Ah, the familiar B-body station wagon: a series of automobiles that is uniquely American in its design and firmly entrenched in a culture that once associated the station wagon with a rite of passage in starting a family. Nowadays, that same rite of passage seems to involve financing an $92,000 Cadillac Escalade from here until oblivion, but I digress. The Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser shown here on eBay is a tidy example with a healthy 307 under the hood and equipped with the preferred THM200-4R 4-speed automatic with overdrive. Bidding sits at $1,800 with the reserve unmet.
While the “Wagon Queen Family Truckster” from the National Lampoon series of comedies has long been recognized as a symbol of wagon life gone wrong, it’s no accident that Chevy Chase intended to trade a wagon in on another wagon – especially for a man in love with the great American road trip. I suppose I get a bit romantic about the whole thing as someone who greatly prefers to drive rather than fly, but even more so with young kids in tow. This Oldsmobile hails from Alabama before making its way to New York, and the seller claims it has “…solid body, frame, and floors.”
The interior is in fair condition overall, with some stains and blemishes. However, these were notoriously hard-wearing in that it took a righteous amount of abuse to make it look truly rough inside. I always wondered if someone in engineering specified materials that he or she knew would stand up to the hands and feet of not only your own kids, but also half the neighborhood. The seller notes that the headliner is in good shape, and I suspect a detailing shop could make the cabin look even fresher.
Look at that absolutely ridiculous amount of space. I believe we’ve been duped as consumers into thinking that the new class of SUVs is somehow more able to swallow all of the stuff we cart around than the cars of our parents’ generation; I last owned a wagon with my 2011 BMW 3-Series and even that car could haul a silly amount of treasures from the local salvage yard when asked to do so. Fortunately, based on how clean the carpets and side panels are, it doesn’t look like this Oldsmobile has seen much heavy use as a parts hauler. Bidding is far too cheap at the moment, so it’s no surprise to me to see the reserve unmet.
This car’s actually located in Cheektowaga, NY, which is a suburb of Buffalo. I know the seller personally, & he’s a stand-up guy with a soft spot for these wagons. Good luck with the sale, Tommy!
I always liked that generation of GM wagons. My 1987 Cutlass had the same 307 V8. Parts were cheap and they were easy to work on, not to mention bulletproof design. In my opinion they were better built than Chevy’s 305 V8. Now, however parts are getting a bit harder to find.
I remember in the late 80’s. My dad had a caprice station wagon. Same size and my mom worked at a warehouse storage facility. For some reason my mom’s boss ended up with a bunch of extra cases of a non alcoholic drink called Sara Soda. Looked just like beer. We fit 30 cases in the back of the station wagon!! My parents had an in ground pool. I was the man all that summer. That wagon did everything
Hawk, the soda story hit a soft spot with me, and yes, during the 80s I had a Caprice Classic version of this wagon, kids loved the rear facing 3rd seat. But the flashback you caused me to have is the recall of my younger days, I liked bargaining. Had a 63 Ford Falcon convertible and worked in a prominent Portland Oregon grocery store. The senior person closing the store one Sunday evening was my buddy Len. We ran a dozen small donuts at 29 cents a bag as a special that weekend but realized there was a fair overstock at the end of the add cycle, meant half price mark down for Monday. There were over 200 dozen donuts so “negotiated” a nickle a bag deal with Len. My Falcon was “fully loaded” with donuts. Gave a lot away, froze some, had em for breakfasts, lunches, snacks and whenever. Still see old buddy Len every few years, it’s still a topic of discussion.
Another fine example of someone who does not know how to take good photos when selling a car. Such a shame as I love these cars and would like to see more.
And what are the last few photos of a different car for??
I was wondering the same thing! Obviously the seller is a flipper, which is fine, but better pics would help….also, odometer reading??!!
Not sure what is meant by “preferred transmission…” the 307 V8 cars all had the TH200R4 beginning in 1983, IIRC; Diesel engined vehicles could have the TH200C, according to factory specs. As for cargo space, a 4×8 sheet of plywood fits in the back. These cars had a fully boxed frame and can accommodate a V8 engine in the back.
Preferred may mean 4 speed automatic with the overdrive and not the 3 speed automatic?
Back in college before we had one of our dorm floor parties, we had to borrow one of our buddies wagons like this one to go get our beer. Took up a collection from all the guys on the floor and drove the wagon across the river since beer was cheaper in Illinois than it was in Iowa with the deposit. Came back with 60 cases of Old Milwaukee at $2.99 a case. That car was weighted down in the back end but handled all that cargo like a champ.
I think my buddies and I bought a lot of Old Milwaukee in my college days but 60 cases is crazy! Lol. I always preferred finer beers in college like Milwaukee’s Best! 😊
Those were the good ol’days Caprice Guy!! Hahaha! If we splurged back then it was for Old Style.
Stick an LS in it!
My pop traded in his 4 -door Chevy for a 59′ Ford wagon,then traded that for a 63′ Ford wagon,his last wagon till 1967.
I had an ’80 Custom Cruiser, ’87 Safari, and an ’87 Buick Estate wagon. These were great for hauling our band gear.
Wow! Not many left of these Oldsmobile Wagons! I love it even if it is the entry level version. This car has been well cared for and for it to survive 38yrs and still looks this great, I say it’s definitely worth it. How much? Well, in my opinion, I’d say at least $5,000-$6,000.00. If it were the top of the line model,(which is VERY RARE these days), I’d say it would be worth NORTH of $12,000.00. But for this one, right now, you’re going to spend at least 5k providing nothing serious is wrong with it. BUY IT! You’d be the talk of the town! Good luck! Great article.
Biding ended at 2600. Reserve not met.