Wow! We have seen a lot of nice wagons come through here over the last few years as wagons climb to the top of the hot-list. This beautiful 1973 Ford LTD Country Squire wagon can be found here on eBay in Tacoma, Washington. The bids are over $10,000 and there is no reserve.
This car appears to be in almost like-new condition. I don’t really see a flaw anywhere inside or out. Everything is shiny and clean and there isn’t even any fading or wear that I can see. The seventh-generation Country Squire was updated in 1973 and those humongous bumpers added six-inches of length once the new 5-mph bumpers were also added to the rear in 1974. These are big cars, almost 19-feet long, and Ford sold almost eight-million full-sized cars during the seventh-generation.
The seller of this beauty says that they bought it from the original owner and it is rust-free. The VIN tells us that it was made in Minnesota and it’s a good thing it got the heck out of there ASAP or it would be a rusty pile of junk by now. The upper-Midwest climate with road salt usage is not kind to vehicles. The seller does mention that some of the trim around the “wood” is peeling.
The interior is beautiful, at least as beautiful as the exterior is. I mention it every time but it’s always funny to see a luxury car without power windows. The seats look perfect both in the front and rear and also in the cargo area where the kids would have probably wanted to ride.
Even the engine looks like new, and what an engine it is. This is Ford’s 429 cubic-inch V8 which by 1973 had a mere 198 hp but the 320 ft-lb of torque helped to move this 5,000-pound car to 60 mph in just over 11 seconds. The bad part is that you would be very lucky to hit double-digits in mpg with this behemoth. But, what a stylish entrance you’ll make to the next car show when you pull up in this LTD Country Squire!
Looks clean, but you’ll have to buy the Fiat 850 S and the Geo Solectria Force S (“batteries not included”) to use as docking tugs anytime you pull into a Walmart parking lot!! The spaces seem to get smaller every time they resurface it..
Back in the day, this car (along with its Chevrolet and Dodge equivalents) would have ranked right at the bottom of my desirable/ cool car list. Today, I think they are pretty neat. Plus it is period-correct green. Someone loved this massive Ford.
Go ahead and gather your tomatoes to hurl at me, but to me this car is way more desirable than most muscle cars. It will sell for solid dollars.
Nope, no tomatoes coming from this direction, Bob, this thing is a GREAT “airporter”-y’know, when friends/family show up at the airport unexpectedly. I’ll bet it has the 3td row seat too!
Give me orthopedic shoes-I stand corrected: it had TWO third row seats!!!
No tomatoes here. I see the next Wagon Queen Family Truckster .
This is pretty neat to see. Just about every driveway in America had one of these, or a comparable brand. It’s got a trailer brake control, so it pulled something big at one time, not that the 429 would have a problem with that. Like mentioned, someone loved their big Ford wagon.
What a great looking machine. Would be neat to change out the heads for some aluminum units and hide a TBI injection unit under the air cleaner. Might improve MPG and power a bit and make for an interesting cross country cruiser.
What a station wagon. Not sure if the purists would object, but some work to the engine to allow it to breathe (quietly) would be on my list.
@Dave. As a purist, I totally agree with you. One ’70s car that I actually like.
Remember when you bought one of these, you got a set of Orr’s to row it down the street?
My first car !!! Mine was in ROUGH shape hardly any floors the passenger side doors were tied closed with rope to keep them closed and attached to the car tailgate didn’t work and would probably have fallen off if it DID open you could see through the doors. The heat worked but was no match for the rust conditioning so had to use a blanket to keep from freezing while driving but DAMN I LOVED that car !! It gave me a feeling of total freedom (I was 16) Even in ’77 I could barely afford to keep gas in it but I didn’t care. Paid $20 for it and it ran fairly well but I junked it after 6 months when a motor mount broke
That’s exactly the description of a first car! Good times for sure! Oh to be 16 again, and driving some old beast!
This represented my dad’s vision of success as a depression era kid and WWII army vet. He finally bought a used 1971 brown on brown Country Squire in 1974 …with power windows ! A first for us.
Interesting observation. In the small Midwestern blue collar town in which I grew up, I can remember only a handful of Lincolns and Cadillacs. Something like a Mercedes was not even on the radar. The idea of success was more along the lines of an Olds 98 or a LTD or, if you had many kids, a full size wagon like this.
Our big “automotive first” was air conditioning in a 1972 Gran Torino.
It took him a long time to get one. He was born in 1921 and I’m 64’. So at 53 years old he got his LTD…and with 4 kids he went for the wagon !
MOM, make him stop touching me!!! The docent tones of the kids in the back that made trips so much fun. I bet that wagon brings back tons of memories to all of us in the plus 55 crowd.
Dulcet tones. “Docent” tones are what you hear on tours at a museum or historic home.
You got me, good job.
I am always on the lookout for a nice one of these. Unfortunately most of the cars in Mexico were sold without heating or air and at the very least a windshield defroster is a must.
Here is a picture of the one I sold a few years ago. It was almost perfect in every way.
If you will notice, it has the 1972 wheel covers on it. Those came from the factory in Mexico. They didn’t have the updated 1973 covers until much later.
Millenials look at cars like this, and think “Queen Mary on wheels”. Heck, I learned to drive in one of these, and my Dad’s `73 Gran Fury 4dr. HT with a 440 V8 was every bit as big! I drove that Fury for 2 more years after dad got a new car; it was nothing to maneuver, really. Every other car on the road back then was the same size! Comfort is unmatched by today’s cars; driving cars this size was like sitting on your living room sofa, with a steering wheel!
I think everybody should learn to drive in a big car like this.
If you can maneuver and park this car, the little crap cars of today will be no problem.
I had one of these, even the same color back in 1978. The only think holding it together was the rust. But I put about 20,000 miles on it before I sold it to a painter.
Here’s my ’72 Country Squire for reference. Sold it recently, now on the hunt for a Ranchero Squire of the same vintage!
https://flic.kr/p/dnvJZF
I learned to drive in a twin of this car. I first got behind the wheel when I was 12 yrs old in 76. I now drive a 2001 Crown Victoria. It drives a lot like it but it sits low to the ground and hurts the old back. Looks amazing as it is not the police interceptor but the luxury model. What I would give to drive another Country Squire.
73 model cars came out in the fall of 72. One year later the first Arab oil embargo changed everything. Gas, when you could find it, went from 25 cents to 50 cents per gallon overnight.
My favorite body style for Ford wagons. I’ve always wanted one. Very nostalgic. They were smooth and quiet. Accommodating for long vacation drives with the kids & a lot of luggage.
I actually have two of these beasts, one, a 1972 Country Squire with the 429, and all the power options. The second, is a 1975 LTD with a 460 and all the options.
I bought them for the engines, which I intended to use in projects, but circumstances changed my plans, so now they sit.
I drove the LTD, and although it was a large car, it was very nice to drive and very comfortable.
It is neat to see these cars getting new interest. They were the epitome of success back then.
Even though I like the Fords, my favourites would be a loaded 67 Chev 427 wagon, or a Vista Cruiser.
Bob
When I was growing up there was never a time one of these wasn’t in our driveway, usually a Chevy version but a couple of mopars showed up to. I never liked any of them and I feel the same way now. But with that said this car is in amazing condition!!
I once owned a blue version but. With a 400 cubic inch. I drove it from California to Florida pulling a 12 foot covered utility trailer. That a/c sure was nice on that trip. One of my ex girlfriends was from Miami. I gave her the car, and I left the vicinity on a new adventure.
God bless America
I bought a 74 back in 1989, same color etc. It only had 65,000 miles on it and paid $1200 for it. My boys still talk about riding in the “way back” even though it didn’t have the third seat. Great riding wagon.
Watch Having coffee in cars w celebrities, or whatever Jerry Sienfelds show is, Sarah Jessica Parker bought the same car, different color, recently, her mom had one, she recalled Carole King on the 8 track growing up
Jerry said he hated the car at the beginning, but he liked it by the end.
I wouldn’t drive it around New York City, but anywhere else is great.
With all the talk about how hard it is to maneuver these big cars they are a lot easier than today’s cars. You can see all 4 corners of the car from the drivers seat not like now. Back of my new car is so high cant see out without a camera. hood disappears from view. I drive my 76 around and I’m surprised how effortless it is…true find a wide enough spot to open your doors
No power, no brakes, no handling, horrible steering feed back , horrible boat ride , have you all forgotten? Are you all alzheimers ? Lost your mind
Frugly, frugly, frugly
Carburated,?3 speed trans , 250 feet to a gallon
Come on guys !
Claudio, I like the boat ride. I look for that in a modern car but it doesn’t exist.
Some people like spine jarring cars, which I guess you do, but I like these.
Your mistake is comparing this car to modern cars. That will never work.
I agree with Claudio.
Another Colostomy Park special.
Not worth 10 grand.
Del, you can’t say the car isn’t worth 10 Grand.
It has bids over that so yes it is worth it to some people.
Have you heard of shill bidding ?
And or bidders that never honour their bids
Del
Thank you for the great laugh
Colostomy park special!lol
Aha im still giggling
I ve had a hard few months and this laughing makes me feel good…
I am glad that no car maker feels the need to make such dismal cars anymore
Slush handling, braking,slush everything but i do know that some people like them as there is bidding .
You can haul me in these things when i am dead cause i wont be able to shout !!!
Hi anyone, my own identity is definitely Karl and I am new to this forum. Thanks for having me. hope to speak to some of you all soon.
Welcome Karl. Are you a car person? You’ll find many different opinions on this forum from old people like me to youngsters. Rat rod lovers, custom lovers, classic lovers and people like me who just love cars. My toy is a 1964 Buick Riviera. I post pics of it when I’m using my desk top.
God bless America
Good to have you here, Karl. You’ve found a terrific group of like-minded people sharing very different views of the same subject matter: anything relating to moving us from Point A to Point B, and what it means to us.
There’s an incredible amount of good experience and knowledge here, so should you have a question about the inner workings of something that pops up here throw it out there! Folks like John, Rube, Miguel, Wayne and too many others to name right now have your answer. Enjoy!