For $4,950, It's An AMC Wagon, No Bull

Back in the day, AMC's advertising had people exclaiming So that's a Matador! Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe 304-powered Wagon is even more rare now, but will it have you saying so that's a Nice Price?

Scheiße! Yesterday's vote was closer than siamese twins flying coach, but in the end the aftermarket-adorned 1997 M3/4/5 was unable to overcome its 1/6/8 thousand miles, and went home with a 52% (I rounded down) Crack Pipe loss.

There's not all that much aftermarket left for today's candidate, in fact the market itself for AMC Matadors has shelves nearly as bare as Old Mother Hubbard, and that bitch is broke! That's why finding this '77 Matador wagon, replete with original woodgrain cladding makes it feel like it's Christmas morning and having a drunken prom date all rolled into one.

Like the dinosaurs from which they derive their fuel, big-ass station wagons are a species that came and went. But the candle that burns shortest also burns bright- or something to the effect, and just like their reptilian predecessors, the mid '60s to early '80s 6 and 8-passenger wagons continue to intrigue. If you're a fan of FoMoCo, or jones for GM, you've got a plethora of choice including Country Squires and Vista Cruisers. But if, at heart you're a Ramblin' Man, you're pretty much stuck with the Matador, not that it's a terrible car to be stuck with.

This '77 is of the coffin nose variety, its beak jutting proudly ahead and announcing your arrival like Ron Jeremy fresh on the set. Your engine choices for '77 stretched from a timid OHV inline six to a pair of AMC's tall-deck V8s. Today your choice has been further narrowed to that of the smaller V8, the 304-cid with 130-bhp. Mated to that is the only transmission offered that year, a Torque-Command three-speed auto, which you might also know as the Mopar Torqueflite, presaging that company's purchase of the Kenosha car maker outright a few years later.

Yeah, performance isn't going to tear you a new one, but these two and a half ton behemoths were built for comfort not speed. To that end, inside there's a pair of wide bench seats with enough legroom each that texting someone in another row won't seem all that strange. Out back, which literally could be in a different time zone, there's a flip-up rear-facing seat for two individuals who don't mind going tough life ass-first. If you're kind of a loner then you might appreciate the ability to fold that and the second row down for a configuration that would rival a pickup for capacity without all the attendant truckanegans.

As you would expect, its being a seventies survivor, this Matador is painted a medium brown, that color apparently having magical properties engendering longevity- a piece of information that Michael Jackson probably could have used before, well, you know. Along with its rootbeer paint, it is resplendent in plastic orgasmic woodgrain, covering both flanks and the two-way tailgate. Cragars and a heavy window tint express a healthy ying and yang of coolness and douchebaggery, but neither excessively detracts from the car's overall Brady Bunch vibe. The seller follows the current used vehicle selling practice of omitting the mileage, but does say that the car sports a new dual exhaust and, as it's originally from California, is rust-free and probably once had a roach clip attached to the rear-view. One glaring issue – although it may just be a glitch in the photo – is what looks like a Hulk-smash dent on the right-side tailgate pillar. If it is there, it doesn't seem to affect the glass' ability to go up, however.

SUVs are the evolutionary successors to the big-ass wagon, although that's a branch of the family tree that seems to be dying off. Still, like stumbling upon a lost tribe of Neanderthals (who capture you and eat your feet), finding a really nice old wagon, especially one that's a little on the kitchy/funky-side, is all kinds of cool. You, however, may be kind of cool to this Matador wagon's price, it coming in fifty bucks shy of five grand. Or maybe you'll think that's a pretty hot deal, who knows?. Either way, it's time to make your voice heard, so what do you think about $4,950 for this Matador wagon? Does that price make you want to dust off your red cape – which is where you keep your checkbook – or is asking that much just a bunch of bull?

You decide!

Nice Price or Crack Pipe: 1977 AMC Matador Wagon for $4,950.online surveys

Nice Price or Crack Pipe: 1977 AMC Matador Wagon for $4,950.online surveys

Dislexington Craigslist or go here if the ad disappears.

Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.