What's a '78 LTD II worth?

I have a friend offering to sell me her grandpa's '78 Ford LTD II Brogham 2-door, and I'm trying to determine value.

I'd checked out the car when she inherited it last year, and it's a flashback straight out of the late-70's - 43,000 original miles, 100% original and has been in the family since new. The interior is mint - heat, a/c and radio all work fine; no rips/tears/stains/etc. The vinyl top is mint as well. The body is really, really good - there's no rust, the chrome/trim/bumpers are all straight with no dents/dings. The body only has a few very minor dings, and a couple chips - one on the roof has been touched up, and one on the trunk needs touched up, as there's a bit of surface rust(but it's smaller than 1/4"). Underneath, there's surface rust on the bare steel chassis parts, but no rot. It looks like a slow rear-main seal leak as well.

I know the LTD II "Sport" models have some value, but the Brogham doesn't really. Realistically, if I get it I know myself well enough that after a year or 2 my auto-ADD will kick in and I'll be ready to send this on down the road. So based on that, I need to buy it right...but what is "right" on a car like this?

Here's a crappy pic, there was a DOA Dodge pickup parked behind the LTD so we couldn't get it out of the garage today for a drive.

And here's a link to the rest of the pics I took today

If you don't buy it and make it evil I will hunt you down and hurt you.

Make it evil? I just want an excuse to wear a leisure-suit an cruise around!

Borrowing this from the GGA thread.

I had a cousin to that, Merc xr7. I miss that boat.

They were a hateful bucket of E36 M3 new, and I can't imagine they would be much better now.

Buy it, so you can appreciate how much better cars are now.

Have him throw it up on eBay with no reserve......some nut case will buy it. That'll show what its worth.

Saw a 78 Cordoba with 93k selling for 3 grand on Craigslist. It was in fantastic condition as well.

Maybe a bit more than that?

Grizz wrote: Maybe a bit more than that?

I'd rather have the Cordoba with its rich Corinthian leather......

Grizz wrote: Saw a 78 Cordoba with 93k selling for 3 grand on Craigslist. It was in fantastic condition as well. Maybe a bit more than that?

Probably a bit less assuming the Cordoba had soft Corinthian leather. Anyhow, it seems to me from my extremely dangerous habit of constantly browsing CL, that typical 70s cars are more or less worth whatever you and the people within 100 miles of you with a wad of cash and a want for malaise era cars think they're worth. So somewhere in the area of 2-5k, depending on market and engine.

It was a particularly pimp Cordoba. Black with tan interior and sweet ass bucket seats with rich Corinthian leather. If I had 3 grand I'd own it already. It was a 400 too IIRC.

i used to own one.. .the "S" model... it looked like this when i stuck a set of '95 Mustang wheels on it:

yes, it was heavy... yes, it was slow.. yes, it had an insatiable thirst for gasoline... and, yes, it was one of the best driving cars i've ever had.. Ford had the common decency to put a Saginaw steering box in it at the factory- 4.5 turns lock to lock- so i was thinking about swapping in an IROC box but never got around to it..

the thing was built like a tank- thanks to it's fully boxed frame rails that were made out of 1/8 steel, it's the only car i've ever owned that i could jack up NASCAR style with the jack under the middle of the door and easily open and close both doors, the hood, and the trunk without any extra effort.. i got it in the summer of '98 with 50,000 miles on it from a friend's older brother for $500 in totally stock condition.. i swapped an Offenhouser intake and 1850 Holley onto the 351W and made no extra power but increased the fuel consumption... then i added dual exhaust and added nothing but extra noise- but i loved that car... i needed cash, so i sold it to a cousin that swapped a 460 into it, then somehow got it back about a year later and never really drove it... i traded it even up for a set of Ansen slots to put on my 74 Monte Carlo... the body was solid, with only a little surface rust.. the only thing wrong with it were the rear bumper mounts that had rusted thru and barely held the bumper on... that would have been an easy fix, since the junkyard just down the road had about 5 of them with good mounts for cheap... also, it's the easiest heater core i've ever changed. a few screws with 5/16" heads held a cover on top of the heater box under the hood that held the core in place... it took me longer to get the heater hoses off the old core than it took me to do the rest of the r&r job..

i miss that old Ford sometimes..

In researching this one, I discovered those "S" model LTDs. I don't recall ever seeing one in the wild, but I like them.

I am starting to develop a perverse affinity for mid to late 70s American iron. They were so magnificently awful aesthetically. I truly wonder if there was some sort of competition to see who could design the worst looking car. So ugly, that I kind of want one. Kind of like being attracted to Lena Dunham.

laughed out loud at the lena dunham.. she is truly the most unattractive person to ever spend 10 out of every 30 minutes partially nude. shudders

In reply to ZOO:

Now I know something is wrong with me. I would destroy miss Dunham in the backseat of a late 70s Chrysler.

Hell yeah.

Grizz wrote: In reply to ZOO: Now I know something is wrong with me. I would destroy miss Dunham in the backseat of a late 70s Chrysler. Hell yeah.

And here's just the music for such an occasion.

And a few more examples here assuming it lasts more than the ~3 minutes of the first track.

If it had big rims it'd go around 4700 around here... System it'd get 5. I'd give abt 3.

petegossett wrote:

Grizz wrote: In reply to ZOO: Now I know something is wrong with me. I would destroy miss Dunham in the backseat of a late 70s Chrysler. Hell yeah.

And here's just the music for such an occasion. And a few more examples here assuming it lasts more than the ~3 minutes of the first track.

With her I bet it would.

This actually, http://princeeroticcity.ytmnd.com/ On a loop.

She's ugly, but she's kinda cute...

Isn't the LTD II Fox Chassis? How much Mustang stuff bolts up?

Not those LTDs.

In reply to Woody:

Ah, OK. I've seen a really cool Fairmont over here that seems to have half the Racer Walsh suspension catalog on it. I was thinking that doing something like that to a II would be a nice ride.

Buy it and give it the NASCAR treatment with steelies and an aluminum spoiler. Flip it.

If I'm right, the LTD II is the Torino chassis. I think the evolution went Torino-Elite-LTD II. I don't think there's a whole lot out there for them.

So what smogarific engine is under the hood?

There can't be many left out there, and clean original ones even fewer. I'd say $3000 max. Leave it stock, take it to some cruise nights and see if any Ford fans would be interested. I would think there's at least one looking for "The elegant LTD II" or the "trim sporty midsize at a trimmer price."

And what was the DOA Dodge?