This 1979 Ford Fairmont has been in the seller’s family since new, and he’s clearly had a big hand in its impressive survivor-grade condition. The Fairmont belonged to his father who sadly passed away in 1984, and has remained in the family ever since. The car was driven by his mother for years until her passing, and now the Fairmont has been left in a shipping warehouse in Arizona belonging to Reliable Carriers since September of 2020. The seller had expected he would have retrieved the car by now, but those plans haven’t materialized. It’s now listed here on eBay with no reserve, and the seller advises it will need to be picked up or transported by Reliable once the purchase is complete.
When you first hear the word “Fairmont”, it’s hardly ever associated with being a performance car or a luxury vehicle. But looking at it from this angle, I’m surprised at how stylized the taillights were on an otherwise plebian sedan. The seller notes that the Fairmont is highly original, retaining its factory paintjob and showing just 65,000 original miles. There is some paint damage to the trunk, but overall, it presents quite well. The seller notes there is some rust in the lower portions of the front doors, but that’s not surprising considering the Fairmont was used in Illinois for a spell – but the seller promises it was only used on “…good weather days.”
The interior is immaculate, and tells the story quite well about how carefully this Fairmont was used. It must have been cherished by the family, as the care and attention it received is on full display in photos like these. The seller notes that he performed all of the maintenance on the Fairmont following his father’s passing, and he knows the car quite well. It features factory air conditioning (recently updated with a new drier), and a recently rebuilt C4 automatic transmission. The Fairmont also comes with power disk brakes and steering, and the rack is fairly recent along with new struts. The backseat appears to have never been used.
The interior is plain but well appointed, with fake wood trim still looking quite ornate in the dash. The Fairmont is a simple machine, with no major power functions to fix, and given the A/C has already been reconditioned, the next owner won’t have to worry about giving it a “charge.” The carpets are a little grimy, but will likely come back to life with a good shampooing. The Fairmont will go cheap, no matter who buys it, and it’s a shame to see it sell for peanuts considering how well it’s been maintained. The seller notes his tool kit, the plate, and registration are all still with the car and he will not be retrieving them prior to the sale, and he asks that the plates be mailed back to him. Hopefully, the next owner treats the Fairmont as well as its current caretakers.
Seller already withdrew
Location = Chandler,Arizona.
It’s gone already,with no bids.Wonder what the
story on that was?
Well, the pictures certainly weren’t from Chandler – we don’t have any of that white stuff in Chandler.
Reading the ebay ad, there must be some unfortunate circumstances why and how this Fairmont ended up where it is. As for the car itself, good to see a once-common basic family car which has been kept in good shape.
We often complain about the high cost of the collector car market, and of course that is true. But not completely. If you want something which brings back the way cars used to feel and drive, would evoke fun conversations (“we had one, haven’t seen one in years”), for which you can easily find mechanical repair parts, and doesn’t cost much money, this works fine. Not every collector car has to be a high-dollar muscle car; I highly respect someone who loves and cherishes a car like this.
Whenever I see a Fairmont of this vintage I look for the US govt. license plates. Especially in old movies.
I think it’s aged very well. There’s more than a hint of the Pininfarina Fiat 130 in the boxy body work. Nice use of chrome. Quietly dignified car.
One of my favorite Fords right here! I love that styling… And it’s a four door, a big plus!
NO! Just NO!! Just because the chassis was used for the greater good in another beloved car, doesn’t mean Fairmonts are anything other that boxy, void of style, Pieces of you know what! They were junk when new and are now just old junk. This hobby has gone off the rails.
1979 Mustang & Capri
1980 Thunderbird & Cougar XR-7
1981 Granada and Cougar
1982 Continental
1983 Thunderbird & Cougar
1984 Continental Mark VII
All based on Fox architecture. We owe this Fairmont some respect.
The Mercury Zephyr Z7 completes my collection of many classic 70s and 80s cars that I have owned. Mine was white with a half maroon vinyl top. It had tinted windows, and wheels that came off an earlier Mercury Capri from the early 70s which really looked nice on it. I sold it to a guy in Peoria, AZ who drove it across state lines back to its new home on that 3.3L inline 6.
Hey,some of us have owned & liked cars like this.
I’m sure that there are cars you liked/owned that others
would put down.
We had a ’78 wagon,& it was almost the perfect family
car.Ran almost forever,handled decently,& got good gas-
mileage.
I owned a 78 Mercury Bobcat that I had the 2.3 engine rebuilt. Sold it to a guy in Utah who had his son in law come trailer it across state lines.
If the ad were still active, I’d suggest we start a GoFundMe campaign and have the car shipped to the seller. Seems like life flipped him the bird.
Isn’t this the car that chased Elliot and the the neighborhood kids when they were trying to help ET get home? I bet Peter Coyote drove this car.
Hum. It’s looks nice. However I have first hand experience in an 80 wagon striped to the bones with exception of the light group option. Our fairmont would stall when gas was applied at the most dangerous intersections and on occasion found on road dead. The fit and finish was horrible and the car had terrible vibrations at hwy speed. I also know of a fellow who outfitted his 79 coupe with a 5 speed and 351 Windsor, it was an interesting restomod
Evolution 101. Falcon to Maverick to Fairmont with a handful of Mustangs thrown in. Really were good cars just had to rework the carbs on later ones so they would not stall out when cold.
Nice looking car. I remember cars like this. I had a neighbour when I was a boy who had a Ford Fairmont wagon.
The result of when the only tool a designer can find is a straight edge.
I was issued a 79 Fairmont when I reported to USN recruiting duty. A bigger piece of garbage never came off of a auto manufacturer’s assembly line. It was so unreliable, we only used it to drive in town. A 50 mile trip was beyond it’s capabilities. Thankfully GSA replaced it after a year and a half.
Had a chance to drive one of these back in the day. The only major annoyance was its rather under-powered engine, which had a tendency to downshift going over an overpass. Otherwise it was a rather nice car to tool around town in.
Why no powerplant pic? No 0 to 60 numbers or 1/4 mile results??? Inquiring minds want to know. I’ve owned one of these with a 6 banger and it was bullet proof. 5 out 5 stars if you want dependability. Zero style points.
Low price plus buyer pays shipping and storage fees. I really wanted this car. I would have flown out to get it
several comments re: wagon – my choice on this as well.
Ford fox: granade – a to SN95 stang – a great platform. Yup, lots puttin the “race car stuff” on that whole 30 yr run (frame stiffiners, K, R&P, ‘truck motors’, T-5 world class, 5 lug, 8 or 9 inch, etc).
I had the coupe version as a “rep-mobile” in 1980. I loved it and when I cranked up the radio, it actually sounded decent. Plus it was big enough for my 6’4″ frame. I was disappointed to see this one already off the market….
My brother had this very car with the 200ci/auto. I had it’s sportier brother in a ’79 2 door Futura with 4spd/od – we used to joke about how you couldn’t kill these cars…utterly bulletproof and you could fix most issues with a basic tool box…Even after T-boning a Suzuki Samurai – I pulled most of the bent pieces back out using a come-along and an oak tree…and drove it for another few months before I sold it for parts
So ridiculously basic, plain and square. I like it. I think the Fairmont may have jumped that transition from repulsion to being cool again. I would love to twin turbo that 6 and keep everything else exactly as is. I would need a full busy stache and aviators on before I drive it though.
Seeing cars like this, as we drove them always bring a smile to my face. Probably a sad backstory on this but I hope a happy ending
Clearly nobody on e-bay wanted the car,honestly they were malaise era dung,my dad gave me a 79 mercury zephyr (their version of Fairmont)the catch was going 600 miles from Chicago to Arkansas, me and a buddy took a greyhound to go get it,it was solid as heck,but somebody had a 1970 302 v8 in it with lifters you could hear a block away, anyway it made the trip,miraculously, got about 15 mpg, and lasted maybe a month before the transmission went out,junkyards gave 50 bucks back then and I took it!
Doubtful. Most likely someone made the seller an offer he couldn’t refuse so he ended the listing. You’d be surprised at the high demand for these. Realize this is a rwd fox body underneath with endless, easy and relatively cheap modifications you can do to make this into anything you want it to be. It’s not like it’s a fwd K-car
Ended: Jun 07, 2021
Starting bid:US $1.00
[ 0 bids ]
Item location:Chandler, Arizona
This listing was ended by the seller because the item is no longer available
I had a 78 wagon. Loved that damn thing. Couldn’t kill it. Winter driving I put 50 lbs sand bags and never missed a beat on the slushy hills. I want it back