Disclosure: This site may receive compensation when you click on some links and make purchases.

Derelict Family Truckster: 1986 Ford LTD Country Squire

What a forlorn looking Ford this wagon is! It almost looks angry, and to be fair, I would be too. It seems this Country Squire’s owner bought it to restore, but abandoned the project when a nicer car of the same ilk came along. Thus, this car became the parts vehicle and its owner has decided to clean out the garage! Missing parts and damage aside, this old Ford could be a good candidate for a late-model restoration, or for a quick fix to be made a daily driver. Find it here on eBay in New York with an asking price of $1,000, from a seller who won’t sell it for use in a derby (way to go!).

Based on this photo, the seller really likes station wagons with pseudo-woodgrain. I do too, so I cannot fault him there. I wish there were better pictures, but most of them were uploaded to the ad as thumbnails. Thus, I have to work off of the three that were a normal size, and based on these three, this Country Squire looks to have little rust and all of the panels look straight. Having covered 175,000 miles in the last 31 years, I would say this old girl is doing pretty well. Stylistically, its not much to look at, however from a utility standpoint the possibilities for a vehicle like this are nearly endless! There’s just something about that generic station wagon look that appeals to me.

Although it looks a little rough around the edges, I suspect this car has had a life of service, as in it has been maintained and used. Thus, it is a little worn out and needs some love. The seller states that this wagon “was a Barn Find in Pittsburgh, PA. I did a lot of work to it. Drove her about a year , put about 5 k miles on her a few years ago,” which suggests to me that this car could be made roadworthy again! Furthermore this Country Squire is full of powertrain options, including the 302 with multi-port fuel injection, the AOD trans, and the 8.8 rear end. For 1986, this was a fairly advanced piece of equipment! I have always loved the look of these old Ford station wagons, and I would own one if the opportunity presented itself. Do you think “once a parts car, always a parts car?” Or would you fix this car up and ride off to Wally World?

Comments

  1. Avatar photo Fred W.

    Strap Grandma to the roof and hit the road!

    Like 0
    • Avatar photo KEN TILLY Member

      I think grandma would rather die first before having to ride in/on an abomination like that!

      Like 0
  2. Avatar photo Fred W.

    Wrong photo…

    Like 0
    • Avatar photo Ed P

      That Truckster looks like it drinks gas turned off.

      Like 0
    • Avatar photo Keith

      We know where Acura got it’s butt-ugly “plenum style” front grille look from. Looked better on the Truckster!

      Like 0
    • Avatar photo Mark-A

      “……ahhhhh, A Dead Person Breathed On Me!!!!!” ha-ha! The original National Lampoons’ Vacation was fantastic the rest were terrible compared to it, so it’s pretty relevant when speaking about Vehicles that the Originals always seem to be better loved than the later ones that are supposedly the same!??

      Like 0
  3. Avatar photo jw454

    Once it’s sold the new owner can use it anyway they want. A seller don’t have control over that. The derby crowd has destroyed a lot of good old Detroit iron over the years.

    Like 0
    • Avatar photo Superdessucke

      Like you’re really going to be able to tell what they’re going to do with it on eBay. It’s kind of like the equivalent of giving your pet away on Craigslist. Good chance it’ll end up in a dog fighting ring.

      The person who gets this is going to end up beating the living snot out of it one way or other. Maybe the most honorable thing to do would be to bury it?

      Like 0
    • Avatar photo KEN TILLY Member

      Back in South Africa I once had a 1959 Studebaker 3/4 ton pick-up that I was offered $5k for by a hot-rodder and I wouldn’t sell it to him as I wanted it to be kept original. Three years later, when I wanted to sell it, I managed to get $2k from a club member who shipped it to Ireland, and as far as I know he still owns it. Maybe it cost me money but at least it didn’t get written off in a derby or rodded!

      Like 0
  4. Avatar photo Bob

    If someone needs a pair, I have another one with only 500 miles on a rebuilt 460 engine. Considering that the LTD is about the same weight as my 3/4 ton, it actually drove pretty well.

    Like 0
  5. Avatar photo chad

    Tempted…but…
    want the ‘down sized’ LTD ’79 – ’82, fox-bodied (302 or 351 – either).

    Like 0
    • Avatar photo Greg Standing Bear

      The Fox-platform LTD was built from from ’83 through ’86. Only the ’84-’85 LX had a V8, the 302.

      Like 0
  6. Avatar photo Greg Standing Bear

    Eh, many of these have survived even in Northern states in far better shape than this. I’d wait a bit–a much nicer car will eventually pop up for less than what it’d take to buy and fix up this one.

    Like 0

Leave a Reply to Fred W. Cancel reply

RULES: No profanity, politics, or personal attacks.

Become a member to add images to your comments.

*

Get new comment updates via email. Or subscribe without commenting.