1975 Ford LTD Country Squire

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/d/antioch-1975-ford-country-squire-ltd/7173537697.html

 

This is a bit weird. I live in Washington and sold this car to someone from California a couple in August of 2018. I can still see my Washington license plates in the pictures so wondering how it could have a current registration. It is quite possible the car has been fixed up since then, but it certainly could not be described as a 1-owner car and some of the other description also leaves me wondering. I believe I was the third owner, and the current owner is at least the fourth.

Ben

 

Ben. Did this car originally have a vinyl top? It’s interesting that it’s got the band on the rear quarters. Also interesting I don’t think I’ve ever seen one with just the air deflector with no rack. Love the Landau interior with the mini vents. I think I would try to find three other deluxe wheel covers for it. Love the color.

 

Hello

My understanding is that the second owner removed various items that he considered undesirable from the car for weight reduction, including the vinyl roof, the roof rack, the air pump (smog pump), and the air conditioner (less of an issue in Washington than in other states).

I have no proof, but I would not concur with the description of well-maintained. I think it was poorly maintained. I started overhauling it, but eventually gave up and sold it, which is not an uncommon situation.

Unless it has had a lot more restoration done it should be viewed as a car still in need of significant work. I sold it for $3,250. I am not sure if the much higher asking price reflects improvements to the car or just dreams of getting a high price. I think it conveys a condition that was not present at the time I sold it, but which may be present now.

The one underhood picture they supplied makes it appear that an air conditioner is still not installed.

The trim strips along the outside were peeling. I redid the strips on the 4 doors but not the rest of the car. You can see in the pictures this is still the case - the rest of the trim strips still need work.

I sold it with 95,000 miles, so it has been driven only 3,000 miles in the last two years, and doesn't appear to have a current title or registration. About 1,000 of those miles would have been driving it from Washington to the San Francisco Bay area.

This is the link to my posting in the summer of 2018
http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/threads/1975-ford-ltd-country-squire.49066/#post-432697
the link to Ebay no longer works. My description



I think there were a few other issues as well - as with any car of that age a list of issues could be quite long, especially if not well maintained.

I got a 1978 Colony Park instead with the same interior color, which is in much better shape, and is now my daily driver. As with any car of that age it needed some work, but not on the same scale as the Squire. It has the same interior color as the Squire. Before I sold the Squire I transferred the facing 3rd seat and lockable rear storage from the Squire to the Colony Park. I later picked up the optional checkerboard table on EBay.

Let me know if any more questions.

Ben

 

This seller I believe is a patent liar. Probably nothing done to this car since he picked it up. You mentioned the vinyl top issue, which he shrugged off as top needs paint work. Also “one owner”? It was a pretty car in the day, but I don’t think I would even go see this car. Your Colony Park looks nice. I have a cream ‘77 with that interior color as well.

 

You have a more direct communication style than I do - I just referred to it as "weird".

Mis-representing yourself as the first owner has got to be exposed sooner or later. When it comes time to close the transaction the paperwork will show otherwise.

 

Or if you show up to purchase the car and the seller is 35 years old.

Overall it doesn't look like a bad car and what you have listed as needing to be done doesn't seem too bad. It looks like the trans and engine have already been rebuilt. About the only other major systems would be steering, suspension, and brakes.

 

Different people have greatly differing opinions on the importance of air conditioning in a car, obviously in part due to different climates where they live.

If air conditioning is important to you, don't buy this with the perception that it will be easy to get it working in this car. I made that very clear to every potential buyer two years back. (This presumes no work has been done on the AC in the interim - the buyer told me had a good shop where they could fix this kind of issue.)

 

I guess having a good shop, and getting it fixed are two different kettle of fish. Even though we get heat in New Mexico, I seldom run my air conditioning. So agreed it’s not an absolute deal breaker for me. But I guess my problem is that you’re right in that if he’s fudging the add with misinformation, what other things do you think about as omissions, or just out right lies. That would taint my feeling about the car before I even gave it a once over. Roof needs touch up? No mention of the rear window motor/electrical. That’s the kind of thing I think is rather misleading. If I didn’t know any better, or drove to look at this car based on his add, I’d be a little perturbed.

 

My guess is the hard part would be finding all of the parts to make it work. He may have had intentions of fixing it until he figured out how much it would cost to have to pay someone to do it.

 

One lesson I learned is how complex the parts issue is. I had a 1978 Ford Wagon parts car. From 20 feet away the 1975 and the 1978 look pretty much identical, but when I tried to install the AC from the 1978 into the 1975 it did not fit. I tried to move the roof rack and had the same problem.

 

???
The '75's and '78's have the same basic body. What were the issues?

 

The air conditioner was a complex subject, but the roof rack is simple. The dimensions of the roof were exactly the same. The top dimensions of the roof rack were identical, but the bottom dimensions and the mounting hole locations changed between 1975 and 1978. I have never worked for a car company, but I did work in engineering for a major American company in a different industry, and generally you only made changes if there were a good reason to do so. If there is a new model with a different size roof then you need a new roof rack, otherwise you leave the roof rack size unchanged.

 

Now on eBay.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/224120340794

 

Now the seller claims his grandparents were the original owner!!

Whoever buys this is in for a rude awakening - it is not the car described in the text.

I feel much better having sold it for $3,250 with an accurate description.