To anyone younger than 25 or so, it may be hard to believe that full-size wagons were once a popular option for families to haul themselves and their stuff around. But before the advent of the minivan, cars like this 1958 Pontiac Chieftain Safari, for sale here on Craigslist for $4,000 in York, PA, were the vehicle of choice for growing American families that wanted something capable of getting them and their gear and maybe some friends around. With seating for nine and a roof rack for luggage, this wagon would be able to fit more passengers than many modern-day minivans.
As with most of GM’s full-size lineup, the third-generation Chieftain, sold only in 1958 and available in sedan and wagon forms, was designed to appear lower, longer and wider than it’s predecessors. Beginning in 1955, the Safari name was used on Pontiac’s wagon models almost until Pontiac stopped selling wagons, at which time GMC used the name on their minivans. That’s right, Safaris used to be cool cars! In 1959, the Chieftain was replaced by the Catalina in Pontiac’s lineup.
According to the seller, this wagon has been in the same family since it was two years old and has been stored since the mid-80’s. The seller also says that the car doesn’t appear to have any rust, and that most of the exterior trim is stored inside the car. While the bumpers will need rechroming, and the body is currently in primer, it doesn’t sound like fixing this car’s cosmetics would be an impossibly difficult or expensive proposition.
The seller says that the engine is locked up, so a rebuild or replacement engine is likely in order to get this car moving under its own power again. What would you do with this wagon if it were yours? With relatively little effort, it looks like it could be restored to factory-condition and taken to shows. Or, if you’ve just had a seventh child and that Honda Odyssey is one seat too small now, this nine-seater with a more modern drivetrain could be the ultimate family hauler.
No visible rust… In Ohio that means your foot doesn’t go thru the floorboard
on the first try….
No visible rust because it’s sitting trapped in the garage…
If this thing is rust free or minimum rust, isn’t $4000 a good deal to the right person?
There can’t be too many of these around, and that was my thought too.
The only issue I could see would be it being a one year model. Some parts and pieces might be hard to find. But 4K certainly seems like a good price for somebody that knows what they are doing.
Yep, I can’t see any rust in those photos. Pretty sure that’s an old car in an unlit garage.
I believe any later Pontiac V8 should be a bolt-in with a BOP-style 700R4.
just slap an LS in there!
While you’re at it put a Vega transmission in it….
No! Good grief! You guys always take the easy way out. LS is fir Chevs. Put a 428 Poncho in it!
Or a 455…. 😜
No phone number and random email addy. Smells funny given the cheap price.
I grew up in the 1950’s and wagons were everywhere. They are back; they are jacked up and called SUV’s
Except none of them can hold 9 passengers anymore.
Pretty sure you can fit nine bodies in a suburban or expedition.
@Jett. Seating capacity for the new Suburban is 7-8. 8 for the Expedition. They don’t design them to sit 3 in the front anymore. As a kid, shotgun got you the front middle seat between your parents on long vacation drives. It had the best view.
If you read the Craigslist ad this Pontiac has the factory air suspension!! I would want to see this beast up on the lift before making any offer, but iif it has factory air ride it’s very RARE
Ok, who’s gonna go look at it for us !?!
Stored inside in either Ohio or Pennsylvania which is it can’t be both sounds funny to me.
I read that as they moved it from a garage in Ohio to it’s current location (a garage in PA). You may have a point, though.
What a day at BarnFinds. A plethora of ponchos. Good job!
In between muscle cars (mid 60’s ) I needed a winter beater and my mentor had a ’58 2 tone Blue 2dr. Pontiac Starchief. V8 with a 3 spd. stick on the column. Massive interior, especially the back seat & trunk. A heater that would blow you out of the interior if you didn’t open the vent windows, very comfortable cruising on the highway. All in all it was possibly the best $300.00 car I ever bought. I should have kept it.
For goodness sake! Please take it out of the garage/storage unit/barn, Jose it off, clean it up, take a lot of pics, etc. Then show us.
That’s hilarious, Patrick! But I hope you have a good lawyer on retainer, after suggesting an illegal alien hose off the car and clean it up. I’m sure ACLU and Equal Rights Commission will be contacting you shortly.
My family had a Pontiac Tempest wagon. 6 cylinder and manual everything. It took us all over the US and moved us from Ohio to Cali back in 67. Then it was stolen in Los Angeles one day never to be seen again. Around the same time my future wife was being carted around in a station wagon as well. But it was a Ford. Country Squire or Colony Park. She cant remember other than it being huge and had the folding seat in the way back. These were great vehicles for young families. That’s why SUVs are popular. They are more useful than sedans.
In 1972, my Dad had bought a 1970 Chevy Carryall (also called Suburban these days!). With three kids, it was perfect for taking us camping and pulling our little ski/fishing boat. It had two row seating, and on trips he’d throw a mattress in the back for us to play on while traveling (no worries about seatbelts back then!). Also perfect for carting us around town, although we rode our bikes to school, no ride! As we kids got bigger, he found an additional second-row seat at the junkyard and bolted it in as a third row, and also put in seatbelts. Never had any mechanical problems with that one!
A Pontiac Safari (1955-58) is on my wishlist. I’ve owned several Pontiac’s so far, including a 71 Grandville convertible, and a 62 Tempest LeMans convertible, but no 50’s models. Even as a four door these are so cool! But I agree with the others: pull it out of the garage, wash it, and supply ample pictures of it. Also, trim pieces are going to be tuff to find, so an inventory of what’s there would really help set in your mind what it’s worth. Also rust issues are totally an unknown. But I guess for 4 grand, it’s cheap, and I can kinda understand not putting much work in the ad. Weird that they don’t know where it’s stored! I’d say it’s a flipper, for sure. But again, so cheap to be from a professional flipper? I’d restore it to factory specs, and definitely restore the rare factory air suspension. I would however change out the engine for a later 421, 428, or 455. Since all these Pontiac engines are the same size outside, should be an easy fit. Very cool 😎
I am the person who posted the Craigslist ad for this station wagon. The car was stored in my parents garage in Dayton, OH and I got it from my mother’s estate. I brought it to York, PA in 2001. Anyone has additional questions they can contact me at
jlmycpa100@gmail.com
It makes me sad to think all of us talk of Pontiac with such reverence and yet GM decided to pull the plug along with Olds. My dad became a huge Pontiac fan (after being a Ford man from the flathead era up to 1960) sometime around 1964 when he bought a new Tempest Lemans in a beautiful copper color. Fuzzy photos from that time make it look like a GTO. He never looked back and stayed with GM and Pontiac in particular for the next thirty years. While he never owned or admired the likes of this station wagon we certainly could have used it during our family vacations and summer trips to band camp. Our second car, a Corvair Lakewood wagon, was the vehicle for hauling musical equipment and little tykes.
Alexander, to be accurate, GM was told to get rid of Pontiac and Olds along with Saturn and Hummer if they wanted help from the government. GM did not decide that on their own.
Olds was already gone, before the bailout…. GM had done that already.
Hummer (civilian vehicles only) was on the sales block. Saturn and Pontiac got the axe during the financial struggles.
If it were mine I’d send it to Kindig and say go for it.
Well, pull it out of the garage so we can see if it has an iconic patina. It’ll have to be bulletproof* for me to consider buying it, tho.
*another overused buzzword in automotive circles.
this same vehicle could B two /OR/ 4 dor?
57 was the last year for tudor wagons, until the chevelles
For crying out loud, pull it out of the garage and take some “Real” pictures! Might be a nice car, and we’ll worth having, Who Knows!
Hey Ron, you need $$$$ for Kendig. Good choice if you have the money!!!