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Big Garage Find: 1977 Ford Country Squire LTD

Does a 1977 Ford Country Squire LTD now count as a legitimate collector car? The seller of this barn find LTD station wagon seems to think so, and I might be inclined to agreeing with him. These land yachts represent an era we’re not returning to any time soon, making them somewhat iconic. This example is claimed to be a family’s summer road trip vehicle, subsequently locked in the garage for many years. Find it here on eBay with bidding over $4K and the reserve unmet.

The seller claims it was owned by a doctor who parked the Country Squire in the garage in 1985, and later passed away. The wagon was fairly well-equipped, including the then-novel “Seek” function on the factory radio and 400 V8, the biggest engine you could spec for the year. Mileage is reportedly just over 30,000, and the interior seems to verify that odometer reading.

Check that out: rarely do the interiors of family trucksters look that good. However, that might be some mold lurking on the armrest. The seller does admit water got into the garage, which is what’s responsible for the pockmarked exterior that’s littered with surface rust. Still, he says underneath is solid and that the 400 fired up with relative ease; even the tires are still original.

And, of course: the classic rear jump seats. A family-friendly hauler like this needs the rear seating area, and these compact benches appear to be in excellent shape like the rest of the cabin. The seller says the other iconic detail – the woodgrain trim – is in good shape as well. I’m not sure there should still be a reserve on this one, but it can’t be long now before it’s lifted.

Comments

  1. Avatar Bob_in_TN Member

    Who would have thought these big wagons would become collectible. But I now find them interesting, in a “can you believe these were once the norm” sort of way.

    This is a legitimate example, but I wonder about the surface rust. Where it exists, it looks to me to be more than “minor.” Would it have started from where there were nicks in the paint? The external trim and bumpers look a bit tired too.

    I don’t think one would be doing justice to this car by leaving it in the current condition and treating it as “patina”… because it’s not, it’s damage from insufficient storage.

    Thanks Jeff.

    Like 10
    • Avatar Steve R

      To me, surface rust is something that can be removed with steel wool, you are right, what’s present on this car is far worse.

      Old wagons are cool, but as with anything, making a good decision at the time of purchase is critical. I’d rather have the white Chevy wagon that was featured on the site yesterday.

      Steve R

      Like 6
  2. Avatar CCFisher

    The 400 was standard in wagons; a 460 was optioinal

    Like 6
    • Avatar Del

      What ?

      It is a wagon.

      Was there a 460 option or Not ?

      Like 0
      • Avatar Steve

        Yes, the 460 was optional in 1977.

        Like 1
  3. Avatar Little_Cars

    If I was the seller, I would be hesitant to put “holy grail” in the description of this wagon. We all know they are/were quite common. This one appears to be showing rust from poor storage and not from driving in northern climates. The vinyl woodgrain looks nice. I don’t think it is mold we are seeing on the armrest — but I can just smell this cloth interior through the PC screen. Would need professional detailing products to get the stale out of that itchy fabric. Another seller who doesn’t want to the the extra time and replace soft parts–leaving it to the next owner. Really doesn’t cost much to replace hoses and belts, tires, and a gas tank sender.

    Like 5
    • Avatar r s

      I knew someone whose wagon might have been called a ‘holy grail’ – it was a 1964 Chevy Biscayne wagon with factory 409, 4 speed and the hood tach.

      He bought it cheap and used it as a daily driver, even ran it down the strip a few times when his regular racer was out of commission.

      Someday for nostalgia’s sake maybe I’ll find myself another 1969 Kingswood wagon with the 350 4bbl in the nice medium met. green with a dark green interior. Only heaven forbid that it have non power drum front brakes like my first one did back in ’73!

      I believe it was one of very very few to be built with that equipment.

      Like 3
    • Avatar W9BAG

      And wash the poor thing, for cryin’ out loud ! A before & after wash photo would have been appropriate.

      Like 2
      • Avatar Little_Cars

        The car was washed for most of the photos on eBay. You could tell, as Miguel has written, the moldy tires got a good scrub and the paint was washed to reveal huge splotches of surface corrosion. LOL

        Like 0
  4. Avatar dave brennan

    Nothing novel about seek function. Had it on my 64 caddy and I’m sure others.

    Like 2
    • Avatar moosie

      Seek function maybe novel for a Ford ?, my Dad had a ’59 Imperial with a seek & scan radio with the button on the floor. The paint on this one had to be damaged for it to rust from water sitting on it,

      Like 0
  5. Avatar Miguel

    A wagon in bad condition with electrical problems?

    Those bids can’t be real.

    Like 3
  6. Avatar Miguel

    Did anybody notice the seller didn’t put tires on the car? It looks like he aired them up and cleaned them.

    34 year old tires for that price? No Thanks

    Like 4
  7. Avatar Arby

    I don’t know about the “grail”, I don’t see it in the pictures.
    I do see holy fenders and holy hood though….

    Like 5
  8. Avatar Dovi65

    I love these old wagons; the bigger the better! As far as this one is concerned, that’s not surface rust but a bit more serious, and will need prompt attention to remedy. That’s several thousand dollars worth of repair & repaint. Currently this one sits at $4250 reserve unmet. Even tho it’s a rare find, and in [seemingly] good shape, $5K is about what this beast should bring

    Like 0
  9. Avatar Little_Cars

    One might, just might, get lucky when purchasing this car if it was Ziebarted when new. I think I see the telltale plugs in the photo of the tailgate open. Shame, though, that most of the ugly rust is on horizontal surfaces unaffected by the Z-treatment. Seller could maybe get $5k plus if he’d put a set of Michelins on it, replace the fuel sender and detail the interior and engine bay.

    Like 1
  10. Avatar Jonathan

    My family had a 1976 SQ (between 1986 and 1990) in this same color/denial combo, but with vinyl interior.

    I think this would make an interesting example daily driver fun, but not restore.

    See if the rust on the fenders is only very surface, clean it away and stop the corrosion, then get all the mechanicals going well, clear coat the exterior and then bombing around with a cool hauler for a bunch of years.

    But the purchase price as it currently is should be no more than $3,000.

    Cool time capsule at least

    Like 1
    • Avatar Damon Jake

      Gas gauge stuck electrical problems don’t ever buy a German car.lol

      Like 1
      • Avatar Jonathan

        Huh?

        Like 1
  11. Avatar TimS

    So now “iconic” means “throwback” too.

    This could be a cool car but it will take a hunk of money to make it a good-looking ride again

    Like 1
  12. Avatar john

    you could get a 460

    Like 1
  13. Avatar JP

    I bought one for my wife when our kids were little.We had leather int & it was a great car. Rode like you were in a Lincoln!

    Like 2
  14. Avatar r s

    In about 1995 I bought a 1970 LTD Squire wagon identical to the one you see in the ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ movie. Same colors in and out, had a 429 and air conditioning. I bought it in VT but it had spent its whole life in TX and CA prior… you could get underneath it on a creeper and unbolt things that had not budged since the assembly line. ZERO rust except one tiny corner behind a back door that had collected some dirt. No other rust. I paid $290 for the car. Based on these prices, it would be worth a heck of a lot more now.

    Like 1
  15. Avatar Glenn Schwass Member

    Wow it sold for $6k. The boss of my first job as a dishwasher had one of these. I had to use it to pick up suppliesonce in a while. It stunk like restaurant grease and drove like a boat. It had the huge vinyl seats you sort of slid around on…not my thing but obviously someone is reliving their childhood.

    Like 1
  16. Avatar TimM

    The original soccer mom car or SUV if you will!! Everyone had them as like the mini van of today!! Put the kids in the car, groceries in the back and away you go!! Most of the older ones had big motors to haul a load!! Now everything is a four cylinder!!

    Like 1
  17. Avatar TM

    They came standard with a 351 V-8. The 400 and 460 were optional. This was the first year with a speedometer which only went up to 85 MPH. The 400 was the worst for 1977-78 model year. They were prone to develop a cracked engine block. Ford extended the engine warranty from 12/12 to 3/36. I worked at a Ford dealership at that time and Ford would only replace the engine block vs. the complete engine. Customers were not happy. I bought a 1975 Country Squire Landau in 1983 for $500. Only had 40,000 miles. It had the 460 with leather seats, ginger brown metallic with all the options. It was a great car except it only got 7 MPG and could only go 175 miles in between fill ups.

    Like 1
  18. Avatar Del

    Colostomy Park Special.

    Good luck wth that 6000 dollar bidder showing up. Or even sending the deposit.

    Like 2
  19. Avatar Karl

    Collectable, seriously if it’s so collectible why was not it even washed? Sorry but all I see is a big long eye sore that would induce my wife to kill me if this showed up at my shop!

    Like 0
  20. Avatar Jay

    Love it!

    Like 0
  21. Avatar Damon jakes

    Wagon back on eBay prob a deadbeat non paying bidder . Happens to me almost every time I list something on there . 😐

    Like 0
  22. Avatar Mark M.

    He got this free, probably selling house and he was hired to scrap it. Did nothing to it, gas tank not removed or cleaned I bet, no wash, mold inside. Great orofit. But bad business.

    Like 0

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