1973 Buick Estate Wagon

Someone please save her. She still looks so majestic.

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/d/ferndale-1973-buick-estate-wagon-barn/7506144192.html

 

She's crusty lookin', but that's a nicely optioned wagon, so it definitely should be saved. For that price it definitely will be. By the look of those pedals it certainly looks like the claim of 21,962 original miles seems plausible. However, that engine looks rough. She'd need a lot of work, but I'm sure someone out there will buy her and make her a jewel again.

 

At $2500, this is very much a potential derby victim.

The options on 1970s cars are always interesting. This wagon has manual windows but power locks and seat.

 

Also the optional litter container

 

Has the MaxTrac system. Can't be many cars roaming around with that on them these days. If it isn't crusty underneath this could be a great deal. I'm shocked some derby guy doesn't have it loaded onto his flatbed trailer already.

 

Either the seller is super difficult to deal with\heavily screening buyers, or the car is way rustier than it appears because there's no way a derby guy wouldn't have snapped that up for $2500.

Amusing to see that someone took the radiator out of it... not seeing the transmission cooling lines either so it might have been a cut-n-grab job too when copper was stupid expensive some years back and all the tweakers were stealing radiators.

I would say 21k or 121k or even 221k miles at this point matters little considering how crusty it is.

 

Rant time!...

I always cringe at how derby guys waste restorable or otherwise useful parts cars just so they can have a little fun. It actually kind of makes my blood boil to be honest. It's funny how they are into cars (sort of), yet have absolutely zero respect for any sense of history or preservation whatsoever.

Honestly, you'd think that they'd use more modern cars like Chrysler 300s, Dodge Magnums or something similar. They weigh roughly the same (4,000 to 4,200 pounds curb weight) as many other cars used for derby duty, and even with a V6 they have about as much horsepower and torque as some of the malaise era cars they are wrecking. Sure, the argument can be made that cars like the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Magnum will become the "collector cars" of the future (although, I'd debate not to the level of pre-80s cars for reasons that are too long to get into here), but they are seen as disposable because they are still relatively "new". But for Pete's sake, I'd rather see one of those get trashed than any number of pre-80s cars. Furthermore, you'd also think that a newer car with all its structural crash protection would be a better battering ram. Especially against guys running 70s and 80s rear drive cars.

I remember seeing a derby video on YouTube a few years ago with a guy who was running a 1963 Imperial with an original 413 engine in it. There were shots of it on his trailer and from everything I could see from the walkaround of it, it looked like all the panels were clean with no perforations under all the paint. I utterly cringed and was angered that some dumb ass bought that car cheap and had no respect for it whatsoever. It's just upsetting to see these guys waste salvageable cars for no reason.

My thoughts exactly. The mileage is irrelevant in the condition it's in. It's certainly worth saving, but every part of that car will need refurbishing.

 

Swanny? Swanny? Please report to stationwagonforums.com!

Yeah I kinda agree with WTD - I have a feeling that the newer(ish) Mopar LX cars would put up a good fight against something like this, prolly even better than a Ford Panther. I heard somewhere where the 80's Benzes are pretty good at demos too, but that's just what I heard.

With the price of nice GM clams lately, and if you were handy, you could refurbish this thing and actually make some $$, it seems.

If I were a demo driver(which I am not, or ever would be) I think I'd try my luck with a 2005-06 300 or Charger V6. I'd bet it would surprise some crowds(?) with its crash protection built in.

 

Depending on the model, some 80s Benzes were as good, and sometimes even better than Volvo for crash protection, so my thought is that that kind protective structure would be better as a battering ram in a derby car event. Especially against 70s and 80s rear drives which typically did not have as strong of a structure.

However, the Benz would be at a weight disadvantage, as well as a torque/horsepower/acceleration disadvantage in most cases. There is also an increasing market and collectibility for 80s Benzes too, so I'm sure people who are into those would be just as upset with derby guys using them.

I forgot to mention the Charger too though! As a Mopar guy, shame on me! But yeah, any one of those would do. As a Mopar guy, I'm still not a fan of destroying those either (I like the 300 and Magnum the most), but at least there's a lot more of them than 60s-80s rear drives. However, it'll be interesting when it gets to the point when derby car events are all modern cars with decent to excellent crash protection. Those might be some LONG events!

Anyway, what the heck am I talking about derby stuff so much for? lol...

But yeah, that wagon NEEDS to be saved. It needs a lot of work, but IMO it would be an absolute crime for it to be crash-and-bashed up by some guy who will destroy it and probably never win any money at the derby event he enters it in anyway.

 

I'd say the guy who sold me my '71 Custom Cruiser is the exception. He'd been an avid derby guy but had the good sense to see the potential for salvaging what he had initially intended to demolish. Once I got the wagon in my hands, it got everything it needed. And it needed everything. This Buick is in much the same condition as my Olds was (which probably explains why I'm drawn to it).

 

Well, I'm sure there's a few conscientious derby guys out there, but they seem to be few and far between. Usually once they get ahold of an old car it's going to the scrapyard in the shape of a banana. Good on him for relinquishing it to someone who'd actually care for it. At least he had a second thought about it. Good on you for giving it a good home too. The more these old cars are saved from going to the crusher, the better. Because once they're gone, they're gone forever.

 

Looks like it's gone.
This posting has been deleted by its author.

 

Supposedly it's been given it's second life for now. Bought by a derby guy and sold to a restoguy.

 

I sure hope so.