QOTD: Is There a Ford in Your Past?

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

Achingly simple question today, folks. With the demise of the Ford Fusion last week, the Blue Oval now fields zero domestic four-door sedans, leaving buyers to choose instead among a bevy of trucks and utility vehicles.

It’s the first time since 1908 that the automaker hasn’t built a U.S. passenger car with four doors (earlier pre-Model T models sported rear doors, but omitted the front). So, with plenty of history to choose from, which domestic Ford sedan gets your pick as best of the bunch?

You can be completely subjective and let your personal experiences and emotions run wild. If a base Maverick hauled you and your friends to Kiss concerts in your formative years, don’t be afraid to place it atop the gold medal podium.

Same goes for the Fairmont and Escort.

While yours truly has never owned a Ford product, a life-long love of BIG CARS points his mind towards the Galaxie and LTD, with the 1963½ Galaxie 500 XL being the top choice among the former nameplate. Ultimately a replacement for the Galaxie, the LTD shined brightest in the early ’70s, thought the low-end full-size Customs of this era are also desirable.

Who can forget Harry Callahan’s battle with Lt. Briggs in the front seat of a sky blue ’72 Custom 500? Two great heads of hair going at it.

It’s likely a good number of you will give in to Panther love and claim the Crown Victoria is both the best and most iconic of Ford’s many sedans. Spanning decades, the ubiquitous Crown Vic soaked up endless punishment in numerous roles before its eventual retirement. Countless examples still roam the roadways of America, racking up a dizzying number of miles on the odometer.

Feel free to express yourselves today. Which Ford gets your pick?

[Images: Ford]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Jeff S Jeff S on Aug 08, 2020

    Yes Mitchum did sing the theme song and the actor who played his younger brother was in real life his son.

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    • -Nate -Nate on Aug 09, 2020

      @Vulpine The problem here is two fold : #1 I prefer reading to watching T.V. . #2 for me to hear the T.V.has to be turned up so loud everyone else in the house gets pissed off.... Hopefully some day Kaiser will offer Cochlear surgery . -Nate

  • Rocketrodeo Rocketrodeo on Aug 10, 2020

    My great-great uncle founded the Ford agency in our little Ohio River town. It's still there, 106 years later. He got a better freight rate on the railroad that ran on the other side of the river, so his Model Ts were delivered, for a while, to the wharf at the foot of the street by steamboat. There weren't a lot of other vehicles on the roads other than Fords then. So this is a Ford town and my family is a Ford family. My grandparents started out with Model Ts and my uncle still has one. They are fun to drive for a few minutes at a time, but it's hard to imagine this was the way people got around for a few decades. My first couple Fords were hand-me-downs: 1962 Fairlane, 221 V8 1965 Fairlane Sport Coupe, red, 289 V8 (I learned to drive in this car, age 12) 1969 F100 Ranger, long bed, 360 w/ 3 on the tree Cars I bought with my own money: 1966 Mustang convertible, 200-6, rusty and sold for following 1967 Mustang GT/A Fastback, S-code 390 1969 Ford XL GT Convertible, metallic turquoise w white C-stripes, white interior, bucket seats and console 1975 Mustang II Ghia, 2.3L + 4-speed I took a 15 year break from Fords in favor of Honda cars and Toyota trucks. Told myself I'd get another Ford when they were quality vehicles again. Then: 2000 Ranger Super Cab, 3.0L 5-speed 2013 Fusion SE, 1.6L GTDI and 6-speed manual, every option available on the SE: tech, driver assist, luxury, and nav packages. The Ranger was my daily for 16 years, the most reliable vehicle I have ever had of any brand. It not only never broke, it never even threw a check engine light. The Fusion may be the best sedan Ford ever made. Handling has been augmented with Koni street shocks and struts and Pirelli P Zero tires but otherwise is stock. Comfortable, quiet, great handling, and excellent fuel mileage. And Ford replaced the clutch for us at 80K on a pressure plate recall, which affected every manual Fusion built: all 2200 of them. Out of 1.1 million second-gen Fusions built, this one is a fun unicorn. I have no idea what I'll replace it with. Maybe a Bronco?

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