Wagonnnnnnnnsssss Hoooooo! Sorry for yelling, and not many may remember the old TV show, Wagon Train, now that I think about it. I always think about a big station wagon like this 1996 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon when I think of that show for some reason. It’s the ultimate road trip vehicle and much more comfy than a covered wagon. It’s posted here on craigslist just east of beautiful Madison, Wisconsin, and the seller is asking $5,000. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Rocco B. for the tip!
Looking at the overall photos of this big, powerful wagon makes it look like an absolute steal. Hagerty is at $10,900 for a #3 good-condition example, and this one is less than half that much! How is that remotely possible? Well, if you look closer, you’ll see a few nicks, some issues with the “woodgrain” panels, and some rust creeping in. I wonder what a two-door version may have looked like…
This car appears to have a central vacuum system! Just kidding, the seller says it’s a “Shoreline 110v plug on bumper wired to a NOCO 10 amp tender, for storage and 110 pass through.” You can also see a chunk of missing paint, what I’m assuming was a rust spot that was painted over, and some glitches in the di-noc woodgrain paneling and trim.
More rust is visible on the bottoms of the doors, and being a Wisconsin car, despite the seller’s mention of it being kept in a garage during the winter months, it’s still accumulated some rust here and there. The eighth-generation Roadmaster was made in a four-door sedan and a four-door wagon, along with the Estate wagon as seen here. A Limited version was above this model, and for some reason, we don’t see the seats in this car. I hope these velour seats are in good condition, but we don’t know. We do see the third seat in the rear cargo area, which is very cool and would make this one popular at a Cars & Coffee event with all the doors open.
The engine (and kudos to the seller for including an engine photo) is a Chevy-sourced 350-cu.in. OHV fuel-injected V8 with a healthy 260 horsepower and 330 lb-ft of torque when new. It’s backed by a Turbo-Hydramatic sending power to the rear wheels, and the seller says it has a minor oil drip, which is “an LT1 thing”, and there’s a plug in one of the tires so they should be changed out. And then there’s the possible rust issues. If this one checks out and is solid, $5,000 is a bargain for a big, powerful cruiser like this Roadmaster Estate. Any thoughts on this one?
Be sure to give those tires a proper crowd pleasing send-off 🔥💨 🏁👍👋
This is just about the least expensive one of these I’ve seen, they are fetching well into 5 digits for a good one now!
Change tires because of a plug? You gotta be kidding. If I did that I’d be changing tires 4 times a year or more. I may well have a plug in all 4 tires on my pickup and have never had a problem with a plugged tire. Patched tires however are another story.
As for this ride. If it were closer I’d probably buy it but I most likely couldn’t find Madison Wisconsin.
This one is certainly priced lower than some others I have seen. It’s funny how the have gotten so popular. They are just different enough to be cool, nothing like cruising around in a Luxury Wagon!
NY? Look for the rust.
Definitely a better alternative than SUVS and Crossovers, at a very reasonable price. But as noted, RUST could be a major problem. Having owned a 93 Roadmaster Sedan and 96 Brougham. Major rust plagued both. The roa Roadmaster developed significant rust at the base of the center pillar, while the Brougham rear wheel openings rusted through, allowing water to get into the trunk and rear seat. A thorough inspection is needed!
price is right. most of these can’t be touched for under 10k
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The price is low for a reason and that reason is rust! Rust is like an iceberg. Most of it hides beneath the surface! The rust you can see can be dealt with, it’s the rust you can’t see that will cost big dollars to fix! Floorpans under carpets, seams at wheel wells and rocker panels, under the fuel tank are all places for rust to hide and spread. A thorough inspection is a must! This car would be best sold to someone with the time, tools, space and skills to do a complete rotisserie restoration, as the rust must be completely purged from the structure, or it will just come back, often worse than before, as the process of incomplete repairs just provides more places for rust to start!
This looks to be a deal but may need inspection. Photos on Craigslist show a little rust at bottom of driver door and maybe on pillar. Owner said they parked in winter though. Rides “like a boat”, they say. I remember when these sold for peanuts when price of gas increased to $4+. Painters used to buy them.
This was my mother’s last car exept for a blue leather interior. It did indeed “ride like a boat”, so much so that my wife didn’t like the wallowing experience. And she drove a minivan at the time. I liked the car but it was acres of sheet metal to wash and wax and rust became an issue. I also owned a Corvette with an LT1 and never noticed the oil drip syndrome.
Strap a couple of extension ladders to the roof and drive around looking for houses to paint.
Wow, honesty bordering on depreciation! Really, and the interior looks nice in mom’s old car. If a buyer did not like the “boat ride” they could easily put in adjustable rear shocks or stiffer springs. Good deal I say.
Welcome aboard! This will seat as many people comfortably as any SUV sold today and haul a half dozen sheets of plywood next weekend. What’s not to like?GLWTS.
Wow, honesty bordering on depreciation! Really, and the interior looks nice in mom’s old car. If a buyer did not like the “boat ride” they could easily put in adjustable rear shocks or stiffer springs. Good deal I say.
air shock?
Big car = big problems ($).
If it looks like a dinosar, smells like…
“…too good to be true, it probably is….”
body off restoration is usually a borderline buy for me
But oh what a car. Tempting for Wagonman~
Listing update: this one is gone!