Most of us remember driving or being driven in a station wagon, a cargo-friendly land yacht accented with fake wood-grain siding.
The wagon’s function dates back as far as the automobile. They were designed to transport people and their luggage to the train station. Entertainment consisted of car games, fights with your siblings and conversation with your folks.
So with summer vacation season upon us, it’s time for a trip down memory lane in the family truckster.
1940 OLDSMOBILE SERIES 60
Passengers: Six
Price: $1,042
Oldsmobile’s first station wagon used wood for the roof and doors. A 95-horsepower 6-cylinder was standard. General Motors’ first automatic transmission was a $100 option.
1957 CHEVROLET NOMAD
Passengers: Six
Price: $2,307-$2,857
Between 1955 and 1958, Chevy offered stylish but impractical two-door station wagons. Ford’s four-door wagons easily outsold them.
1972 CHEVROLET CAPRICE KINGSWOOD ESTATE
Passengers: Six to nine
Price: $4,314-$4,423
Redesigned for 1970, Chevy wagons featured a tailgate that dropped into the body. But the wood trim was merely a decal.
1984 DODGE CARAVAN
Passengers: Five to seven
Price: $8,280-$9,105
Minivans have become so ubiquitous, it’s hard to appreciate what a breakthrough this vehicle represents.
1996 BUICK ROADMASTER ESTATE
Passengers: Eight
Price: $27,575-$29,445
The last of the full-size wagons, still boasting fake wood trim, could haul: It had the Chevrolet Corvette’s 5.7-liter V-8.
1997 FORD EXPLORER
Passengers: Five
Price: $20,610-$23,930
Along with the minivan, the four-wheel-drive SUV killed station wagons with its rugged image. Explorer was king of the hill.
2001 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER
Passengers: Five
Price: $23,515-$26,495
Asian automakers pioneered the crossover, an SUV body on a car platform. In the case of the Highlander, that is the Camry.
2009 FORD FLEX
Passengers: Six or seven
Price: $28,895
The newest look in family haulers is … the station wagon. A 260+-horsepower V-6, front- or all-wheel-drive.
