How's your wagon game?

Bad.  My wife has a strong dislike for wagons and I blame it on her parents.  They had a 1980 Datsun 510 wagon, looked exactly like this:

It was a 4 speed with no AC and she had to ride in it from norther Califonia to Oklahoma every summer to visit family.

In reply to Aaron_King :

As a Datsun guy I'd kill for one of those; they have the a 2.0 engine in them, a 5 speed bolts right up and they only way 2300lbs. Plus there are bigger brakes that bolt on.  

I have had a few.. None currently though...

My wagon game is nonexistant. I've been eyeing a crop of JDM wagons under the 25 year import rule (toyota athelete, Mitsu legnum). I'm trying to convince myself I want a top-trim Stagea, but I suspect it'll be very, very expensive. 

My current wagon game sucks.  I am trying to fix it, but it is hard to do :(

Not as hot as I'd like, SWMBO grew up in the back of an Olds Cutlass 9 passenger and hates wagons.

My son however, likes them; had a Saab 9-5 wagon (til it got stolen) then a mid-80s Benz wagon.  I thought it was a big car until I followed down the Merritt Parkway at 80 mph, SUVs just over shadow this thing!!

Used to be strong. Now is somewhere between weak and nonexistant...

5 speed Caprice:

5 speed 525iT

Then needed tongue weight and towing capacity, so I tried to make a wagon out of a GMT400:

And as of this winter, I've completely given up since I'm tired of getting towed out of anywhere that isn't perfectly flat or any grass that is mildly wet, and couldn't even get to my pit area at the last desert race. Sneak peek at my dad's wagon game though - red FWD volvo V50 T5 r design. What a great little car that is.

In reply to Tom1200 :

What makes it better, my in laws gave it to my wife as her first car.  When I joined the Army in 93, before we were married, I only had a 64 Spitfire and I was going to have to drive from Ohio to Louisiana.  My future wife gave me the wagon so it went to Ft Polk.  We got married and I used that car as my DD while we were down there but when we came back to Ohio she was adamant that we not bring it back so it was given to a friend of ours.

I got out of the game about a year ago.  64' Olds Fiesta.  The next owner repainted it to look new again, although I was a fan of the 50 years of patina look.

In reply to gearheadE30 :

Some of your pictures aren't showing.

Keith Tanner said:

That old Subaru of mine was actually pushbutton 4WD! 

My wife had an 85 4WD wagon when we met. It had a shift lever but probably about the same car in most ways. I used to mock it for how underpowered it was, until I got it stuck in the snow on the entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The left wheels were in a culvert, the road was at least partially iced, and the car was tipped at 45 degree angle with snow up to the windows on the driver's side. I drove it out.

After that it became our beach car, and I never made fun of it again.

My backyard non-running wagon game is doing fine.

I consider this to be a spiritual successor to the AMC Eagle. It's a lifted 3 door wagon, not an SUV.

In reply to EvanB :

Haven't had a wagon in a few years (not even a 5 door hatch or crossover or SUV that get called wagons these days) but I am drooling over your Kadette's! Way cool.

My dad's first brand new car was a '63 Fairlane wagon, and then a '68 Ford, to a '72 Dodge, so I grew up in wagons. Lusted after a '64 Falcon Sedan Delevery (very rare 2 dr factory panel) - did one one in the 90's, but never had it running. 
First wagon I owned and drove was a 80 Malibu I was hopping up, and using for road trips but sold when I got married in 08... Shoulda kept that; will never replace it for the Challenge money I had in it. 
volvo 850 for a bit... not bad for a fwd., might have another, but would rather have a 740, or 960. 
I wish they had made the newer Panthers in a wagon. Might have to build one one day 

Stronger every day!

Steadily getting my 67 Falcon wagon up to snuff for autocross and maybe some drag racing, plus it can carry a full sheet of plywood without too much trouble!

I'm gonna go with "above average". 
 

Learned to drive in a 97 Taurus wagon and that became my first car. It wasn't awful with the 24v V6.

First car I bought with my own money was a 94 Escort wagon with a manual. Loved that thing.

Had many adventures in this one:

Not sure if the current Mazda 5 mom-mobile is more of a wagon, big hatchback, or small van, but we like it.

Tried to find a proper sedan-based station wagon to do road trip/school run things, but the best I could do on short notice was a Mazda6 hatchback.

jerrysarcastic (dork in training) said:

Stronger every day!

Steadily getting my 67 Falcon wagon up to snuff for autocross and maybe some drag racing, plus it can carry a full sheet of plywood without too much trouble!

My soul brother. You seen my current sedan project in the "projects" area?

When I was a kid, nobody wanted to be seen in a wagon. Today, most of us would kill for a longroof.

The wife has a Jetta Sportwagen. 2.5, so I don't have to work on it. It's been a great car aside from fixing a few oil leaks. I do not look forward to finding a replacement when it finally wears out or the trans takes a crap. Nobody makes wagons anymore and neither of us like SUVs or crossovers.

Now that I no longer tow a race car I'd be happy to ditch my pickup for a vintage wagon. I just need something to pull a utility trailer. I kind of half keep an eye out for a late 60s Ford or AMC longroof but the prices are already on the edge of my comfort zone.

At one point, all 3 of these were in my driveway at once, but now I only have the red one, as my winter car. Not the most magony wagons to ever exist, but the closest I've gotten. I also had a 1996 Escort wagon, but it didn't last long thanks to the PO running straight water, combined with below zero weather, and a bit of ignorance on my part.

Blue one was sold to P3PPY, and he ran in in the Press on Regardless rally, and then exploded one of the control arms, which rusted apart from the inside. I believe he passed it on to a family member, so it might still be out there somewhere.

The silver one got a weird engine noise from lack of oil, and died 10k-ish miles later while a friend was renting it from me. I got it running again, terribly, and gave it a proper sendoff by running it at WOT until it punched a hole in the top of the engine. When I parted it out, I found that it was dangerously rusty, so probably not a bad thing that it took itself off the road.

snailmont5oh said:

I'm gonna go with "above average". 
 

 

 

I love this. The bent hood trim looks like a snarl.

In reply to snailmont5oh :

That's awesome..................where you beem hiding?

buzzboy said:

I consider this to be a spiritual successor to the AMC Eagle. It's a lifted 3 door wagon, not an SUV.

If we're going there - this actually says "station wagon" on the back and has seating for 7.

Keith Tanner said:

buzzboy said:

I consider this to be a spiritual successor to the AMC Eagle. It's a lifted 3 door wagon, not an SUV.

If we're going there - this actually says "station wagon" on the back and has seating for 7.

And then this would be a really big wagon. I call it the Canyonero.

ddavidv said:

My soul brother. You seen my current sedan project in the "projects" area?

When I was a kid, nobody wanted to be seen in a wagon. Today, most of us would kill for a longroof.

lol of course I have, plus left my share of comments I'd wager.  Keep it up!

These old wagons have a surprising amount of utility, and as the default suburban family hauler I can see why they were considered to be the "minivan" of the day in the negative sense of the word.

I'm glad I got one when they were affordable, because 60's wagons are definitely a lot of fun! Highly recommend it if you can see your way to getting one!