Ford Country Squire Wagon!

[a2Pilot]

How many of you remember long family road trips in one of THESE?

I spotted this classic in our parking lot here at work. I'm guessing late 80's. I wonder if it has the pop-up third row seat? Family vehicles have come a LONG way in 20 years!

[beer4799]

Mine was an '84 I think. Bought it used with 65K in 89 IIRC. My wife drove it for 7 years w/o whining once! Bench seat in front held three, three in middle row and 4 in the "way back" Who needs a minivan when your wagon seats 10! Great car that never stranded my wife (stranded me a few times though!). Low center of gravity and drove very nice. Talk about a tank on wheels. Couple things were troublesome: 302 never idled correctly (always ran high, they all did), went through brakes too quickly and paint was shot by year 10. Headliner was falling near the end. Drive it till 144K and still sold it to a guy for $900. All in all, I did OK. My wife was rewarded last week with an '08 Accord in part because she was such a trooper with the "Griswald" wagon.

Side bar - My Dad's '63 Country Squire had the 460 engine. Porsche didn't have anything in '63 that would beat this wagon in a straight line! That thing could pass anything except a gas station.....Good memories...Thanks

[colorider]

IIRC, the 3rd seat was REAR facing!!!!

[a2Pilot]

Originally posted by colorider
IIRC, the 3rd seat was REAR facing!!!!

AND you could roll down the back window to enjoy the exhaust fumes!

[Josey92]

... which was the first vehicle I drove when I got my license. In fact, I grew up in MI so that could very well be the one since it's the same exact color.

[rlapid]

Originally posted by colorider
IIRC, the 3rd seat was REAR facing!!!!

i searched and found one on ebay, the rear seats actually face each other! i hope they designed that area for children, because there isn't much legroom back there...

[KarenCaren]

If you remove the backseat you are on your way to heaven or hell.

It's a creepy car.

___________________
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[a2Pilot]

My Dad had several of these over the years. (Mostly through the '70's) He worked for Ford, and got a new car every year. We had many, many wagons.

I remember brown, gold and dark green exterior colors. Some with wood panel sides, some plain. Vinyl seats. AM radio. Later on he started living a little and got FM too. Our family travelled all over the country in those wagons. My sister and I would take turns being in the "way back". We'd roll out a sleeping bag and nap as we cruised down the highway. Seat belts? We didn't need no stinkin' seatbelts! He usually didn't get the third row seat option though. That left TONS of space below the floor for luggage. We referred to it as "the well".

[N_Jay]

Originally posted by a2Pilot
My Dad had several of these over the years. (Mostly through the '70's) He worked for Ford, and got a new car every year. We had many, many wagons.

I remember brown, gold and dark green exterior colors. Some with wood panel sides, some plain. Vinyl seats. AM radio. Later on he started living a little and got FM too. Our family travelled all over the country in those wagons. My sister and I would take turns being in the "way back". We'd roll out a sleeping bag and nap as we cruised down the highway. Seat belts? We didn't need no stinkin' seatbelts! He usually didn't get the third row seat option though. That left TONS of space below the floor for luggage. We referred to it as "the well".

The "Way back" and the "well"!!

Most all wagons of that era had those!

These were the original 8 passenger SUVs!!

Of course the best (personal opinion only) was the 1970,. AMC Ambassador wagon.
Not only did it have a wayback and a well (or rear facing seat); it also had a fully reclining split bench front seat!

Bittersweet Orange with wood grain (1973 shown) virtually unchanged from the 1970 model.

[colorider]

Originally posted by rlapid


i searched and found one on ebay, the rear seats actually face each other! i hope they designed that area for children, because there isn't much legroom back there...

I had forgot about the "facing" seats!

[Kalbo607]

I remember it well. Our family had one, and that is the car I learned how to drive in. Made the 78 Chevy Nova I took the driving test in seem like a compact, when parking it.

[krygny]

Originally posted by colorider
IIRC, the 3rd seat was REAR facing!!!!

I wonder how many kids got killed in the back of those things. Even in the '90s, the Sable wagon had a rear-facing third seat. My sister-in-law had one. We were following her one day and of course the kids were clowning around in the back seat, making faces, etc. I couldn't help thinking how f%&ked up those kids would be if I rear-ended the car, even slightly. When we got to our destination, I told her to never NEVERNEVERNEVERNEVERNEVER, let them ride there again.

[OB3]

My parents had , if i recall correctly, a 1974 Chevy Caprice Estate Wagon, fake wood panels and all. Front bench seats, rear facing 3rd row with the roll down rear window. I loved getting up at 5am, heading to Florida to visit the grandparents in teh summer, loved that rig.

Similar to this, but ours was maroon.

[hondacuraplanet]

My dad had a '71 Pontiac Lemans wagon, ,identical to this, but had the woodgrain.....

http://westernmass.craigslist.org/car/621566520.html

I used to ride crossways in the spot between the second seat and the rear facing third seat. My dad even cut out a small piece of carpet to fit in there so it would be a little cushier than the hard metal board.....

Ah, memories

[OB3]

Originally posted by hondacuraworld


I used to ride crossways in the spot between the second seat and the rear facing third seat. ...

Seatbelts, we don't need no stinkin seatbelts . lolol. Loved the 70's lol.
I remember one year our family and the nieghbors going down to Disney during summer vacation. My parents rented a 11 passenger extended cab van, and since we were one seat short, they stuck me, the smallest, in a beach chair in the cargo area, wedged between the cooler and the suitcases.

Safety First !!!