A Full 460 Woody: 1976 Ford LTD Country Squire

There are few things more liberating memorable than taking a full sized American station wagon on a cross country road trip.  Your suit cases are piled on the top, your kids are piled in the back, and a stack of maps is piled in the glovebox.  My parents had one of these when I was a kid and I can remember the miles just flying by...actually the rear was so rusty that we could actually see the miles zipping by underfoot...so its probably a miracle that we never died of carbon monoxide poisoning, thank a busted AC for windows always rolled down.  Ahhh...good times.  Make your own good times with this 1976 Ford Country Squire offered for $5,500 in Deposit, NY via hemmings. Tip from BP.

That 70s Website: 1971 Ford LTD

There was a time when I considered focusing Daily Turismo on vehicles from the 70s...but then I sobered up and remembered that vehicles suffered from weight bloat, low compression engines, small finiky carbs / emissions systems, rubber bumpers and shoddy build quality...at least compared to cars from the 60s and 80s.  However, the early 70s cars aren't as bad as the later 70s cars and the survivors have become better and offer some of the better "deals" on the classic car marketplace...so maybe I should focus on the 70s.  Anyway, find this 1971 Ford LTD here on eBay offered for $9,850 buy-it-now in Lowell, MI.

Body in White: 1986 Ford LTD

This next car comes from tipper Jon who writes: Here is a clean 1986 Ford LTD looking very ex-police car in white with bordello-red interior. At the $4k-ish asking price, it looks like some throwback fun for the folks who remember that this sedan was built on the Fox platform. The only potential downer might be the engine under the hood - these things came with either a wheezing 4 banger, a straight 6, a bigger v6 or the 5 liter Windsor v8. I know which one I would hope for. Find this 1986 Ford LTD offered for $3950 in Houston, TX via craigslist.

Joe Dirt: 1985 Ford LTD LS1

In 1983-1986, the Ford LTD nameplate made its last hurrah on the fox body platform as a sedan and wagon.   The sedan weighed in at a relatively svelte curb weight of 3000 lbs.  Ford made a performance LX version of the car that came fitted with an uprated suspension and 5.0 V8.  Today's car takes the LX model idea ten times further.  A LS1 GM V8 from a F-body Camaro is now powering the car along with a built 4L60e auto trans.  The rest of the build has some custom touches and looks to be very well thought out.  Aside from the super dark tints, everything is done very discreetly.  Find this 1985 Ford LTD for sale in Macon, GA for $7,500 via craigslist.

390 Cubes, No Excuses: 1965 Ford Galaxie 500 LTD

The 3rd generation Ford Galaxie was introduced in 1965 as a taller and larger full-sized Ford family sedan with the 500 LTD as top-of-the-line version.  These were big brutish cars that were terrible to drive with the Thriftpower-6, but would come alive if you picked the big block V8 on the option list.  It was a time when gas was cheap and tires were terrible, but if you want a big pillarless 2-door that typifies the mid-60s, the Galaxie 500 LTD is the one to get.  Find this 1965 Ford Galaxie 500 LTD here on eBay bidding for $9,900 with less than one day to go, located in Fallbrook, CA.

Squad Car: 1985 Ford LTD Police Sedan

There is something inherently cool about used service vehicles - it doesn't matter if it was a street sweeper or a mine sweeper, but the idea of getting industrial grade stuff for a consumer use is intriguing.  Used police cars also fit into this category; they were equipped with heavier duty shocks, sway bars, and all kinds of stuff not available at your local dealer.  Find this 1985 Ford LTD Police Sedan here on eBay with a starting bid of $3,500 located in Livermore, CA with auction ending on Christmas day.

5k: Sleeper Sedan: 1983 Ford LTD 5.0 Swap

Update: 18-Jan-2015: This 1983 Ford LTD with 5.0 swap is back up for sale, this time here on craigslist for $4,500 located in Long Beach, CA.  Tip from Sean S.

Original Feature 8-June-2014: The fourth and final generation of Ford's LTD sedan was introduced in 1983 riding on the Fox platform.  Previous generation LTDs had been big body on frame elephants and the LTD chassis donated to the revival of the Crown Victoria model.  The final mid-sized iteration of the rear-drive LTD sedan only lasted for a few years before it was replaced with the front-drive Taurus.  All were automatic transmission equipped and lackadaisical in acceleration, but today's example has a few surprises under it's smurf blue skin.  Find this 1983 Ford LTD 5.0 Swap currently bidding for $2,200 reserve-not-met with a few hours to go on ebay, located in Los Angeles, CA.

5k: Mafia Style: 1974 Ford LTD Brougham

The Ford LTD was part of Ford's 1968-1978 full size lineup that included a few Mercurys (Marquis, Monterey, Colony Park) and Ford's Custom, Galaxie and Country Squire.  All told, Ford sold almost 8 million of this generation of full sized machine making it Ford's second best selling platform of all time (just behind the Model T).  Find this 1974 Ford LTD Brougham for sale in Salt Lake City, UT for $4,300 via craigslist.

5k: Landau? Try Depends: 1989 Ford LTD Crown Victoria, Minty Clean

In 1982 Ford split the LTD sedan into two models, the mid-sized LTD on the Fox platform, and the full-sized LTD Crown Victoria. The Crown Vic remained a body-on-frame Panther platform behemoth powered by Ford Windsor V8s. To add further confusion, the top of the line LTD Crown Victoria was originally called the LTD Landau and Crown Victoria was just a decor package typified by the big chrome band that ran from B-pillar to B-pillar over the roof like a 'crown.'  Find this 1989 Ford Crown Victoria LTD for sale in Shawsville, VA currently bidding on ebay for $3,603 reserve-not-met with a 4 days to go.

2.5k: Cheap Woodie: 1971 Ford LTD Country Squire Wagon, Vintage, Zombie Proof

The Ford Country Squire was the upmarket version of the LTD sedan in wagon trim.  Originally sided in actual wood (from a tree!), by the 6th generation it was covered in a vinyl sheet colored to simulate wood grain.  Find this 1971 Ford LTD Country Squire wagon for sale in Pacoima, CA for the bargain price of $2,500 via craigslist.