Beginning in 1970, the Buick Estate was General Motors top of the line luxury station wagon.
As time marches on and we move farther and farther away from the "Golden Era" of the American automobile, a stretch of time that stretches, and this is debatable, from - at its earliest 1940 to it's latest say, 1979 - affordable "classics" are becoming harder and harder to find. That's because the "classics" that everyone wants and are most valuable, the convertibles and the coupes, have over appreciated past the point where anyone who really loves them for what they are, as opposed to being a trophy or investment, would want to buy them. With that in mind, have you ever considered buying an old station wagon?
For 1971, GM moved the Estate to the C body platform. It shared interiors with the Electra.
In comparison to convertibles and coupes, old sedans, or cars with four doors, have little to no value and sorry, they never well. Meanwhile, the precursor to the sport utility vehicle of today in all of its vestiges have huge upside. Many available in pristine condition can be had for relatively little, again, compared to convertibles and coupes, and solid examples in need of some TLC can be found for far less than that. They make great drivers too - like this 1972 Buick Estate. Any self respecting "car guy will tell you, station wagons are far "cooler" than any sedan will ever be.
The interior trim of the disappearing magic tailgate and three seat jumper.
Mom's weren't fond of station wagons back in the day and for a number of reasons. For starters, the big ones like this were very hard to handle. They were fine in a straight line but changing lanes and doing parking lot maneuvers were challenging. Regardless of whether or not you were a man or a woman. Also, many younger women of "The Greatest Generation" and many older female baby boomers rebelled against the stereotypical "mom image" that those cars parlayed; not every woman was happy being "Suzy Homemaker".
They also ate gas like teenagers rip through groceries. The 1973-74 gas crisis demolished sales of big thirsty cars like this and then the great downsizing came; that was the end of these big brutes. The Buick Estate wagon lived on in some fashion through 1996 but the slow, steady vice grip of disdain and the influx of the minivan and SUV took over the lane where station wagons once ruled.
This car was for sale on ebay with a reserve price of $14,500 which was absurd. The highest bid was for just under $6,800 which seems fair. Maybe the the owner will be willing to negotiate. Here's the listing. Good luck! http://www.ebay.com/itm/Buick-Other-Base-Wagon-4-Door-/171975847692?roken=cUgayN
Buick built the C body based Estate through 1976.
They also ate gas like teenagers rip through groceries. The 1973-74 gas crisis demolished sales of big thirsty cars like this and then the great downsizing came; that was the end of these big brutes. The Buick Estate wagon lived on in some fashion through 1996 but the slow, steady vice grip of disdain and the influx of the minivan and SUV took over the lane where station wagons once ruled.
This car was for sale on ebay with a reserve price of $14,500 which was absurd. The highest bid was for just under $6,800 which seems fair. Maybe the the owner will be willing to negotiate. Here's the listing. Good luck! http://www.ebay.com/itm/Buick-Other-Base-Wagon-4-Door-/171975847692?roken=cUgayN
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