Vale affordable family wagon

[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.

[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.

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

[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.

[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.

[ToryMikey]

Originally Posted by 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.

Funny that you mentioned that Subaru story. My extended family always had local Fords (because of course they did) with the occasional Euro mixed in, usually a BMW 3 series.

I would ride in friends' Japanese cars as a child and feel they were...a bit substandard. Even at primary school age. Cheap and chintzy interiors, uncomfortable seats as you say, and noisy! I know it's a bit of a meme to bang on about cheap feeling doors but it's absolutely true. Compare a similarly aged Falcon to the Forester's door shut sound, and you will know what I mean.

Why would I want to ride in a Forester when I could sink into the velour of an NF Fairlane?

Agree 10000% regarding wagons vs SUVs.