Dad brought home the brand new 1978 Caprice Classic station wagon in dark metallic brown with tan vinyl interior. Lost my virginity in the back of that beast. Good times!

The only car I ever "factory ordered" was a 1986 Caprice Classic wagon. It suited my family of 6 very well at the time.

Back around 1999 I bought that identical wagon with the 307 to tow a 19 foot boat I was screwing around with. Long story short, it was the most gutless thing you could possibly imagine. How gutless you ask? First time I launched the boat, it wouldn't pull the empty trailer out of the water and back up the ramp....actually had to get towed out by a guy in a Blazer. Dumped it at the auction a couple of days later and lost money there too.

I completely agree with how dark those day were! I really miss the days of full size rear wheel drive full frame, longitude drive line cars.

I miss my 72 Olds Vista Cruiser, it was the ultimate family truckster

My friend had three of these (he might still have one), a 1985 with a 305 V8, a 1988 like this one with a 307 V8 and a 1989 Cutom Cruiser with a 307. He bought the 1988 from a coworker of ours and it was a oil burner (that coworker was clueless about cars, but acted like he was a whiz, he wasn't). My friend then put a used engine in the 1988. Not just any engine---it was rumored to come from Barbara Eden's personal car when they swapped the engine for a more powerful one. My friend paid $50 for the engine (which was under a cover outside), cleaned it up, replaced some gaskets and put it in the vehicle. It went another 100,000 miles on that engine. He eventually got rid of it as the body was getting rough. I'm actually speaking to him this weekend, so I'll have to find out if he still has the 1989 Oldsmobile wagon. An Olds club member gave it to him as he didn't need it anymore. DeNooyer Chevrolet still exists at that same address. The then owner of this vehicle lived about 9 miles away in Albany. No Impalas by this time, they had gone away after the 1985 model year. We got the VIN, we win: 1G1 for US made Chevrolet passenger car, BN81 for Caprice Estate wagon, Y for 5.0L (307 CID) V8, Oldsmobile produced (although by then, labeled as "corporate") with four barrel, aka RPO code "LV2", aka "Mini Pocket Rocket", X is a check digit, J for the 1988 model year, R for Arlington, TX assembly and the rest is the production sequence. The Arlington, TX plant still operates today and has exclusively produced trucks and SUVs since the last RWD GM rolled off the line in 1996. The 307 V8 is no powerhouse, but it is a bulletproof engine and will run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run and run some more. They are easily known to go 250K without needing anything internal. I have owned several and they are one of my favorite engines. Dillion Chevrolet existed until 2022 when it was sold by the Dillion family and is now McGovern Chevrolet at 54 Main Street in Greenfield, MA. That Meineke shop still exists at the same location as well. It is likely that AP Exhaust was the supplier of exhaust products to Meineke. Correct, the 307 V8 (VIN code "Y", RPO code "LV2") was used from 1980 to 1990 and all of GM's car divisions used it at some point. Yes, always had a Rochester four barrel. Close, but not the same. That mirror is unique to the B body car, not the same part number as the other cars in the line, but yes, similar style. No tag, can't brag, and no SPID wish you did, but this is code 29/WA8970 Dark Blue exterior paint. That "wood" contact paper on the sides is very expensive. My friend bought it from GM to redo his wagon and it wasn't cheap. 3M made it for GM. As Kenny Rogers once said, "It's The Wood That Makes It Good".

Had a 77 Impala wagon. Bought it with 200 thousand miles on it in 1988. Drove it 2 more years till the timing chain went, then scrapped it.

First car was a '79 Impala Wagon. Great car. Father dragged a camper and the family around. Hit all 48 contiguous states.

And you can put a full 4×8 sheet of plywood, sheetrock or OSB in the back of that thing and if you don't use it immediately it'll keep it out of the weather. Actually multiple sheets.

I had a 1977 Olds wagon. Had an early 70s Olds 350. Was a former taxi cab. Odometer stopped working at 340,000 miles. I beat on that car, without mercy for several years. Always started. Never got stuck in the snow. Rear doors would freeze open. Always fun.

I will always remember my aunt had 1 similar going on rides and restaurants sitting in the back with my cousins. Good old time

I had one of these with the diesel engine. I replaced the original engine with a Goodwrench remanufactured diesel engine and put many trouble-free miles on it. I loved that car!

Steve is one of those guys who can talk about the most boring thing on earth and make it interesting, entertaining and relaxing. I remember watching Barrett Jackson long ago just to hear him talk about the cars. Didn't care much about the bidding drama.

The Suburban has taken this cars role since the 90s, and is made in the same Texas plant. Canyonero!

Sure hope your healing well Steve, we miss you and hoping for a speedy and full recovery!

Man what a memory! We had a 1990 with the Olds 307 in it and I as a 16 year old drove it work and would do burnouts behind the restaurant right next to the grease vat. Favorite memory was when my father was changing the rear shoes and said it smelled like fried chicken back there :)

Sometimes I wonder if "Long Roofs" will ever gain in popularity. (Never saw the C10 rage coming) You just don't see them in the wild anymore. Wagons can hold thousands of magazines and keep them dry! 😆

When I was a kid our family had a '77 Buick Estate Wagon which was a twin to the Caprice. It was burnt orange with tan interior and the fake wood grain and equipped with the 350. It was my first car when it was handed down from my parents.

About 20 years ago I bought the rarest of all B-Body 1988 wagons - the Pontiac Safari. We named it Griswold!! 😂. It was in good shape, could hold a flat piece of 4x8 plywood in the back. Complete with faux wood grain & roof rack.

Good to see an 80's wagon episode.

My Dad swapped a 400ci small block from one of these into his '69 Camaro back in the 80's. Still tells stories about how he was the fastest guy in town!

I liked these a lot better than the jellybean, plastic-fantastic whales that came after. They may have had the LT1, but I prefer the squared off lines and all unique trim on these. Cheers.

I had an 84 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser diesel wagon. Set up for towing.2 batteries, 9 passenger. Bought it used with over 5k in repair receipts and records. White with wood trim. Such a good truck/car. I actually loved it. Got rid of it in 2002.

In the 1990s, I had 3 of these wagons (a Caprice, a Pontiac and an Olds). Used them when I did archaeology for a living in Ontario, Canada. Waaay cheaper than a used 4 door pickup, and still could haul a crew of six and all our gear.

in the 90s my neighbours had his and hers wagons like this! She had an Oldsmobile and he had a Caprice.. my dad called them 'war wagons' because you could haul the whole squad to the meetup spot.

Was thinking to myself, " is that a Hudson behind him". . Love this content, very educational.

We grew up with a 59 Wagon. 3rd seat, looking out the back. Weirding out other drivers.....

These were fantastic like a waterbed riding on wheels

I've been seeing more station wagons turning up at car shows lately. That's pretty cool in my opinion.

i would have loved one of these new today.. bench seats, floating highway cruiser.. and room to fit an 8x10 plyboard in the back.. perfect!

These cars were excellent!! The ride was so soft and comfy!!

Thanks Steve for an informative video on the 1980's Chevy wagons. Wagons are sorely missed by some. I still own two Ford Crown Victoria wagons - a 1987 and a 1991 the last year Ford built the big wagon. Both are daily drivers and attract much attention wherever I go. The 1991 is my summer wagon and the 1987 is my winter wagon with snow tires. I get their bodies spray oiled in New Hampshire every other year to protect the bodies from our salty northern environment. Both are equipped to tow my boat with rear air shocks due to coil rear suspension. Great cruisers!

Awwwww. My dad was white collar Chevrolet and one of his last company cars was an estate wagon.

Learned to drive in a 79 Caprice Estate. Big boat, held all my friends, but could barely get out of its own way. Seemed much bigger than the 65 Nova wagon I have now.

When I worked at a used car lot the car I was driving as a demo got sold (a 1966 Studebaker). Since I had kids I decided to drive a 1986 Chevrolet Caprice Estate. What a luxurious car. It was more like a Cadillac station wagon with all of the options it had. Sure enough it got sold very quickly from the car lot as well.

My childhood memory was in a pale yellow 1986 Caprice Estate wagon. Went to the hospital in Athens Ga and on the way back my Dad took a sip of Pepsi as he was driving. It went down the "wrong way" and he passed out. The Caprice hit a drain culvert and did a 360 in the air and landed in the ditch with the front facing the road. I was asleep in the rear facing back seat. I woke up and looked out the back window and saw pine trees. The car wasnt moving. Scared the devil out of me. I came out with a scratch on my back and a little dirt in one eye. Scary....😂😂

Steve, Wagons are always welcome!🤩

I think every kid of the 80’s rode in the back of one. My mom had a 79 Caprice Estate wagon blue with the wood grain…

I have a ‘90 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser wagon. Originally had olds 307. Weakest powered car I have ever owned. I LS swapped it. Now my favorite car!

Thanks Steve I think the Dodge Magnum Wagon is sporty

The Olds 307 was a very good engine. I had an 85 Cutlass with a 307 in it. It lasted over 400K without any major work, outside of a new water pump, before I wrecked it.

Love this video Steve ! My Dad had 2 Pontiac wagons over the years. He ordered both from them exactly the same. 350, posi rear, towing package and the Tiger Paw tires. 👍🏼

My family had a 77 caprice estate 350. 300k miles traded in in 88 4 a escort gl... I still dream of the caprice.

I remember riding in one of these from Pittsburgh up to geauga lake in Ohio and SeaWorld. We would play Monopoly in the back of the car not even strapped in and pretend we were drinking beer but it was really just glass IBC root beer lol . We thought we were so cool it was so fun putting that back window down. Steve just bringing back amazing childhood memories like it's nothing LOL.

Back in 1981 I drove a brand new Chevy wagon like this on the very dark roads of upstate NY with a family friend. He had asked me to drive. We needed the high beams that night. He told me to put on the brights. I didn't know where they were as a 17 year old driver who only knew the high beam switch located on the floor board. He said "Pull the switch OUT on the left hand side of the column." I pulled straight out of the column! Luckily we were able to put it back in place and continue on!

Thanks Steve! Nice suicide door Lincoln in the background...hint hint.....

I have a 1 gen newer (the beluga whale style) Buick Roadmaster wagon with the LT1 as my daily driver. Never fails to attract attention wherever I go. Love long roofs, and thanks for the vid, Steve. 😁👍

I had a 1985 caprice wagon It was a great for me i was a drummer in a band at the time . My buddy just sold his 1989 caprice wagon

Good Morning Steve, Me and my family were looking at photo's from the past, When I was 3 years old My father owned a 55 Chevy Nomad Station wagon,2 door It was 2 tone Teal Blue with white what a Beautiful Car, I never knew, he own 1, Being 1 of 10 children, some thing we never knew. Thought I would share.

It still amazes me that Steve doesn't wear gloves...at least nitrile gloves... the way that he sticks his hands in everything.😁

My parents had an 84 caprice wagon from 87-92.

The abuse some of those vehicles endured is one of the greatest achievements of GM.

The main reason for leaf springs on those big clamshell wagons was to clear the floor area for a forward facing 3rd seat. The crossmember for the control arms would have taken up all the foot space. The weight hauling advantage was a secondary side benefit.

My 84' Buick Estate wagon looked just like that car...Nice cars.. I was 21 when I had mine..307 motor

I really appreciate those glass sealed headlights, cheap, superior optics to many of the systems that followed, and their performance barely degrades over their service life, and did I mention, they are cheap!

Neighbors had one of these when I was a kid. What a big'un.

Those 1971 thru 1976 full size Chevy's were really bloated and oversize in every dimension so it wasn't hard for them to downsize them. My stepmother's dad had a 1976 Chevy wagon with the 454 and I changed the water pump on it once back in the late 80's and after you unbolted the fan shroud and fan then you could pull the should out. after that you had about a foot and a half space between the pump and radiator. That was why it was easy for them to lose two feet on the 77's. one in the front and one in the back.

There is a reason GM dominated in the late 70's when they introduced that chassis and body. Nice riding comfy cars, easy to drive. Outside of the notorious GM quality control issues, the design was very reliable. My family had one for many years, more then we should have probably haha. The outside door handles were terrible, at least in northern climates. Made of "white metal"(cast) any freezing rain or ice and the little hinge arms would break. The rest of the body was very resistant to the salt rust compared to a lot of other vehicles and these were on the road way longer then most cars, even the early 80's models. The interiors got a major upgrade in seat materials in the 80's, in my opinion. Pro tip: have someone sit in the very back facing back. Find a snow covered parking lot. Crank wheel all the way to the left, gas it. These cars will firmly plant the front end for very quick cheeri-o's and the guy in the back gets quite the ride. Despite all of it's nice features and how comfortable it was, it is one vehicle I do not miss enough to day dream about finding one. it is the ultimate in utility and function, and they looked nice too. But if I was to get a car on that platform it would be an early 80's Olds 98. I would find an older wagon if I was inclined. I think I am not alone in that, these were around so long they lost their intrigue and appeal for collection. Maybe that will change in coming years as they become more scarce.

Great video! I grew up with wagons and worked with them well into the 90's. My high school car was a 1973 Caprice estate with the 400 small block and TBH400, later on I would work for a Taxi company which had a fleet of caprice sedans and wagons. One thing I think you could have added to an already excellent video would be the fact that the Chevy, Olds, and Pontiac wagons were all the same vehicle only rebranded. Every wagon I ever knew in the 1980's had the 307 Olds and it was also the go to motor for Cadillac RWD's of the 1980's of which I own today and is my daily driver (1986 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham Superior Hearse). Thanks for the vids! Keep 'em coming!

Man I remember those so well! Very comfortable ride they where! Back then in the mid 80s my wife’s father bought a Pontiac Catalina wagon similar to that! Actually they shared the same chassis and some body panels! That thing was one comfortable land yacht! And you’re right about the mirrors in those they where basically the same mirrors shared with other GM’s products! Great video Steve!👌😎👍

I had my car repair shop in Stockholm,1985-1997 i owned 5 Caprice wagon's,bought them cheap,fixed them, and sold them to laywers who loved these cars,i made good Money and had a nice driving between sales. One of my byers,got rear-ended by Carl the 16th. Not Elvis Presley,but the Swedish King,he was so proud over the dent so he did not let me repair it.

I have memories of one of these pulling my fathers stock car to the local dirt track, my family went coast-to-coast in that brown wood paneled beast.

All kidding a side. These. We’re. Real. Classics. We only know. This. Now. Thanks

Box Chevy’s 77-90 were the best, I have a 1978 Chevy Caprice Classic 2Door With 27k Original Miles I Love It! 😎

That Hudson is so cool.

My dad bought a new one just in white. Pulled our boat like a champ

I’ve had lots of GM B bodies and my wagons were some of my favorites.

My dad got a 78 Olds Custom Cruiser with the 403ci engine. My brother and I drove it like we stole it unbeknownst to my father, haha. With the ignition timing advanced and two stacked air filters having the very cool Qjet sound, the car was faster than my buddy's Z28, and surprised others as well. The engine surprisingly lasted to 175K miles as well.

The drums were the same thing that those on the the 9c1 police caprice I used to have. It was a 1990 and I have it as a winter car.

We're all pulling for you Steve. Hope to see you soon

That chrome strip behind the rear doors was new for 1988.

I see some funky Pontiac hubcaps in the trunk !

Steve is the best thing on KZfaq

Born and raised in turners falls have an 89 caprice wagon with a 305 efi mint condition from Texas 70000 miles

Love the videos!!!! Have you done one on the red dodge mega cab in the background? We had a club cab growing up. Thanks again for all the information

I LOVED my 1990 Buick Estate wagon! 1990 was the last year of the boxy design bodies for Buick as well.

The family truckster, and that thing was a couple of Fords LOL😅

Remember back then some gas stations had a plastic adapter to put regular in your unleaded car.

Wagon Queen Family Truckster. You think you hate it now, wait till you drive it!

No BS about this. August of 2015 I drove my then 83 Caprice Classic Wagon to a 12.29@108mph in the quarter mile at the then still opened Rocky Mountain Raceways in SLC Utah. I took the wagon as a complete stock unit and did this. 010 cast 350 2 bolt main block. Bored 020 over, flat top forged pistons, Gapless Total Seal Rings (The Best IMO) H beam rods, GM forged steel crank. AFR 195 heads, Trick flow intake, Holly 750 DP, NX kit bolted under the holly with 125 hit plugged into it. A friend of mine that was and still is the GM 700R4 God. He knows how to make these Transmissions handle upwards of 800 horse. 3500 Boss Hog torque converter. Then removed the stock 10 bolt 8.5. Had the rear end shop put in the Eaton limited slip with 4/11 gears. Micky Tompson SS drag radials, boxed upper and lower control arms, coil over shocks with footballs stuffed into the rear coils and pumped up to about 6psi. This wagon blew everyone's mind including mine. The goal was to make the thing hit a 13 second pass. I will never forget how after that first pass when I come back around in the staging lanes how the people was swarming around the car asking me WHAT THE HELL. Even the nice lady at the ticket ET shack when she handed me my time slip saying "I love this car. Such a sleeper." The car met it's demise when I acquired the current wagon. All of the running gear was removed from the 83 wagon and stuck into the current wagon. Was such a fun time with that Caprice. 4100lbs going that fast, yanking the left front tire off the track surface at the hit was a blast. Thank you for this vlog, Steve. It brought back all of those memories.

My '87 Caprice sedan I bought has the title from the lady that bought it new in '88. Its in hard shape but it still runs with an oil burning 305 and slipping automatic.

My dad bought a new 79 Buick version of that wagon with the 350 engine. Was a dark metallic maroon with the wood grain trim. Not my cup of tea but he had real good luck with it. Traded it in on a new white Orca Roadmaster Estate Wagon when they first came out. The heated windshield on it cracked and it was $1100.00 then. He should have kept the 79!

😊

The Chevrolet Celebrity was an A-body model with engine sizes from 2.5- 3.1 litres. Pretty good cars if you keep maintenance on them.

That body style reminds me of the police cars when i first started driving... then i think the crown vic slowly took over ... now they drive ford explorers and Tauruses. Thanks for sharing !! 🦮

Steve... Still waiting and hoping for a junkyard crawl on the Chevrolet Advance Design pickups.😁😁

Good Morning Gents ! 🇺🇸

Get well soon Steve!!

In 1987 I went to work for a large hotel. It was a new establishment and had purchased two new Ford vans and a Buick Estate Wagon (think that was the model). Anyway was the Buick version of that GM wagon of the time. Also had the. 307. I always thought it was a Buick 307, but nevertheless seemed to be sufficient to power the vehicle for our purposes. When the bell staff didn’t show up to work, I’d get stuck making airport runs. I preferred to drive the wagon over the vans if there were only one or two guests. We had Ford & Mercury wagons when I was growing up, but had ridden in the bigger Chevy, Pontiac, Dodge, and even Volvo wagons of the late 60s, 70s. Each model had its own unique flavor. No one wore seat belts back then, so a five passenger wagon might haul 6-10 kids for some event or activity. Of course years later, we heard from news sources bashing the Ford Explorer and Firestone tires that Explorers with five seat belts and seven passengers suffered deaths - children thrown from the wreck when a tire blew. Anyway, wagons had more style than mini vans, and I think in high school, I would have appeared slightly more cool driving a wagon than a mini van. You could certainly bolt Cragars onto a wagon and at least do something with the exhaust. What I learned from this video is that the 307 Olds motor had brief status in a “corporate” engine role winding up in a Chevy - something I never imagined would happen.

I had a 83 bel air wagon....305....mattress in the back😂

We had a 77 Olds custom cruiser then we got a 86 Chevrolet Caprice wagon. Both great cars.

I always thought the 307 was born as as truck engine

Seating for 8 INSIDE. Additional seating for your mother in law on the roof in an emergency as demonstrated by Clark Griswald, and room for your dog in the case of Mitt Romney. Such versatile automobiles

Mine was a burnout machine at the grocery store my kids loved it Wife not so much good times indeed 350s forever.

Okay, on the rear deflector, the one on my ‘89 Jeep Cherokee worked OK as long as the vehicle was roaring along the interstate at speed and there was NO wind at all; no crosswind, no headwind, no tailwind. If there were any wind, that deflector was worthless! Maybe your results were better than mine, but I learned my lesson and every Jeep since was without a deflector. The 2011 Grand Cherokee I have now has one as part of the body design and works about the same!

Great 👍 show ! My parents have owned some of these full-sized RWD cars from GM over the years. These were very roomy, reliable and comfortable cars to own back in the day .

Interesting lil tidbit, in the late 80:s a few people noticed that you could go around the massive (100%+) car tax in Finland by registering US Station Wagons as vans and in short order over 10,000 were imported, so many that the east coast of the US was combed dry. I still have an 87 Caprice STW.

I almost had one of these back in the day. In 1994 I was moving from the east coast to west coast and my growing family had reached the limit of my 1985 2 door Escort. I wanted a big, safe, reliable car, had limited funds and wan't going to finance. The full size GM wagons with the 307 Olds were high on my list. My wife accidentally tested a well worn, rusty '84 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. What a great riding car and boy was it well within my budget, but that 4100 engine, no. So, we found a very nice '87 Buick Estate in great shape and just over 100K miles. We never make an instant decision and sat on for a bit. On the way home we drove by the Cadillac dealership and saw a silver Fleetwood Brougham that had to be an '86 or newer because of the HMSL in the rear window. These also had the 307 instead of the 4100, I also knew they were normally priced out of my budget. Anyways a salesman came up and said the car was being traded that day, too old for the lot, and would go to wholesale, but he could sale it to me for what he thought a wholesaler would pay. $3K. I usually had seen them for $4.5K and up. Turns out it was an '86 with less miles than the wagon, had been serviced by the dealer with all the receipts since new, and was in impeccable shape. It became our daily driver for the next few years in California until an idiot without brakes ruined it. But that's another story.

I had a 88 Chevrolet Caprice Classic wagon was a great car underpowered but ran great.

I remember these, worked for a couple guys, one had a white one, and the owner had a blue one which was a few years newer - he traded it off on a new Mitchubitchy Diamante.