One of the great qualities of the classic car scene is that it is continuing to provide some really interesting vehicles for the enthusiast who really wants a station wagon. This 1972 Ford Country Squire is a perfect example of this trend. It’s a vehicle that nicely combines practicality with surprising performance. This one looks like a clean example that would make a great project, and with a BIN price of $4,200, or the option to make an offer, it even manages to slip into the affordable category. Located in Nicolaus, California, you will find the Ford listed for sale here on eBay.
The Country Squire isn’t perfect, but what helps to make it into a car that holds plenty of promise is how solid it appears to be. There are a few minor marks and dings on the body, but there doesn’t appear to be any major signs of rust or rot. Even the more rust-prone areas such as the bottoms of the quarter panels and the lower tailgate look really good. There are some cosmetic issues to address, but a fresh coat of that Ford Medium Blue Metallic paint would make a huge difference to the car. Another big plus is the fact that the wood paneling seems to have survived with very little damage.
The positive vibes for this Ford continue with the condition of the interior. Matching the exterior paint, the Medium Blue upholstery looks like it has survived life in California fairly well. The dash pad and steering wheel are both cracked, but the seats look to be in quite decent condition. Those of you looking for a 3rd row are liable to be slightly disappointed because there isn’t one fitted to this Country Squire. Some of the vinyl on the door trims appears to have lifted on the edges, but I think that this could be stretched and glued back into place. By way of comfort features, the wagon is fitted with power windows, power locks, and air conditioning.
Under the hood is a 429ci V8 engine, which is backed by the 3-speed Cruise-O-Matic transmission. Power steering and power brakes take some of the hard work out of the driving experience. This is where things get a little more complicated because the owner says that the ignition switch has failed, so the car doesn’t start. However, he does say that it ran well before that, so hopefully, this will be a fairly easy fix. When I said that the Country Squire possessed surprising performance, it’s best to remember that this is a relative thing when put into the context of when the car was built. In this form, you’re talking about a vehicle that weighs 4,700lbs and is designed to carry six people. That makes the standing ¼ mile time of 18 seconds quite respectable. Alright, it may not be muscle car territory, but it’s still okay.
For me, the greatest frustration with this Country Squire is the fact that it currently doesn’t run. Balancing that out, it does appear to be one of those project cars that once it is running, would be able to be used on a regular basis while the restoration project was undertaken as time permits. Where cars like this Country Squire, and most other station wagons from this era, come into their own is in the fact that for many years they were considered to be a disposable item. They saw duty as a family hauler, and once they had deteriorated, many eventually found their way into the crusher. Today, they are making a comeback, and the large station wagon looks like it will just continue to grow in popularity. With so many having gone to that great auto graveyard in the sky, that makes vehicles like this Country Squire both a great project, and a reasonable sort of future investment.
Id buy this and clean it up and take on a vacation across the country. This is a perfect car for condition and price .
Man, these things could really kick butt at the demolition derby! Spray paint a big red target on the side, and write “Master of Disaster” on it, and you were a hero at the county fair…
Funny you should say that ! My first derby car was a green 72 County Squire wagon with a 400 cubic inch . I paid 50 bucks for it and it was only an 9 year old car (New England winters and two boys learned to drive in it pretty much tells the story !) I thought it was a pretty huge car, but there was plenty of huge iron out there . I didn’t win, but it was pretty much a mess when I was done. The best part of these was the location of the gas tank which was up by the rear diff as opposed to saddle tanks most wagons had. The bad part was that the distributors were in front of the engine , so if your radiator got hit, the cap and wires got soaked and your engine would crap out .
You’d think the guy would spend a buck two ninety eight/a dollar three thirty for a new ignition switch! Hmmmm.
Any time I see a comment like.. “easy fix”, “just needs a bulb”, “needs a re-charge”, “a quick tune-up and she’ll run great”, “parts to fix XYZ are cheap and easy to find”, “tires just need air”, “Perfect interior except driver’s seat and the covers are cheap and easy to get online”..etc….
It’s a big red flag. Because if it were that easy, then the owner / flipper would have already done it to remove doubt and increase the value of the car.
Simple rules of common sense. Wash it, make it look as good as possible, fix and replace simple things so as much of the car works as possible. If the seller can’t / won’t even do that, then I steer clear. They are hiding something.
I agree with Edselbill , all you have to do is fix the key, there now thats done , ok im starting my nice new 429, oh sh%# the last guy did nuetral to drive holeshots and my cruisematic is now a broken bruisematic and my 429 idles good but has a major rap.Aside from that these are great rigs, what a great under the radar tow vehicle, probably comfortable as a lincoln? Yea the wagons always weighed more at the yard
lots of rust? in the rear cargo/passenger compartment. wish it was closer.
lots of question marks and money just to trailer it back to ohio. fair price would be
2500-3000. IMHO.
Grab this for the motor.
Put it in a Torino.
Sell the shell to Clark Griswold.
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I grew up in the red version of this same car, my mom actually cried when it came time to move on from it in the mid 80’s. Great car, holds everyone/everything, dropdown and swingout rear door (if it works, ours didn’t), rear seating well in the trunk (or the “way back” as we called it) for the little kids, 429 power. We never wore the lapbelts, biggest fear was a kid sitting in the front seat splitting their face open on that crazy dash point in a sudden stop. The “airbag” or restraint was the driver’s right arm, if they could move fast enough! Great memories, good times, we survived the 70’s in this tank of a car. Hope it goes to a home where it brings someone similar joy and memories.
What’s up with the steering wheel center being dismounted? And is that an external oil pressure gauge or temp gauge under the steering wheel dead center? We grew up with a similar yellow 71 Merc wagon until 76 when the parents went with a Suburban 454. Great memories :-)
You can tell just from the few photos on Barn Finds that this area of California is capable of blowing desert sand all over a car within minutes of it being washed. I think we are looking at sand not only on the exterior but the interior too. Seller should invest in the ignition switch if that really is all that it requires to drive off. I call “shenanigans” until then. Lots of GREAT stuff in the background of the pictures! My my…
A) Fly to California, B) hire local Ford mechanic to check ignition and other possible issues, C) make reasonable offer, D) have said mechanic fix “issues”, E) maybe a vacuuming and power wash,and F) drive back to Wisconsin and hijack Peter Egan for a road trip, probably towing some sort of race car & and write book of our adventures ! Yay !
I would be concerned that the left real wheel appears to be sitting far more outboard than it should.
Probably that goofy large profile tire with the wide whitewall, mismatched to the other three corners. Looks like an average family hauler seen everywhere in the mid 1970s. Seems out of place in 2019 and consumes most of the driveway.