What makes it a Station Wagon debate?

Boy you miss a day and all this stuff gets posted...

In response to your questions, Cat:

Photos of my delivery are on here somewhere; someone else (thank you again) posted them for m when I first joined the forum - it may be called Dave's Delivery. It's grabber blue with a Rat Fink on the side, you can't miss it.

As for the '58's having '57 tailights: as I understand it, since the delivery and Ranchero were considered "commercial" vehicles, Ford decided to use up their extra '57 rear quarters rather than make new stampings. Also, since the delivery has a one-piece liftgate design, there wouldn't be any problem with routing the tailight wiring overhead into the liftgate (even though they did run it into the tailgate on the wagons...). Ford was supposedly able to completely amortize the tooling costs on those unique stampings; something GM allegedly wasn't able to do with the '59 or '60 El Caminos...

The 1958 Ranchero and delivery (called the Courier in the US, incidentally; I believe it was actually badged "Sedan Delivery" in Canada - I would love to find a pair of those emblems...) used the 1957 Custom or 300 type smaller rear bumper, but they had a different style of bumper guard (the one way you can tell them apart from the rear...)

There, I got a little windy but hopefully nobody minded too much...

Jarius, I'm surprised your tailgate doesn't lay flat - does it hit the bumper guards?

 

IMO I always thought that a station wagon was a car. You open the door and you sit in it...like a car. Wagon like cars(vans) you can stand up in(bent over) and walk to the back seats are not cars. They are of a new breed of vehicle, they have a few similarities but there still not a car, which is IMO what a station wagon is.

 

Thanks Dave. I actually like the delivery better than my 55 station wagon. I was looking for a 55-57 for a long time when the wagon sort of followed me home.
Actually, I followed the owner home as I went home from work but didn't stop till I saw an add in the paper a few weeks later.
It was in no position to follow me home. There was snow above the rockers, colder out than heck, and no battery in it. Felt so sorry for the wagon I bought it.
Wouldn't ya know, a few weeks later I saw a 1955 Chevy sedan delivery for sale. Too late!
About my VW squareback. It had the larger more rectangular parking lites. Still can't find pictures of it.
Fannie I agree!

 

No guards, just two attachments that hold license plate lights. And .. NO the tailgate stands at a 10 to 15degree slant with the taillights resting less than a hands breath from the bumper.

 

This debate is way too similar to the old "What makes a muscle car" debate that will continue into eternity. Was the 64 GTO the first muscle car or was the fuel injected 57 Chevy, or the 49 Rocket Olds 88 or the early Hemi Chrysler 300s? Was a 62 Impala 409 a muscle car or was it too big? Was an M Code Dart GTS with a 440 a muscle car or was it too small? was a 67 427 Corvette a muscle car or was it a sports car? was a Hemi Cuda a muscle car or was it a pony car? Did it need to have a big block to be a muscle car or is it ok to have a high performance small block and still be considered a muscle car?

Remember that with the early vans like the VW bus, the Ford Econoline, Chevy Greenbriar and Dodge A-100, all the manufacturer's advertized the passenger versions as station wagons at some point or another. Early fastbacks with fold down rear seats like the first Barracudas and Chargers were advertized as part sports car and part station wagon because of the long flat floor space.

Just like with this wagon debate, I know what I know, and I know what I like and I don't care what catagory a car fits in.

 

not us old ones....were stuck in the mud...

just because the 'manufacturer' is trying to brainwash the public by calling some half used bar of soap a "wagon"...doesnt mean i have to believe them.
I'm usually pretty PC....but i decided to stick my neck out and tell the truth...(according to me )

example???......this still looks like a Merecedes wagon...
....this does not...but they call it one..



sorry....just sayin...

 

I'm so confused

I was tooling down the road and looking at an HHR passing me. I drive a truck and get to admire the occasional long roof passing by, Volvo, Tarus or what ever. I was trying to define what a station wagon is in my head. So I read and got confused. (oh and HHR's are cool by the way)

I am shocked to find I don't drive a wagon, Jaruis stated it needed to seat 6 to 9! But its an Olds Custom Cruiser! But it only has front and back seats. (just messin with ya Jarius )

And my son just bought a new Subaru Forrester, I got to thinking, it looks like a wagon, is he not in a wagon now? (his first ) I'll get pics when its light out.

So I guess the rule I will use is one I once heard about how to define porn,

"You know it when you see it."

A wagon can be a little different to everybody and at the end of the week after driving my 80,000 lb truck around, I am very happy to see mine waiting in the parking lot to take me home.

 

More Cornfuzed !

I was just beginning to understand this wagon description thing. :confused:
Now I am given several new analogies: A half used bar of soap that looks sort of pornographic with seating for large amounts of people.

I have to agree with this because many of these new "things" fit that description. Only that ole bar of soap seems to have the edges worn off in the wrong places.

 

So a friend of a friend's boyfriend was wondering if he could please be called a stationwagon owner now???

 

Not really! More of a modern covered wagon.
However those are very much like those new skinny low profile wheels I see on some low riders.

 

OK with those wheels it needs a hooped canvas top...

 

I rode in prettier Conostoga wagons when my forefathers and three mothers moved west.

 

Does my Tahoe 4x2 qualify as a Wagon. Long roof, 4 doors, 2 rows of seats? Thay call it an SUV but to me its 90's wagon..

 

I my book yes it is indeed the latest version of the Station Wagon! That is if you consider the many changes manufacturing has gone through in the past. Call it "evolution" of the species if you think that way.

But like the term "Street Rod", which usually stops at about 1948, most wagon aficionados tend to suggest much narrower parameters to define the matter. (see above posts) So you will not always find many friends here who are willing to agree to accept the modern SUV as a true Station Wagon.

 

I personally feel that traditionally a wagon is car based so a truck-based people hauler is simply an SUV to me. Not to take away from their practicality. My kids were practically raised in the 1997 Expedition that served as the family truckster until they were older and the vehicle hit 200,000 miles. Went everywhere, carried a ton. Mom's Magnum taxis them around now along with my OCC.