While it has often been the target of cruel jokes, the AMC Gremlin has developed a strong following in today’s classic market. Tidy examples can generate plenty of interest amongst enthusiasts, but this ramps up when the vehicle in question is a low mileage survivor in superb condition. That description best sums up our 1974 feature car, which has a genuine 8,700 miles showing on its odometer. This classic needs nothing more than a new home and somebody who will continue to treat it with respect. Located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, you will find the Gremlin listed for sale here on eBay. Twenty-five bids have pushed the price to $10,500, although this remains short of the reserve.
AMC was a company that has become renowned for squeezing every last dime out of its development budget to produce new and distinctive models. The Gremlin stands as a perfect example of that philosophy. The company created the vehicle as a sub-compact based on a shortened version of its Hornet model. They produced a unique and eye-catching model, and like the Pacer, it polarized opinion. Some potential buyers loved its quirky styling, while others saw its appearance as a chance to make cheap jokes at the Gremlin’s expense. Out feature car wears Snow White paint with contrasting Blue stripes. The owner states that this is original and that the vehicle has never received any form of restoration work. If this is accurate, its condition is mighty impressive. The paint shines beautifully, while the Blue decals exhibit no lifting or evidence of aging. The panels are laser straight, and thanks to a garage-kept existence, the Gremlin remains rust-free. The owner supplies no underside shots, but he says that this aspect of the car is in as-new condition. The trim, chrome, and glass are excellent. The American Racing wheels are a recent addition, but the original wheels, dog dish hubcaps, and date-coded tires are included.
If the Gremlin’s exterior provides spotless and impressive presentation, its engine bay serves up more of the same. Powered by a 232ci six-cylinder engine that sends its 100hp to the rear wheels via a three-speed automatic transmission, this classic should cover the ¼ mile in 19.3 seconds. While fuel economy should have been this car’s forte in the energy crisis that gripped the country during that period, the Gremlin struggled to achieve a fuel consumption figure of 19mpg. That didn’t make it the thirstiest vehicle in the 1974 AMC range, but it didn’t stack up well in a sub-compact that could only seat four people. However, classic car enthusiasts tend to be less concerned about these issues than the health and originality of any car on their radar. That is where our feature car stands out from the crowd. It is an original and unmolested survivor with a claimed 8,700 genuine miles showing on its odometer. The owner doesn’t mention verifying evidence, but the overall condition of the engine bay makes the claim plausible. The seller holds the Bills of Sale for both of this classic’s owners, plus the Owner’s Manual, Warranty Card, sunvisor instruction card, and other documentation. That means he may hold the mileage evidence that pushes this Gremlin onto a higher level than most others. He doesn’t indicate how well the car runs or drives, but if appearance counts for anything, the news should be nothing but positive.
The seller describes this Gremlin as brand new, and when you look at the state of its interior, that is a statement that is hard to contradict. The original owner ordered the car trimmed in Blue vinyl, and this appears to be in showroom condition. There is no evidence of wear or tear and no signs of UV damage. If AMC still existed, you could park this gem in their showroom, and it wouldn’t look out of place. Its condition makes up for the original owner’s decision not to load it with luxury extras. If your heart desires power windows, power locks, air conditioning, or cruise control, you’ve come to the wrong place. This interior is as bare-bones as they come and doesn’t even score points with a radio. On a more positive note, its owners have resisted the urge to add aftermarket items, protecting this Gremlin as an original and unmolested survivor.
While it spent decades in the wilderness, the AMC Gremlin has begun to become a hot property in the classic market. Tidy and original examples have experience value increases of more than 15% in the past two years. This increase shows no signs of slowing as a new generation of enthusiasts clamor for cars from the 1970s. I won’t be surprised if bidding on this 1974 example has to exceed $15,000 before it meets the reserve, although I wouldn’t rule out that figure venturing towards $20,000 before the hammer falls. Have you ever owned a Gremin, and did you enjoy the experience enough to be tempted by this one?
Wow! No guff on this one, geeze Louise, we were talking about bare bones cars on the Henry J post, this was probably the tail end of the real basic cars. Asian cars new on the scene provided much more for the same price. I’m trying to find what options ” Ms. Nannie Mae” got,( I have images of her being this old maid shut in, never married, possibly lived with a sister),,anyway,, no radio, or lighter,,aka “power port”, ( that alone probably excludes 90% of the buyers) no P/S, or P/B, the only option appears to be the automatic. These generally hovered around the $2grand mark, the automatic was an expensive option. If anyone in the future has any question about low mileage cars, this is the real deal. In a rare turnaround of views, after going to the hardware store and a 4 pack of AA batteries was $14 BUCKS( that I didn’t buy) $10g’s, for a Gremlin in this condition seems worth it. I love posting this picture, we sent these out by the train load, I don’t think AMC made much money on the Gremlin, but it sure kept the folks in Wisconsin working,,,for a little while longer, that is. Unbelievable find here.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/368732288210866871/
Howard, buy your AAs at Harbor Freight. Seriously.
Shortly after retiring from the US Army in September* 1975, I went to work for one of the larger AMC dealers; Courtesy AMC in Rockville, MD. We were advertising specially ordered 6 cylinder Gremlin X cars with automatic transmissions, and by carefully deleting various standard features they managed to get the MSRP down to $1,999.00. Deleted items included the outside driver’s door mirror, clock, day/nite inside mirror, etc. They also advertised that the Gremlin and Hornet cars got great fuel mileage, claiming it got more than 400 miles to the tank. However the State of Maryland eventually came down on AMC because these cars were equipped with larger fuel tanks compared to the Pinto and Vega.
*I retired after 3 years!
Driver’s side door mirror became MANDATORY in ’65 i believe on all cars for the USA – not deleteable.
IMO, the only good thing the passenger side mirror is for is parallel parking – seeing how close you are/get to the curb – i never trust the deceiving view it gives for lane changing – i always look over my right shoulder instead.
Joe,
I agree, but they went ahead and put in the delete order anyway. The delete was still available for the driver’s mirror because the car might be exported, or the dealer could add a pair of racing mirrors. It wasn’t illegal to manufacture a vehicle without the mirror, but it was illegal to sell [or offer for sale] a vehicle that didn’t meet the FMVSS regulations. AMC did get in trouble for how they offered these cars to the public, in a very deceptive manner.
When one of these “Low price” cars was actually sold, by the time the sales contract was drawn up, it had a new mirror installed, and listed that mirror on a separate window sticker applied by the dealership. It was all about getting the MSRP window sticker under $2,000, so it could be advertised as such.
This was a common bait & switch technique that all the auto manufacturers tolerated, especially after they started getting hammered in pricing by Japanese cars. I remember Al’s Motors Chrysler-Plymouth in northern Virginia, advertising a 1967 Chrysler 300 4-door hardtop for a ridiculous low price of [I think] $1,995. it’s delete list included no: Heater, radio, power steering & power brakes, Torqueflite trans, mirror group, accessory lighting group, and more. I was with my best friend and his parents when they went to Al’s to look at that white 300 sedan with light blue interior. That new car was buried in one of the back lots and had a dead battery. So they ended up buying a New Yorker at Maryland Motors C-P.
In the 1970s and 80s I worked for dealerships in the northern Washington DC area, where sales to the diplomatic community often resulted in new car orders for vehicles that were driven around on the DC government’s “DPL” license plates until the cars were taken back to the diplomat’s home country, where they were often sold for a large profit. I remember the local BMW dealer selling a new dark blue Bavaria sedan to a Japanese diplomat, it had European bumpers and mirrors out on the tops of the front fenders, just like all cars in Japan.
The local joke back then was the DPL letters on the diplomatic license plates stood for “Don’t Park Legally!”
Back in 70’s, before self-serve, it was amusing watching attendant look for where the gas could be spilling out, when I pulled in low on gas with that large Gremlin tank.
Bill-Not trying to start an argument, BUT, MSRP on a base 1975 Gremlin was $2798. You could delete til the cows come home and not get to an MSRP of $1999. There was only about $400 margin to invoice from MSRP. I was an AMC dealer in Rochester MN and recall very few , if any “delete” boxes. I have copies of some of the factory order forms and there are NO delete boxes any where, so I don’t know how any dealer could delete $800 worth of standard equipment. ??
Gary, I thank you for the input, sadly, at my age my memory isn’t as great as I would like it to be. I may have been thinking of a different car, or perhaps it wasn’t MSRP but what they were willing to sell it for.
This car was available with a 304 V8 and a 4-speed which gave it pretty good performance in a 2600 lb. car. There was a Levi’s edition that came with denim covered seats and blue jeans accents that was sort of kitschy but tastefully done. Not a bad choice for a young man on a budget in the early ’70s.
Not sure but I believe it was only available with a 3-speed manual, no 4 speed.
The V8 was available with a 4 speed manual, the inline 6 got the 3 speed manual.
Available only with a 3 speed and automatic.
The concerns I have is all the original patina on the vehicle has been repainted, overly detailed and ebay decorated with useless decal on the glove box door. The gremlin figure on the horn button is not correct. He must have got a three pack because one is on the air cleaner lid too.
It is irritating that a benchmark is ruined. The dealer tag on the back explains everything. It looks to have quickly been through the dealer auction detail. Going as far as adding 7800 miles on the windshield.
A car with 7800 miles would have minimal wear IF ANY. A fresh painted engine on a sub 8,000 mile car is a red flag. I am sorry the black painted oil cap is wrong too. It could just as well have 78,000. Who cares?
Rep American Racing wheels further nails the point. The OEM wheels where are they? This Gremlin was the base optioned car. The body stripes were often added by the dealer to get the cars off the lot. Especially when someone saw an X package. Very hard without. Don’t worry. He wants Gremlin X money though.
If what you’re saying is true, it sure is one heck of a good detailing job on the engine. Very hard (and expensive) to do that level of work in situ.
Verifying that kind of low mileage really needs to be done in-person.
With the trim taken off the engine look how much room there is. It could be achieved within a few hours (and most likely was) The valve cover was painted in place. There were actually two shades of AMC engine paint. The color is incorrect. Why would it require paint anyway?
I owned a 78 Matador with a shade over 11,000 original miles. Open the hood it needed nothing. It’s currently in a museum.
Gotta read. Says the original wheels, wheel covers and date coded tires are included in the deal.
That “Dealer” tag on the back actually says Historical Vehicle. If that car was restored to that apparent quality it would have taken more cash than the reserve probably is. Looking original from here.
Make that a 5 pack. Gas cap and RH (not left) stripe also.
Normally I agree with you, us Rambler nuts have to stick together, but the things you mention don’t necessarily meant it’s a high mileage car disguised as a low one. I’ll admit, they spiffed it up, but before any real determination is made, like misterlou sez, you need to see it in person. In case someone thinks 8,000 miles is untrue, an older man in my town has a ’63 or ’64 Caddy with 2200 MILES, he never left town with it, so it’s possible. I do agree, whatever the mileage( and very low mileage isn’t necessarily a good thing, mechanically wise) it’s still an amazing example of what the ’70’s were all about.
this is a driver . beauty !!!!!
Definitely not buying the mileage claim. As AMCFAN mentioned, the car is overly detailed and appears staged to represent a low mileage car. Also, there is way too much wear on the steering wheel for 8700 original miles.
This was probably the last year of the reliable Gremlin. In ’75 they switched to electronic ignition ( no points) and the cars were very problematic. I owned a ’77 and it was a temperamental mess. On the other hand my buddy had a ’72 Hornet and it was a great car
’74 was a low point for cars across the board when it came to driveability and mileage stemming from the federal mandated smog equipment.
They bogged, farted, stalled when cold, cut out on hard left or right turns.
Electronic ignitions helped with mileage, tuning, idling, starting.
I had a Gremlin my friends named Greta in the 80s. It had the same engine with a 3 speed manual. You couldn’t kill the engine but door levers and hardware were crap. It did it’s job but don’t consider these cars to be collectible.
Had a ‘73 with same drive train. Once in snow, the rear wheels spun at idle at a stop light. Olympic blue with white stripe. $2700 new with auto, radio, roof rack, full wheels covers and the stripes. Drove it for 6 years and 90,000 miles, then sold for half of original price.
When I was a young kid 8-10 years old my next door neighbor had one of these in pea green one day it was dropped off in their back yard with the whole right side caved in so much that it even bent the roof after that accident my neighbor went nuts talking to people who weren’t there and yelling at us kids playing outside the car sat there until she was finally put in a mental hospital and the house sold
Yes I bought two Gremlins, one blue one green. The blue one for my ex-wife had a 232 with automatic, the green one was mine, it was an X with 258 and three on the floor. They were very good cars if a bit quirky looking. I put a lot of miles on mine driving through ten western states, including going over the Rocky Mountains pulling a 5’x8′ covered U-Haul trailer. The door hinges and latches were the weak points on mine, had to have them welded at around 120,000 miles. I added power steering to mine from a junk yard Hornet, made lifew a lot easier. They were both 74 models. Tranny went out on the ex=wifes at some point, but by then I was long gone.
God Bless America
Nice, $12,525 now with reserve still not met.
I bought one of these for my kids to drive as their first car. At first they weren’t too excited ,but then they found out all kids at school thought it was cool. My daughter had it first and then my son.. They both moved on to bigger and better wheels. In retrospect, I should have insisted, they just keep driving the Gremlin. Of course it wasn’t as nice as this one, but it wasn’t terrible, sold it for 700 bucks
When time for engine swap or head swap ,go for Jeep 4.0 HO ,fuel injection, make good driver.
Nice to see a little interest in AMC. We AMC folks are certainly not in this hobby for the money. 17,000 tops if the mileage is correct.
My 2nd car I bought my senior year of college in 1972 was a real 7000 mile 1971 Gremlin-X with dealer installed roof rack, 3 on the floor and the 232 engine for $2000. Nothing but basic maintenance and still looked good, not a speck of rust when i sold it for $900 in 1979 when I bought a used Renault-5 LeCar. I squeezed a Honda CT-70 trail bike into the back seat and when I moved to my first house in 1976 I connected a 4×8 piece of plywood to the roof rack on which a carried a big old sofa, then a big desk.
Im not a fan of the shape, but then i wasn’t a fan of the pinto but i am now. In the meantime i bought a banged up 66 Rambler american wagon pulling off brake m/c when i finish typing. 232 w i think BW tranny… its gonna be my going to town car.
I bought one new in ’74, the same as this except it was metallic blue. I put the same wheels as these on it. I drove it over 120,000 miles then traded it to someone who drove it another 80,000. I did replace the transmission once.
I think AMCFAN said most of it about this car, but why no one noticed the California Historical plate on a car bought in Lexington Kentucky and spent ALL its life there in a garage with only 8700 miles on it. I bet this guy also has a bridge he’s selling on E-bay.
2 dor hatch = 1895$ in ’74 (today’s $ = 7361 depending on if you think we’ve had 369% inflation….or 4.78…or 5.73…or)
Sales: 1,300 bid in PA (restored
………..2,750 in Chicago sold (manny)(restored
………28,600in Orlando sold (highly original)(auto)(restored
$1895 was base price in April, 1970 for a Gremlin with no back seat and a fixed rear window.
Best of luck to the seller. Buyer beware!
You have been warned several times.
I have never owned nor driven one, but I did save one from rolling out into traffic after the owner had stopped at the gas station I worked at back in the 70’s. I was able to jump in and stop it just in time. But that’s my only experience in a Gremlin. :)
Radio delete and cig lighter delete? That’s basic.
I’m not sure where you get that original price. I bought the identical car, except for the color, new for $2700.
And a very solid car, Brian as I recall. You didn’t exactly baby yours.
I didn’t baby it at all and it held up, s testimant of it’s strength.
The plastic on the dash and the doors are as ill fitting as the ones on my parent’s ’71.
Basic, 232, dog dish hubcaps, whitewalls, roof rack, a radio, automatic, red stripe, rubber flooring. Brand new out the door it was about $2600. Plus the promotion they were doing included a portable B&W TV set.
Within a month or so, the seat frames started poking holes into the sides of the seats. On a trip to PA from IA the floor filled with water during a heavy rain storm.
Service dept said that the factory had “forgotten’ to put seal things underneath the car.
Maximum was 23 mpg on that trip. I was in the back seat at my full height of 5’9”.
Sloppy paint, wavy plastic, squeaks from the crude seat latch in the back.
I loved that car. The Gremlin on the gas cap prompted a lot of the caps to be stolen.
The 72 Ambassador they bought next was scarcely better. Three hood releases, sloppy weather stripping you could poke a finger through, roof rusted quickly under the vinyl top, upholstery shredded [in the back seat where no one ever sat after the oldest of us had moved out] after a few years and it had to go back on the second day because the new for ’72 Mopar tranny wouldn’t shift out of second gear.
The same cheap hardware and grades of plastic as the Gremlin. And Nearly twice the price: $4995.
But I loved that one too. I’d have either one today, gladly. But what slapped together
Just learning to drive I used to haunt the AMC lots. I think they may have been the only dealers to actually stock bare bones cars. I mean: Bare. Bones. Nothing added to the window stick.
Late I saw a 95-96 Cavalier with a sticker like that. Must have been a loss leader special for the Sunday ads.
AMC milked their rep for quality long past the days when it was actually true. Something changed once they started trying to compete model for model with the Big Three. And it wasn’t for the better.
And a reason for the Buyer Protection Program.
They were not well built cars in the early ’70s. Maybe they improved later in the decade.
But what a treat this Gremlin would be. I still love AMC.
However, I never want to ride 900 miles in the back seat of a Gremlin ever again.
I would think that the gremlin (even with either strait 6 & any trans) , especially the lighter bumper ’71’s, would be faster than ANY other subcompact, including the cosworth vega!
Oddly the bumpers on ’74’s do not stick out as far as say, those on a pinto.
Not sure if they really ARE 5mph bumpers.
And on that note, winter traction was abysmal in them. Our friends (who were our downstairs neighbors) bought a Gremlin just after we had bought our VW Super Beetle. He had a lot of trouble getting up the curved and inclined driveway in the snow. I never did.
Very nice Gremlin and would probably last a new owner another 15-20 years if maintained well. The reserve must be $20k (good lord!) because it’s at $19,611 with a day to go and the reserve isn’t met yet. I realize prices are a climbin’ but it’s to the point now that I can’t even entertain the idea of buying an old car to tinker on for less than $10k!
I agree, this is restored, no doubt. The engine has been repainted, and it isn’t even the correct color. On top of that, all the clamps have been replaced. This year/era used the tower style clamps.
One more thing, that’s not the correct stripe for a 74. They were the “Hockey Stick “ style if they had stripes at all. Usually only the “X” package included stripping.
That’s not accurate. My 74 had those same stripes.
Must be just the x package that had the hockey stick style. Sorry , my bad.
Not accurate JT. My 74 had these same stripes.
WOW!! This sold for $21,211.
Wow, does that make my restored V8 X with 30000 miles worth 32000? I don’t think so. ! Did it for the fun and certainly not about the money.