Manual transmission entry-level station wagons have exited the US market entirely, leaving only a handful of wagon options in their wake. Nobody paying attention should be surprised by this - the manual transmission faces near-certain demise in North America, and crossovers have replaced the station wagon as the most practical family car.

Today's Fiat 124 is comparable to the recently departed Golf Sportwagen, taking up entry level family transportation duty. The twin cam Lampredi engines were not available on the wagons; in their place came a trusty OHV 4-cylinder. The 64hp unit wasn't overly burdened by the ~2000lb curb weight, but upgrading to a classic SOHC 1300 or 1500cc unit from an X1/9, or perhaps a DOHC unit from the 124 model-range would be a good upgrade.