Getting older and the changes in what we like...

[multimopes]

I always liked wagons since I was a little kid. My father had a 65 Fury III wagon with the old 318 poli and a 2 barrel! What a tank. Heavy & solid yet it ran strong as hell. It beat a 400 4 barrel Buick wagon by a mile. In the winter it was shod with H-70 studded snows. It went through snow that 4x4 's would get stuck in. It had a sure grip rear and was unstoppable. Came with dual outside mirrors and all the extra chrome with luggage rack. It had crank out wing windows. It rode like a dream and with all that weight, still got mileage in the low 20's.
I bought a 76 Volare wagon from a friend who had trouble with it running after he "Tuned" it up. Well, I got it for $150.00. It had a 225 Slant 6 and a 3-speed w/ O.D. on the floor. Fake woodgrain side trim and a roof rack & rear roof spoiler. I found the engine problem was that he forgot to install the rotor in the distributor & hook up a large vacuum hose, lol. I installed a set of white wagon wheels like on "Fantasy Island". Had a nice stereo and A/C and power steering & brakes. I had a wife & kids by then, so a wagon made sense as we were always carrying crap.
Later, I got a 79 Aspen wagon with a 318 in it. I put a set of 15" factory Rallye wheels on that one. It added a sporty touch as I never could stomach wheel covers or hubcaps unless they were baby moons. with trim rings. The only other 4 doors I had was a free hand me down from older brother, a red Metallic 99 Intrepid which was great. Also, much later I bought a new 2005 Neon SXT, loaded with moon roof, spoilers, and factory mags. I was pissed off about it because I wanted a 2 door Neon, but they no longer made them.
Also, waaaay back when, my friend & landlord's father had a summer place up in Cape Cod. We drove up in his father's loaded 1970 Chrysler Town & Country wagon to trailer his boat back. Well, my landlord got sick & I had to drive the car pulling a large boat. I had never towed anything before & was scared shitless! However, that big Ol Chrysler with its 440, pulled it like it wasn't even there. It was a 5-hour drive in traffic back to NJ and I almost forgot I was towing anything! I love those old Chrysler wagons from the days of yesteryear. It was after those days of old that I got into vans instead. I had a 64 A-100, a 77 B-200 and a still have a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport. If I was at home & not at work, I could post a pic or two.
Keep On Truckin!!!

 

[Richard Cranium]

I have nothing against a fast wagon but I’d be tempted to own a fairly stock, clean and complete 4 four door or wagon. It would just be a cruiser and casual use car.

I built that with a stroked and crossram equipped Hemi with Indy heads and a Keisler 5-speed. Honestly, it was too much for the street and I regretted it. I should have put in a stock street Hemi instead.

 

[Big bill]

I built that with a stroked and crossram equipped Hemi with Indy heads and a Keisler 5-speed. Honestly, it was too much for the street and I regretted it. I should have put in a stock street Hemi instead.

Or a / six .

 

[Cojohnso1]

Wagons are very cool. I would own one for sure. Very underrated over the years.

They are actually getting some love on the markets. Nothing like the muscle car craze. But they do get some foot travel at local shows. For one? They have plenty of steel and features to look at.

 

[mmissile]

Rebuilt this car 4 times. 3 for my friend. Thankfully, I've gotten loose from it.

 

[mmissile]

I now prefer my Gen-III stuff. Get in....go! So fast...and comfy.

 

[AR67GTX]

My Dad was in sales for Acme Brick for many years from the 50s into the mid-70s and because of all the samples he normally carted around all across the country, a big station wagon became his favorite for years. I think he may have had a 65/66 Plymouth wagon but not sure. The first one I clearly remember was a big yellow 67 Plymouth with a 318. It could swallow up about anything. Our family of 5 would load it up for a vacation and take everything we wanted, even the family pets. It would run down the road like a Cadillac. Then he had a big Chevy wagon but with a 283 or 307, not sure, it didn’t seem to handle the load quite as well. But it could still haul it. Then he got a big 1970 Plymouth wagon with the 318 and fuslage styling. It seemed really modern and huge - like it was a milestone step in the evolution of cars. I remember one Memorial Day trip the family took in it. All 5 of us and the family cat were loaded up and rolling down the Kansas turnpike in it at probably 75 mph. I turned around and looked back in the cargo area and there was the cat, squatted down in his liter box doing his business while we were rolled along. I thought that was funny at the time - just like being at home for us.

 

[70bigblockdodge]

I don't know about the rest of the country, but every 4 door Mopar is twice the price of a 4 door GM product. Chargers are not the only cars with bad price tags. A lot of the ******** on marketplace want 4-8k for one of those fifth Ave cars.

 

[YY1]

I've never really liked 4 door cars, with a couple notable exceptions.

"Kennedy assassination" continentals

68 t birds

62 cadillacs

69-72 Imperials

I like all those better than the 2 door versions.
Obviously suicide doors add to the cool factor.
The Imperial just screams classy living room on wheels for me and all the gang, as does the caddy.


...but I've always liked station wagons, especially with roof racks.

I remember being super excited the first time I saw an olds vista cruiser.

Boy did my friends look at me funny.

It was very similar to this car, color and rally wheels.

I later found out it was owned by a fairly hot single mom.

 

[PlymCrazy]

Growing up we had a LOT of 4-doors.
To this day I have no lack of love for them.
My appreciation for 2-doors didn't develop until recent years personally.

Looking back, I'm appreciating more and more the combination of both a 2-door AND a station wagon.

Dad bought this 2-door Ranch Wagon for mom for her 25th birthday in 1984.

Years later it would become my first car at 16yo. Dad and I redid it to make it look the way I wanted it. That 352 sounded awesome with those Thrush mufflers that barked out the sides in front of the rear wheels.

 

[YY1]

As much as I like the hidden headlight option and the fastback 29 body, I'd have a 67 Newport 4D as well, because it's the first Mopar I can remember.

There was a LOT about that car I loved.

 

[ckessel]

No pics yet but Sunday we're heading down to Thousand Oaks area to pay for and drive back a 67 Coronet Deluxe wagon w/440. FB score. Here is the link at least.
$20,0001967 Dodge coronet DeluxeAgoura Hills, CA123K miles

 

[davek]

 

[CoronetDarter]

No pics yet but Sunday we're heading down to Thousand Oaks area to pay for and drive back a 67 Coronet Deluxe wagon w/440. FB score. Here is the link at least.
$20,0001967 Dodge coronet DeluxeAgoura Hills, CA123K miles

That's a nice car. Congratulations.

 

[6PKRTSE]

I have had a couple of mid 80's Diplomat 4 doors and several C Body 4 doors and 2 C wagons. Always picked them up super cheap, drove most of them until the time came to pilfer the drivetrain and good parts. I have never cared about what I drive. I will drive anything. I currently still have 1 C that is too nice to part out, (yet). The fender skirts are in the trunk.

 

[Budnicks]

No 4 doors except trucks
unless they are real vintage wagons (60s or older),
& I still prefer 2drs, hard tops at that...

I've changed quiet a bit otherwise, especially car or truck/Jeep wise
I don't take any BS from anyone, I give them my thoughts right back
lil' to no filter...
I'm happier because of it...

I don't have the same drive to work on S.H.I.T./junk...
I didn't care much before, I just won't do it now...
Flat refuse...

I have far better stuff to do with my time now,
even if it has nothing to do with a car
& we all have a limited time, I see it a lot more now, everyday
especially my 87 y/o dad living with me...

I like nice cleaner stuff, I don't like stuff lying around
tools are put away & orginised
usually don't like my cars/trucks torn down
or not driveable for any real period of time...
I have no patients for that now, get it down & drivable
then do the next project the same way, unless it means doing something twice...
Otherwise I get it driving again 1st...
I pick up as I go now,
I'll pass on a 'total project', basket case/bucket case
or the typical rustbuckets every cheapskate in the hobby
goes after/money pits...
Way too much time spent on fixing junk, or someone else's junk/mistakes
or too much other peoples' BS, when it's not reciprocal...

I'm not a fan of laying on the concrete either now
I see another lift in my near future

I'm not a huge fan of restorations now,
I'm day 2 all the way, only person I have to please is me...
No more building it because of some fad or trend, pier pressure BS
I never really was into that crap either, never built by committee...

Be your own man & own it...
Even if it's a more door...

 

[old guys rule]

I'd proudly own and drive that wagon, @Kern Dog . Beauty!
I've always loved station wagons and have told the story before of wanting to find the one my family had
when I was a kid (very similar to this one):
View attachment 1598316
1968 Dodge Monaco wagon
Sadly, in the early 70's when the first "gas crisis" hit, my dad traded it on a *gag* '73 VW Bus for the fuel
economy. Man, I miss that car...and come to find out, it was pretty rare, so not many survived eventual
smash up derbies and such to follow.

For a different kind of wagon, how about the semi-famous WAGONS OF STEEL racing team out of the
Pacific NW?
www.youtube.com/@gaffojones

She's a beauty, I'm jealous. What's the drivetrain?

 

[moparedtn]

She's a beauty, I'm jealous. What's the drivetrain?

383 was standard, which is what ours had. I'm pretty sure the heartbeat of that big block Mopar (loved listening to it
even back then as a kid) got ingrained into my soul at that young age and naturally led me to a lifelong love of
them.

 

[GetX'd]

Here's my old 64 Hemi wagon that I built around 20 years ago ......


View attachment 1598319

Is that a Dodge Pioneer? We had one when I was a kid. My dad always bought new and kept for about 10 yrs. And always the cheapest pieces of **** on the market. To my recollection the Pioneer wagon and then the Ford Maverick topped the list of garbage. But hey, now a classic and a Hemi at that - I could take a do over…..

 

[440 4 speed]

Is that a Dodge Pioneer? We had one when I was a kid. My dad always bought new and kept for about 10 yrs. And always the cheapest pieces of **** on the market. To my recollection the Pioneer wagon and then the Ford Maverick topped the list of garbage. But hey, now a classic and a Hemi at that - I could take a do over…..

Pioneers were only 1960 and 61. They were a mid line in Canada. Only Dodges made in Canada in 61 were Seneca, Pioneer and Phoenix.