When I was 13 my Dad bought a new 1968 Ford Country Squire with the duel rear seats. I loved that car and have many happy memories of the trips we took over the years. Thanks for putting a smile on my face....
My dad's first new car was a 1963 Ford Fairlane Ranchwagon. He paid $2,535.00 for it, there was no sales tax in NJ at that time. It included a V8, automatic transmission and a 3rd row rear facing seat. It was amazing when he drove it home, I was 10 years old.
Thank you Adam! My dad bought one new in 1968 .Lime gold metallic with light green interior and the 390 V8. I learned to drive in this car. Many happy memories!
This brings back some very fond memories. In 1971, my parents bought a used '68 Country Squire in hunter green with a '390' engine. Ours had a factory-installed 8-track tape player. Dad added a trailer hitch assembly to it to pull a 16-foot trailer. Extremely smooth ride!
Love the channel, my uncle had a 73 Country Squire. He kept it 13 years until he traded it in for a new 86 4 door white Crown Victoria. The Country Squire had never been in an accident, and was a weird reddish orange color with a brown vinyl interior. I absolutely loved that car!
I remember riding in one of those wagons as a kid. It was like floating on a cloud. The car was so powerful, but you couldn't hear the 390 engine as it pushed you back in your seat LOL
I grew up with my parents having one of these. We boys spent the entire time in the rear-facing back seats. That was great for the adults until the mayhem caused the car to stop. Uh-oh! I liked it even better when I started driving it with my learners permit. One thing about these wagons of the sixties rarely mentioned: they were incredibly tough rigs that handled even mountain forest roads with ease. When camping, my mother used the tailgate mode for cooking. Otherwise, the door mode was the preferred method for rear entry.
We had a brand new ‘67 Country Squire, the last year for the vertical stacked headlights. We loved those rear facing seats and the two way tailgate, what a great time to be a kid!
Adam, As a subscriber who was taken home from the hatchery in a station wagon and grew up surrounded by them, I welcome these wagon videos. By now we all know about the famous, very-special-order, one of one, 1967 Country Squire optioned with a 428 and 4 speed manual. Very recently I learned that Coronet and Satellite wagons were once available with 4 barrel 383s paired with 4 speed transmissions without a special order. I wonder if you or any subscriber has ever seen one. 🤔
When I was like four, my parents got a 1970 LTD four door hardtop. The first time I noticed the high beam indicator, I said "look at the king's hat!" The folks thought that was funny...
Uncle had one just like that, 6 kids, lived in Boise, liked to go to Vegas w/the whole tribe. Spoke of cruising @ 100 mph. No speed limits in NV back then.
When I was a kid, getting a new car was a big deal, the whole neighborhood noticed and commented. Always dreamed the parents would drive home in a country squire of vista cruiser.
From 1955 through 1975 my father was "a Ford man". From his '55 Sunliner to the '59 TBird to the '65 Fairlane 500 to his '70 Country Squire each vehicle symbolized a stage in his personal and professional life. Although he talked station wagon while I was growing up, it is a bit ironic that he purchased his Squire the year I graduated from undergraduate school and was in graduate school 2000 miles away. His Squire was the only Ford her ever owned that had a 2 bbl carb and single exhaust. But it was his type of car: green with no air conditioning, six passenger and mandatory vinyl seats. This final Ford for dad proved to be his best car ever. Rock solid reliable. Smooth. Quiet. Solid. Stable. A joy to drive. He truly loved his Squire. I personally always loved the Country Squire. Some years more than others, but any will do.
My Dad bought my Mom a 1968 White Country Squire new, it had a blue interior and the 390 2v engine. It was the 9 passengers model. As a family of 6 Mom, drove us kids to kingdom come and back! We took that car on many family vacations and used to tow my Dad's boats. In 1981, I took that same car for my drivers road test. When it came time for the parallel parking test, I got the car in between the cones, but I was a little too far away from the curb. The lady motor vehicle agent opened the passenger side door and looked down. She said that this was a big car and that I was a nice young man and she passed me! My parents sold that car in 1983. She was rusting out from the NJ winters and probably from being dipped in the salt water a bit too far during boat launches. Miss those days and this great car from my youth
I spent so many hours in Ford wagons from the 60's - my parents got one in 63, 65, and 67, just before the headlight change. I recall them fondly, especially the exhaust note, which was very pleasing to this young piston head in the making.
Ford Country Squires always seemed to be the preferred wagon on the TV shows of the ‘60s. Ford had a very good decade as they recovered from the Edsel disaster… Falcon, Mustang, Thunderbird, Lincoln.
@seansands424 You guys had some really cool cars (Specially the Fords the US never got) but there's something so cool about the US wagons from the 60's/70's. I would much rather drive one of these (Modern drivetrain, electronics etc) than a modern SUV.
In the fall of 67 my parents ordered a new 68 Country Squire to replace our 62 Country Squire. The 68 was absolutely beautiful. Black with wood paneling, and red interior. The delivery was delayed due to a UAW strike at Ford in the fall of 67. Parents picked it up on New Years Eve. Within a week it was back at the dealer. The first of its many return trips to the dealer. The 68 Country Squire was indeed a beautiful car. It was also a unreliable pile of crap. It lived at the repair shop. The 390 engine struggled to tow a small boat when the car was fully loaded with kids and camping equipment. The car managed to break down on every family vacation. To this day , I don't know how my dad budgeted for that. After 5 years and only 50 thousand miles my parents had enough. The Ford was traded in. True to form in the evening we were going to trade the car in, its wouldn't start. A mechanic had to be called from the local service station to get it running, so we could take it down, and trade it. My father was so disgusted he never bought another Ford product. Finally as a child who actually endured it. To all who look at the dual facing rear seats, and say " how clever " The rear seat arrangement only worked comfortably with 2 kids back there. Put 3 or 4 kids back there, and the dual facing rear seats were more like a torture chamber.
You guys must have gotten one built on a Friday afternoon. They are well known for being dead reliable. My 1968, in 2001, was still 100% in working order,ran like a top, was powerful as can be, did great burnouts, pulled 3,000 lbs of trailer like nothing was there.
My parents bought a 1968 Country Sedan in Southern California back in the day. Dual rear facing seats limestone green with light green vinyl interior. 390 4 barrel and air. Just a beautiful car. I was privileged in that it was my first car. I babyed that car until a friend of my parents begged me to sell and I did. I have regretted that to this day. I wish I still had it and would love to find another.
The 1968 Ford station wagon model names were officially "Ford Ranch Wagon", "Ford Custom 500 Ranch Wagon", "Ford Country Sedan" and "Ford Country Squire". The Ranch Wagon models had either "Custom" or "Custom 500" script on the doorgate at the rear. For unknown reasons, to the best of my knowledge, the Country Sedan did not have any "Galaxie 500" identifiers either on the doorgate or anywhere else, even though it clearly had Galaxie 500 level trim. For the first time, in 1968, the Country Squire had LTD emblems and base LTD level trim inside. For 1969, the Country Sedan was clearly identified as part of the Galaxie 500 series.
Henry Ford would roll over if he'd seen his all American co. sell itself out like it has. Give me FE , 385's and Windsors of yesteryear. Had many go over 400k miles with a modicum of care. When it was FORD MOTOR CO.
I think the ‘67 and ‘68 Fords and Mercurys were the prettiest cars ever made. That said, one of the couples in my parents circle of friends had a ‘62 Rambler Classic station wagon - blue-green with a white roof. I loved that wagon. And I remember when they traded it for a 1968 White Ford Country Sedan with a blue interior and dual facing seats in the way back. I remember playing with the dual opening tailgate with their two sons when they were visiting us, shortly after buying the wagon. Somehow we got the tailgate off track and it completely came off and landed on the driveway. Their mom and my mom had to fight with it to get it attached and working again. And it was scratched. Thought we were all gonna be spanked that day, but we weren’t. I also remember the cargo floor wasn’t carpeted, making riding in the back heck on your knees. And the dual facing rear seats really weren’t all that comfortable, even for little boys. I loved the look of the ‘68 Fords, but as a little boy, I remember thinking that their Rambler with the carpeting on the cargo floor and pretty blue-green color was the better wagon. Through the eyes of a child.
I had a 1991 Country Squire , it was a very nice wagon., very comfortable, good performance and looked nice… years later I ended up trading in for a new Aerostar Van., not a good decision.
My parents bought one of these to haul around their 5 kids. They drove us LA to DC and back in it in the summer of 1968. Being the youngest, I spent a lot of time in those back seats. That territory was known as, "The Way Back."
The Mercury Colony Park models were wonderfully built cars that were both posh and rugged. Ours was so handy for everyday use, yet quiet the hauler for trips into the city. It was a ranch vehicle that delivered.
Inflation rate rose about 800% but hourly wages only around 6% since 68. That means that although these wagons might have been considered average priced back then, it was equivalent of $30K car today, but on a $280/hr average wage. That tailgate door was ingenious. I don't know if Ford had it on these, but my mind was blown when I was watching the movie Temple Grandin. The mother went to get luggage out of the back, stuck a key into the locking mechanism, turned it and a power window went down. The car was a red Falcon.
I remember when the local Ford dealership was located downtown and had a small showroom. They had a white 1968 Country Squire on the showroom floor. It had blackwall tires. Oh horror of horrors. I asked the owner of the dealership why he ordered the car with blackwalls. He said that the sticker price was really getting high and if the buyer wanted whitewalls they could always be exchanged. If memory serves me correctly the car was about $3,800.00
My family had a ‘68 Torino GT 390 4bbl - that thing had big power, seems like the GT got a little different tune. Also that car had the same steering wheel but with a colorful little Torino badge. My aunt in Pittsburgh had a few Ford wagons before moving to Pontiac luxo-barge cruisers around ‘75 lol.
Bring these back. I will be the first one in line. Hand crank windows, points ignition, no computers controlling everything, and can be had with a 428 cu in engine.
Hi Adam, Thank you for another fine video on this 1968 Country Squire ! I have been a lifelong Ford wagon guy starting with my first car a 1973 Pinto Squire wagon for my commute to college every day . Than in 1988 I purchased my first full size wagon a 1987 Crown Victoria 8 passenger, than in 2001 I purchased a 1991 Crown Victoria LX 8 passenger wagon in a similar color to the 1987 ( Pastel Alabaster ). I broke the wagon mold in 2022 when I purchased my 1989 Mercury Grand Marquis LS 50th anniversary edition sedan with only 67,000.0 miles on it. All are great cars with only the 1987 seeing winter duty. The Mercury is one of only 250 built with this trim package, gold anodized exterior trim with luggage rack.
7 месяцев назад
1968, (the year of my birth) was one of the best years of ALL domestic manufacturers.
The level of detail you get in Adam’s videos is so entertaining: the steps in the bumper, the optional (sometimes) checker board for the extra facing seats, the location of the heater core (in a/c vs non a/c equipped vehicles). Who can do that? Just love this channel.
Gotta agree. By far the best automotive channel. I love how all Adams videos are no bullshit, clickbait, overproduced, sponsored garbage. Love love love this channel too.
I wish you would do one on the 1969 Pontiac Bonneville Station Wagon mom and dad would drive us kids down to Disneyland. 70mph down Interstate 5 with the air conditioner on us kids playing in the back the whole time. Didn't worry about the price of gas.
My mom drove a 59. It was long and low. As a result the rear bumper dragged when the road elevation changed. My dad told her to use more speed to avoid getting stuck. So, she’d tell us to hang on. The car would bottom out and the bumper was crooked but we never got stuck.
My parents bought one new. Once I grew up, I added the power windows, optional warning light package, tilt column with the T-Bird tilt-away mechanism, four speaker stereo, and factory a/c (a huge job). Never got a power seat though.
My friend’s parents had one, the Disc brake pedal was my introduction to their existence (disc brakes), I liked the ride of big, heavy cars. Years later a used ‘74 Ford Country Squire Landau was the lowest priced used car I ever owned - pennies per pound!
I was a station wagon kid growing up. My Dad was the ultimate GM buyer. 62 Chevy Biscayne, 65 Chevy Bel-air. 67 Pontiac Bonneville, 69 Bonneville and 72 Buick Estate Wagon. The third seats were always the fun seats!! My mother loved the new door on the 69 Bonneville because a part of the bumper would open with the rear door and there was step to get in the back.
Adam, my family had a 1968 Country Squire in olive green with the 302 and side-facing rear seats. What a great car! Many family road trips cross country, as well as Saturday nights at a Drive-In movie as kids.
Again, lots of memories looking at this car. Sitting in the far back, no seatbelts on, headed for a day at the metro park for ball park franks and fishing.
We had a maroon one with a white interior. It had the 4 barrel 390 and air-conditioning. Ford actually called it a 10 passenger. It was a beautiful car.
Actually before the SUV craze started, there was the minivan craze. Chrysler built a minivan and put the Town & Country name on it. But there was also the LeBaron Town & Country. I don't remember which came first. Anyway, that is one beautiful wagon there. Regarding the radios, you said radios were optional in that car. Our 1967 Imperial Sedan (that's what the model was called) had only an AM radio. Back in the day my mom's cousins had a `68 Mercury wagon, which they still had into the mid 80s. I'm not sure if it was a Colony Park or a Communter. They had 6 kids, so they needed it. They let me drive it one time, in 1984. It had the 390 with "three on the tree". I never knew if it was 2-bbl or 4-bbl though. The reason why they got rid of it was because the frame was starting to rot out. How sad.
Our family had one. It was the first of our Ford LEMONS. 2 weeks after purchase the window handles started falling off and it was all downhill from there. The worst problems were a engine oil leak that could never be fixed, a transmission that did not shift gears properly and also could not be fixed, frequent engine overheating, and a radiator that had been installed wrong at the factory. Those are just the highlights I remember as a kid.
As so many others do, I have very fond memories of this year Squire, but then a lot of other 60's and early 70s wagons aas well. If you were a kid in suburbia Mom had one or other of them - and yes, there was a pecking order. Even at 7 or 8 years old, you 'knew' :) 1966 wheel covers on this one.
I love these videos especially when they are about cars from the 1960's! I have seen a few car videos from Adam and on other sites which helpfully provide a MSRP price conversion to modern currency and it's shocking how much more a car costs percentage wise to income compared to decades ago. Are these the factors? -- labour costs, safety systems (air bags, anti lock brakes, traction control and on & on) materials costs, CEO lifestyles, engineering intended to last much longer than it used to (my aunt had a lovely dark red 1970 Ford LTD whose fenders rusted through in two years), lower production volumes due to splintered markets, also in general all the complex electronics and power everything all overall account for the price difference? A new Explorer can be over $60,000+ compared to the converted $30,000+ MSRP of this wonderful Country Squire wagon Adam shows here.
This was my first car in 79' given to me from my dad. It was in Detroit so it had rusted out rear quarters. Fuel gauge didn't work had to use broom handle to check level. The spare tire was visible under the quarter and was painted body color.😂 The 390 ran ok with about 80k miles but had an exhaust manifold donut leak. Drove it for junior year the upgraded to a 71 Ventura 307/ Powerglide.❤
There were lots of these around when I was growing up. In the summer one dreaded being carpooled in a Ford because the AC not good in a swampy climate. The GMs and Chryslers cooled well even in the back once underway.
I have 89 caprice wagon and i wish big body on frame wagons were still made today. I'm not even from us and i miss them. In europe we still have many wagons on sale, but those bigger euro wagons like bmw 5, audi a6 or e class are more sedans with little more cargo room then true BIG wagon you can use to carry everything you want. I bought my caprice because it was the cheapest way to get true big american classic car. It was hearse for 26y, but someone in the past but back seats back and take off all hearse trim, so now is just big black wagon. My family feel love with it, because is very good driving and super practical car, we cary everything we want. Is funny how we experiencing this american way of making cars and driving them 30y later on the other side of the ocean and we love it. Is big but nowdays europe is full of big suvs and this car is not that big. I really wish GM or Ford were still making those cars, big body on frame with double bench seats and tailgate that open both sides.
MY BEST FRIENDS MOM had this same FORD COUNTRY SQUIRE IN THIS SAME GREEN, but only in a 1969, which I think is a more attractive design. It did EVERYTHING ! Great wagon !....
Dad drove us around in '65 Country Sedan....He called it Yellowbird since he really wanted a Thunderbird! Sad to find nearly all the windows smashed in on our way down from a snowy weekend in Lake Arrowhead CA. No chains...so they ferried us up. Thx for your vids!
Dear Adam: Another great video. There was a time when I owned a 1968 LTD Sedan and a 1968 Country Sedan in the same shade of green, each with the 390 c.i. FE-block 2-venturi V-8. Both cars had 4-wheel power-drum brakes, which worked fine. The LTD was actually a daily-driver, and the Country Sedan was for trips and shows being a very nice California car. The 390 2-bbl.'s with the C-6 Automatic made for great driving and decent fuel economy. The 1968 full-size Ford's had an optional plug-in "percolator" for the cooling system, allowing one to plug in a 3-prong outlet into an extension cord which then heated the coolant up in advance of starting the car. It sounded like the church-social percolator popping in the garage. The car would start right up and you had heat right off the bat on a cold day. As they say, "Divorce forces sale", but these were great while I had them. -RDM
Dear Stephen: The "percolator" was different than the normal block heater, which usually heat the oil pan. I have not seen one since. -Bob@@stephenholland5930
Those cars equipped with the dual facing rear seats were officially 10-passenger cars, each seat had two seat belts. I know, my dad had a '68 Country Sedan, my brothers and I sat back there on family trips.
Nice Volvo at 7:51. My parents had a 544 when I was really young, I don't remember it. In '64 we got a new 122 Amazon wagon. It even had a blanket to shield the radiator in severe cold though we lived in Oakland.
Hello Adam. I love your videos, but this one really stands out. My first car was a 1968 Country Squire. White with red interior. It must have been beautiful when new, but by 1976, New England winters had ravaged the exterior. You could see the ground through the spare tire well! Thanks again for taking us back in time.
our 68 LTD had rust holes by 1972. bad. My dad was always upset because it was always breaking down. The accelerator stuck one day and my mom almost drove it thru a drive up Photomat. A mechanic left a socket inside the hubcap, AC compressor made growling noises, the bolts fastening the front seatbelts to the floor would get hot enough to cause a burn, rear windows hard to roll up or down, ignition key barrel fell out,very hard to start, i bet it drank lots of fuel but nobody cared in those days. Actually this is my favorite ford ever made.
Love the station wagon videos, I remember going to the dealer with my family to trade in our 1966 Plymouth wagon for a brand new 1969 Plymouth sport fury with a 4bbl 383 it was beautiful dark green with faux mahogany trim it had an all black interior I remember it had these stainless steel medallions in the middle of the seats that would brand your back when it was hot 😅
My dad bought a brand new ‘68 Country Sedan from the Ford dealer in Schaumburg IL - 390 2V in green, with a black interior & the kids seats in back. Those seats were cramped, even for kids.
@@donselke9487yeah, I’m pretty sure it was Schaumburg, but I was around 9 years old - we lived in Elk Grove. I remember they had a Cobra Mustang in the showroom - I thought the snake logo was way cool!🐍
I had a ‘91 Country Squire for a couple years, back around Y2K, and I still kinda miss it. Dark blue on dark blue leather with the woodgrain sides. It must have had a LSD rear axle because it was a delight to drive in the snow.
Ty, Adam, good one. My sister's boyfriend had one of these when I was a kid. It was beat up and he used it for work. Funny thing, I'm talking about approximately 1971/72, no later than that. Isn't it funny how much the longevity of cars has changed. It's was 3 or 4 years old and when I tell you it was a bomb, it was! I was a kid into cars so I remember it well. It had to be a Country Sedan I guess, because it was all white w/no woodgrain sides with a blue vinyl interior and a V8, probably the 302. As for the one shown here, the car definitely looks great overall, but there are small things that giveaway that it was at one time pretty used - like the door cards for one. It definitely appears to be some variation of restoration. The woodgrain on the sides I noted is extra shiny and although a lot of people do that, that is not how it came from the factory. They were not quite matte finish, but they were not highly glossy either as this one is.
We used to vacation every summer at a seaside resort and I remember once the family who stayed in the unit next to us rolled up in a brand new '68 Country Squire, light metallic green. Ironically, the people in the Ford ad shown in your video could almost be that family, so who knows, maybe this ad even influenced their purchase decision. Sharp looking car with a very modern and distinctive front end!
So many memories. I'm reminded of the black '66 Ford Country Sedan wagon (red interior) that was mine and my new bride's first car in 1973. I was receiving Airman pay (not much) and the wagon came along and was perfect for us and our black lab puppy. We camped in that car many times as a young family back when gas was cheap and 13mpg didn't matter. It had the 352 and was a thirsty beast. Thanks for the memories, Adam.
My dad got one of these in the 1980s. My grandmother was failing and he wanted something that would be easy to haul her wheelchair around in. I don't think he ever hauled the wheelchair once before she keeled over, but my high school friends laughed at me every time I drove the thing. Anyway, great video as always.
Hidden headlights were definitely a cool option in their day. Only thing I didn't like was at night, at high speeds, sometimes they would lose vacuum and shut on ya'. It's a real drag going 100+ mph and your headlights basically go out.
When I was VERY young, our nextdoor neighbors replaced their 1954 Ford wagon with a 1959 Country Squire. The entire neighborhood came to see it! That's what the 1950s were like.
