This 1948 Ford Woodie is seeing the light of day for the first time in a few decades. Located in Carmichael, CA, this wagon is available for $36,750. According to the seller, it ran when parked and comes with extra parts. Are you ready to hit the road to your favorite surf spot in this woodie?
Woodies and surfing are forever tied together in American culture. How many shirts have you seen advertising a beach that has a woodie on it? Or how many surfboards have you seen lashed to the roof of a woodie at a car show in a land-locked state? Why this link exists has always interested me. It turns out that, much like many other things in pop culture, it is due to Hollywood’s attempt to commercialize surfing in the 50’s and 60’s.
Woodies were the choice of the true surfers in the 1950s and 1960s because they were extraordinarily cheap. The rotted and rusted wagons were great forms of transportation because they could hold all the boards and gear needed to get everyone to their favorite surf spot. So, when the movie Gidget (among others) was released in 1959, America was exposed to surf culture on a broad scale. Jan and Dean’s “Surf City,” followed by “Surfin USA” by the Beach Boys, exploded on the charts, and surfing was officially embedded into American pop culture. So, when all the “kooks” and “groms” showed up to see the real surfers at the beach cruising woodies, they took off in American culture, and the two became forever intertwined.
But this is a car website, not a surfing one, so let’s discuss this ride. Built in 1948, this was Ford’s final year for the “fat-fendered” style of cars. 1949 ushered in the new shoebox design. This car is a Super Deluxe 8, meaning it should have a flathead V8. Unfortunately, no pictures of the engine are included in the listing. Of particular note is the price of this car. While not cheap, this seems like a great price for a garage-find woodie that doesn’t need much work to get on the road. This is another type of car that appears to be coming down in price due to not being in favor of the younger generations. But what do you think? Is that totally off base, or do you think the cost of these cars is coming down, too? Check this beauty out here on Facebook Marketplace!
Price is probably close to being correct as this is the best conditioned Woody I think I’ve ever seen. Been a fat fendered fan ever since I saw the first one and this one is the icing on the cake.
It certainly looks to be in great shape for a woody that’s been stored for many years. Just wish I could afford to buy it, and ship it to the UK!
Its a beauty, I need more garages!!!BUT just yesterdaywe found a sweet 5 acre site close by, WITH a HUGE barn!
Learned to drive in a 1947 Ford Sportsman woody convertible . Wonder where that is now?
150,000 miles on the old girl . The engine , drivetrain and suspension will probably need some serious attention.
Also some rot is evident on the bottom of the wood paneling.
I wonder if the surf board lying on the floor next to her is included.
Could be a deal breaker.
I really like the old woodies, it should have been cleaned up to get a better look. The truth is that they are not favorable because of cost of wood repairs and the finding of experienced and reputable craftsman to do the work! You probably lose a lot of money long term at this price 😂
Listed 7 weeks ago.
Ran when parked, 30-40 years ago.
It would be worth the asking price if it were gone through and road worthy.
At first glance if you like Woodies as much as I do it seems very reasonable! Unfortunately, I think once you got it in your garage, the whole deal might go south, depending on your expectation and your plans for it. I am afraid for me, I would discover, I paid way too much !