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The death of the station wagon
cnn.money ^ | February 15, 2011 | Alex Taylor III

Posted on 02/16/2011 1:53:13 AM PST by Daffynition

The news came like a blow to the gut for this child of 1950s suburbia:

Volvo, the company most associated with station wagons for the last 20 years, will stop selling wagons in the U.S. The market is drying up.

The Volvo wagon had been on life support for months. After dropping the larger V70 Volvo in 2010, Doug Speck, CEO of Volvo Cars of North America, told Automotive News he was giving the V50 another year because there "is a bit more energy in the small wagon segment."

Not enough, apparently. Volvo, which was sold to China's Geely in 2010, sold just 480 V50s last year, about two per dealer.

(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; History; Travel
KEYWORDS: familytruckster; metallicpea; michigan; that70sshow; vistacruiser
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To: Daffynition

Yeah. So did my 67 Olds F-85. Every once in awhile the left foot “looks” for it ;-)


101 posted on 02/16/2011 8:41:47 AM PST by DJ MacWoW (America! The wolves are at your door! How will you answer the knock?)
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To: DJ MacWoW

IIRC the floor mat had a little *hole* to accommodate the button. Life was good then. ;D


102 posted on 02/16/2011 9:23:18 AM PST by Daffynition ( Live EACH DAY as if it were your last, but EXPECT that there still may be a tomorrow.)
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To: Daffynition
IIRC the floor mat had a little *hole* to accommodate the button. Life was good then. ;D

The good ones did. The cheap ones scooted around it and sometimes interfered with it working. I like my Audi but I'd love to have my 67 again.

103 posted on 02/16/2011 9:30:45 AM PST by DJ MacWoW (America! The wolves are at your door! How will you answer the knock?)
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To: Daffynition

Put a catback exhaust on it like a Borla, get an aftermarket ECM tune from Cobb and you can get that 0-60 down into the low-mid 4’s. In a station wagon, lol.


104 posted on 02/16/2011 9:54:53 AM PST by RegulatorCountry
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To: JoeProBono

That’s not a station wagon, that is a shooting break. Ferrari just introduced a new one:
http://wot.motortrend.com/four-2012-ferrari-ff-unveiled-before-geneva-launch-25225.html


105 posted on 02/16/2011 10:27:53 AM PST by Flying Circus
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To: Flying Circus

106 posted on 02/16/2011 10:46:00 AM PST by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet - Visualize)
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To: RegulatorCountry
*Natural aspiration* Bring it on!


107 posted on 02/16/2011 10:49:42 AM PST by Daffynition ( Live EACH DAY as if it were your last, but EXPECT that there still may be a tomorrow.)
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To: Daffynition

Vista Cruisers are cool.

We had our share of station wagons growing up:

‘63 Ford Country Sedan station wagon (with a 260 CID V8)
‘73 Mazda RX3 “Woody” wagon (only got 16 mpg)
‘77 Chevy Impala wagon (with a 150 HP 350 CID V8 - gotta love smog control back then).

I’d like to get an older GM station wagon with a 455 V8 - that would be fun.


108 posted on 02/16/2011 11:12:00 AM PST by Disambiguator
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To: Daffynition

Driver was a soccermom blabbing on a cellphone, I can tell by that lane change. Kids screaming louder than usual, though.


109 posted on 02/16/2011 11:53:19 AM PST by RegulatorCountry
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To: Daffynition

Driver was a soccermom blabbing on a cellphone, I can tell by that lane change. Kids screaming louder than usual, though.


110 posted on 02/16/2011 11:53:27 AM PST by RegulatorCountry
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To: RegulatorCountry
HAHAHA! That's *me* on a normal commute ... no longer a soccer mom/jr. rifle club mom ....running late as usual and trying to get around the Subarus in the travel/passing lanes using Skip Barber Driving School techniques to advantage. :D

???Wait what???

111 posted on 02/16/2011 5:42:16 PM PST by Daffynition ( Live EACH DAY as if it were your last, but EXPECT that there still may be a tomorrow.)
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To: Liberty Valance

My dad’s was a ‘71, I believe. Only 2 made. His and one for Evil Knievel.


112 posted on 02/16/2011 7:14:06 PM PST by ArtDodger (Reread Animal Farm (with your kids))
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To: JoeProBono

I used to think Ferrari could do nothing wrong...

...but that just ain’t right!


113 posted on 02/17/2011 9:58:43 AM PST by snuffy smiff (Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy.)
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To: Daffynition; grellis; AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; ColdOne; ...

Volvo station wagon is an oxymoron. Volvo? No wonder the market has been on life support.

The station wagon died out because of the Chrysler minivan, and to All — no, I’m not interested in how station wagons continued to be made after “Mopar” came out with the minivan. That’s like saying buggy whips continued to be made after Henry Ford started building autos on an assembly line.

Thanks Daffynition.


114 posted on 02/18/2011 4:06:18 PM PST by SunkenCiv (The 2nd Amendment follows right behind the 1st because some people are hard of hearing.)
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To: Springman; sergeantdave; cyclotic; netmilsmom; RatsDawg; PGalt; FreedomHammer; queenkathy; ...
If you would like to be added or dropped from the Michigan ping list, please freepmail me.

LOVED our Escort wagon, which met its end in an accident. There are no good, new models out there, and that's a pity. JMO

115 posted on 02/18/2011 5:55:42 PM PST by grellis (I am Jill's overwhelming sense of disgust.)
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To: grellis

I once drove a bright yellow Matador wagon.


116 posted on 02/18/2011 5:57:32 PM PST by cripplecreek (Remember the River Raisin! (look it up))
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To: Walmartian

Harold and Maude


117 posted on 02/18/2011 6:02:34 PM PST by AppyPappy (If you aren't part of the solution, there is good money to be made prolonging the problem.)
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To: Daffynition

I think of wagons in that space as Sport Utility Sports Cars and wish we had more choices. There are plenty in Europe that don’t make it across the pond because idiot soccer moms have to have SUVs.


118 posted on 02/18/2011 6:06:38 PM PST by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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We always had wagons as kids growing up. Used to lay the seats down and bounce all over the place. We even used to put the back tailgate down and sit on it with cans on our feet and drag um on the street as dad drove. Ah the good old days before seat belt laws and parents just picking you up of the street and telling you to shake it off after you fell out the back.


119 posted on 02/18/2011 6:09:05 PM PST by Pylon (Tagline: (optional, printed after your name on post):)
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To: SunkenCiv
“Mopar” came out with the minivan.

No they didn't, that's Chrysler propaganda...

But they did build a pretty good late model station wagon...the Dodge Magnum.

120 posted on 02/18/2011 6:24:44 PM PST by ROCKLOBSTER (Celebrate Republicans Freed the Slaves Month)
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