If you have been following the classic car market for any period of time, you know the price of 1970s cars has slowly increased. But there are still good deals to be had. This 1977 Ford Ranchero, located in Daytona Beach, Florida, seems like one of these! Sporting stock trim, this 7th-gen Ranchero is being offered for $12,500 on Craigslist. Thank you to Randy Johnson for providing this tip!
The Ford Ranchero (and El Camino) is one of those galvanizing models in the car world. People either love or hate them, and there aren’t many opinions in the middle. Ford released the Ranchero in 1957 and stopped producing them in 1979 as the oil crises influenced OEMs to start manufacturing smaller cars. Using existing models as the basis for the Ranchero, Ford utilized their existing tooling to keep costs down. This helps in the aftermarket, too, as Rancheros share their platforms with other models, making parts reasonably easy to find. By the final generation in 1977, Ford used the mid-sized LTD platform to produce the Ranchero, with three different engine choices, all V-8s.
That brings us to this Ranchero for sale. According to the seller, it has been repainted once, and the car has no rust. The interior looks immaculate, and you can’t beat the white letter tires with the stock caps. Under the hood, you will find a 302 with an automatic transmission. However, with 124,000 miles, the motor may be ready for a freshen-up, even though the seller does not mention any engine problems. This rig also has a fresh air-conditioner and new “coil-over” shocks and could purportedly take a cross-country trip with no problems. This ute is in fantastic condition and would be a great entry into the classic car collector market or a great addition to your existing stable.
So, what’s your take on the car trucks (or are they truck cars)? Which camp do you reside in? Full disclosure: I owned a 1965 Ranchero, and my son is fixing up a 1966, so you can guess which camp I’m in. However, what I find interesting is the new models being released by the OEMs and their popularity. Specifically, the Ford Maverick and the Hyundai Santa Cruz, and the models currently being developed by their competitors. Did Chevy and Ford have it right from the get-go when they released these models in the 50s? Or has the market just corrected to meet demand? I’m happy that we have plenty of vintage utes to choose from, and are getting new ones to choose from, because they are extremely handy rigs for everyday needs. Check out this Ranchero here on Craigslist, and thanks again to Randy Johnson for this tip!
These car/trucks (that’s what I’m goin’ with) are cool and have millions of ways to modify. This would make a nice sleeper. Or Cragars and side pipes. Whatever one can imagine.
Call them “Ute’s”, as that’s what we call them, and seeing as we invented them, it’s time everyone else called them Ute’s.
I was unaware you could only get them with a V8, thumb’s up to Ford, good call.
Not a fan of the coil overs conversion, I’m old school, and rely on the know predictability of rear leaf springs for “passionate drivering”, oh and load carrying capability as well.
Hey Dave, these all had rear coil springs, and quite a few came with air shocks. They replaced the air shocks with “load leveling” coil-over shocks, not a real coil-over suspension. What year was the first Aussie Ute?
Is it me or couldn’t the guy find a better place to picture the car instead of right over a manhole cover. Distracts from the visual of the car. Ranting in colorado.
Ha! Especially since the seller got the general idea right: photographing in a park typically makes for a good background.
Got a chuckle out of this line: “I’m 68 years old I’m not going to text for hours…”.
Nice stance. Love the Ranchero model 👢
We never called these “utes.” Utes are what Joe Pesci called young people in My Cousin Vinnie. We just called them by the model name. Cuz there were only 3 on the market.
These surely did not get prettier as the model years moved on.
While the stacked round headlights worked well on cars like the 66-67 Lemans , 66-67 Fairlane ,etc.. , the stacked square lights were, for the most part, hideous , the LTD ll header panel on the Ranchero was just one of them. I’m guessing they were trying to make an older style look modern, but you cant tell me a 76-77 Monte Carlo looks better than a 73-75, or a 77-78 Cordoba looks better than a 75-76 model. A round light Elite header would improve this cars look immensely
Nice looking car but at $12,500 and no lowball offers you are at least $4,500 overpriced now had you left it factory rear suspension that it was designed for I might consider it after market gauges makes me wonder what’s not working on the cluster.
I owned a ‘75 Ranchero GT model with the 400 4v engine. IMO IT WAS A MUCH BETTER LOOKING RANCHERO THEN THE ‘77-78 models. I loved the black&red interior of the GT and it contrasted well with the red exterior and silver black stripes . The only gripe was that 400 V8.. it was a gutless engine that never broke 10-11 mpg.. classic thirsty FORD!!
I absolutely agree with your comment about the 72-76 models (based on Torino) being much better looking than the LTD II-based 77-79’s. I have a 74 Ranchero 500 that I’ve owned for about 18 years. It has the original gutless (from factory) 400M that I’ve improved with Edelbrock Performer intake, Holley 750 CFM carb, Hooker headers and RV cam. It won’t win many drag races but definitely has much more punch and power than most 400’s.
Nice one….but I’ll say it again – my 1979 GT Broham was built the last month – May of production and was in as nice a shape due to being a 1-owner…..it was a hard push running driving and stopping for $3500…..rust free as well.
I’ve always thought these were cool, regardless of brand. Each one distinctive from one another. The sad news is that something so simple is no longer possible and no one wants a 2/3 passenger truck.
So, what is the back story of the ‘ute? Chevrolet and others were shoving pickup boxes in the back end of business coupes in the thirties in the US. The car come pickup was not new. Ford offered the Model T in a light pickup in the teens and twenties.