Hello Everyone, Our wagons (any wagon) are true time capsules, eh? I have a 1975 Chevrolet Caprice Estate, 9-passenger wagon. I purchased it just over two years ago from its original owner, about 2,000 miles away from where I live. My dad had the 1976 model when I was a child and took the family on many a road trip and camping excursion in that car. By the time I was old enough to drive, many of these wagons had disappeared and not yet become collectibles. I convinced my dad (NOT a car guy and also over 2,000 miles away from where I live) to travel with me to meet the seller. He did and helped me bring my "new" wagon home. Talk about your father/son bonding moments! Until recently, my wagon was my weekend/road trip driver. However, I just sold my daily driver (2005 Volvo S-40 sedan) and am looking for a Caprice/Impala sedan or coupe to replace it. (Anyone know of one for sale?). My preference is to preserve my wagon for just the weekends and vacations. It's in amazing, mostly original condition; save an engine rebuild in the 1990's (about 20k miles ago). Oddly, I already have a persistent oil leak (any thoughts?). I'm soon to have a section of exhaust pipe replaced and my rear brakes inspected for developing squeak. All in all, it's a great car and I couldn't be happier! I'm excited to have found this forum too. It seems many folks start threads and post comments regularly here, unlike other forums I've found. I hope to acquire and share new restoration and maintenance knowledge and even make a new friend or two through this forum. I look forward to "meeting" you and thanks for reading...
Welcome aboard!~ You are right. They are time capsules. My best friend and I were both 10 years old in 1976. His parents bought a 76 Caprice Estate wagon. 9 passenger model, white with blue vinyl seats, wood paneling and many options. When we were teens we had plenty of road trips in that wagon. His Dad by then had upgraded to a 1983 Caprice wagon, so the 76 was the hand me down car to the kids. With his 76 wagon and my 74 Newport sedan we had the largest cars in the high school parking lot then. The "cool" kids may have had Mustangs and Camaros, but when it was time to pile in for a trip to the movie theater or the beach, our cars were the favorites. Glad to hear you and your Dad bonded with this wagon. I'm sure you'll find a nice coupe or sedan to use as a driver too. Last year I saw a 75 Caprice Sedan forsale that was loaded. Power everything, gauge package, skirts, comfortron A/C and more. It was silver with a dark red cloth interior. I had wished I had the space for it at home! It was a beauty!
Hey Large Barge and MoParGuy, thanks for the replies. One of my junior high school friends had an '80's Malibu wagon, all blue and always clean! MoParGuy, my dad upgraded to an '83 Caprice Wagon too! I wasn't lucky enough to get his '76 handed down to me though, lol. His '83 was a grey/tan exterior with the dark brown cloth interior; his '76 was maroon with the light tan vinyl interior.
yano...i never gave it much thought till now...but there wasnt any wagons in my childhood...well not really...my mother had a 67 VW wagon when i was about 12...but otherwise....always hotrods and fast cars!! i didnt get the wagon bug till i was about 20...much to all my girlfriends dismay Now its out of control... ...i hope you enjoy our little nut house
Their 83 Caprice wagon was a medium blue. No wood paneling on that one. My buddy and I were real option hounds and would make regular trips to the salvage yards to get parts to add to our cars. We added cornering lamps to his 76 Caprice (from a Pontiac) and mounted them up in the wood area like the Olds Custom Cruiser had. We also added fiber optic front lamp monitors from a 73 Coupe Deville! We scored two factory gauge packages, one for the 76 and the 83 too! His Dad was not too happy to come home and find the newly added gauge package in the 83 Caprice wagon. He liked the feature, but now the odometer was wrong. It was actually lower than it was before. Ironically a month later the Catalytic converter failed on the car and the dealer warranteed it because it was "just under" the mileage expiration! His Dad was happy then!!! LOL.
Those big Chevy's are cool. I never had room for a barge. I've always had smaller wagons. 73 Gran Torino, 73 Pinto, and now the 82 Cougar.
Glide-Aways, thanks for a great intro! Looks like you got us older guys reflecting. Rev, you shouldn't have had the air mattress in plain view. That would 'diss May' or June or Janet.... But I'm with you on not having wagons around. My mother had a Corvair wagon and a new 1964 Stude Lark wagon, for her business. We always had sedans or big Mopars, until I got on my own, then I got the W-bug. And I'm glad there's no cure.
Welcome to the nut house. Have you pulled the rear seat out yet? That is where the time capsule is hidden
Here are a few 4-doors, a 76 caprice in Chicago http://chicago.craigslist.org/nch/cto/857738524.html One alot closer to you in San Fran http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/857489969.html Heres a pricy one that isn't a HT in OK with lousy pic's http://www.freebo.com/go/search/det...88396620&pageNumber=0&aff=pps&PSRCH2=googbase in Dallas with only 1 pic. http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/851963377.html A brown 1 in CA. http://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/850110191.html A green one in Indy http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/cto/858948016.html Another on CO. http://cosprings.craigslist.org/cto/853945903.html Or one that looks interesting in AZ http://phoenix.en.craigslist.org/nph/cto/853039051.html Just a quick search, there are more 75-76's available than I thought!!! Though all but 1 seem to be 4-door HT's
My dad's first car was a 1966 Caprice. 396 with a th400. What I'd do to have that. He bought it for 200 bucks. When I Was a kid, we had a 1977 LTD. They sold that for 200 bucks. I'd like to have that one back now too, but I am looking at a 77 LTD Country Squire at the moment.
Hey Everyone, Thanks for the warm welcome...yes, totally enjoying this "nut house", lol. Within the next few weeks, I hope to have some exhaust pipe work done and perhaps learn how to do my own tune-ups. Wish me luck, eh? Cammerjeff, thanks for the links to the sedans for sale! (I emailed the one in Dallas). As much as I would like to acquire a '76, I must stay with '75 or older due to smog regulations here in CA. Model years '76 and newer require smog checks, and consequently for this era, modifications to bring them up to code. Ah well, no real sacrifice as I love the '75's too! :2_thumbs_up_-_anima
No problem, I didn't realise the difference in emission standards differance between 75 & 76 in CA!!! I fully understand why you would not want to deal with the hassle & $$$$ of a 76. I know the 75 in AZ is not a Caprice, but only an Impala, but it also isn't a HT. Good luck with the car in Dallas, hope it works out for you.
It's not the standard, it's the fact that 1976 and newer must be inspected every two years. Let me tell you what a hassle that is. I too have my eye out for something different. I'm thinking 50's.
Welcome aboard. These old wagons are great ! I love to read the stories each of our member have. I've been driving this '76 Custom Cruiser I'm selling for a friend and EVERYWHERE I go people stop and tell me their station wagon stories. It is very interesting to see how much of a necessity wagons were for the American family. I'd almost like to do a coast to coast trip, document, and write a book. I was driving the CC home from work the other night and found myself thinking of the days my dad and I worked together. He had a brand new '74 Impala wagon and I remember how he'd load that car with cases of ceramic tile and supplies. Man, sometimes that car would be laying on the ground...lol. Rich
