Last Big One: 1978 Ford LTD Country Squire 30K Survivor – Sold?

December 1st Update – We just confirmed the Craigslist ad for this ride expired and with no replacement listing found, we’re assuming this car sold.  This one may have got away, but if you have your heart set on something similar, email us the details of what you’re looking for or call Rudy directly at (908)295-7330.

If you’ve been following the station wagon market over the past two years, among the hottest examples increasing in value are 1970s era Ford LTD Country Squires such as this 30K original mile example first listed in October 2020 on Craigslist just outside of Boston, Massachusetts with an asking price of $9,800. Researching the Collector Car Market Review Online Tool reveals the private seller has their Country Squire priced between this guide’s #3 “Good” estimate of $6,800 and its #2 “Very Good” appraisal of $10,700.

For the 1973 model year, the Ford full-size car line was given a major update. While still built on the same chassis and 121-inch wheelbase introduced in 1969 the addition of 5 mph bumpers would add over six inches in length to the LTD Country Squire by the end of the 1974 model year. These would also be the longest and heaviest station wagons ever produced by Ford. For 1974, 5-mph bumpers were added to the rear, a transistorized ignition system was introduced, as well as a new hood ornament. In addition, the 429 was dropped, largely replaced by the essentially identical 460 V8.

For 1975, Ford began to pare down its wagon lineup as the Custom 500 Ranch Wagon was relegated exclusively to fleet sales, and the Galaxie Country Sedan was discontinued, replaced by a non-woodgrain LTD wagon. To better distinguish the LTD Country Squire, Ford returned hidden headlamps to the model, a feature associated with top-line LTD Landau (and Mercury Marquis) models. In all models, catalytic converters were now standard equipment to comply with emissions regulations.  1975-1978 models were nearly identical except for small differences in trim and emblems from year to year. As a move to increase fuel economy, the 351 cubic-inch V8 was reintroduced for 1978.^[29]

Here’s a commercial we came across from 1976 featuring a virtually identical 1976 Country Squire.  Bonus points if you know who the couple featured in the commercial are as we have no idea!

Good luck with the purchase!

Here’s the seller’s description:

“For sale is a true 70s time capsule. This 1978 Ford Country Squire station wagon was purchased from the original owners family in PA. Currently it has less than 30,000 original miles. Mechanically, the car has been gone through and had necessary parts replaced (fuel system, ignition, transmission service to name a few). All has been done to keep the vehicle in largely original condition like it left the factory. There are not many of these Country Squires left around, and this is one of the better unrestored examples. The only drawback is that the A/C is not hooked up and probably needs to be recharged / converted to R134a.“

Do you have a Ford Country Squire story you’d like to share?  Comment below and let us know!