18K Mile Survivor: 1977 Mercury Monarch Ghia

And now for something from the “me too” department. The other day, I wrote a piece on a 1963 Mercury Monterey and remarked that a Mercury was a Mercury in ’63, and not a Ford. Well, it didn’t take long for that to change, and you’ll see what I mean as I review this 1977 Mercury Monarch Ghia. The Monarch was a badge-engineered twin to the better-selling Ford Granada and a model that we’ve only covered twice here on BF. Well, today, I’ll add a third, as Jack M. has discovered a listing for a low-mileage example residing in Tifton, Georgia. This Merc, in name only, is in excellent condition and is listed here on Hemmings for $13,500.

The Granada’s schtick was an attempt to delude what Ford perceived as easily confused buyers into not being able to discern a Granada from a Mercedes. The Monarch, essentially a Granada with a different nameplate, didn’t pursue that same territory. What territory it did pursue is unknown, with its only real tagline for ’77 being, “The precision-sized car with a touch of class.” Monarch’s trim levels were two: Standard and Ghia, both available in either two or four-door body styles. But it’s the numbers that tell the story: Mercury moved 128K Monarchs in ’77 (11K two-door Ghias such as our subject) compared to Granada’s outsized 391K deliveries. The seller claims 18K miles of use and offers a mileage-recorded title as proof, and this car’s pristine condition gives me no reason to think the mileage is incorrect. This Ghia option has all of the ’77 cues going on, a landau top, opera windows, a stand-up hood ornament, and wire-wheel covers worn over white-stripe tires. If you like this late seventies look, this Merc is as good as it gets.

The interior is representative of the era. The blue vinyl upholstery is bright and clean with no signs of excessive or unusual wear, and the same goes for the carpet, door panels, and dash. The instrument panel is one of those unfortunate styles prevalent in this era: lots of faux wood surrounding few gauges of any informational value. Still, it’s in excellent condition. And, on-tap, is “cold” A/C, provided by a Frigidaire (GM) A-6 compressor.

A 134 net HP, 302 CI V8 engine, connected to a three-speed “Select-Shift” automatic transmission, powers this coupe by driving its rear wheels. Nothing is said regarding this Merc’s running or driving characteristics other than, “It drives and appears as new.” My only concern with a find like this is old, degraded fluids – hopefully, they’ve all been changed.

I can’t remember the last time I saw a Mercury Monarch, or a Ford Granada, for that matter. They were certainly the “everywhere” car at one time, just as the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord followed suit, and the current Hyundai and Kia line-up is now all the rage. The seller concludes with, “This car is not restored, it is preserved!” I’d have to agree; how about you?