Vale affordable family wagon

[Sprintey]

https://www.carsguide.com.au/car-new...lden-commodore

The 6 wagon came up recently in one of the other threads and was agreed to be a Good Thing as it's a new wagon with the large dimensions akin to what the locals had, in a sea of SUVs. A full size wagon at under 40K before onroads.

It was having a reprieve, apparently - while Japanese sales would stop, Australia would still get them... not so, according to this article.

So that's it for the fullsize family wagon.

Any wagon anecdotes welcome, what was your favourite big wagon?

[Franco Cozzo]

We've got two VF Commodore sport wagons as company cars, with the seats folded down and a cargo barrier to keep it safe it's amazing what you can fit in back there, it's a somewhat OK to drive company work vehicle, ours have the shitful 3L V6 and even with me giving it to them they sit around 10-11L/100km.

I think the Falcon wagon is a better more heavier duty fit though for a work wagon.

Otherwise the MD Mondeo wagon is a stand out for family wagon, which was also another casualty of Ford.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

https://www.carsguide.com.au/car-new...lden-commodore

The 6 wagon came up recently in one of the other threads and was agreed to be a Good Thing as it's a new wagon with the large dimensions akin to what the locals had, in a sea of SUVs. A full size wagon at under 40K before onroads.

It was having a reprieve, apparently - while Japanese sales would stop, Australia would still get them... not so, according to this article.

So that's it for the fullsize family wagon.

Any wagon anecdotes welcome, what was your favourite big wagon?

HZ Premier wagon was the best back in the good old days.

[ford71V8]

Miss our AU wagon. Sparkling burgundy, lowered on ROHs
Did plenty of holidays in that one, kayak strapped to the roof and getting into places a low car like that shouldnt be.

[Sprintey]

Had metallic purple HJ wagon, HZ wagon, XW wagon - they were all wonderful. M&D had a Renault 12 wagon, VR wagon (timing sender unit adventures) and VY wagon which they still have - great car.

Space to fit all the gear, good on road comfort, handling came second.

My fav moments: taking the HJ up to Lancelin and putting the boards under the car and sleeping in it, waking up to be first out in the surf on those crisp offshore winter mornings. The XW doing a Brand Hwy run in 45 degree heat, just floating along the road with the Windsor burbling along and the AC pushing out at -1. Borrowing Dad's VY for a Goldfields work run and all rules stopped just out of the last town while following a WRX, Evo Lancer and SS - while I couldn't keep up with them the wagon just cruised beautifully with all my work gear at a lesser warp factor. A further adventure was a VZ hire car wagon from Darwin to Katherine going 145-155, I'd been told the semi trailers ran you down if you weren't going 150 but I think the hire desk staff were having a lend.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

Had metallic purple HJ wagon, HZ wagon, XW wagon - they were all wonderful. M&D had a Renault 12 wagon, VR wagon (timing sender unit adventures) and VY wagon which they still have - great car.

Space to fit all the gear, good on road comfort, handling came second.

My fav moments: taking the HJ up to Lancelin and putting the boards under the car and sleeping in it, waking up to be first out in the surf on those crisp offshore winter mornings. The XW doing a Brand Hwy run in 45 degree heat, just floating along the road with the Windsor burbling along and the AC pushing out at -1. Borrowing Dad's VY for a Goldfields work run and all rules stopped just out of the last town while following a WRX, Evo Lancer and SS - while I couldn't keep up with them the wagon just cruised beautifully with all my work gear at a lesser warp factor.

Big Aussie wagons just floated down the road, eating up the miles. Our family wagons did everything my father needed them for, running a furniture factory carrying lounge suites, frames, supplies and large fabric samples while out quoting at night, during the week, while running every weekend down to Ulladulla with the family and our crap onboard without a problem.

[.:4:.]

My late dad reckoned the ef futura calssic wags was the best car he had ever had. Big boot to chuck bikes and stuff for picnics and 3 kids in the back. Yeah he had had nicer cars like the cressia he had before the wags and a benz, jag and audi after the wags. But the ef was the all rounder and cheap to maintain. Any mechanic could service it, tyres were cheap and it never had any mechanical failures. The m class mercedes that replaced it, well, 255/65 16s werent cheap, it had the airbag module replaced early on in the piece but not under warrenty as there was a can of baked beans bashing around under the seat. That was a 4wd so not technically a wagon.

[Electrolyte Burns]

Back in 2017 I bought a 2007 BF wagon with 147K on it. It now has 167K. I expect it will see me out.
Love it.

[Sprintey]

That's a good point about not technically being a wagon - I always called my HJ60 a wagon and the Terry a wagon, although they are not in the nomenclature.

What has really happened is that the 2 box wagon design has taken over the market, it just got raised higher as it appealed to more people. The 3 box design has become the dual cab ute.

[Sar4890]

I had an XE Falcon wagon back in the day. Its was very comfortable and drove awesomely unfortunately rust got it in the end.

[roKWiz]

I wouldn't consider an Audi, BMW or Mercedes an affordable family wagon either.

[smoo]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

I wouldn't consider an Audi, BMW or Mercedes an affordable family wagon either.

I’d go a 300TE for <$20k.
7 seater, self leveling suspension, function over form. Smooth cars to drive and ride in.

[mad2]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

https://www.carsguide.com.au/car-new...lden-commodore

The 6 wagon came up recently in one of the other threads and was agreed to be a Good Thing as it's a new wagon with the large dimensions akin to what the locals had, in a sea of SUVs. A full size wagon at under 40K before onroads.

It was having a reprieve, apparently - while Japanese sales would stop, Australia would still get them... not so, according to this article.

So that's it for the fullsize family wagon.

Any wagon anecdotes welcome, what was your favourite big wagon?

dunno why you call it a "fullsize family wagon" as it's like most after the falcon died - there just a 'pregnant' sedan nowadys. i'll pass on the merc..

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by mad2

dunno why you call it a "fullsize family wagon" as it's like most after the falcon died - there just a 'pregnant' sedan nowadys. i'll pass on the merc..

As opposed to the midget family wagons around back then.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by smoo

I’d go a 300TE for <$20k.
7 seater, self leveling suspension, function over form. Smooth cars to drive and ride in.

image

image

Looks like an exciting position in a rear end smash, you could watch all the way in….

[Sprintey]

Originally Posted by mad2

dunno why you call it a "fullsize family wagon" as it's like most after the falcon died - there just a 'pregnant' sedan nowadys. i'll pass on the merc..

Well I was in the Mazda dealer the other week and got a good look around one, and yes, to me, the big wide low dash was just like the Falcon/Kingswood/Commodore wagons. Now regarding the pregnant sedan bit, if you mean there's not much boot area as they tend to style the back part to look cool, like the Sportwagon, then yes, I agree.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by jpd80

Looks like an exciting position in a rear end smash, you could watch all the way in….

We had a rear facing third row seat like that in a Premier wagon and watched in excitement as a motoXer hit our towbar and went straight over our roof.
Fortunately for him we were stopped in traffic outside Mollymook Hospital and my aunt who was also in the car was the head sister there.

[GXA]

My dad had:

XK, XR, XW, XC, XE, EB, EL....all wagons.

I've had:

XP (grandfather's), XF, EL (dad's), CM Valiant...all wagons.

All gave faithful service, and I'd have any of them back, but the CM was the standout...

I now have a GU Patrol TD42T wagon. Bought it new in Jan 2000. It's a keeper...

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by GXA

but the CM was the standout...

Floats around like a battleship. I had a CL Ranger wagon once, great ride.

[GXA]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Floats around like a battleship. I had a CL Ranger wagon once, great ride.

It had factory PS too, when PS meant POWER STEERING....but you got used to it....and it handled better than the wagons from the other 2 (except the HZ)...

[smoo]

Originally Posted by jpd80

Looks like an exciting position in a rear end smash, you could watch all the way in….

Yeah, and it is still prob a safer place to seat a child than the latest 5 star ANCAP econo shitbox.

[Sprintey]

Those CL wagons sound really good, never drove in one, any more stories of how they compared to Holden and Falcon welcome!

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

Those CL wagons sound really good, never drove in one, any more stories of how they compared to Holden and Falcon welcome!

They were certainly bigger in every way, not to good on stopping though. The trim level was good. Mine was a 3 on the tree, front bench seat which wasn't as supportive as say the Holdens I owned or this Ford van now.
Going around corners you could feel the body rolling due to the super soft ride.

Most notable drive was loading it upto the window sills with hard pressed commons (bricks) and taking them home, bonnet when skyward while the rear valance sitting on the ground.
With the rear seat down it was huge in the back.
But that 245 Hemi made it worth owning, swapped it for another Holden Panel van (HJ)

[DFB FGXR6]

The very first car I drove was an white EB II Falcon GLi wagon with the 4.0 engine and BTR.

I was around 12 or 13 at the time, so about 1999/2000, and the car had about 240,000 km on the clock and pretty tired. I didn't care though, it was a car and I was driving it!

Dad would let me drive around the workshop yard on Saturday mornings, then he would take me way out way to learn on dirt roads. A live axle, low end torque and gravel roads..................

Seriously though, I learnt to drive before any of my mates, sort of got the hooning out of my system before getting my license. Sadly, my birthday is in late December, so I didn't get my license while still at school.

But that Falcon wagon sort of cemented me as a Ford man. The car was my father's company vehicle.............. or rolling smoko room. It's at this point where I became aware that my father and I are very far apart when it comes to cars. For him, they are an appliance or necessity. For me, they are an obsession. As such, he didn't care that the old Falcon had a collapsed drivers seat, that the brakes were shot, that it would occasionally have that hideous fan belt squeal, that interior was ALWAYS filthy with empty soft drink bottles and scrunched up pie wrappers.

The Falcon would eventually be traded in on a brand-new BA Falcon in 2003..............guess who made that choice The EB II was sent to wreckers with a busted gearbox, the BA became my mother's car and the first-gen Subaru Forrester then became my Dad's car.

I always hated that Subaru by the way. As a growing teen, the backseat leg room was woefully inadequate and the seats themselves rock hard and uncomfortable. I always preferred the Falcon from a back seat perspective, those seats were sooooo comfortable and the leg room exceptional. And the big 4.0 would cruise or overtake much easier than the asthmatic 92 kW boxer in the Subaru.

And so, we arrive at the point of a wagon............they are just better family cars than a SUV. They drive better, are better packaged, cheaper to run and service.

[lra]

HJ Kingswood wagon manual 4 speed, factory optioned with all the GTS fruit (except for the V8, which I couldn't afford to insure. )
Can't remember how many Kms it did, on all sorts of roads, a lot of which now only traversed by a 4WD SUV or ute.
It only lasted 30 years, until it was rear ended at a roadworks traffic stop. I negotiated to have it repaired, in hindsight I should have written it off, but $$$$ were in short supply at the time.
Another 3>4 years, and I eventually gave it away to be a parts donor for a sedan and 1 tonner Ute. Another mistake, as the interior, motor and box were good, but the body behind the front doors was FUBARd, and the good bits are currently 'gold plated' classic sought after spares.
The Territory is a good replacement, but the 'love' is just not there.

[danzvtil]

Don’t forget the Japanese Aussie wagons. Sigma thru to Magna wagons, and Camry wagons. The choice of sales reps everywhere.
My 2003 TJ Magna was bought new by a credit union as a company car, and later I drove it to Uluṟu, on the derestricted territory roads it hit its straps at 140kph and just sat there composed as ever.

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by danzvtil

Don’t forget the Japanese Aussie wagons. Sigma thru to Magna wagons, and Camry wagons. The choice of sales reps everywhere.
My 2003 TJ Magna was bought new by a credit union as a company car, and later I drove it to Uluṟu, on the derestricted territory roads it hit its straps at 140kph and just sat there composed as ever.

An unmetional wags, me dad bought a brand new 1990 mitsubishi magna safari wags. He got the run in service done at the dealer, but the next 'log book' service, well, they remembered to put the sump plug back in however they forgot to put oil in it. The thing was still pretty new but warrenty wouldnt put a new astron 2.6 in it, so my old man ditched it for agreed trade price. So a bum deal.

[ford71V8]

For a short period I needed to drive from Adelaide to Woomera each week for work. I was supplied a new EF wagon, dark green. It carried my crap and tools and was a hot work environment. I was literally sitting and working in the back cargo area, tailgate up, with thick cable looms coming up out the dirt and into the car where I would use a butane soldering iron to fit the connectors.
Was the newest car I had ever driven at that time and loved how comfortable and roomy it was. Was a big reason why we later bought the AU.

[willo56]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

https://www.carsguide.com.au/car-new...lden-commodore

So that's it for the fullsize family wagon.

Any wagon anecdotes welcome, what was your favourite big wagon?

Had to be the EL Falcon Wagon - such a good looking roomy car with a modern and comfy interior for the time...

[ToryMikey]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

We've got two VF Commodore sport wagons as company cars, with the seats folded down and a cargo barrier to keep it safe it's amazing what you can fit in back there, it's a somewhat OK to drive company work vehicle, ours have the shitful 3L V6 and even with me giving it to them they sit around 10-11L/100km.

I think the Falcon wagon is a better more heavier duty fit though for a work wagon.

Otherwise the MD Mondeo wagon is a stand out for family wagon, which was also another casualty of Ford.

My dad has had three Mondeo wagons in a row now. He loves them. All three adult kids fit in the back when needed, plenty of kit and luxury (only Titanium spec for dear ole Dad), handles great too for what it is. He couldn't believe Ford cancelled it.