Hello everyone. I'm Zak from the River City Saint Louis. Just checking in. Well, if I were in a different situation, I would be keeping my lovely 1988 Buick Electra Estate Station Wagon, but I'll tell you the story of how I got it and where I am now. In the summer of 2010, I was driving to work in my 1990 Geo Prism, good little car, great gas mileage, and it had just hit 250k the day before. Well, I guess God didn't want me to have that car and so as I'm driving through an intersection, this woman in her big, black SUV tries to shoot a gap on a green yield. Well as you can guess, the SUV is too big, and I swerve to avoid her. She does the same, hits an old guy in the left turn lane and I hit the her. My little red car is totaled, radiator smashed in, but it was faithful enough to drive off the lot until I could get back with my dad's truck to tow it home. Well, now I'm out of a car. Which was ok for a while, I was riding my bike to work, not spending any money on gas, but I knew I was going to have to get a car soon because winter would come and STL winters can get pretty nasty. So as I was waiting on insurance money, I started looking with my cousin who has a little more mechanical knowledge than I do. We were looking for something inexpensive, reliable, and if something did go wrong, that we would be able to find parts in the junkyard. So we're looking and looking and looking, and we see little cars, big cars, vans, military trucks, and mobile homes. All the while we're joking about different cars being my daily driver. Well, finally we found this 1988 Buick Electra Estate Station Wagon. We were joking that it looked like the Griswold's family truckster (we later found out that the truckster was actually a country squire). So we lingered on this car and started really talking about the possibility of this being my daily driver. I knew right off the bat that the gas mileage would be adversely different to what I was used to but that didn't matter at the time because I was riding my bike everyday to work. So the wagon passed that test. Next was the reliability, of course an American V8 was reliable, especially one driven by an old man. So it passed that test, and the last one was the availability of parts. An American GM vehicle?! There are millions of these cars in junkyards, so it was an obvious match! Well my cousin agreed to go with me to look at this car since we usually go with each other to give opinions on vehicles and we sort of make an adventure of it. So we go over to look at the Electra, and it's late at night. We see it and take it for a drive and this thing drives like a dream, nice soft air suspension, handles like a dream. The guy we later buy it from says he has had like 10 people come to look it but no one has bit. He also says one guy came all the way out to look at it and opened the hood, saw that it was carbureted and couldn't buy it. The car was clean, had clear title, and good tires, I was satisfied. So we made him an offer, he took it and we drove it home. Now, you've got to understand that I had come for a little sub-compact car, so to go from that to this giant deuce-and-a-quarter was a bit of a shock for me for especially the first night and then for the rest of the month. But I loved the Buick when I drove it, and it was a treat. Driving slow, listening to the stereo, seat reclined back, my legs all stretched out. Cruising. This went on for some time. Then as I started driving to school again and to work, the gas mileage started to rear its ugly head. Now if I were in a secure job, had all my student loans paid off, and wasn't a newly-wed, I absolutely would put the money in that car, but because of those circumstances, I needed something more fuel efficient. So here I am, I got a 1993 Toyota Paseo, and sadly, have to sell my Buick. I really, if money were no option, would fix it up, and drive it all the time, but not at this time. I guess God just wanted this to be a part of my life that I appreciate. I will miss "Ellen" and hope someone loves her as much as I did. Thanks for letting me share my story with all you guys. Have a great day.
Wow! That is a great story, sounds like a great car too. to the forums. After you have a few posts you could list your car with a bunch of pics in the classifieds, you never know you might get a bit. In the mean time enjoy the site.
Thanks for the awesome story Prozak! Hopefully someday another big cruiser wagon will fall in you lap. Welcome to the forum!
This story should have appeared under General Station Wagon Discussions. At any rate... pro's car can be seen here.... http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17845
Welcome! I've lived in the STL area twice for about 10 years total - I'm a bicoastal Missourian. My daughter and son-in-law live in STL now. If you're a micro-brewery fan check out my son-in-law's brewery in STL called 6 Row Brewery (www.sixrowbrewco.com). He's a partner and the brewmaster. Good luck selling your wagon!
Prozak! You have been bitten. Stay with us and enjoy the forum. There are many members without a station wagon. I'm sure you will like it here. When things get better, there will be another wagon in your life. I read the tea leaves, the palm prints and I read the pebbles along the banks of the muddy Mississippi, and they were lined up favorably in your direction. The wagon Lords are watching you from on top the big arch. Scratch that. It was a fat guy at McDonalds! Just watch out for round abouts and intersections!
Welcome, Zak. I had a '93 Geo Prizm, bought it new, and it was a great little car. Reliable, fun to drive, easy to park, and it got great gas mileage. Over time, though, I became nervous piloting such a small vehicle in a sea of full-size pickups and SUVs. If you can't beat them, join them, is what I ultimately decided and replaced the Prizm with an SUV. The gas mileage isn't great, but if someone runs a red light, my odds of surviving are better.
Welcome... gas milage is a PITA. What kind of engine does the Buick has? Love STL... visit the city twice a year for my job, but for holiday I love to come there as well. Here's my '68 Cat...D'you recognize the area?? :2_thumbs_up_-_anima
