford was the only station wagon my father ever owned. Thinking back, I guess I have only owned five wagons myself. The first was a 1973 AMC Matador wagon and it is one of my favorite cars. It was comfortable, very quick and very roomy. Unfortunately I did not know at the time that transmission tuneups were a good idea – that is at least changing the fluid. By 1979 the transmission was slipping so I traded it for a new Mercury Zephyr wagon. I liked the concept of the Zephyr. I didn’t like that everybody always thought it was a Ford Fairmont! Look, I have a Mercury here, not a Ford. But anyway, the Mercury was a decent car that I just never really liked. The 6 cyl engine was far slower the V-8 in my Matador, and the Mercury just would never track a straight line on an interstate highway. So after a couple years I sold the Mercury to a co-worker and bought an 81 Dodge Omni. This was during the period I owned a 1975 Toyota Chinook Roundtripper so I wasn’t greatly in need of a wagon. The Chinook would carry most anything. The Omni turned out to be a basket of trouble so I ended up trading it for an 81 Toyota Corolla wagon in the mid-eighties. The Corolla wagon later went for replacement by an 84 Toyota Cressida wagon which my wife loved dearly. Actually, after trading off the Cressida for an 89 Lincoln Continental, we never owned another wagon until the purchase of the 2007 Volvo V-70 in 2011. You can see picture in my Curbside Classic Logo photo. Liked the comfort of the Volvo seats and all the extra little features like rain sensitive wipers but let it go in 2014 for a new hybrid Ford Fusion. So I expect we are done with wagons but we did enjoy several.
That’s a nice overview. I certainly remember the Citroën CX Break (wagon). PSA still builds impressive and comfortable wagons based on the current Peugeot 508 and Citroën C5, their largest models.
This was the predecessor of the Citroën CX wagon:
I had a toy one of those – forget who made it.
I owned an 86 (Fox body) Mercury Marquis wagon, which was the Zephyr wagon developed to its maximum potential. I liked it quite a lot and reluctantly sold it when my mother offered to sell me her 85 Crown Victoria that had about half the miles on it. I never liked the way the Vic drove as well as that Marquis.
It’s amazing how some extra sound deadening, nicer carpet and upholstery and loads of power options transformed the humble little Zephyr into a very pleasant experience.
I forgot 2 Fiat Uno. They do qualify as wagons even though no sedan version was built.
Practicality and cost of ownership always determined the choices. That trend is hard to brake.
We owned 2 Renault 4 TL, my brother owned an Opel Rekord Caravan and later we owned a Chevrolet Cavalier station wagon and today I own a Pontiac Vibe. My son’s small sedan is rusting away. I consider getting him or myself another smallish wagon. The Vibe however is not truly a wagon fitting Paul’s definition: sedan with a long roof. The Vibe’s body is to different from the sedan of the shared platform: Toyota Corolla.
My uncle owned a painting business and bought a Ford Taunus wagon to replace a 2 door Opel Kadett A.
I will always have a soft spot for wagons as I always remember having one in my family growing up and I learned to drive on one, too. I was too little to remember it in detail but the first wagon I encountered was a 1969 Kingswood Estate. It was a yellowish/cream color with brown vinyl interior. Dad supposedly had a lot of issues with that car so he traded it in on a rust colored, special-ordered 1971 Pontiac Grand Safari. It was oddly equipped, too – Dad ordered it with Auto Climate Control A/C (which he despised and never ordered it again on another car), it had power locks but no power windows, tilt steering wheel but no cruise, and cornering lamps. I’m not positive but I think it had a power driver’s seat, too. It had the third row of seats which faced forward, and the 455 V-8 which was a powerhouse. I always thought the clamshell tailgate was the coolest thing. When it froze in the middle of winter and wouldn’t open, Dad didn’t find it to be so cool.
As that car aged and got up there in miles, Dad decided it was time to trade it in. In 1977 he ordered a new Caprice Estate Wagon, chocolate brown with tan vinyl interior. Once again, weirdly equipped. He ordered the sport wheel covers, digital clock, tilt, cruise, delay wipers, all power options, yet no rear defroster. Ok, Dad, you live in New England – what were you thinking? He also ordered regular A/C, and didn’t want the bumper guards and strips. But for Mom he made sure it had a lighted passenger vanity mirror. And he passed on the gauge package but complained the car had too many idiot lights. Dad????
Well, the Caprice was rusting by 1982 and it was approaching 100k miles. He happened to look in the local newspaper and saw a 1982 Country Squire with only 7,000 miles for sale. This would be the car I would eventually learn to drive on. It was a beautiful wagon, special ordered by the original owner but too big for his wife to drive so he decided to sell it. Dad loved that car. Even though the 302-V-8 was anemic compared to his past V-8’s, he loved the good gas mileage and the comfort of that wagon. It had the Interior Luxury Group, at the time somewhat rare on a Country Squire, which made it feel like a Lincoln. I often looked in many of those wagons and they usually had the base interior. It had all the luxury options, too. When I had to go for my road test I used the Country Squire. I really put that wagon through some rough times as a new driver and teenager with friends. Well, thats for another day….
So to say wagons have been a big part of my life is an understatement. I will always love them and maybe even one day own another one.
I forgot to mention my own 1993 5-speed Accord EX wagon – the best car EVER! Over 250k miles of true enjoyment. That car was a workhorse. It rarely gave me any trouble and was built like a little Sherman tank! I miss that car every day and wish I still had it. Sadly, rust was working its way through the body and suspension. I traded it for next to nothing and regret it to this day.
Back in 1985 I had to move on short notice, and without the funds to rent even a van. A local “rent-a-wreck” place had a ’78 Malibu wagon, and while the rear glass was propped open those infamous struts failed. No one was unloading anything at the time, so the window fell back to its closed position and shattered. If there was any insurance involved in renting from that place, it only covered accidents while driving, but given that it was a well-used car they couldn’t exactly make me pay for the window, either.
We had 2 Chevy wagons when I was growing up, a strippo ’61 Biscayne 283 auto and a better equipped ’65 Impala 327 auto,ps and ac. Mom hated the ’61, it was hearing age beige and probably not even equipped with power steering. The ’65 was nice, in both wagons us kids always rode in the way back with cushions, pillows and sleeping bags along with games and toys to keep us occupied. Later Dad bought a 21ft Shasta travel trailer, we took it out once with the wagon, it was too much weight for a loaded up 2 speed 327. He soon had a ’67 Continental, that car had no problems pulling the weight, but from then on we always had sedans. The closest thing to a wagon I ever owned was a battered and rusty ’64 VW Squareback.
Forgot about the ’59 Plymouth wagon we had when I was really young. He towed a small Scotsman trailer and a small outboard fiberglass ski boat with it at the same time. This became illegal a couple of years later.
A station wagon without wood panelling is like a day without sunshine.
Grew up with a 1970 Chevrolet Kingswood wagon. We got it in 1971, slightly used from Hertz Car Sales, I think – because we couldn’t get a 1971 model due to the GM strike then. White exterior, green vinyl interior, 350 CID V8 with the Turbo Hydramatic (thank goodness, not the Powerglide).
It was the workhorse of the family – we took it on long trips with other families, sat in the third seat, took it to drive-ins and sat in the back cargo area to recline. Packed lots of cargo and hauled stuff around, too. Thank goodness its A/C was strong as the sticky vinyl wasn’t pleasant on a hot day.
Decent acceleration with the standard 350 engine but of course, it gulped fuel — something like 12 mpg in normal use.
I learned to drive on that car, even parallel park that puppy…now that was an accomplishment!
My parents usually had wagons. The one I remember best was their 78 Malibu Classic wagon. My Dad always had manual transmission vehicles, he was an “Olds man” but the local Olds dealer wouldn’t sell him a Cruiser with 3 pedals, so he ended up buying the Malibu. It had the 305 and a 4-speed, so my Dad suprised a lot of kids at stop lights with it. If my Mom was driving, she had the bench seat pulled all the way forward, and putting the shifter into 2nd or 4th made you hit the seat as you were shifting, so she didn’t drive very often. THe car gave very good service, I don’t remember ever having a breakdown or problem in it. (Dad replaced the window struts a couple times, though!) We drove the car all across the country multiple times, pulled trailers and campers with it, too. THey kept the car for 10 years, until about a week after I got my driver’s license… Hmm… Anyway it’s probably good that I didn’t have a V8 powered car as my first or I’d have probably crashed it anyway. Of course I never saw another manual trans vehicle like this, even though I heard that El Caminos were also available with stickshifts. I wish there was something similar available now, just a good basic vehicle with a manual trans. Oh, I swore up and down that I’d never subject my kids to a car that had fixed back windows, and I didn’t realize that the 2nd row doors in my Town & Country minivan were fixed until I got it home! OOps… (and that is me in the pic below, scanned from a Kodachrome slide)
2 tone and sport wheels? Nice Malibu! We had a ’79 sedan in the family that gave similarly good service.
Those Malibu wagons were everywhere growing up. They were more numerous than the sedans in my neck of the woods. The Buicks were the rarest.
An old family friend of ours owned a 1980 Mercury Zephyr Villager wagon w/wood paneling and I remember it being a good car and they’ve had it for so many years.
I never realized that a Cadillac Hearse is similarly designed as a station wagon until now, I always wondered what a 1969-70 Cadillac station wagon would look like.
There were a few custom made Cadillac wagons. Check these out:
http://bringatrailer.com/2009/02/11/luxo-ranch-hauler-1979-cadillac-deville-wagon/
http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2012/09/07/hemmings-find-of-the-day-1974-cadillac-sedan-de-ville-station-wagon/
http://www.stationwagon.com/gallery/1976_Cadillac_Castilian.html
http://www.flickriver.com/groups/1158735@N25/pool/interesting/
Great writeup. I’m very fond of wagons myself. As a kid of the 80s I spent a lot of time in B- and G-body wagons. They were everywhere, although I remember working the car pool line at a summer day camp I worked at in 1989 and seeing an endless line of Ford Tauruses and Volvo 240s, the last gasp before minivans and then SUVs took over.
Interestingly, my parents stuck with two-door Buick Regals until they bought their first and only wagon when I was in high school, an ’86 Nissan Maxima wagon. Rather unusual, but they kept it for 15 years and it was well loved and used. Fast for the time, smooth, well equipped and practical. I took my driver license test in it and it moved me to college and back. I’d really like to have that Maxima back today.
We shopped wagons a few years ago and there are so few choices now! We do enjoy our Outback, though.
Growing up, our primary family car was a 1972 Ford Country Sedan (i.e. no wood on the sides); light metallic green (pretty close to the color of the Matchbox “Villager” in the article) with a green vinyl interior. We purchased it new in late ‘72 as a model-year leftover. I remember going with my father to shop for cars, at age 14. I found this one buried in the back of the dealer lot. It was nearly stripped; perfect from my dad’s perspective – 351 2-barrel, Cruise-O-Matic transmission, AM radio, power steering, manual drum brakes, no third-row seats, and no AC. Remember, the fewer options you get, the less likely that something will break or go wrong. That sounded better than the truth – the fewer options you get, the cheaper the car.
We kept the Country Sedan for almost 12 years and well over 100,000 hard miles. It shuttled 4 kids and all of our stuff back and forth to college. It towed trailers. It faithfully took the family on our annual vacation, complete with a gigantic roof rack jammed with two weeks’ worth of provisions. And, with the back seat and tailgate down, we could stuff our Sunfish sailboat in the back and haul it into Bear Mountain state park (which didn’t allow trailers). The Country Sedan wasn’t perfect — but all things considered, it was a versatile and reliable car. I still smile thinking about all the fun times we had.
On my wishlist is a ’71-’76 GM wagon. I really like the Pontiac Safari with the little tailfins. I also wouldn’t kick a 460 powered Country Squire or Colony Park from the pre-panther era out of the garage. They’re much harder to find than big sedans and coupes, though. Seems like they got used up by families, as was the intent, and then junked, or demo derbyed. You rarely see the $2-4K old wagon with 75K that needs a few things. It’s either rusted to hell or pristine and $15K
My dream clamshell wagon would be a 76 Buick Estate wagon…with no wood and power everything. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to buy a 75 Impala wagon. Aside from an automatic transmission, it had no options and the tailgate mechanism was inoperative. Needless to say, I did not buy it.
Yep, another long roof fan here. I think I like this upcoming week. I had both the Matchbox wagons and was always disappointed the tailgates were coloured plastic that didn’t match the paintwork in either case. They’re packed away downstairs still, I think.
I nominate the CX Safari/Familiale as the best wagon ever. They were always rare around here and they were very beautiful. I hope Paul’s found one.
“Mom, that’s a pretty comfy looking car….there’s an area in the back where you can relax…I can tell because there are nice curtains back there!” hah!
That reminds me of the time we were stopped in traffic outside the Melbourne campus of the Australian Catholic University next to a ground level crucifix about 4′ tall complete with Christ figure. “I know what that is!” shouts our 4 yo son pointing in the direction. “And what would that be?” I ask. “That’s how you make a kite!” he says proudly. He wasn’t entirely wrong and that’s why the low waistlines of older cars are so important.
I remember the similar thing about the Cadillac hearse when someone asked me ever know about Cadillac wagon.
Those pressurized stuts ALWAYS eventually fail. The first clue is the tail gate not staying up in cold weather. Then in all weather. I had a hatchback and kept a long stick in it to prop the tailgate up. Bumping the stick and having the tail gate fall on your head incidents eventually convinced me to get new struts. You can get generic replacements fairly cheaply.
I used small vice grips to hold it up, worked well.
We just replaced the ones in my buddies 2002 Taurus wagon and those wee not the originals having junk yard markings on them. They especially love to fail in cold weather.
The 1981 Caprice Classic Station Wagon ad is hilarious. The parents look like midgets having sunk deep inside the plush velours of the front seat bench 😉
I wonder if that 1979 Zephyr wagon came with a V8 because there was no mention about it’s performance. If it had the 2.3 or the 85 HP 200 six then the performance should have been very under powered if my grandfather’s 1980 Fairmont 200 six was anything to go by. I remember having my grandpa, grandma, my parents and myself loaded up in that wagon with the A/C on and it could barely crest any incline that we encountered. My 231 V6 Cutlass was much peppier under the same conditions and was able to climb the same hills at higher speeds and less strain, not surprising considering it made nearly 40 extra torque at an equally low RPM.
You know Joe, I was wondering that as I was writing it. I remember driving it. It did not feel anemic. It wasn’t smoking the tires either…it was OK. However, by that time I was mostly out of the house and I drove it only a few times around town. I don’t recall ever taking it on the highway. I do know for sure it wasn’t a 2.3. I’ve experienced those! It was not fast but did not feel underpowered. If it was a V8 would it have been a 302?
No wagons in my immediate family, as I am an only child. No SUVs either for that matter–everything was a car with a trunk (save for one hatchback, an ’83 Escort.) I do remember spending quite a decent amount of time in the ’91 Custom Cruiser a high school friend owned, though. Fun boat, that one.
Having picked up the family disdain for SUVs and not wanting a minivan despite the hard-to-argue-with practicality, a wagon may be in my future when my wife and I decide to extend our family…I’ve always quite liked them.
I love the Ithaca, NY reference since I grew up in that area. My family has owned at least one Saab 95, only one AMC Hornet Estate, just one Chevy Caprice Estate, and dad is on his 3rd Subaru Legacy Estate. His first Legacy met its demise in an Owego hardware store (Agway?) parking lot. He comes out after making a purchase and notices the Legacy is sitting funny. Well it turns out the rusty metal around the driver side rear strut broke causing the car to fall onto one of its axle stops. Well he drove that car home and since Legacy number two had been bought the previous Summer it went to work almost right away.