Back in the mid-seventies, station wagons were still going strong in the marketplace long before the SUV and minivans became the preferred method for transporting your family around town or taking them on a far-away vacation. But even though the concept is sort of a relic from the bygone era nowadays, there are still plenty of enthusiasts who chomp at the bit to get their hands on well-preserved examples, and if you happen to fall into that category this 1974 Pontiac Catalina Safari Station wagon here on eBay might be right up your alley. The wagon is in Leavittsburg, Ohio, up near the northeast corner of The Buckeye State, and will set you back $12,000 unless you and the seller can agree upon a satisfactory offer.
This Safari seems like a fairly basic model, but that was its intention for Pontiac’s line-up as their Grand Safari was the more luxurious and higher trim level offering for ’74. There’s no coveted faux-wood covering adorning the sides, but the Lakemist Green paint is one of the less-often-seen Catalina colors and the seller says his wagon has been garage kept and claims it is 90% original, so I’m thinking a lot of the finish here on the outside may be the factory coat. Even though they’re nice additions, the sports mirrors and rims have been added to the mix.
With mileage stated to be 100,000, the carpeting shows it, and those grassy-looking aftermarket floor mats up front have got to go. But it looks like there may still be at least one GM rubber mat on the passenger side floor underneath, which may be an original item, and the seats are both in exceptional condition for nearing their golden anniversary. Unfortunately, there’s not a third row in this one, but that gives plenty of space for luggage in the back plus additional room on top with the roof rack, in the event your family chooses to bring their entire wardrobe in additional suitcases while vacationing.
A 400 cubic-inch V8 powers the Safari, which was the standard motor for ’74, and while it would have been nice to find the optional 455 residing in the bay the lesser engine still gets you 175 horsepower, just 40 less than the larger component. The owner states that the wagon runs great and everything under the hood appears to be in good order, but it is noted that the A/C could use a charge. I’m thinking this is a pretty cool wagon, and if it fits your needs perhaps 12 grand is in the ballpark, but since the seller presents the opportunity for price negotiations I’d at least try a couple of times to buy it for less. What are your thoughts on this one?
Hey ma,round up them their kids put em all in the wagon weere goin to Dairy Queen
My father had a 1971 version of this vehicle. The rear tailgate (glass into the roof, tailgate into the floor) was always magic and inevitably drew a crowd of kids in the neighbourhood who wanted to see the thing work.
Had a 74 Chevy wagon. 350 4 bbl think 3.73 posi rear. After a little tinkering it was a really quick car just leave it in drive and punch it. 15 foot posi burnouts no prob.
But this is nice. If it was loaded I’d see 12k but plain Jane… Maybe 8ish is more fair
This is a really nice example of a Safari wagon. This was THE family hauler of its time. All of the “Big 3” had their versions. Most of them were used until they blew up. People today would be shocked to see no power windows/no power locks. The color keyed Pontiac Rally wheels look sharp too. This is a nice piece of Americana that you definitely will not see around. Considering what is available at this price point, this is a a good buy! What else will you get? A used and beat up crappy Kia or Hyundai?!!! No thank you!
Nice car, but that carpet looks like 127 cups of coffee spilled. These are hard to find in this shape. I grew up in the late 1940s and early 60s. Dad always bought Pontiacs. 12 large a little steep in this economy. Gas is $4 if you are going to drive it.
Correct. $4 on a good day. And this car is a guzzler. It would probably average about 9-10 miles per gallon, again, on a good day. I definitely do not think this would be a great choice as a daily. The used crappy Kia or Hyundai would be much cheaper to operate, by a magnitude.
This wagon is very clean,especially for being in the rust belt.A very fair price too.This came with the 2bbl engine just like it’s four door counterpart,a Rochester 2g carb resides under the air cleaner.A 4bbl upgrade and headers maybe the only thing it needs
Nobody said the wagon would be a daily driver. It’s definitely not. But, if I were going to look for an older vintage economy car, that I could drive every day, and get good mileage, I could find some mint ones for 10 -12 grand. They would be reliable and easy to work on. How about an 88-90 dodge Omni? Plymouth Horizon? Simple, good acceleration, reliable, and do it yourself repairs. You could get a nice one for 6 grand if you looked. As I said, Keep your crappy Hyundai Sonata or Kia Optima. Just look on line……they are blowing motors up left and right. It’s no secret. Just sayin!
After these ” Clamshell ” wagons were used up they were used in Demo Derbys and they do well in them. Hard to find nice survivors because of this.
So true and at the time seemed like no big deal. Now it almost brings a tear to my eyes
Anyone know if these wagons can hold 4’x8′ sheet goods flat? How about with the tailgate closed? I know the earlier A-body wagons could not do either.
I would work at deep cleaning this beauty with the steamer cleaner , put some headers & good turbo mufflers and drive it like the sweet cruiser she is ! Maybe some fuel injection & intake Tom foolery for a great looking & running rig, Your going to pay for gas it might as well earn its keep with pontiac performance as it was intended!
No more headers for this Pontiac fan. Get the reproduced high performance factory exhaust manifolds and enjoy your ride without having to chase down exhaust leaks
Looks like it didn’t sell at the 12,000 asking price