The traditional shooting brake is one of the most elusive-yet-desirable car platforms in recorded history. This ramps up the want by being perhaps the most elegant example of what can be done when you mix coupe-grade fun with wagon-grade practicality.

This 1973 Volvo 1800ES oozes character. It isn't perfect by any means, but it's a testament to aesthetically pleasing Swedish design, sort of like Ikea without the crappy build quality. Only 8,000 examples of this car were built, so there is a bit of future classic potential here. Couple that with its more than adequate 125 horsepower engine and you have a car that isn't a liability in traffic and welcome at every Cars and Coffee around the country, and perhaps the world.

Sure, it might need some slight reconditioning, but even at , it's a Swedish ton of style and practicality for the money.

is the founder of and writes about on the internet. He owns the world's cheapest , a , and he's the only Jalopnik author that has never driven a Miata. He also has a real name that he didn't feel was journalist-y enough so he used a pen name and this was the best he could do.

There's a difference between being cheap and treasuring value per dollar spent. One is knowing…