What makes it a Station Wagon debate?

I like your thinking..no disagreement here. Saw this Rambler Classic with the side-opening gate and it hit me. There wern't any 'magic' tailgates back then. IIRC, with the Rambler Classic, you could get your gate as a normal drop-down, or side-opening, as pictured. The gate didn't do both!

 

Frankly, I say that they are all wagons! Doesn't matter if made of wood or steel, full frame or sub, front drive or 4-wheel drive, cab over or based on a sedan. If there are windows all around and seating possible for 6 to 9+ passengers then it is a wagon!
Period!

The modern SUV too is an outgrowth of the original "Depoe Hack" and while the branch might have some truck genes in it's family tree, it is still a wagon.






Okay... that said, do we include them in Station Wagon Forums.com?
Hell no! Let'm get their own forum.
I say we keep the parameters of this forum such that a Stationwagon is only allowed if it is based on a platform from which a 2-door or 4-door sedan is also found in the original lineup. (sorry Jeep)
But we have to recognize and accept the fact that this...


...and this, ...


... are both a distant cousin of this!

 

No question about it Jairus. I've always held that the manufacturers, in part, stopped building the full size station wagon so they could move the platform back to the truck based vehicles. This would help them meet CAFE average vehicle fuel economy mandates for passenger cars. Note the 6 passenger sedans were also being weaned
from line ups as well in favor of all things with seating for (almost) 5. Parents, since, have been told 2.5 kids is plenty for a "reasonable" or "responsible" family unit.
The trucks were exempt at the time, Suburbans were being converted into leasure vehicles by the after market and, shortly there after, the manufacturers. Both knew Americans still wanted large, safe vehicles suited to both utility and carrying people and so a new segment was created. We had a mini van, which was a good, practical vehicle that functioned in the role but was quirky and, somewhat underpowered for my growing family. I have 4 kids, that 6 people. In LA, it meant 2 cars traveling everywhere we
wanted to go when family would visit. That meant at least 2 more, usually grandma and grampa. The Caravan could fit all 7, no wait, sorry there were 8 of us now...
What would have worked was a full sized station wagon, though even the 'B' bodys were on a down sized chassis which meant old people and 3, no 4 baby seats would be competing for space... and I couldn't stow granny in the rear facing seat as it wouldn't be the sociable thing to do. What fit the bill? GMC, Storm grey, K1500, Suburban LTS,
with three bench seats. And the best part, those seats come out and fold flat so now I can fix house stuff grandma breaks after a visit. I can also hit the steep, dirty, unpaved roads near Big Bear Lake all 4 seasons wit the push of a button. It even gets better mileage than dad's old '76 Buick Estate...


But I digress.

To me, and by no means am I disputing your point, the trucks are not station wagons in the 'classic' sense but many do fill the void when a new vehicle with a warranty is what ya need.


my wagons: (except the last 2, those are cool shots of our dog, Izzy, rest his soul)

 

Cool Depot Hack, by the way...

 

Quack quack, it's a long Roof!

Today, as my wife spent 24 hours shopping at Wally World, I sat in the pick up truck, listened to country music, looked at pretty girls, and tried to pick out all the station wagons driving by and parked.

There were actually quite a few 80's station wagons. The other vehicles were mostly pick up trucks or those modern day SUV types, with a smidgen of PT"s and HHR's, plus those tiny bread boxes, which sorta look like station wagon models.

Trying to be fair, I realized many of those new vehicles looked every bit as much like the older wagons. They have multi-position tailgates, rear side windows, and many had rwo and three row seats.
Not really caring for anything older than the 70's, except a few big barge wagons, I still prefer the old stuff.

Yet I decided wagons are still alive and well, no matter what frame they have, how many wheel drive, if it is based on a car, truck, or boat. It's still a wagon.

I agree that a Jeep or suburban platform is basically a wagon. But no way will I agree that a van of any size is a wagon, no matter what the manufacturer or sales staff tells us.

Of course, these new SUV type things and Crossovers are wagons, just as much as our old long roofs are the same as those first depot hacks. it's called evolution.

The question was "what makes it a station wagon debate?" Members like me jabbering about station wagons. So let's just keep arguing and discussing our pride and joys, station wagons.

 

Okay, I admit to going off on a tangent, a bit overboard on what makes a wagon. In truth,
I'm a wagon purist, willing to exchange rigid exclusivity as long as certain subjects remain
on the table, open to discussion and fanciful interpretation. I could, and in the right crowd do,
babble all day long about the cars and memories I hold dear, nay, even cherish. Chief among
them are wagons, because of the ones we had in my childhood, and because so many
of them got trashed after years of service that was often abusive. I'll have to make do
with others till the '66 CS is back on the road so, in the meantime, I can dream.


Dream about this '57 Century Caballero, a car I wish we had owned but never did.

And recall my very first car, a '65 Opel Rekord 2-door Caravan, bought from a neighbor
for $35 (paper route money) the year before I got my license. It was a great field car.


It was white with rust accents and looked like this, my Minichamps 1/43rd scale model.

Though I'm rather a newbie here, I'll be perfectly content to wax enthusiastically
about all our longroofs, knowing that we can embrace the occasional oddball...


Like the Fiat 600 Mulitpla.


TG

 

I have never ever seen anything like that little Fiat600! That is cute.
But I'd really rather have the Buick and Airstream too!
Yes, we can dream. Been doing that all my life!

But I wouldn't let that boat within 100' of my Buick!

 

66 Country Sedan: I highly agree with your rant!
good comparision.!

 

Everyone knows this is a station wagon http://www.boreme.com/posting.php?id=22990

 

Yellerspirit, that is a fantastic ad! VW had so many goods one back then, in print, too.
Thanks!
TG

 

Like these

 

I've always been a big fan of the beetle bus, VW built, would still welcome the wagon into my home and that add, along with dozens of others is part
of the reason.
The '74 my friend bought in HS was another. He used to carry people, band equipment and huge home made stage speakers.
I mentioned my dad was an ad man and my guess is, the brilliant folks responsible for selling the Volks-Wagon in America, less than a couple decades
after "the Big One", thought it wise to sell it using terms the American people had become accustom to: the Station Wagon.
21 windows are bringing major money right now, even in a depressed market; possibly the most collectable classics the folks in Wolfsburg will have
produced as a regular production vehicle; I think they are worthy of the prize and have earned the wagon moniker.
Good call yellerspirit.

 

I do not disagree with including mini-vans or VW busses in the fold, as I said before.

But I particularly liked that early ad spot, thanks!

 

Nice VW add. I really never considered a VW VAN (?) or BUS (?) as a station wagon. It really is not a bus and with that configuration must be a station wagon.
Whatever they were people either loved or hated them. And even though I never owned one, loved them.
And as much as some of us hate to admit, you are right, a mini van also fits that description. The early depot hack wasn't really much larger than a mini van and much cuter!
The debate cotinues!

 

Not to cause offense to anybody, but I don't consider mini-vans, vans,& similar as station wagons. VW did have something (think it was called a squareback?) that I would consider as a wagon. Even being a FORD man, I don't call the early vans a wagon even if they did. Now the new Flex(?), I would. I know the VW wasn't built from a sedan version (although I did drive one while I was stationed in Germany), didn't have the 3rd seat (on top of the engine? Don't think so.), but it DID have what I would call "The Look". See picture below (I was right, squareback): This one even has the roof rack.

​