Why Does America Hate Wagons?

[supton]

Originally Posted By: dareo
I love double cab 4x4 trucks as much as the next guy and see them as better than bigger SUVs. I have an old truck but it only gets used for dirty jobs or really big items.

However this thread is more about daily driver Sedans Vs Wagons. Why do people go for the sedan? Lack of USA wagon choices? If you get on a japanese used car market page you can see all sorts of cool wagons we don't get here. Same thing with Europe.


Unfortunately my double cab is my daily driver, at least until I find the next daily driver.

As I've contemplated my choices, one of the thoughts has been so I can do amateur radio while mobile. A station wagon presents a few issues on HF that isn't there on a sedan. That's pretty off the wall though.

My Jetta wagon seemed to always have a dirty butt. Always. Did not help to have the worlds most pathetic joke for a washer spray pattern--even new everyone knew it was pathetic.

I can't put my finger on it but I seem to think sedans look better. The wagon is more functional, which is why I owned one, and won't be against another one--but I think a sedan looks better.

 

[dareo]

The wagon is hard to style well. Many ugly wagons out there, Toyota Camry Wagon i'm looking at you! My E39 wagon was quite good looking and i like the golf looks too, but more ugly wagons out there than good looking ones.

 

[Silk]

Originally Posted By: azjake
For anyone with back/hip/knee problems, getting in and out of a SUV, or Truck is a lot easier than a sedan or wagon.


You have a lot of cripples there then ? The Volvo station wagon looks much better than the sedan.

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: Rand
So Shannow.. do you ever actually need the snorkel or is that just bling like the mall Jeeps around here?
(Just curious)

I actually wanted one on my 2002 Ford Ranger but I took it off-road quite abit.


https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2095899

Air intake from the factory is the LHS wheel well, and in some standing water, it got sucked in...not taking that risk again.

Up there means that the air cleaner has nowhere near the number of small insects and grass seeds that the wheel well intake always used to have.

And besides, I like the extra induction noise, and Adam West style batmobile noise it gives.

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm

Now that's a real station wagon and the only one worth owning IMO. The Wagon Queen Family Truckster in Metallic Pee. You think you hate it now, wait until you drive it!

 

[NHGUY]

I don't hate them,but seemingly everybody today has a macho SUV/CUV/4x4 mentality.So wagons don't sell,and manufacturers push more crossovers in their place.

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: dishdude

Now that's a real station wagon and the only one worth owning IMO. The Wagon Queen Family Truckster in Metallic PeA. You think you hate it now, wait until you drive it!


(as in Pea Green...)

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Originally Posted By: dishdude

Now that's a real station wagon and the only one worth owning IMO. The Wagon Queen Family Truckster in Metallic PeA. You think you hate it now, wait until you drive it!


(as in Pea Green...)


I think the joke was pee

 

[andyd]

Heh heh for a brief time in the early 80s I had a faux wood bile green metallic '75 LTD with a very tired 460 in it. I also had a right sized '73 Torino Squire with a very nice Cleavland. Ford stopped making wagons around '87. The Caprice about '95 and it was a ***** blob at the end.

 

[zzyzzx]

Wagons are widely available in the US. They just mislabel them as "hatchbacks". My 1995 Escort is a hatchback. The current Focus is a small station wagon.

 

[spasm3]

Cafe killed the wagons, plenty of families had big station wagons up until the 80's.
Buick estate wagons had 3row seats, you could fit the family , tow the travel trailer,( they were heavy, low center of gravity and towed a travel trailer better than a 4wd truck or suv.) dogs and stuff. But the cafe fuel mileage killed them, and made the SUV popular over the small wagons.

 

[Blinker]

I love wagons, i wish the mazda6 wagon thats overseas would come here. I like the bmw 3 serieswagon and the mercedes e class but they are out of my price range. Fact is suvs look more macho, people feel safer and feel like they are invincible. Every car manufacturer does studies on the type of person that will buy a certain vehicle. Suv drivers tend to be the worst overall drivers and they hide their driving weaknesses behind the wheel or something that could potentially scare smaller cars off the road. It doesnt mean ALL suv drivers are bad. There are university studies on this as well. Dont get too worked up over these studies,I am simply the messenger. Studies have also shown that VW drivers tend to be more aggressive. Jetta drivers being the top.

An suv is fine if you actually need it. Although, id rather have a truck any day.

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: spasm3
Cafe killed the wagons, plenty of families had big station wagons up until the 80's.
Buick estate wagons had 3row seats, you could fit the family , tow the travel trailer,( they were heavy, low center of gravity and towed a travel trailer better than a 4wd truck or suv.) dogs and stuff. But the cafe fuel mileage killed them, and made the SUV popular over the small wagons.


No way, minivans killed wagons, and SUVs killed minivans. CAFE had nothing to do with it, it was just a change of taste in the vehicles Americans decided to buy.

 

[HerrStig]

Shallow people are all wrapped in the "impression" their cars create, and not many find the wagon impression very cool. You'd be surprised how many well off old money people who like to fly under the low life radar own older Volvo wagons. If we had more folks like that there would be less class envy for the politicians to exploit.

 

[earlyre]

always been a wagon fan, though i've never owned one. it boggles my mind every time i see someone with a Subaru Sedan...the non-wagon models just don't compute to my brain...why would you buy an imprezza, or outback sedan??? why even make them??

maybe it's just me...

 

[HerrStig]

Toyota sells a four wheel drive Camry wagon in the "former Soviet Union". Apparently they can make more money selling RAV 4s here.

 

[Andrew1972]

I own a 2005 legacy turbo wagon which is basis for the raised suspension outback. The legacy barely sold near demise while outback sells like mad and very successful. The Legacy wagon was killed in 2007.

My guess is outback is #1 selling wagon if it qualifies.

 

[ammolab]

I loved my turbo 850 Volvo wagon. Drove great and would haul a lot of stuff. Got great mileage and you could make an evasive maneuver or handle a tire blowout without rolling over.....Large SUVs and Pickups have been killing the gentry for decades.

 

[Silk]

 

[Vern_in_IL]

Originally Posted By: madRiver
I own a 2005 legacy turbo wagon which is basis for the raised suspension outback. The legacy barely sold near demise while outback sells like mad and very successful. The Legacy wagon was killed in 2007.

My guess is outback is #1 selling wagon if it qualifies.


I always thought the "Outback" was the wagon, and the Legacy was the sedan! Had no ideal Legacy had a wagon option!(but why would you get a Legacy wagon instead of a Outback wagon? At that time why no just go all out with Imprenza STi? Legacy sedan just seems ordinary in their line up. Don't forget they were still poorly selling "stocked up" Baja's...)