It’s certainly interesting to stumble across Ford vehicles for sale that have been imported to the U.S., considering the amount of work it takes to have them shipped stateside. Back in March, one such vehicle popped up for auction: a unique 1987 Ford Falcon Ute that made the trek from Australia to its new home in the U.S. Now, a 1997 Ford Freda minivan is up for auction on Cars & Bids.
The 1997 Ford Freda is essentially a rebadged Mazda Bongo, and it was offered in Japan. It’s finished in white with sweeping ’90s-style blue decals on the sides, while the interior is gray. It is right-hand drive and features a metric instrument cluster, and was imported to the States in July 2022, meaning that it has a valid U.S. title and its new owner won’t have to go through the headache of importing it.
This 1997 Ford Freda minivan rolls on a set of 15-inch steel wheels with plastic covers, along with a roof spoiler, cloth upholstery, fold-flat rear seats for extra storage space, power front windows and door locks, along with pop-out side windows and air conditioning. Power is sourced from its 2.0L I4 engine, which produces 105 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque. It is rear-wheel-drive and features a four-speed automatic transmission.
The odometer reads 184,900 kilometers, or approximately 114,900 miles. Reported damage includes stone chips on the vehicle’s front end, exterior graphics peeling, dent on the bottom of the sliding door and upholstery discoloration. There have been a few minor modifications made to the vehicle, including aftermarket fog lights, an aftermarket head unit and a Japanese electronic toll collection box. At the time of this writing, the bid sits at just under $2,000, and the auction will close on October 13th, 2022. This is a unique opportunity for a Ford enthusiast to pick up a vehicle that is likely the only one of its kind currently on the road in North America.
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Comments
I like it better than the Windstar, but not the Aerostar.
Where do I find a link to the auction?
Ford, are you reading an listening ? Vehicles like the van in the story are what people want, a van the size of a Chevy Astro. When you live with someone whose life involves a wheel chair your needs in a vehicle are different. We were about to order a new ’23 Ford Transit Connect, we found out like the Flex, the Fusion, the Focus and the C-Max it was being dropped after the ’23 model year. Stop dropping what the public really wants to buy. So, I put my mint condition ’13 C-Max into the dealers shop and spent close to $1,350,00 on it, we are good for 5 more years, and that C-Max … still delivers mid-50’s mpg around town and mid-40’s on the interstate. How about you bring the Grand C-Max that we originally wanted to order in 2012 to the US. Cars an trucks have gotten way too expensive, the Transit Connect really was stretching our budget by close to $4,000,00, budget was $34K. So anyone who remarks just buy a Explorer … money is an issue. And while I’m wishing … the short wheel based Transit Connect is what I really wanted to buy … I challenge you here an now … build us a passenger van on the SWB platform … I’ll buy it. Colour: Metallic Blue, XLT trim, gray seat colour, 60/40 back seat, sat/radio, nav system … see nothing exotic … build it Ford, and me and a few thousand more will buy it
You’re pretty close…
The last 7 words explain why the unusual vehicle you specify is unavailable.
Or build station wagons: Country Sedan and Country Square! Or even a stripped out Ranch Wagons! Not everyone wants a van or truck and AWD! Cheap,lots room and doesn’t look like a commercial vehicle! USA did this better than those overpriced, impractical,ugly,euroboxes! Stylish and classy with practicality!
Perhaps my all time favorite car is the 69 Country Squire. I loved that car and cried when I learned my dad had traded it in (even though my parent’s was a lemon, and the 72 Kingswood that replaced it in retrospect was a functionally better car.)
But I think we are kinda back to station wagons when I look at the evolution of the explorer.
It is essentially a tallish wagon but in a 18” shorter package than the 69 CS.