Hidden Headlights: 1970 Ford Country Squire – Sold?
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December 27, 2022, Update – We confirmed the listing for this “Classifind” expired, so with no replacement found, we’re assuming this ride is “Sold?” While this one got away, please reach out either by email or call us directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.
Call it the Sarah Jessica Parker effect as over the past several years, her famously daily-driving a mid-seventies safety bumper Ford Country Squire similar to the one her mother carted her around in has the values of Ford’s famous seventies wagon on the rise.
A more attractive and powerful alternative to Parker’s ride is this 1970 LTD-Trimmed Country Squire, originally listed in November 2022 on Craigslist in Santa Ana, California. The seller reports the original owner kept their 390-powered Country Squire for fifty years, apparently doing much to keep the car in its original preserved condition. The seller also reports their Country Squire comes with its original California black plates as part of the sale.
Once offered for $25,000, Classic.com, the analytics and search engine for the collector car market, confirms the ask is at the high end of the five-year rolling average of this guide’s summary for second-generation Ford LTDs of all body styles produced between 1970 and 1978. By clicking on the green dots in the graph below, you can navigate to each comparable car sold as a way to help you evaluate the price of the Country Squire featured here:
As a second data point, the Collector Car Market Review Online Tool reveals the seller’s ask falls between this guide’s #2 Very Good” estimate of $20,400 and its #1 “Excellent” appraisal of $32,600 before making adjustments for the powertrain and desirable options not confirmed in the listing.
For the 1969 model year, the full-size Ford model line underwent a complete redesign, increasing in wheelbase from 119 inches to 121 inches. In consolidating its branding, Ford station wagons and sedans were no longer distinct model lines. After adding LTD hood badging in 1968, the Country Squire was added to the model range for 1969, slotted above the (Galaxie) Country Sedan and (Custom 500) Ranch Wagon. Starting in 1969, the Big Six six-cylinder was no longer offered on the Country Squire, while it continued with the Country Sedan and Ranch Wagon.
For the 1969 model year, a new generation of Ford and Mercury cars made their debut; station wagons for both divisions rode on a 121-inch wheelbase shared with the Ford sedan line, a gain of two inches. The “Magic Doorgate” tailgate was updated to a 3-way design: it could now swing down like a tailgate or swing out with the window down or up (the latter was previously not possible).
As part of the LTD line, the Country Squire wore similar interior trim; with the obvious exception of its simulated woodgrain paneling, Country Squires wore the same bodywork from the windshield forward as their LTD sedan counterparts. For the 1970 model year, visible changes were limited to detail changes in bumper and grille trim and lost the divider bar. This would also be the final model year for optional hidden headlamps.
Initially, the standard engine was a 302 cubic-inch V8, replaced by a 351 cubic-inch V8 midway through the 1969 model year. As with its LTD counterpart, the 390 and 429 V8 engines were options.
The Lois Happy YouTube Channel features this 1970 Ford Country TV commercial:
Here’s the seller’s description:
Show or go: What would you do with this 1970 Ford LTD Country Squire station wagon for sale? Please comment below and let us know!
We had a 1974 Torino wagon as our first family car. It was just after our first child was born. It was a used GSA car that we bought for $800. It had A/C and a 302. The best car we ever owned since.