Hi y'all. My name is Zack. I live about 30 min away from Detroit. I have always been a wagon fan. Even in the face of the laughter and ridicule of my modern sport car loving friends. I'm a long time lurker but coming closer to buying a wagon soon. I come here for some advice. I am not sure exactly which model or year I should be researching. I want a wagon for daily driving, it has to be able to handle the mid west winters and road salt, carry my 1.5 yr old son and his seat, tow a car trailer and car, look cool, with the potential for power, suspension, and braking upgrades. I would love a manual trans but thats not necessary. Oh yeah, I'd like to stay under $6k in budget. Thanks for the help. Zack
Welcome to the forum Zack!! Don't let your friends give you crap, all of us here can tell you only the automotive elite have an eye and passion for the longroof. As for your question on what to buy...I think I would suggest a mid to late nineties Caprice or Roadmaster. They come with a lot of V8 power and can look very cool. With some helpers or air on ther rear they can haul a good sized trailer to boot. Safe and roomy with room for kids or dogs or an ice chest full of cold brews.
Welcome aboard, Zack! 94 to 96 Caprice/Roadmaster would definitely satisfy your wish list. I really like my brothers Magnum SRT, but they are pricey!
Thanks for the replies. Originally had my eye on a Magnum RT. But the are too expensive. I read somewhere that the Caprice/Road master can tow up to 5000lbs. Is this true? I also read that there are 2 different wheel base length models? I have seen some very cool looking roadmasters. It seems like the go to model to satisfy all my needs. I'm curious to know if anything older would serve me just as well.
Thanks. It is exciting. I'm driving a plastic econobox with no soul right now. Kind of a wagon, dodge journey. I hate it!! I need rear wheel drive v8 American power back in my life. Before the journey I had a Silverado SS. Damn that was a sweet truck. I have a year and a half left on the journey lease. I figure I can be patient and have fun with the shopping plus have time to make the vehicle ready for daily driving duty.
Welcome Zach. I bought a 1991 Roadmaster and saved a few bucks as the 91, 92 and 93's do not have the LT1 motor. That's where the price jumps up. It runs with the best of them and still gets great gas mileage (well for a big car anyway). Find an early model with low mileage, keep regular maintenance and you should get 300K miles before major problems.
I agree with the idea of the Roadmaster/Caprice wagons. I know the LT1 equipped ones are more money, but the extra power from the engine is well worth the difference when towing. They are rated for 5,000 pounds with the factory tow package. Even if you find a great deal on a Magnum it will not work for you. Even with the factory tow package, they are rated for 3,000 pounds, and that is not enough. Keep in mind they are a unibody, built on a 10 year old Mercedes platform. Towing was never in the design brief when it was designed. In terms of older vehicles, there is a 77 Mercury Colony Park listed in the eBay thread here on the forums that would do very nicely, and it is equipped with the factory tow package. It looks a very good deal, and is in budget. It is in Washington State, I believe. It is also rated for 6,000 pounds by the factory. Any of the very large wagons from the 60s and 70s will tow at least 5,000 pounds if they are equipped with the factory tow package. There is no point buying one that does not have that, simply because it is impossible to add some of the things built in to the cars. I know that with the 80s Crown Vic/Grand Marquis sedans and wagons, if you got the 351 and tow package, there was a 6,000 rating, but the frame was built up special at the factory to allow for that.
You are all dead on with the suggestion of the caprice/road master. It may not be a classic but it has a cool retro look especially with wood grain panels. It's a bonus that I can find them way under budget. Plus it's mostly modern technology. I will be shopping for the lt1. What are the major differences between the caprice and roadmaster other than front body panels? What are the major concerns with these cars? Is there a dedicated forum for them? Are there any parts catalogues available for parts (year one, classic industries, NPD)?
On the wagons, even the front sheet metal is the same. Years ago, Motor Trend did a project where they took a Roadmaster wagon and fitted the Buick front end sheet metal to it. It turned out that the door skins are different which caught them by surprise. The went full tilt, too, and put all the drive line, interior parts and suspension pieces from an Impala SS into it. They called it the wagon that hauled more than A$$. I'll let the experts in these cars give you the mechanical low-down. My last G.M. was scrapped in 1988. Since then, I have been peeing blue ovals.
