It is a sad reality that the days of the family station wagon are now gone, with SUVs now absorbing that segment of the new car market that was previously occupied by cars like this Chevrolet Caprice Wagon. These cars hold a place in the hearts of many people, and this is one of the reasons why classic wagons are now a strengthening part of the classic car culture. This Caprice is a tidy and solid vehicle, and after being in the possession of one owner for its entire life, the time has come for it to move on. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the Caprice is listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding on the Caprice has been quite spirited, but has only pushed up to $2,650 in a No Reserve auction.

The Caprice isn’t perfect, but the condition is quite impressive for what is essentially a 30-year-old family car. The Light Brown paint appears to be close to flawless, while the majority of the trim and glass also appears to be in really good condition. I did spot a piece of trim missing from around the rear glass on the passenger side, but sourcing a replacement shouldn’t be a real problem. The only other issues with the outside of the vehicle are both common ones, and both should be able to be addressed. Some of the wood-grain is peeling away on the driver’s side. It would be possible to replace the damaged section, but there might be a color-match issue with that. This would leave the choice of either removing the wood-grain vinyl altogether or replacing it all to keep a consistent look. Given how nice the rest of the vehicle appears to be, I would probably bite the bullet and replace the lot. There is also an issue with the plastic bumper spacers, but I’ve had no problems locating replacement items, so this should also be a relatively easy issue to address.

Powering the Caprice is a 307ci V8 engine, which sends its power to the rear wheels via a 4-speed automatic transmission. The Caprice also features power steering and power brakes. With only 140hp on tap, there would be no mistaking the Caprice for a muscle car, but what it could do was cruise effortlessly at highway speeds all day long. The owner states that the Caprice has only covered 78,000 original miles and that it runs and drives great. If looks count for anything, the general cleanliness and originality of everything under the hood should provide a level of optimism about the state of the Caprice.

Giving the interior a good old “once over” reveals very few things that are worthy of criticism. The carpet looks dirty on the driver’s side, but it isn’t horrendous. It looks like it might respond well to a deep clean. If not, a set of mats would hide the sins, because it really doesn’t look bad enough to justify replacing it. The rest of the upholstery looks good, and the dash appears to be free of cracks. It is also nice and original, with no aftermarket additions. The Caprice has also been fitted with a few nice optional extras, and all of those are said to work perfectly. This includes air conditioning, power windows, power locks, a power rear window, power antenna, cruise control, a cassette player, and a tilt wheel. If your tribe is slightly on the large side, there is also a third row, which provides the extra seating capacity that you might need.

It doesn’t seem to be that many years ago that station wagons were treated with a level of disdain, and the idea of them carving out their own little niche in the classic car scene sounded pretty far-fetched. But carve a niche they have, and nice examples of most older wagons are now becoming highly sought after. This is a nice one, and even in its current state, there is no doubt that its general condition would attract plenty of admiring glances. Address those few, minor cosmetic issues, and this is a vehicle that would really stand out. With the wagon segment continuing to grow in popularity, now would not be a bad time to grab a vehicle like this one, because it could well be a solid long-term investment.