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Mark,
What do you enjoy more, restoring the car or driving it? If the driving outweighs the restoring, go for the Imperial. There will still be stuff on the Imperial that needs attention (as any older car will), but it sounds like you can drive it home and enjoy instant satisfaction.
Yes, old wagons are cool. They are also harder to find parts for. And a C-body wagon may be even more difficult. If you want a V-dub, you’ll probably need a different mailing list to support that desire (but I can dig them). You’ll probably enjoy the MPG of a VW, but you won’t get the ride of an Imperial out of one.
I look at this hobby as more and investment in my mental health than anything else. I’ve known a few people that have made money on cars lately (mostly musclecars), but it’s a gamble. And just because someone put X-amount of dollars into a car, doesn’t mean they will get that back when it’s time to sell.
I got my Imperial because it was a great deal at the right time. A buddy came across it and called me because I’m a Mopar musclecar guy. The lure of a 440 drew me to it thinking it was going to be a rust bucket. When I saw the car and saw how solid it was I couldn’t part it out. My wife and I discussed it and decided it would be our 10th anniversary gift to ourselves. Our buddy towed it here, and I’ve started working on it, but several other distractions have kept me from making any real progress on it. After Carlisle I’m going to dive back in with at least one foot (a bathroom in desperate need of remodeling is getting the other foot). I need to get it more or less “complete” by October to use as the limo for my best friend’s wedding. My Intrepid R/T is the backup plan, but won’t be nearly as cool (even if both cars do have leather interiors).
The other cars in my collection were brought home either by subconscious childhood influences, fate, or just a plain good deal. The ’68 Barracuda I spent most of my single digit to early teen years growing up across the street from influenced the purchase of what is my “good” one and the other ’68 Fastback. Fate was the ’73 Challenger my wife claimed as hers. I looked at that very same car when I was in college, and wound up buying it several years later when it came up for sale again by the same owner (he didn’t sell it the first time) at an even better price. The two Darts were by good timing, the ’67 Barracuda convertible is by good price (and the fact I owned it previously). The daily drivers are similar. My ’96 Dakota was special ordered new (1st new vehicle I’ve ever owned) as a ghost of the ’88 Sport that was totaled shortly before we got married (that one was a fate deal when I bought it). The Intrepid was a cross between fate and a good deal, and Erin’s Wrangler was the Jeep she’s always wanted.
So what does all this mean? I don’t know. Maybe flip a coin then decide between the wagon and Imp. If you really want a VW, go get the cleanest one you can find. I still have a soft spot for a Baja Bug. Probably from seeing them at the shore as a kid.
Rob McCall ’67 LeBaron
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