Fact: There are no non-luxury small station wagons currently on sale in the United States.* There’s no one to blame for this situation, unless you feel a need to rant against a buying public that has latched onto crossovers in much the same way music lovers have latched onto downloadable music.
I have a warm spot in my heart for small wagons. And though my own 1984 Pontiac Sunbird was a coupe—with the same cool wheels seen on the ‘Bird below—I always thought the wagon looked pretty good, too.
Here we present the small wagons of 1984. That was the year Reagan was reelected president, and the year George Orwell predicted we’d all be wearing blue jumpsuits. Most importantly, in 1984 you could order a small Oldsmobile wagon with a manual transmission, sport suspension, AND woodgrain bodyside trim.
The 10 Cheapest Wagons of 1973
Small Wagons of 1984
Buick Skyhawk
Base engine: 88-horsepower 2.0-liter 4-cylinder
Base price: Custom $7685, Limited $8135 ($370 destination charge)
Chevrolet Cavalier
Base engine: 88-horsepower 2.0-liter 4-cylinder
Base Price: Base $6375, CS $6666 ($370 destination charge)
Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country
Base engine: 96-horsepower 2.2-liter 4-cylinder
Base Price: LeBaron Town & Country $9956 ($398 destination charge)
Hard to Park: The Longest Sedans of 1973
Dodge Aries
Base engine: 96-horsepower 2.2-liter 4-cylinder
Base Price: Custom $7736, SE $8195 ($398 destination charge)
Dodge Colt Vista
Base engine: 88-horsepower 2.0-liter 4-cylinder
Base Price: Base $8115 ($175 destination charge)
Ford Escort
Base engine: 80-horsepower 1.6-liter 4-cylinder
Base Price: L $6313, GL $6773, LX $7939 ($308 destination charge)
Honda Civic
Base engine: 76-horsepower 1.5-liter 4-cylinder
Base Price: Base $6299 ($174 destination charge)
10 Worst Vehicles of the Past 10 Years
Mercury Lynx
Base engine: 80-horsepower 1.6-liter 4-cylinder
Base Price: L $6448, GS $6887 ($308 destination charge)
Nissan Sentra
Base engine: 69-horsepower 1.6-liter 4-cylinder
Base Price: Deluxe $7049, XE $7649 ($185 destination charge)
Oldsmobile Firenza Cruiser
Base engine: 88-horsepower 2.0-liter 4-cylinder
Base Price: Cruiser $7521, LX Cruiser $8073 ($370 destination charge)
Plymouth Colt Vista
Base engine: 88-horsepower 2.0-liter 4-cylinder
Base Price: Base $8115 ($175 destination charge)
Plymouth Reliant
Base engine: 96-horsepower 2.2-liter 4-cylinder
Base Price: Custom $7736, SE $8195 ($398 destination charge)
5 Most-Expensive Wagons of 1978
Pontiac 2000 Sunbird
Base engine: 84-horsepower 1.8-liter 4-cylinder
Base Price: Base $7115, LE $7819 ($370 destination charge)
1984 Subaru
Base engine: 73-horsepower 1.8-liter 4-cylinder
Base Price: DL $6770, GL $7369, GL 4WD $7918, GL 4WD Turbo $10,174 (destination charge NA)
1984 Toyota Tercel
Base engine: 62-horsepower 1.5-liter 4-cylinder
Base Price: Deluxe $6588, $ Deluxe 4WD $7458, SR5 4WD $8278 (destination charge NA)
*A Volkswagen Golf SportWagen arrives soon as a 2016 model.
**Though arguably a hatchback, Nissan referred to this sloped-roofed compact as a wagon.
10 Most-Expensive Wagons of 1983
Small Wagons of 1984
