I got another wagon!

I just pulled the trigger on another wagon! White 91 RMW woody that is cosmetically challenged, but is very straight, completely rust free, and is just about perfect mechanically.... even the auto-leveling works!
It's got 171k miles, but all eight cylinders of it's 305 compression-checked at 165 PSI......
So far I've swapped it's (better) hood with my OCC and grabbed the leveling compressor for the OCC, as well....
I paid $800 for it, but it's a better car than the blue 91 OCC that I sold to my neighbor (for $1500) so I'm going to trade the RMW for the OCC because I want the drivetrain for my 69 chevy van and would rather see the better car preserved........The blue OCC is also a rust free car but has a blitzed quarter panel and tailgate and the rough tan leather interior swapped from my white OCC....Once I have the drivetrain out, I'll have parts for sale..... Most of the sought-after stuff is not in great shape though (or missing)

Lucky. I just looked at two wagons this weekend. Both rustbuckets. Once I have the cash I'm likely going to get a nice one from your area.

I face a somewhat similar situation. The '94 Caprice I bought a few months ago has the same color blue interior as my '96 Roadmaster. The Buick's rear plastic panels are not in the best of shape from me using the car for what it was intended, as a hauler, in this case, everything from construction materials, garden plants and stones, to tools and scrap metal.
The Chevy has MUCH nicer panels especially the tailgate panel. Kind of a tough decision which car should end up with the nice panels.
The Chevy is in overall better shape mechanically than the Buick, but the Buick has the nicer body and being a Roadmaster compared to a base Caprice has a MUCH nicer interior (from the second row of seats forward).

I mostly watch Craigslist in PHX, LVN, and "Inland Empire" (southern California) and very rarely have to consider rusted cars........and the rust free stuff is rarely any pricier.....Most of this stuff would be highly coveted in the rust belt...... it's just too far away to be practical

If I found a nice one for 800, and then shipping runs about 1000-1200, it would be worth it. Decent rustbelt cars still have surface rust on the frame and flaking primer/surface rust on the floorpan. I paid 2k for my OCC,and it's a nice car with 110k now. Still has the surface rust underneath. I'd pay that much in a heartbeat for a clean desert car. Even if that means buying a rustbucket and swapping interiors, mechanical parts, etc. Just to have that clean no rust undercarriage would be the holy grail here.

Even around SoCal where the big wagons don't sell very well you would be hard pressed to find one for less than 1500. People still have to figure in the cost of a replacement vehicle which is usually closer to 3000 for the slightly desirable ones. A non-running vehicle is a different matter.

I've owned four 91 wagons (so far) that are all rust-free..... Three of them were $1000 or less.... Of those, only the Caprice with 80k original mile didn't run (I better than doubled my money on that one!) I paid a bit more for the blue olds because I wanted the near-perfect blue cloth interior out of it (and broke even re-selling it!)
I did a quick CL search just now and there are about eight viable wagons under $3k right now between Vegas, Phx, and SoCal.... Several of those are LT1.....
I've read too many horror stories about sight unseen cars and auto transport to buy a car long distance.....If I lived east and wanted a SW car, I'd ride amtrak out, rent a car and go shopping..... register my purchased car and drive it home! (I'd register before leaving the area to be sure no title problems exist and so I'd have a title in my name to transfer in my home state, and also to simplify any contacts with LE during the return trip) A variation would be to rent a uhaul rig and tow it......My usual deal regionally is to go with my dually and car trailer after making firm appointments

I doubt I could afford a sight seeing trip to check out wagons, maybe in a few years.

I do not need a title in NH for cars 99 and older, which makes that process easier. In fact if you come across cheap b-bodies with missing titles I would be interested, assuming it's legit.

It's tough, being on the east coast it would be a haul to get one from your area back here, but I feel it would be worth it for the right car. My gf wants a Roadmaster wagon so I've been casually looking for a nice 95, want big mirrors and OBD1 to avoid the emissions inspections on ODB2 cars here.

Here is a few pics:







So I made the deal to trade the white RMW woody to my neighbor for the blue OCC I sold him about six months ago......The RMW is better equipped and is in better condition, cosmetically, then the OCC.....A much better car to preserve!....I bought this car knowing that one of these cars will be the donor for my 69 chevy van project and I'm really glad it won't be this RMW!
Anyway, the new owner, Keith, got to work on stripping the blitzed faux wood trim and I installed the Caprice bumper I had along with the ImpSS grille from the blue car..... I'm also going to help him with the headliner and stereo.......