The owner of this 1962 Mercury Monterey claims that from a few feet away the car looks new, and the photos seem to bear out that claim. He has decided to sell it, and this is an opportunity to secure a really nice survivor. You will find it listed for sale here on Craigslist. The Monterey is located in Clovis, New Mexico, and it comes with a clean title. The owner has set the price at $10,500, and he is firm on that, having already reduced it.
I really like the look of this car. It looks low and sleek, and that’s all helped by those awesome tail-lights. You can’t even imagine a manufacturer trying that sort of treatment today. The car is in great condition, and more so if you consider the owner’s claim that it wears its original paint. He does say that it has a few minor chips and scratches, but you would expect that on a car of this age. All of the exterior trim and chrome looks good, as does the glass.
The interior of the Mercury carries over the theme established by the exterior condition, and it looks really good. However, it is not perfect. There is some wear on the carpet on the driver’s side. This is covered with a mat, but I would probably be inclined to replace the carpet, especially when you look at the condition of the rest of the interior. The owner claims that the car has only covered 33,000 original miles. While this might sound a bit fanciful, the car still has a number of oil change stickers on the door jamb. These date back into the 1960s, and they do help to support this claim. The car was parked many years ago, and the current owner purchased it in 2016 and returned it to the road. One of the things that he discovered was that when he lowered the sun-visor on the driver’s side, the original owner’s fuel log was still there, and this would seem like pretty reasonable documentation as well.
The interior trim in the back looks as good as the front. The only thing here that I’m not sure of is the fitment of the seat back itself. I would assume that the rear seat has been out of the car at some stage, and it looks like the back-rest hasn’t gone back into place properly, but that shouldn’t be a big deal.
Under the hood is simply jaw-dropping. You look at it, and it’s hard to believe that you are looking at the engine from a 56-year-old car and that the engine has remained largely untouched. The engine is the 292ci Y-Block, with a 3-speed manual transmission. When the car was returned to the road in 2016, it underwent a full service, and replacement of items such as points, plugs, condenser, coil, and battery. The car is also fitted with power steering and sits on new tires. The owner says that the car starts easily and that it drives like a new car.
This Mercury Monterey is a survivor, and it has survived really well. It is not perfect, but it is a classic car that you can own, drive, and enjoy. Compared to similar cars on the market at present, this car is quite competitively priced. I did locate a car with similar mileage, but it was fitted with a 352ci engine. It was also priced at $13,900. That seems to indicate that this Monterey is a pretty decent buy.
Ray Milland would be proud to drive this
car through the nuclear appocolypse.
For all our younger readets out there, Mr.
Milland and his fictional family drove one
of these in the film Panic In The Year Zero, an early ’60’s movie about life after
a nuclear attack by the Russians. Even
today, I can hear Les Baxter’s haunting
musical score and seeing this car brings
it all back to me. This car is similar to
the one they used in the movie. I think
that one was a Montetey 4-door HT though. Very nice car and well worth the
ask. Woild love to own it and be its care-
taker.
Kenneth Carney, I remember that film too…They were pulling a trailer too…
Kenneth, that was exactly my thought the moment I saw this car. I have the DVD as a double feature. The latter is The Last Man On Earth with Vincent Price. Good old American International Pictures.
To think that today, manufacturers install massive plastic shrouds to cover “their” engines and deter any form of owner intervention. The engine and engine bay on this Mercury are beautiful, a point of pride for the manufacturer as well as the owner. Given the condition and mileage, and that it’s from the now defunct Mercury brand, the price seems pretty reasonable. I’d love to own this cruiser, building memories with my kids and eventually pass it along to them to keep the tradition going.
Not true – “Manufacturers install massive plastic shrouds to cover “their” engines and deter any form of owner intervention”. Engines today are just as accessable for owner intervention. Just different technology to do so. Without the shrouds they are ugly compared to what we are used to seeing with old style engines.
They also muffle sound, keep the area below free from dust and dirt. They have their advantages.
A shroud might have been a positive in the Vega at the time. That engine had to be the ugliest lump in automotive history
Triumph1954: From Isuzus and Hondas in the 1990s, to the Jetta which required a multi-thousand dollar tool to check fluid levels by eliminating the dipstick – manufactures are ABSOLUTELY, ACTIVELY deterring owners from maintaining their own vehicles. If you need further proof, look no further than the lawsuits: manufacturers suing companies that sell software to tune and reprogram engines.
So much money is made in the service bays at their dealerships… that I suspect we aren’t too far away from seeing special locks on hoods that can only be opened at the dealership.
That’s some HEAVY METAL. I can’t recall what the last year was for the Monterey model.
I think ’74 was the last year for the Monterey (replaced with the Marquis?).
The Marquis came out in `67.
Monterey became the bottom of the line in 65 through to it’s end. Sort of the way the Bel Air went from the top to the near bottom over the years.
If you can handle the doors this is an awesome way to enjoy the car hobby. Only one at most shows, thumbs up by all, room for all your pals, very reliable, great chats with strangers about their aunts, uncles, grandparents, neighbors who owned one like it. Being the proud owner of a 4 door 1968 LTD survivor that I drive a lot I understand this experience. Wish I had more room for this beauty.
GORGEOUS car. I love this year for the big Merc.
Very few cases where I believe the low mileage claims seen here, but in this case (assuming paint is original), I have no trouble believing. Even if you decide to repaint, you know exactly what you’ve got.
Oh my, what a tempting treat. This may not be the car for someone worried about investment potential or for someone who enjoys a car for a bit and then moves on to another toy. For someone who plans to keep it for years, though, it would be wonderful. It doesn’t appear to be a very deep pit in which to throw money. Just drive and enjoy the ride for a few more decades. The annual cost of ownership would be minimal.
Sweet looking car. It’s nice to see an original, un-molested survivor.
Yeah LMK, they were. The camper was a
’62 Holiday Rambler maybe an 18 footer.
I always try to catch the movie when it’s
on TV or I find it on YouTube. To bad this .car is a stick shift, need an automatic so
that Sis can use it. Never saw one with a
292 though. Most of them were 390s or
352s. You can bet that Ray Milland’s car
was a 390 or 406 as it appeared to be
fully loaded. If this were mine, I’d have
a recording of the music from the movie
playing while I showed it at car shows.
Would like to have the trailer too.
IIRC the 390’s came in a S55 series. Two-door hardtops and convertibles only.
Maybe. This is a super car I would love to have.
This is a wonderfull car.
NADA Guides says high retail is 14,900 dollars.
I agree due to its pristine condition.
I think whats holding back the price is the manual 3 on the tree. These cars deserved automatics. Most had them . This is a weird one
This is just a fantastic car. Remember the turnpike cruiser. Monterey?. Fantastic road cars. Nothing today could ever give you the value. Wonderful!
Del, IMHO, I think the manual transmission is major part of what makes this Mercury so fantastic, and due to the fact that they weren’t common, I would like to think it would possibly drive the price up a tad.
OK “Panic in the year 0 fans this is indeed one cool example of the period. There were 3 series of full sized Mercurys in ’62. The Monteray, Monteray Custom and the S55. I believe this is a Monteray Custom as it had more chrome trim and nicer interior appointments. The vehicle in the movie was a Custom 4 door Hardtop.