With 2 newly arrived kids, I sold my Jeep (smaller XJ) Wagoneer in 1990 and purchased the Eddie Bauer Extended Version Aerostar at a sizable discount because the dealer couldn't move it off his lot at end of year. Metallic Raven Black & Gold on the lower panels it had 4 captain chairs in a tan plush with embroidered pine tree accents. Also included with the purchase was a matching canvas and leather luggage set...a set I still have and use to this day. I loved it and with the third row seat folding down into a bed, it was great for trips to Florida or a guy's only fishing trip to Canada! After a few years though and the kids getting a bit older, the van had become my daily go-to-work driver, and although very comfortable, I felt like a grasshopper with that big body swinging behind me on turns. I finally traded it in on a newer 4-door XJ Jeep Cherokee and never looked back. The wife was really PO'ed with me moving back to a Jeep, but it was the quintessential station wagon/utility vehicle of the day and served us well, all the way up to the time when my, now a bit older, driving daughter used and abused it as a high school driver. Great article and trip down memory lane.
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