By Tim Odell
Our last Showdown’s sitting within the margin of error with the 8-lug Pontiac leading the sliding roof Studebaker 41-40.
We’re in a bit of a half-ass Friday mood today, so the only threads linking today’s contestants are that they’re both GM products with a unique flair, and they’re the same price. So with that, it’s the 9-passenger, bespotlighted, bewindowed Buick Sportwagon Vs the neat and tidy 4 speed Corvair.
The original plan was to do a Corvair Vs Camaro showdown, based on the legend that the Camaro and 2nd generation Corvair but it turns out the best 1st or 2nd generation Camaro you can get for the $6k asking price of this Corvair is a clapped-out shell. This ‘vair is quite the opposite. It sports a 4-speed and recently rebuilt 145ci dual-carb pancake six. The paint and interior are new/refreshed as well. It’s only got 57k miles on the clock. Corvair quirkiness aside, this looks like it could be an incredible value for a clean driver.
This Buick Sport wagon’s in a bit rougher shape, but certainly offers a better American Iron/dollar value. Also: windows/dollar. Also: passengers/dollar. Lastly: Spotlights/dollar. The seller claims the 340c.i. V8 starts and runs “like a new car”. The paint and interior have a few minor issues, and the wheels should’ve been retired along with Vanilla Ice side-of-the-head-buzz-stripes back in 1992. Not a bad buy for $6k, though.
[poll id=”25″]
Kamil Kaluski
Though I like that Buick, the nicely equipped Corvair gets my vote. Post '67 Corvairs were rare even when new – how many are left now? The Sport Wagon has a scruffy interior while the Corvair has a four-speed and full gauges. By the way, why are there two cylinder head temp gauges? One for each bank of the flat six?
I've got a wife, three kids and a dog to transport and I'd love to get rid of the minivan in favor of a second wagon. I was conceived in a Corvair, though. Driving one would be like returning to the womb.
H*ll, Mad_Science, it's a longroof. Do you need me to vote to get my answer? Although that Monza sure is nice. Hmmm….
I've always wanted me some of them fancy GM wagon skylights. Sportwagon for me, nice Corvair I suppose.
My grandmother would be spinning in her grave if I bought a Corvair. She had one, and hated the thing. Me, I have nothing against them, but I like that Buick wagon much more. Load it full of camping gear and take it on a long roadtrip. Or, I could see it pulling one of those little teeny Airstreams. Even better.
I'm a hatchback and wagon guy (I've owned three of each kind so far), so I pick the Buick.
I love wagons, and the '66-'67 Vista Cruiser/Sport Wagon twins are among the coolest, but the 'Vair is much less of a basket case and way more fun to drive.
I used to own a '65 Monza convertible, but I love wagons. Lets see….the wagon. No, the Corvair. No, the wagon. No, the Corvair. No, the wagon. No, the Corvair. No, the wagon. No, the Corvair. No, the wagon. No, the Corvair.
My head just exploded.
I'd take the 'vair just to tick off Nader. Vote cast.
A '68 Corvair wouldn't have a 145cu in six – all '64 and later Corvairs are 164 cu in. Also, it's got a Corsa dash, which would be from a '65 or '66 Corsa. It's also got chromed 15" chromed super sport wheels, which aren't original, but that's okay. And by 1968, they all had front sway bars. The owner doesn't sound like a Corvair guy, just a guy who bought a restored car. It's probably worth $6k, assuming it runs well, but it still needs things like a new wiring harness.
Hmm, Corvair or wagon?
I think the correct answer is yes.
BTW, Nader was the featured speaker at a CORSA national convention one year (in 1991), but unfortunately, they couldn't get him to ride in a Corvair. Oh well.
I like Buick Sportwagons but the black taxi interior on that one does nothing for me. All wrong for a vehicle designed to let the sunshine in. OTOH, the Vair is a CA black plate car, which gives it a shot at being free of the common Corvair tinworm issues, and the Corsa dash is a nice upgrade. That's enough to give it my vote.
There were two Sportwagons in 1967 – base and Custom. The Custom got the fancier interior and – for the first time in '67 – exterior "wood" grain. The plain black interior on the featured base car turned me off too and helped tip the balance to the Corvair.
Corvair for me. The Buick is nice and all, but it's just too…. conventional. I love the late Corvair styling, and the "WTF?" factor really appeals to me. That dash with the dual temp gauges is just gorgeous!
'Vair in a red hot second.
Corvair, the phone number to a reliable supplier of Fitch Sprint/Yenko Stinger parts and a fully primed and loaded check book please.
Good-bye Lost, I’ll always remember you!
The Corvair is beautiful with the rally wheels.