A car like this 1974 Mercury Comet GT is a bit of a mystery now, or at least it is for me. I have to wonder how many people would take a Mercury Comet GT over a Ford Maverick GT. I like them for the unusual factor so for me it’s a Comet GT all day long. This example can be found on Craigslist, or here on the CL archive when the listing goes away. It’s located in Las Vegas, Nevada with an asking price of $1,500. Thanks to the ever-vigilant Pat L. for tracking down this cool listing!
$1,500 for a Comet GT with a 302 V8 that doesn’t appear to be a rust bomb? Yes, please. The Mercury Comet GT was basically the Merc version of the Ford Maverick Grabber and this fifth-generation car is “in great shape for it’s age and would be a perfect project car”, according to the seller. This is it for exterior photos and other than a little rust, or what looks like rust, behind the LR wheel the body on this one looks pretty tight. The obsessive-compulsive part of me wants to have this car for a weekend to see how much I could clean it up and polish up that faded paint.
Is that a driveshaft on the passenger seat?! That’s never a good sign. It’s also an automatic but the seller says that it has “a rebuilt c4 transmission” so that’s good, isn’t it? It’s hard to assess the condition of the interior but there are a few things torn and missing. It looks like the headliner may be hanging down a bit from this photo, or not?.. but the seats look good other than the driver’s side. There is indeed a 302 V8 under the hood, but the bad news is that it “ran before I took it apart, have all the parts for it though.” Dang. Still, NADA lists a low retail value of $2,525 so is this one worth a gamble for $1,500?
I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure that’s not a GT. No hood scoop, no stripes, no black taillight panel, no black grille…
I think you’re 100% right, KevinR and erikj, I should have caught that.
I’d take it! Hate the color but love the car. I had a ’74 Comet with a straight six and no power anything in college. Didn’t really like the big bumpers. My brother had an early Maverick Grabber. I prefer the oddballs and orphan cars too.
More like mercury vomit
Wow, that’s witty. You think that up all by yourself?
I agree, Don’t look like a gt. Even the side trim looks not right. For the price though it is a good platform.
I kind of agree. If anything, with the swanky (for a Comet) interior I would be thinking more like a Comet LDO.
Yeah, I was thinking it had the LDO interior too.
Look at page 27 of the ’74 Mercury full-line brochure and there’s a Comet with the “Custom option”. This car’s interior is identical, right down the colours.
As far as I know GT’s don’t have body side trim molding.
Good candidate for a resto-mod and at $1500 with very little rust and a pine scent air freshener, if it was closer to me I would bite.
Paint it black and slaps some cragers on it and find a gt hood .
Redo the interior black leather and swap a T6 conversion and put a right geared heavy duty rearend with four wheel discs 👍
Then some frame tightening and burn rubber on blacktop baby 👶👍👀😉
I always call this the Mexican mustangfor maverick but comet is a lil diff but close 😉
I like the idea but pull the big bumpers and grill for earlier units. Silver Keystones for me please!
Definitely not a GT. Perhaps suitable for the kind of build that Classic Steel is suggesting?
This is the type of car, and price range, that the younger generation of car nuts should be buying. Most people can’t afford the older cars on BF, and anyway the later generations won’t want them, so I can see the price dropping drastically in the not too far off future. Buy it now before the prices go up, and by the time it’s restored you will have a fine, collectable, classic. Go For IT Young’uns.
Good drag platform. Restoration of a plain jane Comet? not so much.
IIRC, a lot of the go-fast Mustang parts are bolt-ons for these including the drive-trains. Would be a cool sleeper but would have to lose the bumpers in favor of the older (smaller) versions. Cheap enough so that you wouldn’t lose any sleep modifying it however you want. Younger generation won’t want these as running early generation 350Zs, etc., are now becoming reasonably priced.
Not a GT, but an LDO. Luxury Decor Option. I believe ’72 or ’73 was last year for Comet GT.
’75 was the last year for the Comet GT.
Our son-in-law just bought a Mav project that the former owner stuffed a 302 into. The former 6 cylinder car is such an easy car to like. Nothing special, just plain fun. His stock 67 Failane wagon is a family favorite now that he hauls his grandkids around, and uses it for camping.
I live in vegas, I could go check it out….
I was just at a car show in Mexico City and there was one of these, but it was called a Maverick GT. They also had Mavericks that looked like our Mavericks there too. While here in the US they are not collectible, they are in Mexico, kind of like the Nova is here
not a gt.
In 1972 I bought a brand new Mercury Comet Gt from my local dealer on Bank St in Ottawa Ontario. This is not a GT. The 72 was the last year for the short bumper and much better looking than the snowplow bumper that came after it. Being a GT simply meant decoration. A non functional but cool looking scoop, GT strip kit, blackout on the dash inner panel. Mine was optioned with a 302 and ordered with 4speed manual, bucket seats and metallic gold paint. Although I ordered a standard it arrived with an slushbox automatic that I was not all all happy with even though they deleated the extra cost. I accepted delivery as any special orders would be in the 73 year production that meant a 3-4 month delay, extra money for the new price increase but also those ugly 5 mph bumpers. Today I would be happy to find one like my old GT, but I’ve owned many other cars that I would buy again first if I had the choice.
NO WAY IN HELL!! My Father was a L-M Dealer!
4 speed manual was never an option on the ’71-’77 Comets.
That’s what I ordered. Not sure about the US, but in Canada it was accepted.
A gearhead friend in high school (mid-late 80’s) had just about the fastest car in school—a Grabber Blue 302 Maverick two door…can’t recall the model year. Geez, could he smoke the tires, and it was a rocket ship.
Not a GT, wrong hood and GT had a stipe package. And yes you could get it with a speed!
local here has the Mav w/a 300 six for a drag car.
This 1 looks stored in a rental unit…time to break even and sell!
Son is a junior in high school and excited with his new project. 🤷♀️