3 Row Woody Wagon: 1976 Buick Estate
Others came close, but the 1975-76 Buick Estate seems to have won the award for the longest station wagon ever, measuring in at an impressive length of nearly 232 inches before the GM downsizing program chopped almost an entire foot off for the following year. 1976 was also the swan song for the Estate coming with a big 455 engine under the hood, making this one a desirable example if you’re in the market for a really large family hauler from a bygone era. Athroplay, thanks for your fun tip here!
This one’s said to be a one-owner example that until recently spent its entire existence in the West Texas and East New Mexico regions, with the dry climate helping to preserve the sheet metal, as the seller states that rust is limited to a very minimal amount. The vinyl top and faux-wood siding help add to the cool factor here, although the simulated grain is slowly fading away. A fresh paint job would help to make this one beautiful on the outside again, and I hope when this one gets a respray some fresh woody materials are sourced for the sides, instead of eliminating them and just turning the exterior into a single color.
Plenty of power accessories and options can be found inside, with one of the more desirable features being that this wagon is equipped with a third-row seat, which the seller says looks like it’s never been sat in. The driver’s seat has a couple of tears and the dash shows some cracking, but to be nearing 50 years old, most things in here have held up fairly decently overall. Another nice feature is the tailgate design, known as the clamshell, as the tailgate slides under the rear floor and the rear glass goes up into the interior roof area.
The seller states that the 455 is still running well and that the wagon is driving properly, though he suggests a new set of tires plus a few miscellaneous items to turn it into a daily driver. If you’re feeling nostalgic and dig wagons, this one has made its way up to Arvada, Colorado, and it can be spotted here on Craigslist where the seller has set his asking price at $7,800. Is this 1976 Buick Estate a station wagon you or a friend might be interested in pursuing?
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Comments
We had the Oldsmobile version. My dad says it was his favorite car of all the cars he had. Something broke in the rear of the car, so the rear tailgate would only retract a few inches, and he got rid of the car, got a 1977 Vista Cruiser, and regretted it. He used to complain that he should have just spent the money to fix the car, but that ship sailed.
As much as the car needs cosmetically, I think it’s worth the money. It just needs TLC to be enjoyed, and since it’s a fully loaded with every option wagon from a dry climate, again, I think it’s worth the money, I wish I could buy it.
Arvada is22 miles from us closer to the foothills. we make take 6th ave. drive up to see this rare Buick.. Wish it was a Cabellero, be driving it home.
That busted grille could be hard to source.
& how does 1 repair all those faded woodgrain panels, let alone source good or NOS ones?
That can be done with a wrap.
Woodgrain decals from this era were typically Di-Noc, manufactured by 3M. They offer a wide variety of finishes, so it should be fairly easy to find something that comes close to this wagon’s original woodgrain. Di-Noc is also the material that was used to give clay styling models a painted appearance.
Go on the demo derby websites. these clamshell cars and the sedans are still being used and they remove the header panels. with a bit of luck you could probably end up with a couple of them
Does anyone see the damage on that right rear door?
It’s hard to see in the picture, but it doesn’t appear to be latched properly, is that what you mean?
@Chuck Simmons
The top of the door looks OK, but the bottom looks to be misaligned or possible they just didn’t shut it all the way.
Wood tone, a vinyl roof and beige? Oh, baby! She looks pretty solid. As good as a truck if you’re not hauling dirt. You could have the coolest car at the show.
Neat car! Fully equipped, too, including climate control A/C. The clamshell tailgate is a cool novelty today, but back in the day it came in for some criticism. The sloped rear window stole some cargo area, and the system took about 8 seconds to operate. That doesn’t sound like much, but when you’re standing in the rain with a cart full or groceries in paper bags, 8 seconds was an eternity.
I’d rather have a trimmer ’68 caprice wagon with the coolest ever very rare for ’68 hidden headlite front end, big block, & 4 speed manual! & no nonsense tailgate – tho the ford copied 2 way tailgate was not avail until ’69, i think, on big GMs.
I’d rather have a 1974 Angie Dickinson.
Give me a solid loaded 1970 Estate Wagon. Why Buick built the car for one year and then introduced a new totally different vehicle I’ll never understand.
I would leave it as is and drive the hell out of it also would make a great tow vehicle
Oh the fat Elvis…….. when compared to some of the fantastic wagon designs through 1970, I just can’t go there with this one. Square headlights, catalytic converter, freight train bumpers, and yes, the fake woodgrain…… just hideous.
But that said, I know there will be some people who love it just for that reason and more power to them, they should be quite the cruiser for nine passengers!
I had a 1973 Chevrolet Caprice Estate with the power clamshell, in 1976. Loved that car. Only problem was it wasn’t a 9 passenger, but me and a couple friends managed to get about 14 sailors in it from Jacksonville , Florida. I lived in Orlando at the time.
Around 1978 the power steering pump went. The car was stolen (after it was fixed) from the garage and found in Key Biscayne. Pretty beat up.
My sympathies for your loss. Losing a car to theft is always painful, and despite auto insurance, you always lose money in the end. My Mom’s Mazda 626 was stolen while she was visiting relatives in Pennsylvania many years ago, and even though the car was recovered and repaired, it was never quite the same after that.
@Robert Ackinson, Jr.
Thank you, Robert. That was one car I wish had never been stolen. Kids, apparently, joy riding after burglerizing the shop. They hit a few things, side swiped a few things, broken passenger mirror.
I was not a smart 28 year old. Did not know I could sue the shop for repairs. Also never told my insurance company. Yeah, I was REAL knieve back then. I owed my ex boss some money so I gave him the car.
My boyfriend soon after bought a ’68 Cadillac Coupe de Ville which I got when we broke up. I took that back to NJ where it died a lonely death.
But you’re right. Despite insurance, it’s never the same or the replacement rarely equals what once was.
I had a ’76 Estate Wagon in Continental Blue with the shiny chrome rims like this car and a roof rack I found in a salvage yard on a Pontiac of the same vintage. It was one of my all-time favorite cars. I bought it for a song when gas prices were insane and drove it for three or four years. It had a few mechanical issues due to being part of the malaise-era, but I had it shined up like a jewel all the time. My friends and I called the tailgate the “jaws of life” for some reason. It was handy for scooping up drunk friends from the bar parking lot and getting them home safely. No tailgate to get over, you know. It met an untimely death in my driveway, t-boned by a different drunk guy in a Grand Prix doing close to 100 mph. He hit the curb, went airborne, and came down right on the driver’s side while I was sleeping. When I called my insurance agent, the secretary argued with me about why I couldn’t drive the car to the claim office. I had to explain to her that the driver’s seat and steering wheel were by the passenger window. I still miss that car.
Mom had a 1976 Buick Estate Wagon with the 455, red with white top. Dad drove it to Alaska with all 7 of us in it in 1978! Our CB handle was Big Red. Great memories of that huuuuge wagon! Rarely see these cool clamshells for sale these days.