By the time the seventies had rolled around, the once-lithe and beautiful Ford Mustang had developed a weight problem. No longer was the Mustang a light, sporty coupe, convertible, and fastback that everyone loved. It was morphing into a larger, more luxurious, slower version of itself. With that being said, these larger Mustangs have their appeals as well. If you are looking for a drop-top Mustang in excellent, original condition, then take a look at this 1973 Ford Mustang convertible for sale on Craigslist in Long Island, New York. Freshly detailed and ready to drive home, this Mustang presents well and may be a bargain for someone at $22,995. Thanks to Jonny for the tip!
The 1971 through 1973 versions of the Ford Mustang were disappointing from a performance standpoint. Unbelievably, this was yet another restyling of the first-generation car. While the first car was light in weight and pleasing to the eye, these later cars were basically LTDs with Mustang badges on them. Many of the parts were from the same bin that other cars in the lineup drew from, giving the Mustang little exclusivity. Marketing had taken over from the enthusiasts as well. The public was believed to want big, plodding luxury cars and Ford delivered. They delivered so much that the car weighed 800 pounds more than the original Mustang. It was time for the Mustang to go to a fat camp. It did so in a big way in 1974.
So, if you are looking for the fire-breathing Mustang experience, then this is not the car for you. You won’t be taking out any pedestrians at the local Cars and Coffee this Saturday if you buy this baby blue cream puff. If you are looking for a car to be judged on its merits as a smooth, comfortable cruiser that will turn heads, then this may be your ride. The seller tells us that a Marti Report has been pulled on this car. The main result is that only 300 convertibles were painted this shade of blue in 1973. While this makes the car somewhat rare, there are other reasons that this car is desirable.
For starters, the condition is simply incredible for its age. Part of the reason is that Ford was building some impressively heavy, well-built cars at that time. Heavy means that the materials are thicker and likely to last longer as they did in this case. The seller tells us that the only thing that is not original minus wear items is the updated stereo. It is hard to blame someone for that faux pas. Convertibles need a good sound system. The freshly detailed exterior presents very well with imperfections hard to find in the photographs.
The interior also shows how well this car was taken care of. With a crack-free black dash and center console dividing up the car, the seats and door panels are a contrasting white. It is difficult to keep white upholstery looking like new. However, the caretakers of this convertible went the extra mile here. There is some discoloration, but the amount is tolerable and was likely unavoidable.
The picture above shows that the car was equipped with a 302 cubic inch V-8. That engine was backed with a floor-shifted automatic transmission and has just 46,000 miles on the odometer. The seller tells us that the factory air conditioning is not blowing cold and that the gas gauge currently is inoperable. The good news is that the car runs and drives and that the underside is free from any rust problems.
In all, this is a remarkably nice Mustang. While many of us don’t feel that the Mustang should have ever lost its sporty nature, the car you see here would make a fine companion for someone who wants a reliable convertible in an eye-catching color. The condition is spectacular, and the price is in the ballpark for a car of this quality. Hopefully, it finds a good home soon.
How do you feel about 1971-1973 Mustangs? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments.
For a large barge with only a 302 and an auto trans to move it along, at least it looks good in and out. For the money asked, I’d want the A/C working as a repair could be expensive. That being said, it’s a good-looking drop top and probably worth the ask but with a working A/C.
Nice car but the smogged down 302s after 1972 wouldn’t fall out of a tree. I’m like the guy before me if I was paying $20k plus I would want the gas gushed fixed and the AC working.
I had one in a hardtop, copper -colored. Same drivetrain, wheels, etc. Always had problems with points & distributor. Bought it from a 43 year-old lady that bought it new. It only had 50,000 miles or so on it. Got rid of it with 74,000 on it in 1987 bc 1st kid was on the way.
I have always been partial to the 73 convertible but this exterior color does nothing for me
3B “Baby Blue” had a 73 LTD that color. had the 351 Windsor with a 2 barrel carb. bought it in 74 w/ 28K miles. I wanted to get another Mustang, but wife nixed that idea with another kid on the way. Had a 72 Mustang Fastback a/k/a “Sports Roof” with the Olympic looking shields on the quarter panels, and a white and blue interior with red piping in the seats. I agree with the others who have posted, fix the A/C and gas gauge to go with the ask on it. most likely gas gauge will work when sending unit is changed out.
These cars are constantly criticized for being “large” and compared to the originals they are bigger, but they are only an inch longer than the current Mustang, which is wider than the ’71-73s. So these don’t seem all that large anymore. Curb weights are similar but today’s Stang has a lot more HP to push all that weight around. I’d argue that the Stang has been too large since the S197s, but so are other similar cars these days.
Nobody does robin 🐦 egg 🥚 blue like the FoMoCo. Cheerful cruiser here w luggage 🧳 rack 😎
For decades these where my least favorite Mustangs , but they’ve grown on me. Especially as I’ve gotten older and heaver myself. 71 with chrome bumpers better some how. Love the color on this one. Still, nothing beats a Wimbledon White 65 with a red interior. Rolling art
I always thought the fender bolts should be silver, not painted body color.
I bought a 1973 Mustang new. It was neither Luxurious nor sporty. In fact, it was a terrible car. The dealer could never get it to run and idle smoothly. Very noisy interior on the highway. Traded it in on a ‘76 Cutlass Supreme. That was a luxurious, comfortable ride.
Well-preserved.
But “heavy” doesn’t necessarily mean solid. This one obviously is; but Fords rusted so fast in those days, you could HEAR them oxidize on a quiet night.
Ford was big on recycled steel in those years, and for whatever reason, it rusted fast. Anyone who had to deal with a five-year-old Ford with frame and floor-pan failures in those years, knows of this.
In no Ford fan ,but I’ve lived on the CT. coast my whole life and NEVER saw relatively new Fords rust out like that. I used to buy mid 70s LTD wagons for demo derbies that were 10 + years old, and the only rust out would be in the lower quarters which was common for most cars back then. The only ones that really rusted badly here were the Maverick/Comet and the 71-73 Mustang/Cougar ,which were the unibody cars.
Basically around here all cars rust , but at that time the imports were notorious for severe and early rust out
Had a 71′ when I was 18. It was 2 years old. Didn’t know what I had. Mach 1 in ford grabber blue with the silver side markings. Black and white interior. 351 cleveland,c6 or 4, ram air hood. I forgot what the rear end was,but would roast the tires all day.
My brother had a black over black vinyl 66 Mustang, it was a 289 4 barrel carburetor, and a 4 speed manual transmission with the shifter on the floor. I loved that car, it was the car I learned to drive a clutch in. I then bought a 69 Mach It had a 351 cubic inch Windsor engine, it was black with black interior with a red stripe on the front seat backs. By 1969, the Mustangs started to become more luxurious. My Mach I had power steering, power front disc brakes, air conditioning and the dashboard was beautifully finished with a light colored woodgrain, it had full instrumentation and looked great at night when it was lit with bluish green lights. The 69 had 4 headlights, the brights were placed in the grill. When the 71s came out we all called them shoe box Stangs. They weren’t as nice as the 69 and 70s, but they did grow on me. Today I really like them, not more than the 69s, but they were the best-looking of all the Mustang model years. That said, I also liked all the Fox platform model years. I had an 81 hatchback with a tiny 4.2 liter V8. It fit the car well, and the exhaust was Sport tuned and sounded great. The 71-73s were the last of the first generation and I think their pretty cool.