One Owner, Low Miles! 1979 Ford Courier

We’ve seen a rash of small vintage pickups coming across our collective desks at Barn Finds lately – some in extraordinary condition. Here’s another: this single-owner 1979 Ford Courier has covered only 59,000 miles from new. It is listed on eBay for $10,500 or best offer, and it’s located in La Jolla, California. While Ford utilized the “Courier” nameplate way back in the 1950s for its sedan delivery body style, by the 1970s, it took the form of a rebadged Mazda, shipped over to the US sans bed to beat the “chicken tax”. The gas-miserly compact pickup filled a niche that American makers had overlooked in the early 1960s. Even today, pickin’s are slim in this segment – choices are limited to Ford’s Maverick and the Slate, whenever it finally arrives. But for about half the price of a new compact truck driven off the showroom floor today, we have this second-gen Courier.

First-generation Couriers were equipped with 1.8-liter Mazda four-cylinder powerplants; later, larger displacement engines were offered, including the 2.3-liter Pinto mill. While the seller identifies this as a 1979, he also says its engine is a 1.8-liter, but in that year the 1.8 was retired in favor of a 2.0-liter. Could be that we have a truck made in ’78 and registered in ’79. Output ranged from 75 to 85 hp – not a barn burner but good enough when paired with the four-speed manual and even better with the five-speed available in 1976. The payload is around 1400 lbs all in; bed length options were 77″ and 88.5″ (the “long” Courier). The seller notes that the engine was overhauled, and the brakes and front suspension are new; it runs and drives very well.

By 1979, the Courier had gained 3 inches The interior is clean as a whistle, evidence of an owner/seller who cares about presentation and likely the details of long-term care. That glove box is decently wide – a nice feature. The seller says everything works. He does wax poetic about the spare never having been on the road, but doesn’t mention any receipts or manuals.

By the time this second-gen Courier was on the ground, it had received a styling update to harmonize the lines with modern sensibilities. Its “face” had always mimicked the F100, but now its body was squared up too. The tailgate lettering shifted from “Ford Courier” to “Courier” in 1973, and finally just “Ford” in 1974. If you need a simple, small truck for weekend work, this Courier is a great prospect. It’s nice enough to bring to the waning days of Cars ‘N Coffee, too!