The Country Squire line of station wagons was a Ford staple for more than 40 years beginning with the “Woodies” of the early 1950s. Even when real wood was no longer used in wagon production, the tradition continued on the Squires with imitation woodgrain. This 1970 edition looks especially nice and may need nothing more than a new owner to baby it. Located in Santa Ana, California, this well-preserved “Family Truckster” is available here on craigslist for $25,000.
“Squire” is a British term that refers to the “lord of the manor” and other well-heeled individuals. Since early Country Squire served lodges, hotels, and other businesses that catered to guests, this was a natural name for Ford to choose for their top-of-the-line wagon. Through the early 1990s, the Squire was built across eight generations and Mercury would borrow the concept for their Colony Park transports, too. In its later years, the Country Squire became the wagon counterpart of the Ford LTD and Crown Victoria. Wagons like this would find their demand diminishing after the advent of the mini-van and the Ford Windstar eventually took the Squire’s place.
Ford built more than 109,000 Country Squires in 1970 alone, so there were plenty of them on the road back then. More than 2/3s would have the rear-facing third seat, bringing passenger capacity up to nine (and more when you shoved all your friends in to go the drive-in movies). We’re told this Ford has had the same owner for the better part of 50 years and said owner must have treated this thing with kid gloves, even after 127,00 miles. A 390 cubic-inch V8 is said to be under the hood, an ample engine even for a vehicle this large.
Said to be in great running condition, this thing looks as though it has stayed covered up in a garage. The paint looks great with no indications of rust and the woodgrain side panels show no signs of wear as they usually go before the lacquer does. The interior is great but the front seat cushion looks to have been redone in material not quite matching the back. Equipped with the “Magic” two-way tailgate, this thing looks ready for an outing to a football game, but don’t load up the kids for soccer practice (they’ll just tear it up). Would you pay 25 large for a vintage wagon this nice?
Absolutely! 25 K for this or, 25 K for a 2 or 3 year old SUV, that looks like every one else’s.
🎯 Joe. Imagine having the 2 rides in your driveway be this wagon and the beautiful California Bronco for sale just before it. 🙌
Ford always had two side-facing seats in back, folding down to make the cargo floor.
We never had a Ford wagon; our station wagon was a Jeep; but we had a Ford sedan of this general generation. A friend’s family bought one, and at age 12, I wanted to try the back seat out (they had a large family, so when out with them, there was the chance…but even at age 12, I found it impossibly tight.
Those Jeeps Wagoneers are getting good dollars now.
OMG! An absolute twin to my parents wagon they bought used in 1972. It was an amazing car we kept as a third car well up until 1986. If I didn’t have kids in private school I would be on this wagon.
Took one of these that had a bad valve, fixed it, put a 20 foot paintjob on it, and my boss’s sister ran it for years. I miss the good ol full size chevy and ford wagons, workhorses and family friendly. Good cars and great memories.
Cheers
GPC
I had a 1971 in the mid 80’s but it had a 351W. It drove like a dream, that is probably the best dashboard cluster any car has ever had.
Beautiful. So much better looking than any POS SUV that costs twice as much.
Certainly a real nice ride. I’d add the turbine hubcaps cuz they make it look better. Then spend my weekends buffing, shinning,tinkering, and cruising .
Hidden headlites on a wagon? Slick.
390 Fords 😎 ✔️👍
Beautiful car.
@Stan. Hidden headlights on any car look cool. But especially on a wagon. Dodge had a wagon with hidden headlights. I’m not sure if Chevy ever did, but in 1968 you could order your full size Chevy with hidden headlights off the option list. Very rare to see that.
The 1969 Chevy’s were also available with the covered headlights. I also think you could order them on a Kingswood Estate.
Good info Angel. 👍
Actually reply to Miguel,
Don’t forget that 69 Chev hideaway headlights could also be ordered with washers!
@Jon I wonder if anybody ever ordered that option with the covered head lights. I would love to see one.
Yes, hideaway headlights could be ordered at least on the Caprice Estate wagon, not sure about the Impala.
I know, I saw one at a car show here in suburban Twin Cities.
I think at this time back in 1970 , Ford had the market in wagons. My parents had one like this but dark green with the woodgrain. It was a striking wagon , wicked good looks. Due to a mechanical problem that the Ford dealer couldn’t fix , they traded it in on a new 1973 Impala . It would stall with no warning while being driven . Fix Or Repair Daily !
I thought I was the only one with that problem! I bought this same model in green ( the first car I bought and paid for myself) in 1981 for $350 cash, and only had it for 100 or so days before it became a danger to take on the road because it would randomly die, usually on the 5 on my way out of the valley. Took it to a dealer when neither Dad not my other knowledgeable buddies could figure it out, and he basically said that I was a girl & probably just didn’t know how to drive it right! When it stalled out again about a week later, at 2:30 am in a shady part of town, I called Dad to push it home and junked it the next day; I couldn’t bring myself to do to another what the previous owner had done to me.
@Glenn. I had a ’73 Chevrolet Estate Wagon (Caprice) and loved the clamshell tailgate. What an invention!
They were great until something fell down into the lower area, like, for example, an accounting schoolbook just before school.
Same thing happened to my aunts 1972 country squire Ford couldn’t find why and one unfortunately someone slammed into the back of it totalling it they survived
1. Side facing rear seats, not back facing.
2. Magic 3-way tailgate door, not 2-way.
3. Paint is not lacquer.
And the woodgrain on that car has been replaced
They reapplied the incorrect woodgrain on the car
Correct, thats Home Depot stuff.
Some day I will find my true love, 72 Gran Torino wagon with a 429 under the hood. My best friends dad had a Mercury Montego wagon exactly as I wanted! It was was cool!
Back in the seventies, I was working at a Ford garage in upstate New York. One customer who was a college professor, had a 68 Montego wagon with a 390 4V. I rebuilt the engine for him and he slipped me a performance cam to install. You could lift the front wheels on acceleration! He was quite a guy.
That’s so impossible!
These made great company cars. When it was time for a new one, they would be sold to one of the workers in the factory and they droves them for years after. My last one was an ‘89. So sad to see them go.
Absolutely awesome car that speaks of a better day that’s gone forever.
Had a ‘68 Falcon Sports Coupe that would intermittently just shut off. Bad ignition switch. Sad how many cars are scrapped because nobody is smart enough to diagnose them. Ran an automotive business years later which included auto sales, auto repair, and auto salvage. Made a lot of money buying “junk cars” that needed a simple fix.
It looks like the bottom of the front plate is rusting. It is a pet peave of mine that people will detail a car and do nothing with a rusting license plate.
What I like most about cars from California is you can see a cars history by the plate. If the plate is bashed up but the car isn’t, they fixed the car without fixing the plate. At least you knew the car had previous damage.
Must inspect in person, I have never seen one that didn’t have rust on driver side floor due to many little water and debris traps engineered into floor, even if pampered,…better look real close, alot has been repaired here.
If only I had the $$$….my dad had the very same wagon, only in White….1970 !
Never thought I’d see another one !
Nice car…trk, suv, wagon ….
Always liked country squires, and this one looks to be a beautiful example.
I have always thought Ford really wasted an opportunity by not offering a Country Squire option on the Ford Flex wagon looking SUV. That car would have been perfect for the treatment!
@Miguel
An accounting book? I’m not even going to ask
@Angel, the only thing I remember about the class, which was high school, is that when I told the teacher what happened, I thought she would get mad, she said it was fine, she had one of those cars and the same thing happened to her. I was relieved.
@ Miguel
🤣🤣🤣👍
This is a very nice vehicle, love the red with woody combo. I still have my parents 1968 Ford Customer 500 Ranch Wagon in Brittany Blue with same color interior. Has 90,000 miles on it with a 302 cid engine and standard shift “3 on the tree’.Went with my Dad to pick it up, been in the family since new.
This car is in Mexico. It is this cars little younger brother.
It has a 302 and a manual 3 speed on the floor.
This is a Fairmont but you might notice the Zephyr grille. The Mexican car companies mixed and matched parts in a lot of their cars.
@Miguel. Me, too, Miguel. The hidden headlights on the ’68 & ’69 were rare enough, but washers on the ’69? Even more rare.
I had the 71 in high school. 1982/3. Baby Blue. Blue interior. 429 with C6 auto. It had that problem of just dying at any speed. I was in auto
2 shop when I finally found the problem. It was the ground wire in the distributor. Vibration and heat would break it. It was a fantastic car to run and be seen in but I can tell You my girlfriends parents hated it. They were highly relieved when I decided I wanted a Pick Up. .
Vance, then your girlfriend’s parents had a new issue. In the early 90s Joe Diffie had a song called Pickup Man .
” You can set it on fire, roll it down a hill
and I still wouldn’t trade it for a Coupe DeVille. …. There’s something women love about a pickup man” . Lol!😁😝👍
Incorrect woodgrain, 3 way magic gate. I am guessing it it a flip, as “1 owner the last 50 years”, until the sellers recent purchase, hence the price tag. Common these days, many flippers now. Nice car, but not very well loaded option wise