Today, most wagons are luxury-brand wagons. By our count, there’s just one non-luxury, non-crossover wagon available for sale in the U.S., and that’s the Volkswagen Jetta.
Before minivans and crossover SUVs, however, mainstream wagons populated a healthy number of garages and driveways nationwide. But for folks looking for a little something extra transportation-wise, a good number of premium wagons could also be had.
We present here the ten most-expensive station wagons available to American shoppers in 1983. It’s interesting to note that the magic line to make this list is a base price over $10,000. Just one other 1983-model wagon crossed the $10,000 line, and that was the Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser. It started at $10,083, which would have put it 11th on our list.
For a little perspective, consider the price of the most-expensive wagon on the list, the Mercedes-Benz 300TD. That $33,000 price tag–more than three times the cost of the least-expensive wagons on this list–does NOT include leather, which was a $1083 option for 1983.
If you’ve spent time with any of the wagons on this list, please tell us about it. It’s good to know we’re not the only folks who remember these rides fondly.
10 Most-Expensive Wagons of 1983
Mercedes-Benz 300TD: $32,933
Overall Length: 191 inches
Wheelbase: 110 inches
Curb weight: 3780 pounds
Base Engine: 120-horsepower 3.0-liter turbodiesel five
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Volvo 760 Turbodiesel: $19,595
Overall Length: 190 inches
Wheelbase: 109 inches
Curb weight: 3330 pounds
Base Engine: 106-horsepower 2.4-liter turbodiesel six
Volvo Diesel: $15,470
Overall Length: 189 inches
Wheelbase: 104 inches
Curb weight: 3200 pounds
Base Engine: 76-horsepower 2.4-liter diesel four
Volkswagen Quantum GL Diesel Wagon: $14,995
Overall Length: 183 inches
Wheelbase: 100 inches
Curb weight: 2650 pounds
Base Engine: 52-horsepower 1.6-liter turbodiesel four
Toyota Cressida: $13,729
Overall Length: 187 inches
Wheelbase: 104 inches
Curb weight: 3010 pounds
Base Engine: 143-horsepower 2.8-liter six
Buick Electra Estate: $13,638
Overall Length: 221 inches
Wheelbase: 116 inches
Curb weight: 4350 pounds
Base Engine: 140-horsepower 5.0-liter V8
Datsun Maxima GL Diesel: $12,529
Overall Length: 187 inches
Wheelbase: 103 inches
Curb weight: 3000 pounds
Base Engine: 120-horsepower 2.8-liter diesel six
Peugeot 504 Diesel: $12,455
Overall Length: 189 inches
Wheelbase: 109 inches
Curb weight: 3050 pounds
Base Engine: 80-horsepower 2.3-liter turbodiesel four
Mercury Colony Park: $10,896
Overall Length: 218 inches
Wheelbase: 114 inches
Curb weight: 3940 pounds
Base Engine: 130-horsepower 5.0-liter V8
AMC Eagle Limited: $10,343
Overall Length: 183 inches
Wheelbase: 109 inches
Curb weight: 3280 pounds
Base Engine: 75-horsepower 2.5-liter four
Ford Country Squire: $10,253
Overall Length: 215 inches
Wheelbase: 114 inches
Curb weight: 3900 pounds
Base Engine: 130-horsepower 5.0-liter V8
