What makes it a Station Wagon debate?

That's the one I had right there, blue and all! What year is it? mIne had the pressed in louvers aimed backward till VW dealer turned them around and it had white walls. All my vehicles had to have whitewalls thru 1975!

Oldfordman check out the VW thread started by some member who got off topic on another thread!

 

I'm still trying to figure out why Jarius thinks...

the butt on his '58 is 'not pretty'.

Interestingly, the butt on my '58 Ford sedan delivery looks like a '57 (so is it a wagon or not?)...there's a story behind that but I don't want to waste everyone's time telling it...

 

A 'sedan delivery' is a commercial vehicle. A 'stationwagon', formerly known as a 'depoehack' was for transportion of people. Therefore.... no it is not a wagon in the strictest sense.
But if it is based on a passenger vehicle, i.e. a wagon or sedan... then it belongs here in this forum so states Jairus!

To answer your question about the '58's butt.... I feel the rear end of many other wagons are so much prettier, is the reason that I said what I said.
Ford went to 4 taillights in '58 and then back to two in '59... why? Why were we denied the heritage of rocket engine taillights?
Plus, the tailgate won't sit flat because of the extra lights and the bumper does not look unified with the rest of the design.
So I don't like it that much.

HOWEVER.... the powerful look of the face/front end beats all other Fords until the stacked headlights of '65s in my opinion!!!

 

So, your 58 wagon is BUTT UGLY. Easy for you to say but we like your wagon's butt! And when you are driving it you don't have to look at it, we do! Unless we are driving a ----I won't go there! HA!

 

You have a Ford 58 sedan delivery? Are their pictures someplace? Waste our time telling your sad story! Love to see it and hear all about it.
Do you realize the same tail lites on my 1941 Ford were used many years on Ford panel trucks? I'm thinking through 1956!

 

I like the ties to the T'bird your '58 Ford's front end has Jairus and I far prefer their looks to the
'59, though, they can be pretty handsome with the right color combo (subjective, I know)
It's funny because, for me, it was the Cheshire grin on my mom's 1960 Ford that really got me
looking at cars as wearing faces in their front end design.

I believe the sedan deliveries fall in the commercial vehicle category and,'technically', are not station wagons. To me, they are among the most esthetically beautiful designs of their era.
As a longroof fan, I believe this forum is the natural home for them along with many service vehicles (ie. hearse, ambulance, police, fire and rescue vehicles.)
I think this community appreciates the utility aspects of these cars , the diversity of the platform
and the qwirky need to be driving something different then everyone else on the road has.
Can you say Camry? (Hey, they made a Camry wagon didn't they?) ... also, this comes from a guy with an Accord sedan. (in the interest of full disclosure.)(Accord wagons were arguably better looking then their sedan beginnings, in my opinion.)

 

....boy...im gonna get it for this....

we tip toe around the 'wagon' issue a lot....but....for me....
....its obvious really.

a WAGON is A wagon !!

with the exception of a few newer 'wagons'....(from 80's n 90's)....
...it should have 'chrome bumpers' !....

but the bottom line is....if your not sure if its a wagon...then it aint !!!

sorry if I upset anyone...but..hey...

 

I sort of felt that way too, but we must evolve with wagon evolution. Chrome bumpers have been long gone for many moons. I became aware that Volkswegen vans are really VW station wagons, and many late model SUV looking things are as much station wagons as are what we love from the 40's 90's.
As I mentioned elsewhere, the wagons we love look nothing like their ancestors, the depot hacks and woody wagons from wince they came.

Your old wooden wall phones look nothing like those modern cell phones, yet they are phones. We gotta change with the changes. Yep, the debate continues.

 

Car guys roll with the changes...

 

Well I guess I'm really gona stir the pot

My Honey drives a wagon, can't wait to tell her

 

Of all those so called wagons I'd love to have the #3, or old woody wagon. I really don't give a rat's kazzo what anyone calls anything on wheels. I like the older wagons and those big ole 90's wagons that still look like what I recognize as wagons.
Even though mini and maxi vans and many SUV's may pass as a wagon, it just ain't a wagon to me.

Your honey drives a wagon! So does that qualify it as a --------Honey wagon?

 

Minivans are the modern replacement of the family Station Wagon, but I don't consider them Station Wagons.

I do consider the smaller wagons that have recently become popular (Escort, Toyota, Subaru, Jetta, Mazda, etc.) to be Station Wagons, albeit compact wagons.
It's a really practical design that accomodates the needs of a large percentage of people. Especially in urban areas, such as my neighborhood.

Nor do most VW people consider them Station Wagons
.
I don't know of anyone who calls their 21 or 23 window a Station Wagon, even though that's what VW called it.
It's always referred to by the number of windows, Standard or Deluxe, Camper conversion company and package (if it's a camper).

Informally, they're Bus, Panel, Camper, etc.

Another reason the deluxe VW Bus was called the "Station Wagon" was to avoid tariffs on light-duty commercial vehicles imported from France and West Germany.
Look up "Chicken Tax" for more info.

By caliing it a Station Wagon, it was considered a passenger vehicle. If they'd called it a Van, it would have cost 25% more.

It's pretty insane what they're selling for now.
Even crusty "projects" are fetching 10x their original sale price, with fully restored examples selling in excess of $100,000.
Earlier "Barndoor" Buses are even more expensive...

I consider them "Vans" or Buses, as that's what VW originally called them.
I don't think they started calling it the Station Wagon until after the Chicken Tax went into effect.

It was, actually, The VW 1500 Notchback.

It's definitely a 71-73 model. 1970 had the same nose, but the wipers went the other direction.

The headrests look like it's a 71, with "shoulders" that were tapered in later years.

*Note the difference in nose contours between the two.

Yeah, I think we got off on a bit of a tangent from "Vintage Photos" to "Old VWs"

 

That I did not know but it makes perfect sense. Chicken Tax, he-he-he-he- - -

I'd say 71 or 72

 

We've gone full circle with this thread and I believe many of us learned a few things. As far as what's a station wagon, there will always be differences of opinions and that's fine. Keeps everyone interested and on our toes.

 

It was, actually, The VW 1500 Notchback.




It's definitely a 71-73 model. 1970 had the same nose, but the wipers went the other direction.

The headrests look like it's a 71, with "shoulders" that were tapered in later years.

*Note the difference in nose contours between the two.

Yeah, I think we got off on a bit of a tangent from "Vintage Photos" to "Old VWs" [/QUOTE]

That looks about like what I had when I was stationed in Germany. One & only one I ever saw. Never knew what it was called. Thanks for the info.