In the 1950s-1970s, Ford marketed three versions of full-size station wagons. For the budget-minded, there was the Ranch Wagon. For those with a little more scratch to spend, the Country Sedan was the way to go. And if you wanted to emulate the “woodies” of the 1940s, you had the Country Squire to choose from. The seller has the middle variant, a 1958 Country Sedan. It looks to be in great shape, though it’s been repainted and had an engine rebuild over the years. Located in Marietta, Georgia, this fine family transport is available here on eBay, where the opening bid of $9,000 has yet to be cast. A reserve is out there somewhere, along with a Buy It Now for $34,000.
Ford redesigned its cars for 1957, so logic should have it that the 1958s would carry minor changes. But it took more than a small effort to graft on four headlights instead of two and change the taillights from circular to oblong units. Due to an economic recession, overall sales were down a bit in ’58, but Ford still managed to find 89,500 buyers for the Country Sedan, with seating for either six or nine passengers.
The seller is the fourth owner of this Ford, having acquired it less than three years ago. We’re told it has a rebuilt 352 cubic inch “Interceptor” V8 engine (rebuilt at 102k miles; 146k is the current reading). Yet the “G” in the seller-provided VIN decodes as a 332 V8, so was a change made before he bought the wagon? Extras include a Cruise-O-Matic transmission and power steering. The Azure Blue paint is a redo that still looks quite presentable, though the seller says it’s certainly not a show car, per se.
We’re told the wagon is a good runner, and everything works as it should. The tires are almost ne,w as are the brakes. A transmission cooling radiator was added to accommodate a hitch for pulling a trailer (air shocks were added in the back for this purpose, too). The generator is gone in favor of an alternator (6-volt to 12-volt conversion). We’re told the interior is mostly good, but no photos of it are provided. If other priorities hadn’t popped up, this wagon would not be for sale. Thanks for the tip, T.J.!
Holy moly, I thought the $9000 was the total price, not the initial bid requirement.
It’s a nice wagon, wowee kazooee…
The buy it now price may be fishing, with hopefully a much lower reserve. Can’t hurt to make an offer. Looks pretty nice from what we can see.
Not a single picture of the interior at that price lets see the whole car.
There are some interior shots in the ad but there could be fewer close and more wider views. From what we see, not perfect but not too bad. Looks like a good #3 driver maybe.
Thanks Dave not sure how i missed them not the best but there are pictures.
No thanks. I’ll go with the Lincoln instead!
I seem to recall that for the wagon’s and the Ranchero, Ford had to delay the styling update the 58’s received for the taillights due to the split needed for the tailgate, and so carried over the lights from the 1957’s for part of the early production. Can anybody confirm?
Should have done a Google image search before posting. It would appear that only the 58 Ranchero retained the 57 taillights. All images of the rear of the wagon looked like this one, and all rear images of the Ranchero looked like a 57. Looks like the Ranchero tailgate was wider than that of the wagon so that difference would answer the question.
The 58 Courier also used the 57 rear tail lights. I’ve never understood why Ford did this. I’m pretty sure that they are the exact same width (the 57 is not wider than the 58), so that wouldn’t be the reason. Maybe they were just trying to use up leftover inventory?
The Courier was a sedan delivery and had a swing open rear door, not the two clam shell doors like the wagons. That was likely why the difference in lights.
The earlier 52-56 Couriers have the side swinging rear door. Ford switched to the clam shell design, exactly like the station wagons, in 57-58.
I never saw a `58 Ranchero that had the wagon tailgate with four taillamps–just the `57 versions. If Ford DID offer it, there couldn’t have been too many built that way, if any.
’58 Rancheros and Couriers (sedan delivery) used ’57 taillights and ’58 front ends. I guess Ford figured that for utility vehicles not many people cared about style.
They only used the 57 style taillights on the “sedan delivery” and Ranchero. Nothing to do with early and late production
“The generator is gone in favor of an alternator (6-volt to 12-volt conversion).”
Nope! This car had a 12 volt system from the beginning, but the upgrade from the generator to the alternator was a good move.
i would not pull a trailer with it. why take that chance.
I will be the first to admit that I am not exactly an expert on the value of mid fifties Fords, but it would take a whole lot of talkin’ to convince me that this thing is worth anything even aproaching $34,000.
I get it that is pretty clean and certainly not an ugly car, but 34K? I don’t think so!
My Grandpa had one of these only in black and white. He bought it new in ’58 after Hudson
closed in ’57. He kept it for 2 years when the tin worm paid it a
visit in 1960. After fixing the rust
one last time, he traded it in for a
really nice left over ’60 Impala wagon with a 283/powerglide tranny. That was the first and last Ford he ever bought. He finally switched to Buick in ’63
and had a real nice ’65 or ’66
Buick Wildcat 4-door hardtop that
he drove until he passed away in
’73. Whoever buys this car should consider a 2 pot master cylinder and disc brakes for more
stopping power. And as for towing a trailer? Why not! After
All, that’s what wagons were made for.