1986 Ford LTD Woodie 8438 Original Miles - $4500 - CA

Definitely a nice wagon to add to an LTD collection to show the changes over the years.

https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/cto/d/hemet-1986-ford-ltd-woodie-station/6958552976.html

 

It's a good-looking car to be sure, but do we believe the claim that it has only 8300 miles? I don't. Not with that wear on the front driver's seat. That's the kind of wear that comes from getting into and out of the car many times, something you don't do in only 8300 miles.

The engine bay looks more like 108,300 than it does 8,300 as well.

 

I don't believe 8k original miles either. Way too much wear and dirt showing everywhere.

 

I’m on the fence. Drivers seat’s can dry out from the heat. The engine compartment doesn’t match the miles but could be leaking everywhere from sitting. The trim and the fact it looks so stock ( other than the radio ) and is complete after 33 years lends some credibility. Easy enough to do a car fax if the owner listed the vin. The bumpers and rear hatch look pristine as well.

 

I cannot figure this one out. Alter expanding the photos on my tablet two interior wear tells showed up. First, the dye on the steering wheel is worn away on a large portion of the wheel rim. The wheel on our 87 has 115k of use and looks better. Second, look at the thin section of plastic wood that seperates the ventilation controls from the radio. On the left, below the vertical fan speed control, the finish looks completely worn away. Someone made a lot of fan speed adjustments in those 8k. However, having found wear on the inside, the outside looks pretty good, especially the bumpers. I guess I am on the fence too.

 

So why should the factory stereo be shot at 8k miles?

 

Maybe an upgrade. Looks like a cd player.

 

If I get time next weekend and it's still there, I'll go take a look. Other thing I wanted to point out is the door armrests look excellent. You would think the drivers side would be torn up after 108000 miles. The top of the steering wheel could have cooked a bit in the heat and melted up top. If it's really the first owner, they should be able to prove the miles.

 

Okay so I called the owner, got the vin, ran the car fax and am now eating crow! At least I didn't drive over there.

 

Good detective work sinc76, thanks for solving the case. This was a a good mystery. So we are now left with a well cared for '86 with a reasonable 108k miles at $4500. Needs some interior work and probably mechanicals but it does pass CA emissions. We have certainly seen worse deals on these forums.

 

Thank you annap01gt for being on the fence with me as well. Years ago I bought an old ~25K mile 93 Regal out here with heat related wear and I was sure this wagon was similar to that. On a good note, I emailed the owner a screenshot of this car fax and he apologized for the error and is very flexible on the price now. He is the second owner. I'm sure someone could get it for 3K or less now. I noticed the ad is deleted now but he will be reposting it I imagine with the correct miles.

 

Certainly an ‘84 with 108,000 is still a low mileage car. I’m sure in the back of his mind he might have suspected the real mileage. It’ll be interesting if he forwards sinc76’s gum shoe findings to the original owner who may have sold him a bill of goods. This car is a nice enough example, but the seat and engine compartment really told the story. Perhaps we’ll see a repost.

 

The original craigslist ad is gone. A new one has replaced it with the correct mileage noted.

https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/cto/d/hemet-1986-ford-ltd-station-wagon-obo/6964729055.html

 

The original radio, at most, had AM/FM and a cassette player. You want to play CDs. You want to connect your phone or whatever with an audio cable. You want to connect with USB. If you look at the far right side of the radio, there is a little door. Probably a USB port behind that. There's any number of reasons why you would want to replace a 1984 car radio with something more modern, even if the original was working fine.

 

Another reason why I found the claimed 8400 miles hard to believe. Who buys a car like this and then doesn't drive it? I could see doing that with a '78 Cadillac Eldorado or something like that, but a grocery-getter like this? Very unlikely.