Everyone who’s owned a basic pickup already knows how often friends ask to borrow them, but I’m guessing you’ll be the number one pal to your entire neighborhood if this 1978 Ford Courier mini mover gets spotted in your driveway. This was a good little truck to begin with, with the Courier getting a fresh new design in 1977 to start its second generation of production. Adding an enclosed box on the back took its hauling capacities to a much higher level, literally, and I’m thinking this transporter will get snapped up quickly at or near the asking price of $10,000, especially with some of the fun custom touches that have already been added. Reader Mitchell G. found this one here on Facebook Marketplace in Hurricane, Utah, and we’d like to thank him for sending in the tip here!
The seller refers to this as a U-Haul, so it’s probably a retired vehicle from their fleet and still bears the company logo on the front side of the box, although the body has been repainted. There’s no mention if any work was performed on the front half before the new finish was applied, but the exterior appearance seems more than satisfactory, with those wide mirror attachments providing plenty of safety for changing lanes or backing up. Besides a fresh orange-stripe area, the box doesn’t look like it has received as much attention, so the next caretaker will have to decide whether or not to make any cosmetic improvements here.
A 1.8-liter engine was standard for the Courier in 1978, but the optional 2.3-liter can be found under the hood here, with the mileage listed at 40,000. The odometer photo shows 45,383, which is not confirmed to be actual, but everything in the bay appears to be in good order, and it’s great to find that this one’s also equipped with a 5-speed manual transmission. The seller mentions some new parts, such as a clutch, a rebuilt driveshaft, plus a new set of tires, and also says a previous owner lowered the suspension, giving a stiff ride but a cool appearance.
A sparkly metal-flake aftermarket steering wheel has been added inside, with what looks like a mostly stock instrument panel and dash area. The interior condition seems fine for a driver, although the window crank is missing from the passenger’s door panel. This one seems to provide form, fun, and function in a reasonably-sized package, and there’s also a good level of practicality here, at least for a hauler. What are your thoughts on this 1978 Ford Courier, and its asking price of ten grand?
Mitchell G., I also enjoy Vince’s assortment of vehicles on Daily Turismo!
Hey, I enjoy checking out Daily Turismo. He always features some real oddities.
Nice find Mitchell!
Lo-Lo 🚚
Puddin’s Fab Shop would love this vehicle. He has several trucks like these.
I was thinking exactly the same as soon as I saw it.
Box truck Mafia!
Are we sure this is not his truck and trailer?
I was expecting alot more, interior-wise. In regards to that, 10,000 seems like WAY too much.
A guy I know replicated it about 5 years ago when he moved to Idaho. He bought an early 2000’s long bed Ranger with the 4.0 v6 for $500 that had been hit in the butt. Removed what was left of the bed (found no frame damage), bought a 5×8 trailer from an auction for $600, mounted the box on the back of the Ranger.
It looked like it came from a factory that way (white Ranger, white trailer box). He had to do virtually nothing but make up the 4×4 runners the box sat on to clear the rear frame “bump” for the diff and graft in the taillight wiring. Loaded his stull and moved.
He said he sold it for $4,000 a couple of months after he got up there. So I’d say from a novelty standpoint this is worth half its asking price.
so glad to see this ride here and the back stories. the seller is keeping up the “uhaul look” too. thank goodness for the optional motor.
As the Courier wasn’t much of a powerhouse,
I’d expect to be underwelmed by this,especially if it
was fully loaded.
If the truck (not just the box) is genuinely ex U-Haul, it’ll have made at least 2, more likely 3, trips around the odo before getting back to 45k.
I could picture this going in two (2) directions. Either as a restomod, with a bigger motor (Ecoboost 2.3L, anyone?) and air suspension, or a camper, with that U-haul box being turned into a camper shell! Room for a bed, small kitchen and maybe a small bathroom, with holding tanks for water and waste between the frame rails. Either way a fun and unique ride!
It’s my turn to sound like the people who hate 4 doors or cars that aren’t loaded with options. I don’t get it. Who dreams of owning/driving a UHaul truck?
I blame the internet.
I don’t know if I dreamt about it but I did drive one in the late 80s. Helped some friends move. You know when you’re the only one who showed up. Anyway it was a Ford F600 or something like that. Probably the same as a school bus except it was a cab and chassis rather than a cowl and chassis. May have had boosted brakes but you were on your own for the steering and shifting. All over the lane. No wonder they have the speed posted on the dash.
I’m thinking this might not be original as most U-Haul vehicles has switched to automatic transmissions by the 70’s. Too many smoked clutches. I like the looks of it lowered, though.
I learned how to drive stick in one of these- yes, the Uhaul Mini Mover version.
U-Haul definitely was not mostly slushboxes in the late 1980s. I worked at a UHaul place around 1987-88 and most (all?) of the trucks were manual transmission.
I’d have to admit that I would certainly smile big if I saw this unit rolling down the highway! Of course, all of us have seen the kid in the lowered Honda jouncing off the snubbers with all of the passengers inside bouncing along in unison. Vision Of this machine in a South Park episode, Your imagination can fill in the rest :)
Had this one’s cousin, 1981 Mazda B2000 long bed, 5-speed. Surprisingly capable load capacity. $5500 new 😜
Having worked at a Mazda dealer. (Same as Courier) I can’t imagine this truck with an automatic. This has to be the most gutless vehicle on the road. With a 5 speed, top end was a put 75mph and it didn’t matter weather it was 3rd, 4th, or 5th gear. With any head wind or hill you would be stuck in 2nd gear. The truck is a great truck except the lack of power. And there is plenty of room under the hood in install just about any engine you want. I almost bought one of these to install a small block Ford I had laying around. THEN it would have been a great truck. Mazda lent one of these to SCCA for a support truck for the pro-rally circuit in 1985. The only “special ” equipment was a rally type odo. and I think a roll bar. (I don’t remember exactly a out the roll bar.) As you can imagine that truck had a hard life. I drove it quite a bit setting up and pre-running the Carson City International Pro-Rally. Driving at speed through a bunch of very deep dips (basically flying the truck off of a series of 4-5 foot jumps my partner chasing me in his V8 CJ. All he saw about every 10 seconds was the MAZDA tail gate. And then all he saw was the bottom of the truck. It had come to rest on the front bumper with the tail gate pointing to the sky. If finally came to rest back on it’s 4 wheels. But hanging there on your seat belt for a few seconds was a different feeling! We got out and inspected the truck to find that front bumper had been slightly pushed back into the fenders, and the fenders pushed back into the front tires. The only option at that point was to try to pull the fenders away from the tires. We then discovered that they pulled away very easily as I was not the first person to land on the front bumper. There were actual creases in the fenders from being bent back to close of the original shape. It looked as though someone was trying to flex the metal back and forth to break it off! That is one tuff, strong truck. As I said before, all it needs is some horsepower to make one of these a very great truck!
I remember these and this one appears original other than the dune buggy steering wheel and cliche stance. Remember them new and they really were cute little rigs. Probably all most people needed to move their apartment or take their kids crap to college. It was the double nickel era and gas was getting pricier, so it didn’t need to be particularly powerful. Surprised it survived. A micro camper could be interesting.