The Fairlane was part of Ford’s line-up for more than 15 years, deriving its name from Henry Ford’s estate located near Dearborn, Michigan. While it first started out as a full-size model, it became a mid-size from 1962 forward. This 1969 Fairlane 500 station wagon, now part of the Torino series of cars, looks like a solid survivor that has been owned by the same party for 51 years. It hails from Simi Valley, California, and is available here on eBay where the bidding is hovering at $6,100 without a reserve.
Sixth generation Fairlanes were introduced in 1968 and would be largely unchanged the following year. Because the Torino had been introduced as the upscale version of Ford’s intermediates, the Fairlane and Fairlane 500 became lower-cost alternatives for buyers shopping in this category. While Fairlanes could still be powered by some of Ford’s higher output engines, the most common choice was the 302 2-barrel Windsor V8, which is the one found in the seller’s wagon. This white transport with a blue vinyl interior has been owned by the same family since 1970, which means it carries a set of California black license plates.
Other than one repaint in its original color several years ago, this wagon looks to be original in most other respects. The body and finish aren’t perfect with some chips and scratches, but nothing that its next owner needs to worry about. And there is no evidence of rust and no mention of it in the past either. The interior looks equally nice, although the carpeting could use either a deep cleaning or replacement. We’re told the floors are solid underneath the padding.
This car was likely ordered with the goal of hauling the family and all their stuff around. As such, it has power steering and brakes as well as factory air conditioning. But everything else looks basic, like crank windows and manual door locks (remember those?). We’re told the car drives as well as it looks. The engine compartment hasn’t been touched, wearing the dirt and grime that cars collect under the hood after several years. But it wouldn’t hurt to steam clean the engine bay to ensure there are no leaks to be found.
Hagerty pegs the average resale value of a 1968-69 Fairlane at $11-12,000, but this one could warrant a few more dollars due to its condition and heritage. Station wagons are growing in popularity with collectors because they’re generally cheaper to buy than their hardtop or convertible counterparts. This one might be a good way to begin making appearances at Cars & Coffee events with an automobile you could also use during the week.
Nice wagon. The seller has a knack for finding good cars to resell. Living in Southern California and being willing to put in the effort to find the right cars is paying off.
A similar wagon he was has listed in March was also featured on this site, it will be interesting to see which one sells for a higher price.
Steve R
So much for “Same owner for 51 years”.
Sold with a high bid of $16,100.
Steve R
Exactly. Resellers are so preoccupied polishing back-stories for what they are flipping that they fail to include themselves in the ownership chain. That always leads me to question every other claim that they are making. This isn’t to say that they are being dishonest, although many plainly are. It could just be carelessness. Lots of folks have a hard time writing a coherent classified ad.
At the very least you can be fairly sure that they are being disingenuous which is very often the case.
Resellers want their “cake and eat it too.” They want provide you with a curated description/backstory by carefully selecting what information to disclose and what to withhold from a buyer. But at the same time they are working to convince you that what they say is reliable they are also trying to remove as much of their personal involvement as possible. Denying their link in the ownership chain deflects from any responsibility they might actually bear especially for any questions about work they may have done or possible titling issues. The deflection is usually that “it was that way when I got it and I don’t know anything more”. Often followed by an application of clear-coat” in order to hold the “patina” in place.
Other than that this looks like a nice car, accurately described.
I don’t like that resellers including this one skip registering a car in their name. They shift a lot of downside risk to potential buyers. However, on there are bigger fish to fry than this guy. This seller is pretty straight forward, seemingly more so than many long time owners that I’ve dealt with. The worst sellers are the ones claiming to be selling a car for a friend or family member, which is so common the default position should be that statement that is a lie, unless proven otherwise. This seller has a good eye, the cars he’s selling look to be in good shape he also includes more than enough detailed pictures, which aren’t cropped for his benefit, so that buyers can make an educated guess as to the true condition of the car. The cars he lists as auctions have a low starting point and are no reserve. Though your criticism is often valid, it’s over the top in this case.
Steve R
You are right, Steve I started with a critique of bad resellers in general. I didn’t mean to be unfair to this seller but I was. My final line there should have been the first. and the critique doesn’t apply here. It looks like a good car from sunny Simi Valley. It’s up to $10,000 now. I am a little surprised but these aren’t seen very often and it’s in good shape.My folks had a 69 Fairlane sedan with the 302, automatic, ps, pb.Other than a recall which resulted in a new crisper shifting transmission when it was about a year old it required nothing more than routine oil changes and brake jobs. It asked for almost nothing and served my Mother faithfully for 17 years. She replaced it with a 1986 Plymouth Voyager. She gave the Ford to me and it lived on for another 7 or 8 years. I sold and bought it back a couple times from friends who needed some dependable wheels right away. The last person who had it didn’t treat it too well before she and the car suddenly dropped from site. I don’t care about her one bit but I would like to know what happened to that Fairlane.
Brings back memories. Ours was light yellow with a gold interior but other than that this is the car that my parents bought for my mom to drive with my sister and I from Tucson to Anchorage in 1969. Dad had driven up in March and we stayed behind to finish school, sell the house, etc. I haven’t seen one since ours went to the scrap yard.
In Iowa it is illegal to buy or sell a car not transferred in sellers name. Just saying.
It is in California too, probably most if not all states as well, but it barely puts a dent in the practice.
Steve R
Being illegal has stopped near zero commonly accepted practices.
I was 18 in 1968 and my folks were going to buy me a new car in lieu of college room and board. I wanted the 2 door Fairlane hardtop across the showroom floor with an interior just like this wagon, but got the ’68 Falcon Club Coupe the dealer had out on the back lot for 9 months! Always loved that dashboard!
A childhood friend of mines father bought one new and drove it until he traded it in for a 76 Torino wagon. The car was still pretty solid by that point except the tailgate rotted out along the bottom. That seemed to be a problem with this breed.
Love this wagon.
Just drive it as is.
Could use it for hauling the family, work (I’m a cabinetmaker), a hot rod (add a warmed over 351w & a 4spd, strip the ac ….), and it’s one of my favorite Ford models.
Damn.