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Who here used to ride around in one of these sweet chariots?

JRHawk2003

HR King
Jul 9, 2003
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Montrose
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Looking back on it, it was awesome. We jumped all over the car too, no child seatbelt thing back then lol.
 
There was one very similar to this for sale a couple months back on the CR Craigslist. Not this old, but same base color, wood paneling stickers, etc. Early 90's Ford I believe. Rust free, very nice shape.

What was interesting about it was the seller had beefed up the rig for towing. New intake, higher flow exhaust, cam, heavy duty hitch, beefier rear springs, etc. Then conservative looking old school slotted mags with wider tires.

Very much a "sleeper" wagon. And it sold within a week.



Old school wagons are rare now, but I still see them around town now and then. Usually they're Chevy Caprices from the 90's Impala SS era (they have LT1 350's in them) and now and then you'll see a Buick Estate Wagon I believe it's called which is a clone of the Chevy.

These...owners actually hot rod these even today if they're LT1 equipped.

wagon_buick_roadmaster_1991.ashx
 
Circa 1975, dad piled us into the Ford wagon for a trip to the car dealer to trade ol' Betsy in. It was so rusty, the tailgate fell off its hinges when he opened it for me (the youngest) to climb in. Luckily, the dealer didn't try to open the tailgate. We drove home in a Chevy LUV, with the kids riding in the back. Yes, you could do that in those days.
 
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The station wagon was a big part of my childhood. My brother and I always got stuck in the back on long road trips in the rear facing seat. Spent a whole lot of the time looking at the world pass me by in reverse!

Heck yeah man! I was the youngest of 8, so I always had to be in the way back in a couple of these wagons!
 
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So I'm a poor and have been. My family drove one of those for two years in the 90s. And not a station wagon from the 90s. I'm sure it was from the 70s. I would 100% drive one of these if there was a cheap used one in good condition (there aren't any because they stopped making them but if they were still being made in the 90s I'd look at 'em).
 
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I have a silver 2010 of these caddy wagons.
3.0 liter, since I didn’t trust buying a 7 year old GM supercharged engine.
Not as fun as the 2003 Z06 was...
When it does croak my brother wants to install an LSX.
Tempted.
 
The station wagon was a big part of my childhood. My brother and I always got stuck in the back on long road trips in the rear facing seat. Spent a whole lot of the time looking at the world pass me by in reverse!
This - and getting car sick. I remember watching the old rear end collision tests with those seats and the dummies flying out over the hood of the rear car. Can't find one now.

b5de30b0a9f295f13df1e2d9bffb07ea.jpg
 
We had a 1970 AMC Ambassador with a 360 V8 that was a pretty nice vehicle. Lots of power. Fairly luxurious too...a versatile family truckster. It was the vehicle I learned to drive on.

My dad (who had no DL from multiple DUI's in the 60's) rolled it backing down the driveway at the cabin, drunk off his ass. My mom had to hitch a ride home from another camper to pick up our other vehicle, then come back and fetch us.

Very similar to this...

1972_amc_ambassador_15557164721d578f12d76de3ef25D8O0917-e1555968553550.jpg





We replaced it with a 1971 Buick Estate Wagon. Fanciest vehicle my parents ever bought. 455 V8, turbo 400 transmission. First vehicle we had with leather, tilt wheel, and power windows/locks. It was a massive vehicle and cruised fantastic.

This, except all gold...

full


A year later, my dad rolled it driving home from a smelting trip up in Ashland WI. Evidently the guy driving the vehicle passed out drunk midway through Wisconsin.

So my dad took over.




I will never, ever forget when my father was dropped off by another vehicle in their group. My mom asks "where's the Buick?" My dad refused to answer. He then spent the next week on our couch vomiting everything he ate because of how plastered drunk he got on the trip. My mom found out the whole story only after calling the Wisconsin State Patrol the next day. It apparently was a miracle he didn't kill anybody. Two lane highway, my dad went off the shoulder, over-corrected back over the other lane's shoulder - then once again crossed over before rolling the Mighty Buick.

5 different vehicles total wound up in the ditch trying to avoid his drunk ass.



That was our last station wagon. My mom refused to allow buying one - she controlled it because my dad could not have a vehicle registered in his name.

We only bought coupes from that point. It put an end to most all my dad's drunken hunting and fishing trips with his buddies.
 
There was one very similar to this for sale a couple months back on the CR Craigslist. Not this old, but same base color, wood paneling stickers, etc. Early 90's Ford I believe. Rust free, very nice shape.

What was interesting about it was the seller had beefed up the rig for towing. New intake, higher flow exhaust, cam, heavy duty hitch, beefier rear springs, etc. Then conservative looking old school slotted mags with wider tires.

Very much a "sleeper" wagon. And it sold within a week.



Old school wagons are rare now, but I still see them around town now and then. Usually they're Chevy Caprices from the 90's Impala SS era (they have LT1 350's in them) and now and then you'll see a Buick Estate Wagon I believe it's called which is a clone of the Chevy.

These...owners actually hot rod these even today if they're LT1 equipped.

wagon_buick_roadmaster_1991.ashx
They used to use those to transport the dead in the 90s at UI Healthcare and local funeral homes.
 
They used to use those to transport the dead in the 90s at UI Healthcare and local funeral homes.

The Buicks, right? Oh yeah, I remember those well. They'd have those raised caps on them.

Like this (mid 80's version)...

1985-buick-estate-wagon-landau-funeral-coach-2.png
 
OT but somebody in Waterloo drives around in what appears to be a well maintained Chevy Chevette.
 
CA15_r0266_01.jpg


Looking back on it, it was awesome. We jumped all over the car too, no child seatbelt thing back then lol.
Mom had a POS Brown sedan in the eighties that we had to push down a hill to start. I hated that piece of shit. Especially the cracked pleather seats that burnt your legs. I think it was a Dodge or Plymouth. I was really young and don't remember the model. I do remember when she came home with one of these⬇. Much better!

Funny the things a person remembers and the important ones they forget.
a5575d6a62601e2c4d6c4672f29b1604.jpg
P.S- I'm positive the Cooper Cobra G/T's and those wheels were not on hers. Otherwise exact same car and color.
 
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Oh my dad was a crafty one. Wanted a sports car, needed a family car ... got both?!

The 1969 Plymouth Sports Satellite Wagon, minus the sweet rims, of course.

Wow, how long ... I've seen shorter articulating buses.
 
The wood-paneled station wagon was cheerfully replaced
by the suburban van. However, large families have been
in decline for several decades. So we now have SUV's
one for the husband and one for the wife. Children are
optional.
 
The wood-paneled station wagon was cheerfully replaced
by the suburban van. However, large families have been
in decline for several decades. So we now have SUV's
one for the husband and one for the wife. Children are
optional.
My grandkids arrive at their soccer games in a Honda Pilot. DIL wanted a full size Suburban, but gas was still hovering at around $3.95 a gallon at the time, and it took up more space in the garage.
My grandson scored two goals this morning in his first soccer game! Four year olds rock!
 
My grandkids arrive at their soccer games in a Honda Pilot. DIL wanted a full size Suburban, but gas was still hovering at around $3.95 a gallon at the time, and it took up more space in the garage.
My grandson scored two goals this morning in his first soccer game! Four year olds rock!

Little kids playing soccer always resembles a rugby scrum to me. It warms the heart of this old second row meathead.
 
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I actually own one right now but it's the Mercury Marquis version and it's the four-door instead of the wagon
 
Mercury Marquis was my first car. An early 70s powder blue version.

The stories that car has.
My first car as well. that's why I bought another one in my adulthood. Mine, in high school, was a two door and this one is four door. I actually found this one in the front yard of a young lady and she says her boyfriend owns it and he is in jail. so she sold it, no title. when i went to the door and lo and behold she looked like a stripper to me hahaha so I promptly had a certain poster on here post a picture of her. that was like 2012 or so
 
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Yeah, we had one of those wood-paneled boats in the late-60s, early-70s. We drove to Kansas with a mattress in the back and curtains to help darken it for day sleeping.
 
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