Hi All - new member here as of a few moments ago. I was happy to stumble upon a station wagon forum, hoping to learn a few things - may not have much to contribute for some time. Just wanted to introduce myself - I am from Central MN (40 years old) and my wife and I have always been a fan of "wagons". Truth be told, they are truly SUV's or CUV's. I am on my 2nd Ford Flex (2010 & 2015) and she is on her 2nd Subaru Outback (2014 & 2017). I have also owned a few full sized SUVs and grew up with the old fullsized K Blazers. Recently I started digging around on older station wagons. I really like the look of the long roof, especially with a slight lower (nothing crazy). Unfortunately growing up around cars in the mid/late-80's the cars see to have started to all come out of the same pool and lost their "class" Starting to look at wagons in the mid/late 60's to mid/late 70's. Just doing some research to see what I can find. Want something that is drive-able but can still be made our own. Would like to have something that is dependable enough that in the next 2-3 years our small family can load up the wagon and take a road trip. Something about taking a "classic" out on the road appeals to me...maybe I am nuts or maybe you are my kind of people! So, for the time, I will probably be lingering around and hope to know enough to help and contribute to the forum someday. I value the input on forums, I am a member to several boating forums and have received alot of help and have been able to return many a favor. Thanks for having me, -Dan
Welcome aboard Dan. Sounds like you have stumbled upon some like minded people. I know what you mean. It is appealing. And let me tell you, it's a great experience. You'll enjoy it. Good luck in your search.
Just based upon this post alone, I feel I may have found my new "home". Thanks for the welcome folks! I don't think there is therapy available for what I have. I used to swap boats around quite a bit, had up to 4 at one time. You know, one for Wake Sports, a Sailboat, a small boat (needed this to teach our daughter water safety - believe it or not that excuse worked ) and one for fishing. I am now down to and limited by my wife to 2 boats (time will tell). She asked me yesterday about the "wagon thing" and that we had stated we would not have a 3rd vehicle again. My response was "since I can't have/work on more boats, I have to find something else". I may not win this war, but I am willing to give it a go. She had also stated, "if this is all you want to spend your money on after turning 40, it could be worse". I am not sure if that was the green light to buy a wagon or not. When I bought our last boat, she said "you are going to buy it anyway" and we are still married. So tell me, is there therapy for a guy like me?
Dan. Lucky for you that you stumbled in the right direction. The membership as a group has led many others down the right path without therapy. Most never actually needed therapy, they just needed proper guidance. We stick together and show those lost souls the way to buy, tear down, restore, customize, and build a station wagon they can be proud of. Now don't get me wrong, a few, I won't mention..... Tedy, Orth, and a minor bunch of members from the wrong side of the track need special attention and an extra cookie now and then. Yet they help make this forum the fun place it is. To show just one example of the challenges we have overcome, my wife too is a farmer's daughter from central Minnesota. Not nearly as bright as the city slickers around the midwest where I was born and partially raised. A very short time after I married that young girl I bought my first old car project, a Model A Ford coupe that had sat in a field on the good side of town. After that I bought old car parts and more old cars. I never sold anything for years because "someday I'll restore it." Well with three hungry kids and a worried wife, I began trading cars, since I had no room or money to buy more. The 2 1/2 car garage had 4 cars in it and a rear addition had another old car. Soon the long driveway had so many old cars in it I barely had room for my family car and motorcycles. Oh yea, I had a trail bike, a bigger trail bike, a Honda to drive to work then a Harley for road trips. We lived on a pie shapped city lot at the end of a cul-de-sac. Everything had to be licensed, insured, and moved from time to time. My wife never drove so she was no help. I worked odd shifts and still worked on my car projects. Yet I was bored so we started camping in my spare time. We decided we needed an RV instead of a tent. Like most normal people I'd buy bigger and bigger RV's. I then needed a truck to pull the RV because a car couldn't handle it. From RV's of all types, even a 5th wheel, I bought a motorhome. I bought a car to tow behind the motorhome. I loved fishing in local ponds, creeks and rivers. I bought a jon boat. We lived near the Illinois River. I bought a 14' or 16' runabout. There's a lock and dam up the river. Boating up the river and down the river got boring. I bought a small sail boat to go up the river and down the river. There were days the wind stopped blowing and we couldn't get back up the river. Back then large grain and coal barges took up much of the river. A tiny sail boat or pleasure boat bounced like a cork in the ocean. For some reason my wife and the kids got scared! I bought a canoe to paddle up a fast moving smaller river or creek off the big river. One day my wife lost her oar. We were up a creek without a paddle! All boats were parked then sold. Most members have similar stories. We are normal family guys and gals, just like station wagon owners of long ago. We love everything.
Dan I bought my 85 Colony Park the week of Christmas, last year didn't tell anyone - had it shipped back to VA from St. Louis - took it to a dealer friend to have the VA inspection done and to go over the car, Finally put it in the driveway around Jan 10th. Wife came home and I immediately got " what the hell is that in the driveway" I replied it's my brand new 85 CP. she said you are not! I cut her off and said too late it's done. she then opened the mail and the insurance card was there,asked when did you buy "that" car - I told her Christmas eve. Still married (40 years) but she thinks an eyesore to the neighborhood, refuses to ride in it, calls it the hunk of junk and has firmly told me that if it breaks down I am on my own, don't call her - she isn't coming don't care its cool and besides I can't get my 55" sailboat, or my 52 Bentley - so the CP will have to do,
Therapy??? What do you need therapy for? You sound like you have a good head on your should, know what you like and don't want he same cookie cutter car as everyone else. there is a lot to be said for someone thinks outside of the box. Station wagons are like boats, land yachts really. And I'd say your wife is definitely open to the family wagon idea. If your still not sure Mak has a point. Good luck and aboard.
I joined the Wagon forum this year after I bought myself a 60 Parkwood for XMas. I have always been a car enthusiast, and concentrated on Corvettes. I realized I needed a truck or SUV for fishing, hunting and Home Depot. I considered a Suburban and decided I didn't want a "new" vehicle, I wanted something Ole School. I told my wife that I could go out and spend $50k on a Suburban or less than half that on a classic wagon and be happier with it. She said "get what you want". I decided on a 62 Chevy wagon. I have a 62 Vette show car and I envisioned towing the Vette to shows behind the wagon. I searched the nation for two months before a friend told me to check Craig's List. In 20 minutes I found the 60 wagon within driving distance to my home. Two weeks later, I drove it home. I sold one of my Vettes and started working on the wagon in January. It already had a V8 and disc brakes but needed a lot of other stuff. Today, I've finished all the little stuff, including Vintage Air and am ready for stuff I can't do...upholstery and paint. I do lots of Corvette shows with the 62 and always drive it there. I buying a trailer just so I can show up with the 60 towing the 62. Just for fun... The folk here on the forum have helped me quite a bit. I may not be the best source for questions you may have, but I'm on the forum every day...good times.
WOW MAK - I am not sure if you are CRAZY or an INSPIRATION ...I am gonna go with inspiration. That was a bold move, I admire that! I may not get into my dream wagon - YET. My wife has always wanted a VW Beetle and in my searching and prodding, she started looking around and she stumbled upon the VW Squarebacks. There is one that she likes and our almost 14 year old daughter likes as well - the kid just doesn't get why we "need" another vehicle. If I can get her to sign off on the Squareback, which is currently being used as a season commuter so several drivable updates, I can keep my search on for the next few years and then that will become "her car" and I naturally will need one for me as well. If that happens, I may follow your lead Fannie, thanks for the warm welcome. I know I don't need therapy, just trying to have some fun. I appreciate all of the nice comments. Yes, I tend to be a bit different than others and sometimes that has cost alot of $$$ and in hindsight isn't always the best. I tend to pick up odd things and in many cases cannot find parts or the support that I need. Oh well, live and learn. That is the great thing about forums and the internet, I can search our help/advice from good people and can research other projects to see if there is a difficulty in locating components before purchasing. I find the collector car market interesting because some cars you could literally build from scratch (maybe not the frame) even though they haven't been produced for decades, yet some cars that are 20 years old you cannot even source parts for any longer. As far as being a little different, as mentioned I drive a Flex the car that Ford never marketed and sells less in a year than F150s in a week. When I searched out a small boat to teach my daughter about safe operation on the water I hunted down a 15' Boston Whaler - not common in the norther Midwest at all. I cannot get the thought of an older wagon towing the little Whaler - it brings a smile to my face everytime. Again - Thanks for the welcome!
While I have some of your attention, can someone tell me the proper place to share any Craigslist/Classified finds that may interest others. I don't want to start a Classified add for something that isn't mine, but I have stumbled upon a few Wagons that some of you may be interested in. I have seen some threads on other forums titles "Craigslist Finds", but didn't see such a thing here. Thanks in advance for your reply.
Station Wagon Auctions, Craigs List and Other Stat Click box at top right . I have a short attention span. Hope this is what you are looking for..... Now that I have my attention I want to mention most of you guys have great wives. Getting along, even if your partner might think you need therapy, and won't lend a helping hand with greasy, rusty, smelly parts, is an important part of any hobby. Even our female members have understanding and sometimes helpful husbands, partners, or friends. My wife doesn't know a breaker bar from a brake adjusting wrench but if I describe it while laying under the car in a puddle of antifreeze, covered in grease, she'll go look for it for me. As she's told her girlfriends with husbands drunk in a bar or watching cute girls dancing around a pole, she always knows where I am. She's brought many meals and cold drinks to the garage. With wives like these we're all winners.
Dan I like VW square backs, they are cool, had a 2010 mini clubman, road and engine noise was terrible, but fun fast and ok put 41,000 miles on it a year, so an old car wasn't in the cards, and a VW square back would have filled my need - but the craving for a Colony Park would have still been lurking
