During its nearly quarter-century of production, the Monterey served in different capacities for the Mercury brand, beginning as a top-of-the-line model when it was first introduced in 1950. By 1972, it had fallen to the base status, where it remained in this position until production finally ceased a couple of years later. At just shy of 19 feet in length, this 1972 Mercury Monterey here on Craigslist might be worth considering, if you’re one of those buyers who believes size matters. The 2-door hardtop is located in Edmonds, Washington, where the seller has set his asking price at $7,800.
This one’s another example of a 50-plus-year-old car whose mileage is listed at a meager number, 24,341 to be exact, with no explanation of how the Mercury managed to travel fewer than 500 miles per year. In all fairness, the owner never claims that this is actual, so there’s always the possibility the odometer is on its second time around. However, if that’s the case, this land yacht is still in pretty remarkable condition overall, considering the age plus the amount of travel.
Of course, it’s also possible that the mileage is accurate, as the seller claims his Monterey is a local car and deems it as a completely stock and original survivor. There’s no word on whether or not the paint is still the factory-applied finish, but even if it’s gotten a respray at some point, the body is described as not having any rust or corrosion issues. The only area of concern I’m spotting is on the passenger side behind the door, which looks like it may have an indention. If that’s the case, maybe someone with PDR skills can get that pulled out without the need for any touch-ups.
Under the hood, this one’s got a 400 cubic inch V8 with a 2-barrel carburetor. This engine was rated at 172 horsepower, but for an auto weighing well over two tons, a 429 or a 460 would have been nice to find in the bay. The good news is the seller says the car is running and driving well, and he also mentions a new starter, distributor, and a recently rebuilt carb. There are also no leaks reported from any of the drivetrain components.
To confuse the mileage debate even more, just about all of the inside photos depict a condition far better than I’d anticipate an interior that’s now celebrated its Golden Anniversary. However, the seller mentions that the driver’s half of the front bench has received some amateur repairs, which wouldn’t typically be required at under 25k miles of sitting. Regardless of the amount of road this one’s seen, the Monterey looks good overall, and I don’t feel the cost of $7,800 is unrealistic for what we’re seeing here. What do you think?
Another land barge in overall good condition. If the seller gets the camera angle just right, it makes the car look at least 47 feet long. Lower-end model not heavily equipped, but fine for a cruiser. Don’t see soft yellow on today’s cars. Could be fun for not much money.
Egg crate front end to the max!
This car was for that ASSISTANT manager, you never got a long with, Mr. Big shot, that didn’t quite have the peanuts for a Lincoln, but made the statement, they were on their way. I hate to sound so dismal all the time, but these types of cars will continue to surface for a while, but can’t go on forever. Bought new, it’s just a fact, 50 years later, the people are bound to die, leaving behind cars like this. That’s the bad news, the good news, is cars like these aren’t a crusty ’54 DeSoto, it’s still a stylish car that can feasibly give the new owner plenty of use, and not that crummy Asian seated, rough riding, jellybean looking car, people WILL take notice, and considering the choices today, cars like this are a sure sell.
Thing is, however, you want one, better get it now, as I see it, in 10 years, there simply won’t be any of these left, and demand will skyrocket. They were great cars, and the test drive will convince just about anyone, it really was a “baby” Lincoln.
Poof! And it’s gone
There is a house on the street that’s been empty for 10 years,owned by a rich New Yorker,she flew in last week to check on it and in the garage I see later model Grand Marquis with the rear end sitting real low,did they have air bag suspension ?
That’s probably where she hides the bodies
Big honking ride. Bob’s right that the photos make it look larger than life. I like the basic nature of it along with the hardtop. Air conditioning is nice but driving a hardtop with all the glass down is like a convertible without the sunburn.