The 1978-1983 Ford Fairmont was just the car the buying public wanted during the Malaise Era. Watch the video to find out why it was a Malaise Era Superstar.
Grand dad was à ford mechanic in the 70' he bought à fairmont 4 door sedan brand new and drive it everyday til 2000,in 1998 he bought a project mercury zéphyr sedan and he rebuilt it from the heads to the toe ,paint it same color as his fairmount and in 2000 he sold the fairmont and start to daily drive his fresh rebuilt zéphyr til 2013
My Dad drove one of these, the same color as the one shown in the video just after the Pinto wagon, as a Detective Lt. with our hometown Police Dept. It had the 302 in it & Dad said he liked it a lot, as it was "just right" for driving around town, but with the V-8, it had "decent speed" when he had to get somewhere in a hurry.
@@seanh2390 In my hometown, the Fairmonts usually went to detectives, whereas the black & whites were mostly the M-body Dodge Diplomat or Plymouth Gran Fury. I wouldn't mind having one of those Fairmont V-8s today!
We're putting a 351 Windsor in my GFs '79 Fairmont. Changing nothing on the outside so it just looks like a nice old grocery getter till ya step on the gas.
In 1983 my late wife (then my fiancee) bought a 1978 Mercury Zephyr 4-door with 75K miles on it from the original owner. It had the 3.3L (200 ci) I-6 and 3-speed manual trans with floor shift (fairly rare engine/trans combo). Power steering was the only power accessory. Manual brakes and non-AC. Super plain jane. Fairly rare color: Medium Jade metallic - one repaint in 1992 (same color). Was a daily driver until the early/mid 1990s. In 1999 I converted it with a 1989 Mustang GT 5.0L HO SEFI engine, T-5 5-speed manual trans, 8.8 trac-loc rear with 3.25:1 gears, full dual exhaust, and full heavy duty V-8 suspension, brakes, wheels/tires. I also did the interior over with bucket seats, power windows, and tinted glass. Full instrumentation. We still own it (41 years) and its in excellent condition.
First new car I owned was a 79 Fairmont 2-door sedan. It was great. Had to sell it in 81 since I was going overseas. In 83 bought an 83 Futura coupe. Great car, traded it in 86 on an S-10 Blazer. Also bought a used 78 Fairmont 4-door sedan for the wife. Wish they still made Fairmonts today. Found them affordable, reliable, nice-looking, and easy to work on. Used to do my own oil changes, oodles of room under the hood, easy to get under car to reach drain plug.
You don't see any American cars from 72-86 because they all have built-in obsolescence. They looked nice but it was easier to buy another piece of shiny junk.
We had a Fairmont in our company fleet. Not a bad car, but when I went around a turn and gassed it, the engine would die, and then restart. That was annoying. Fleet management got it repaired. That was a carburetor problem, I believe. The other problem was the horn button being on the turn signal stalk. That was another annoyance. We progressed, thank heaven.
I had 2 different, 4 door 81 Fairmonts' that were given to me by a customer. He was moving overseas and didn;t want to take them with him. One was blue and the other white. Both were pretty solid cars and not in need of much of anything. I traded the blue one for a 71 Chevelle SS roller that was complete with a 12 bolt but no drivetrain, and kept the white one as a secondary beater for about 3 years before a Fox body Mustang guy offered me $1500.00 for it. Both had the 200 I-6/automatic combo. Not fast at all, but dead-nuts reliable. Nowdays, you don't even see these on the road anymore except at the dragstrip.
I remember when my dad rolled up to my little league baseball game in a brand new 78 Fairmont. I took it over several years later when I was old enough to drive😄
I had a white 1981 Fairmont 4 door sedan. I bought it in 1991. It was a base car. 3.3L (200) 6. Automatic Power steering and brakes. I liked the car but it had no get up and go. I did drive it from N.J. to Vancouver B.C. and back. In the summer with no A/C. Bought a 1984 LTD (small) wagon a couple of years later. That had the 3.8 V-6.
In 1985, I bought a 1978 2 door, 6 cylinder Fairmont. A non descript, no frills car that was absolutely the most reliable & best all around car of the over thirty I've had over the decades. In the five years I owned it, it didn't need any repairs. I only sold it because my growing family needed a minivan.
Great video, but it’s also sad because things have gone down hill since then. The Fairmont/Zephyr twins were better built than the cars being built and sold today Cool video
A friend of mine when we were in high school drove a Mercury Zephyr with the 200 straight six. That was a really sound engine that was easy to work on and could last a long time but it was really underpowered. Another friend of mine also drove a 1980 Thunderbird with the 200 and to do things like pass somebody or merge into traffic you had to have it to the floor and keep it there.
100% agree, the Fairmont was rock-solid and well-designed. They weren't the most exciting cars on the road, but that's not what you bought a Fairmont for. My parents had a 2 door Mercury Zephyr Z7 (Futura clone), white with a dark red bucket seat interior. It was sharp! Great episode.
As an enlisted soldier stationed in West Germany in the mid 70’s I ordered from the PX a 1978 Ford Fairmont Red 2 door ESO option (six cyl and three speed on the floor) This was just before I PCS’d to the states. I bought the car based on two things. When Car and Driver reviewed the ‘78 Ford Fairmont they called it the US Volvo. And an officer friend bought a brand-new Volvo 240 straight from the factory in Sweden. The color was a creamy yellow with brown interior. I had a chance to drive it once even when the owner was reluctant for me to do so - understandably. It was amazing. So, I figured, as a young enlisted, if Car and Driver said the Fairmont was like an American Volvo and one that I could afford ($3600) then why not order one. Alas the only thing Volvo about the Ford was the boxy shape at the time. The car was actually built crooked when the braces behind the rear seat the welds broke and the trim above the seat was bowed. (Interesting note I was stationed in Maryland and so I had the car undercoated at a local shop - cost $25 and they did a good job). I only had that car six months and then I bought a 1980 Sirocco (a car light years away from the Ford) - but that is another story.
My Mother had a 69 Mustang, and my Father traded it in for a 78 Zephyr... Talk about being disappointed, I was so embarrassed to be seen driving around in that Baby Blue box on wheels!!!
Love this video!! (I had the 74' Ford Mustang II, 84' 5- door Ford Escort, the 75' Ford Pinto wagon and the 86' Ford Tempo sedan, a 81' Fox body Mercury Capri, mom had a 73' Ford Maverick)
I had a regular Fairmont (2 headlights) with the 6 cylinder, 2-dr, 4 speed manual tranny... transmission 😮💨, I wish I still had it, twas a terrific car.
Finally! My first new car is featured! Good ol' Fairmont. I guess I liked it because it was built midweek when everybody was at work and sober. It was reliable. I had a 1980 Fairmont sedan with the 255 V8. Got it dirt cheap at the end of the model year because the dealer couldn't get rid of it. Everybody wanted the 2.3 (140) and 3.3 (200) for gas mileage. It was a handsome car, IMO, and served me very well. I didn't like the horn on the end of the turn signal lever, tho. As for the 255, meh, it wasn't the 302 but, it was good enough. It could handle a long upgrade and I never feared when merging into traffic. Overall, a very good car.
In 1981, my wife and I bought a 1979 Fairmont (base model) with every convenience option. It was a nice green and a vinyl top that was somewhere between tan and orange and the alloy wheels. The standard 2.3L 4 that was not suited for this heavily optioned car. Going up fairly steep grades, when it lost 10 mph, the cruise disengaged! If you would disengage the cruise, as it lost a few mph you hit the resume button it would stay wide open untol it actually got back it's speed or disengage if it fell below 30 mph. Also, on a smooth road going down a grade I wanted to see how fast it would go, but when it hit 80, the entire car started shaking violently. Only did that once. Our next car was a Malibu wagon with a V8.
I have a bit of a soft spot for the Fairmont, coming from Europe. Back in the day when I was a kid, my parents where planning for a vacation in the US which was on their bucket list. We drove from the east coast to the west coast in a month. My father had the idea to buy a new Ford Fairmont (we where driving a Taunus at home) on east coast and sell it on the west coast where allegedly the sicker price was higher. This would then turn out to be cheaper than renting a car. In the end they decided to just rent a car any way, which was probably a good thing. So we had our trip in a metallic Bordeaux-red coloured Oldsmobile Delta 88 with white vinyl seats (which I hated in the hot summer). But I still had the original Fairmont sales brochure and I liked that car much more.
From my memory of the early '80s, when I started driving, these cars came in two classes. Either well kept and almost new looking. Probably elderly owners. Or completely clapped out and looking like it was about to fall apart. There didn't seem any in between. But they were plentiful and cheap if you needed something to get around in.
I remember my parents asked me what car they should get as a second car. I think Consumers Report recommended the Fairmont as a reliable car and I thought it looked pretty nice. I had a Ford Pinto Wagon with the 2.3 liter 4 cylinder engine and it intrigued me that the same engine could be had in the bigger Ford Fairmont. So my Mom got the base 2 door 4 cylinder Fairmont. I think it was definitely underpowered, but my Mom liked it. It was eventually passed on to my little sister who used it while in college in California. Oh, another thing, up until they bought that Fairmont, they had always bought Chevrolets. From that Fairmont on, my Mom got a Ford Taurus and my Dad got two Ford Crown Victorias.
I was a mechanic at a Hertz car rental agency when these came out. We had about 50 in the fleet, and they were reliable, easy to service, and popular among our customer base. Pretty basic transportation by today’s standards, but well engineered.
My father bought one and it was a lemon. In the winter the inside of the windows would fog up and then freeze - on the inside! The dealer couldn't fix, then it was bumped up to the regional service manager (I guess?) who took the car for awhile. Still couldn't be fixed. He dumped it and bought a Datsun 510. The Fairmont was his last Ford.
What you got for $3,799 was a stripper the likes of which doesn't exist today, but it was a lot of car for the money. One thing I really miss about 1970s Fords was the use of Mercedes-style door pulls; I felt more in control on the highway with my right hand on the wheel and my left hand clutching the door pull than I do with both hands on the wheel.
In 1978 my 1970 Maverick was rapidly turning to rust so I stopped by the Ford dealership and picked up a Fairmont demo to show to my wife. She took one look and said, "That's the ugliest car I have ever seen!" Needless to say, we didn't buy a Fairmont.
Yeah one of my gfs in high school had a fairmont coupe. It was only 4-5 yo and her Dad had to do recon on it. Repaint, engine rebuild. It was a pretty little coupe he did a silver and maroon with turbine wheels and 3/4” whitewalls. Dad had a Granada with a 302 it was unbelievably slow for a v8 in a small car. I had on old 76 Camaro needing body work and some interior work after only about 6 yrs and 90k. I had asked a very cute girl to the county fair. Her response was a really unenthusiastic I reckon to which I was over the moon. So I borrowed Dads fancy Granada with AC and all. Here first question was, “where’s your Camaro?” Ugh. It was our only “date”. 😂
My dad bought a red 78 Fairmont wagon with the 302 (5.0) new off the dealer lot down in Texas. That little wagon was scary fast at the time, my brother used to blow turbo trans ams into the weeds taking me to school. When my dad was transferred to Okinawa he sold it to his brother in law who replaced the motor instead of a rebuild.. The new 302 was a dog so sad.
I had a silver 1979 2dr sedan with the 3.3L six... Was good car actually. Pretty dependable. I drove it for quite a few rears until the rust got it. The floorboards turned to Swiss cheese. Whenever I hit a big puddle, I’d get an inch of water around my feet. 😅
The Fairmont coupe was the best model. The v8 was the only way to go. Mid 70s to mid 80s emissions systems were easy to take off. The frame was weak but kits were available that stiffened the chassis significantly.
I was set to buy a Fairmont but my dad said to check out the 1978 Malibu classic The Malibu was more substantial as the Fairmont seemed very tinny the Malibu also had a v6 instead of the old falcon inline 6
I remember this car and it appeared to be absolutely junk. Just sheet metal with wheels that appeared to fall apart within a month of being on the road. I remember people screaming they did not want big cars and stop selling junk. The Thunderbird was also fake design.
They would probably sell fairly well today if you could go to your Ford dealer and pick one up for 18 grand. They only want to sell 60thou plus vehicles in 24/25
What was the best, durable engine for the Fairmont? I recall being in a Ford dealership and they had a 2 door base model with stick and the 4 banger for a great price. It had that weird rose beige color.
Girlfriend owns a '79 Fairmont. She's owned 3 different Fairmont's in her life and swears by them. I see a miniature Caprice Classic knock-off but who am I to judge.
Dad had new brown 78 Fairmont. Although I never liked the styling of it much and it seemed like it had a very cheaply made interior, he drove it for many years with no issues.
Good video. The car itself was a lemon. I knew multiple people that had 3-speed automatic transmission failures. Inline six engine was garbage, always stalling and failing. "Found on road dead."
The Fairmont was the best example of the "just get it out the door!" philosophy of automotive development in the 70's. It was the least imaginative car ever. Not the worst quality, not the worst performing, just the least imaginative.
Word Malaise overused. Also take any full size car from 70’s 80’s over current crop. Also some beautiful cars from the era. Quality was not down. Rubbish.
I was a teenager when these came out, and man did they look terribly cheap and boring next to all the existing big gas guzzlers. I remember thinking that they looked like some kind of government-issue vehicle for postal inspectors or something. I appreciate them more now and wouldn't mind having a good 5.0L copy to make into a sleeper, but I think most have long since been crushed.
Grand dad was à ford mechanic in the 70' he bought à fairmont 4 door sedan brand new and drive it everyday til 2000,in 1998 he bought a project mercury zéphyr sedan and he rebuilt it from the heads to the toe ,paint it same color as his fairmount and in 2000 he sold the fairmont and start to daily drive his fresh rebuilt zéphyr til 2013
I feel like a kid on Christmas every time you put out another video. Thank you!
I still have a couple Fairmont futura's. Great cars. Everybody asks what they are. They get compliments on there clean styling.
I had a 1979 Mercury Zephyr 2dr with the 3.3 floor auto and bucket seats, great car
I had the 80 Z7 2 door coupe with the same engine.
My Dad drove one of these, the same color as the one shown in the video just after the Pinto wagon, as a Detective Lt. with our hometown Police Dept. It had the 302 in it & Dad said he liked it a lot, as it was "just right" for driving around town, but with the V-8, it had "decent speed" when he had to get somewhere in a hurry.
Lots of Fairmont police cars where I grew up
@@seanh2390 In my hometown, the Fairmonts usually went to detectives, whereas the black & whites were mostly the M-body Dodge Diplomat or Plymouth Gran Fury. I wouldn't mind having one of those Fairmont V-8s today!
The driver visibility in the Fairmont was excellent.
All Fox body underneath, the perfect sleeper 😊
I knew someone with the 302 in it. A perfect sleeper indeed.
We're putting a 351 Windsor in my GFs '79 Fairmont. Changing nothing on the outside so it just looks like a nice old grocery getter till ya step on the gas.
I'm so happy you made another video
In 1983 my late wife (then my fiancee) bought a 1978 Mercury Zephyr 4-door with 75K miles on it from the original owner. It had the 3.3L (200 ci) I-6 and 3-speed manual trans with floor shift (fairly rare engine/trans combo). Power steering was the only power accessory. Manual brakes and non-AC. Super plain jane. Fairly rare color: Medium Jade metallic - one repaint in 1992 (same color). Was a daily driver until the early/mid 1990s. In 1999 I converted it with a 1989 Mustang GT 5.0L HO SEFI engine, T-5 5-speed manual trans, 8.8 trac-loc rear with 3.25:1 gears, full dual exhaust, and full heavy duty V-8 suspension, brakes, wheels/tires. I also did the interior over with bucket seats, power windows, and tinted glass. Full instrumentation. We still own it (41 years) and its in excellent condition.
You should do a video about it!!!
We need to see it!
First new car I owned was a 79 Fairmont 2-door sedan. It was great. Had to sell it in 81 since I was going overseas. In 83 bought an 83 Futura coupe. Great car, traded it in 86 on an S-10 Blazer. Also bought a used 78 Fairmont 4-door sedan for the wife. Wish they still made Fairmonts today. Found them affordable, reliable, nice-looking, and easy to work on. Used to do my own oil changes, oodles of room under the hood, easy to get under car to reach drain plug.
My Fairmont was a 78 Futura 2 dr model Silver with Black trim real sharp inline 200 6 cyl
I remember when these were everywhere.
You don't see any American cars from 72-86 because they all have built-in obsolescence. They looked nice but it was easier to buy another piece of shiny junk.
We had a Fairmont in our company fleet. Not a bad car, but when I went around a turn and gassed it, the engine would die, and then restart. That was annoying. Fleet management got it repaired. That was a carburetor problem, I believe. The other problem was the horn button being on the turn signal stalk. That was another annoyance. We progressed, thank heaven.
Didn’t progress. Fairmont better than current Fords. If you want to thank something try science.
My brother, your content is GREAT!!~ Thanks for your hard work!!~
I agree, I love this channel.
Thrilled to see a new OCM episode....Bravo.
Love it! As a kid from the 70s and 80s and car junkie, every video is must-watch.
I had 2 different, 4 door 81 Fairmonts' that were given to me by a customer. He was moving overseas and didn;t want to take them with him. One was blue and the other white. Both were pretty solid cars and not in need of much of anything. I traded the blue one for a 71 Chevelle SS roller that was complete with a 12 bolt but no drivetrain, and kept the white one as a secondary beater for about 3 years before a
Fox body Mustang guy offered me $1500.00 for it. Both had the 200 I-6/automatic combo. Not fast at all, but dead-nuts reliable. Nowdays, you don't even see these on the road anymore except at the dragstrip.
I remember when my dad rolled up to my little league baseball game in a brand new 78 Fairmont. I took it over several years later when I was old enough to drive😄
I had a white 1981 Fairmont 4 door sedan. I bought it in 1991. It was a base car. 3.3L (200) 6. Automatic Power steering and brakes. I liked the car but it had no get up and go. I did drive it from N.J. to Vancouver B.C. and back. In the summer with no A/C. Bought a 1984 LTD (small) wagon a couple of years later. That had the 3.8 V-6.
I have always want the Fairmont sport coupe Futura .
Did you know Ford built a Fairmont based truck called the Durango from 1980-1982. Not many were sold.
Totally escaped my radar until you mentioned it. It looks really good.
In 1985, I bought a 1978 2 door, 6 cylinder Fairmont. A non descript, no frills car that was absolutely the most reliable & best all around car of the over thirty I've had over the decades. In the five years I owned it, it didn't need any repairs.
I only sold it because my growing family needed a minivan.
Always a pleasure to see new content on this channel.
Good, practical and inexpensive cars.
Great video, but it’s also sad because things have gone down hill since then.
The Fairmont/Zephyr twins were better built than the cars being built and sold today
Cool video
A friend of mine when we were in high school drove a Mercury Zephyr with the 200 straight six. That was a really sound engine that was easy to work on and could last a long time but it was really underpowered. Another friend of mine also drove a 1980 Thunderbird with the 200 and to do things like pass somebody or merge into traffic you had to have it to the floor and keep it there.
Lots of things I didn't know about the Fairmont. Great Video!
100% agree, the Fairmont was rock-solid and well-designed. They weren't the most exciting cars on the road, but that's not what you bought a Fairmont for. My parents had a 2 door Mercury Zephyr Z7 (Futura clone), white with a dark red bucket seat interior. It was sharp! Great episode.
1980 Fairmont was my drivers ed car.
As an enlisted soldier stationed in West Germany in the mid 70’s I ordered from the PX a 1978 Ford Fairmont Red 2 door ESO option (six cyl and three speed on the floor) This was just before I PCS’d to the states. I bought the car based on two things. When Car and Driver reviewed the ‘78 Ford Fairmont they called it the US Volvo. And an officer friend bought a brand-new Volvo 240 straight from the factory in Sweden. The color was a creamy yellow with brown interior. I had a chance to drive it once even when the owner was reluctant for me to do so - understandably. It was amazing. So, I figured, as a young enlisted, if Car and Driver said the Fairmont was like an American Volvo and one that I could afford ($3600) then why not order one. Alas the only thing Volvo about the Ford was the boxy shape at the time. The car was actually built crooked when the braces behind the rear seat the welds broke and the trim above the seat was bowed. (Interesting note I was stationed in Maryland and so I had the car undercoated at a local shop - cost $25 and they did a good job). I only had that car six months and then I bought a 1980 Sirocco (a car light years away from the Ford) - but that is another story.
My Mother had a 69 Mustang, and my Father traded it in for a 78 Zephyr... Talk about being disappointed, I was so embarrassed to be seen driving around in that Baby Blue box on wheels!!!
😂😂
No kidding eh 🇨🇦
Glad to see you upload.
Thanks , you just sent me on a search for one. we had a woody wagon with the six, great car.
Love this video!! (I had the 74' Ford Mustang II, 84' 5- door Ford Escort, the 75' Ford Pinto wagon and the 86' Ford Tempo sedan, a 81' Fox body Mercury Capri, mom had a 73' Ford Maverick)
Great Car's I never owned any versions but I always wanted one still to this day, if I ever find a good one I would probably buy it.
Always liked these, especially the Futura and Z-7 coupes. Goes to show that you don't have to go front wheel drive to get a competent economical car.
I had a regular Fairmont (2 headlights) with the 6 cylinder, 2-dr, 4 speed manual tranny... transmission 😮💨, I wish I still had it, twas a terrific car.
Finally! My first new car is featured! Good ol' Fairmont. I guess I liked it because it was built midweek when everybody was at work and sober. It was reliable. I had a 1980 Fairmont sedan with the 255 V8. Got it dirt cheap at the end of the model year because the dealer couldn't get rid of it. Everybody wanted the 2.3 (140) and 3.3 (200) for gas mileage. It was a handsome car, IMO, and served me very well. I didn't like the horn on the end of the turn signal lever, tho. As for the 255, meh, it wasn't the 302 but, it was good enough. It could handle a long upgrade and I never feared when merging into traffic. Overall, a very good car.
Front suspension was coil spring. Still a great video. Really love your work
The original foxbody! Bob Glidden drag raced these to great success.
I had a yellow '81 in the early 90's.
I really amazed they dropped it so fast especially for the tempo!
In 1981, my wife and I bought a 1979 Fairmont (base model) with every convenience option. It was a nice green and a vinyl top that was somewhere between tan and orange and the alloy wheels. The standard 2.3L 4 that was not suited for this heavily optioned car. Going up fairly steep grades, when it lost 10 mph, the cruise disengaged! If you would disengage the cruise, as it lost a few mph you hit the resume button it would stay wide open untol it actually got back it's speed or disengage if it fell below 30 mph. Also, on a smooth road going down a grade I wanted to see how fast it would go, but when it hit 80, the entire car started shaking violently. Only did that once. Our next car was a Malibu wagon with a V8.
I have a bit of a soft spot for the Fairmont, coming from Europe. Back in the day when I was a kid, my parents where planning for a vacation in the US which was on their bucket list. We drove from the east coast to the west coast in a month. My father had the idea to buy a new Ford Fairmont (we where driving a Taunus at home) on east coast and sell it on the west coast where allegedly the sicker price was higher. This would then turn out to be cheaper than renting a car. In the end they decided to just rent a car any way, which was probably a good thing. So we had our trip in a metallic Bordeaux-red coloured Oldsmobile Delta 88 with white vinyl seats (which I hated in the hot summer). But I still had the original Fairmont sales brochure and I liked that car much more.
From my memory of the early '80s, when I started driving, these cars came in two classes.
Either well kept and almost new looking. Probably elderly owners.
Or completely clapped out and looking like it was about to fall apart.
There didn't seem any in between. But they were plentiful and cheap if you needed something to get around in.
I remember my parents asked me what car they should get as a second car. I think Consumers Report recommended the Fairmont as a reliable car and I thought it looked pretty nice. I had a Ford Pinto Wagon with the 2.3 liter 4 cylinder engine and it intrigued me that the same engine could be had in the bigger Ford Fairmont. So my Mom got the base 2 door 4 cylinder Fairmont. I think it was definitely underpowered, but my Mom liked it. It was eventually passed on to my little sister who used it while in college in California. Oh, another thing, up until they bought that Fairmont, they had always bought Chevrolets. From that Fairmont on, my Mom got a Ford Taurus and my Dad got two Ford Crown Victorias.
I was a mechanic at a Hertz car rental agency when these came out. We had about 50 in the fleet, and they were reliable, easy to service, and popular among our customer base. Pretty basic transportation by today’s standards, but well engineered.
I knew a guy that had one with the 302. It was a great sleeper!!!
I had a 1982 sadan. It was a great car. Straight 6. Unfortunately was broadsided.
Better than the Chrysler K car
My father bought one and it was a lemon. In the winter the inside of the windows would fog up and then freeze - on the inside! The dealer couldn't fix, then it was bumped up to the regional service manager (I guess?) who took the car for awhile. Still couldn't be fixed. He dumped it and bought a Datsun 510. The Fairmont was his last Ford.
I vaguely recall this car, it was overshadowed by the release on the ‘78 G bodies
What you got for $3,799 was a stripper the likes of which doesn't exist today, but it was a lot of car for the money. One thing I really miss about 1970s Fords was the use of Mercedes-style door pulls; I felt more in control on the highway with my right hand on the wheel and my left hand clutching the door pull than I do with both hands on the wheel.
In 1978 my 1970 Maverick was rapidly turning to rust so I stopped by the Ford dealership and picked up a Fairmont demo to show to my wife. She took one look and said, "That's the ugliest car I have ever seen!" Needless to say, we didn't buy a Fairmont.
My late grandparents had (I believe) the Mercury version, before they went up to Grand Marquis.
My dad had one as a detective car, grey with blue interior. I still remember the 70s in black and white or that washed color from old pictures.
Great job thanks 👍
Merry Christmas!
Great video! Thx!
With a few Bolt on mods, it was quite the poor man's b. M. W.
I can't tell you how many Fairmonts I saw with effectively no rear springs... all broken after only a few short years.
Ford would do well to offer a solid sensible RELIABLE vehicle like this today but that would never happen.
Loved the Ford Fairmount Futura. The Zephyr was the Mercury version of the Fairmount, though I prefer the Fairmount's styling over the Zephyr's.
Yeah one of my gfs in high school had a fairmont coupe. It was only 4-5 yo and her Dad had to do recon on it. Repaint, engine rebuild. It was a pretty little coupe he did a silver and maroon with turbine wheels and 3/4” whitewalls.
Dad had a Granada with a 302 it was unbelievably slow for a v8 in a small car. I had on old 76 Camaro needing body work and some interior work after only about 6 yrs and 90k. I had asked a very cute girl to the county fair. Her response was a really unenthusiastic I reckon to which I was over the moon. So I borrowed Dads fancy Granada with AC and all. Here first question was, “where’s your Camaro?” Ugh. It was our only “date”. 😂
My dad bought a red 78 Fairmont wagon with the 302 (5.0) new off the dealer lot down in Texas. That little wagon was scary fast at the time, my brother used to blow turbo trans ams into the weeds taking me to school. When my dad was transferred to Okinawa he sold it to his brother in law who replaced the motor instead of a rebuild.. The new 302 was a dog so sad.
I had a silver 1979 2dr sedan with the 3.3L six... Was good car actually. Pretty dependable. I drove it for quite a few rears until the rust got it. The floorboards turned to Swiss cheese. Whenever I hit a big puddle, I’d get an inch of water around my feet. 😅
Fairmont and super should never be in the same sentence
Had an 81 wagon. Carb used to drown the motor. Great for hauling portable carpet cleaning gear cheaply.
Fairmont 1978-1983!
What was up with that "turbo" raised hood at the 4:35 mark?? I have never that before!!~ Learned something new today!!!~
2.3 turbo coupe
The Fairmont coupe was the best model. The v8 was the only way to go. Mid 70s to mid 80s emissions systems were easy to take off. The frame was weak but kits were available that stiffened the chassis significantly.
I was set to buy a Fairmont but my dad said to check out the 1978 Malibu classic
The Malibu was more substantial as the Fairmont seemed very tinny the Malibu also had a v6 instead of the old falcon inline 6
One thing about Mont was he was always fair.
I remember this car and it appeared to be absolutely junk. Just sheet metal with wheels that appeared to fall apart within a month of being on the road. I remember people screaming they did not want big cars and stop selling junk. The Thunderbird was also fake design.
They would probably sell fairly well today if you could go to your Ford dealer and pick one up for 18 grand. They only want to sell 60thou plus vehicles in 24/25
Thanks for another great video Ford Fairmont was a great car. Ford Tempo......not so much!
Can.anylne say the replacement to the Falcon platform? Cause that's what it is
I had a ford fairmont v8 with a 4 speed not fast but not slow either
So that’s what Roman’s Car from Gta4 is called!
What was the best, durable engine for the Fairmont? I recall being in a Ford dealership and they had a 2 door base model with stick and the 4 banger for a great price. It had that weird rose beige color.
The only improvement I I would have made was a dual axis strut with independent steering knuckle like they would later do with the RevoKnuckle.
😢I wish I owned 😪 one.
Girlfriend owns a '79 Fairmont. She's owned 3 different Fairmont's in her life and swears by them. I see a miniature Caprice Classic knock-off but who am I to judge.
Dad had new brown 78 Fairmont. Although I never liked the styling of it much and it seemed like it had a very cheaply made interior, he drove it for many years with no issues.
Oh, would you all look at this!!!! JUST LOOK AT IT!!!!
You’re saying Futura wrong.
I cringed every time he said it wrong
Few-CHUR-ah.
First car i flipped, 1980 4.2 4 door.
Good video. The car itself was a lemon. I knew multiple people that had 3-speed automatic transmission failures. Inline six engine was garbage, always stalling and failing. "Found on road dead."
The Fairmont's were decent enough for the times. However, the replacement, the Tempo, was indescribably awful.
The Contour, which replaced the Tempo was a big pile too
I had a 79 coupe
Boo boo and boo on the changes
We built them in Atlanta..
"Few-Choora", not "Fewtoora".
The Fairmont was the best example of the "just get it out the door!" philosophy of automotive development in the 70's. It was the least imaginative car ever. Not the worst quality, not the worst performing, just the least imaginative.
Word Malaise overused. Also take any full size car from 70’s 80’s over current crop. Also some beautiful cars from the era. Quality was not down. Rubbish.
@dukeallen432
🎯
Ford could build it now
I was a teenager when these came out, and man did they look terribly cheap and boring next to all the existing big gas guzzlers. I remember thinking that they looked like some kind of government-issue vehicle for postal inspectors or something. I appreciate them more now and wouldn't mind having a good 5.0L copy to make into a sleeper, but I think most have long since been crushed.
Why did we ever go away from using cubic inches and into this metric BS. And I still call them ft. lbs. not pound feet.
My parents had a 1979 Fairmont station wagon, total garbage, those cars were literally built broken....
The Tempo was an abomination