The Ford LTD was once as ubiquitous on American roads as traffic signals and crosswalks. It was from an era that was quickly evolving as vehicles were increasingly downsized, both in terms of size and engine displacement. However, consumers still wanted to be coddled and feel like they were driving a floating couch, so manufacturers responded by making downsized versions of what they did best: land yachts. The LTD, which rode on the esteemed Panther platform, was a sales success for Ford, and examples like this ridiculously low-mileage specimen listed here on craigslist are a throwback to a different time on American roads.
The seller is asking $15,000 for the LTD, which shows just 6,875 miles on the clock. It almost certainly belonged to an older adult who simply didn’t drive much, as these vehicles were popular choices for the retiree set. Despite the so-called downsizing, the LTD was still a conventional rear-wheel drive setup, and a standard 5.0L V8 was the base engine. Looking at it now, the shorter wheelbase and standard 302 makes for a compelling combination, and at the time, consumers agreed: the LTD proved tremendously popular, handily outselling its primary competitor, the Chevy Caprice. As we can see from these photos, the Midnight Blue Metallic paint is in excellent condition.
And it gets even better when you see the interior: the seats show essentially no wear-and-tear, and the front passenger seat and rear bench look like they have never been sat in. When sellers use the word “time capsule”, it can often be a stretch, with flaws still visible even if the overall presentation is strong. In the case of this LTD, it’s an entirely appropriate description, as the car looks absolutely stunning. This is still a delightfully simple car, however, with crank windows, manual locks, and an AM-only radio, but it still features air conditioning and an electric rear window defroster. It really does seem like the original owner recognized where some convenience would be nice, but that they didn’t need unnecessary features.
The LTD’s 5.0L V8 is as mint as the rest of the car, and I would assume it runs like a Swiss watch. You really can’t ask for a better setup in a Ford product, and while the seller notes it sports a conventional 3.08 rear axle, you don’t need anything over-the-top in a car like this. While you can’t drive this LTD in everyday traffic, where it will certainly be sacrificed to the gods of irresponsible and under-insured drivers, it is a vehicle you can reliably fire up and take on some errand-runs early on a weekend morning. While the price is all the money for an LTD, how likely is it you’ll find another one this nice? Thanks to Barn Finds reader Mitchell G. for the tip.
Very nice. Takes one back to the time when this type of vehicle was common. Not much to fault here, if this appeals to you.
Just yesterday, I saw a Grand Marquis of about this vintage, same color, in what appeared to be good condition, cruising down the highway. It had a real estate sign on the door. The agent out doing his work, I’m sure. Potential buyers and sellers would find it a fun conversation piece.
Thanks Jeff.
That’s around 15 miles per month of driving. Wow.
I know the term time capsule gets used a lot. But in this case, it fits. This is litterally brand new. As much as I think it would be cool to drive a brand new ’82 LTD, I’d hate to have anything happen to it like Jeff pointed out in his article, it may not be us that we need to worry about, its all the other knuckleheads out there texting and driving while drinking their fancy mocca latte. This is absolutely in amazing condition and hope it finds a good new home.
Needs a 4 speed
Wow, nice. Treated right, you’ll get 150k miles out of this bad boy.
We got 320k miles out of ours
Another seller offering up proof of low mileage, 6875, which consists of nothing more than a picture of the speedometer. It may look nice, but if you expecting to be paid a premium, have something more to back it up.
Steve R
I imagine you can look for that when you get to negotiating in person. I wonder if that would qualify for a black Uber? Make a great airport shuttle. You could fit half the Soprano family in the trunk.
If you can’t tell that this is a low-mileage car by looking at it, then you need to find a new hobby. I’m sure you weren’t going to buy it anyway, lol…but, thank you so much!
… first thought, the basis for the ‘Men in Black’ car from the first movie…
I wonder what $ the dealer gave for it.It is a nice piece of history.
Way over priced but a nice ride.
yeah, it’s clean and looks like low miles but as stated you need more than an odometer pic. dealer selling so IMO way overpriced foe this car, but somebody will empty their wallet for it just not me
Though this is an ’82, the ’83 EFI 302 & the nightmare VV-equipped 351″HO”, the lesser of the two was virtually trouble-free in comparison! As well, the 302 ran neck & neck w/the 351 all the way to 80mph!
Remember these cars. Remember those days. Sure miss them both.
These Panthers are well worth the price. Wonderful units. A smart buyer will nab this!
Looking under the hood at the exposed metal stuff (alternator, compressor, EEC box, etc.) reminds me of 1980, when I ordered a Country Squire with all the fixin’s on it. What I got was a hood with rust developing at the cowl area, and the same condition under the hood. Took me a year of squawking with my Ford Zone Rep, who had everything repaired and cleaned up. He finally fessed up and said that a lot of hoods weren’t prepped properly. Don’t get me wrong, that car was a gem (even had CB built in) and I kept it for many years.
My 1988 Mercury Grand Marquis, essentially the same as this car, has 408,000 actual miles and has never been re-built. The grey velour seats STILL show no wear or “staining°! Her silver-grey paint is a bit dull, but having no garage will DO that! Yet, even through nearly 40 years of northeastern winters, there are only slight spots of surface-rust — in fact, I’ve never seen one of these cars rusted-out. Mine has the much-to-be-preferred fuel injection; however, that said, I wish I had the crank windows and manual door-locks, since those mechanisms are sore points with my Grand Marquis. And an A.M.-only radio suits me just fine, with all of the profane NOISE all over F.M. these days! NObody plays my era in popular music any longer — even “oldies” stations are about a quarter-century too up-dated for me (fine for my kids in their sixties). And I can carry a good talk-show 100 and more miles on A.M. (don’t try THAT on F.M.!). Wish I had the money: I’d retire my fading Grand Marquis and hop into this!) [by the way, at my age, I’m not “hopping” into anything — it’s more like biting the bullet of pain and groaning my way into that seat]. But I look gratefully at it this way: sure beats being buried six feet under the ground! The only major drawback is, except for my siblings, all those I knew in my youth have long since preceded me into death, and I’m the only one left to remember it all.
Those variable venturi carbs on those early 80’s LTD’s were a pain in the butt. Besides that, they were a great road car and like you said, they were plentiful and everywhere. That same LTD/Crown Victoria platform was used from 1979-1991, a testament to how great a car they were.
Why is it that low option models always get preserved?
Thankfully, it’s an ’82 so you can buy a CarFax, which should go a long way to proving that mileage claim. Not bulletproof evidence, but a car with a long service history will prove otherwise.