Soft is the keyword for this beautifully-preserved 1996 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon. The edges are soft with hardly any sharp creases in the design or bodywork. The Light Driftwood Metallic paint is soft, perfect for Livermore, California, where it’s located. The woodgrain is even softly… patinaed. It’s located here on eBay with an asking price of $9,975.

You can see the “soft” patina I was talking about on the left quarter panel woodgrain trim. Livermore, California is just east of Fremont and the Bay Area. It isn’t exactly the desert, but it’s still so much nicer, with much more heat and sun than we get in the Upper Midwest, that it can help to fade paint and other exterior finishes. I wish I hadn’t looked at their climate, now I’m really depressed. 300 days of sunshine compared to 90 to 100?! Yep, I should have moved after high school. A side note: the seller says this car has been repainted at some point, so that shiny paint isn’t original. But, they also say it’s rust-free, so that’s great news.

Buick made the eighth and final generation Roadmaster for model years 1991 through 1996, and the Estate Wagon is the one you want. I think it’s by far better styled than the sedan, but that’s just me. The built-in rear fender skirts are fantastic and really give this car a retro look while still looking somewhat modern today. It’s big, but not Chevy Suburban big. And for less than ten grand, you can’t go wrong here. Hagerty is at $5,900 for a #3 good car and $20,700 for a #2 excellent car. Under $10k seems like a reasonable price for this car to me.

The Light Beige Sierra-Grain Leather seats look good, although they could use a good cleaning. The seller says this was their grandparent’s Roadmaster Estate Wagon, it’s always been in California, and they used it for weekend drives. With 88,388 miles, that’s only 2,950 miles a year, so I believe that story. The back seat looks perfect as expected, and there’s another seating area that folds out in the huge rear cargo area. Or put that seat down and haul your plywood, no need for a pickup when you own a $10,000 Roadmaster Estate Wagon. You’ll be the coolest person at the big box hardware store. I mean, not that you aren’t already…

The clean engine is Chevrolet’s 350-cu.in. fuel-injected OHV V8 with 260 horsepower and 335 lb-ft of torque when new. It’s backed by an electronically-controlled 4L60-E four-speed automatic sending power to the rear wheels, and it’s surprisingly sprightly, with a 0-60 time of just over 8 seconds. You should also be able to squeeze 25 mpg out of this beautiful car, and that’s good for such an outstanding all-around pleasure and work vehicle. You can use it for your contracting business during the week and take scenic drives and camping trips in it on weekends. I’m going to talk myself into buying this car if I don’t stop and if it were local I’d for sure check it out, but then it would be rusty, unlike this car. Are there any fans of these big Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagons out there?