The Meteor nameplate, a nod to the burgeoning Space Race, had been used by Ford of Canada since the 1950s. However, for a brief period in the 1960s, the moniker was applied to a new mid-size car sold by Mercury in the U.S. The 1962-63 Mercury Meteor was derived from Ford’s downsized Fairlane to fill a void between full-size and compact products. Said to be a “true survivor,” this ’62 Meteor has four doors, a V8 engine, and can be found in Centralia, Washington. The asking price here on craigslist is $7,500 OBO. “Curvette” keeps our inbox full of great tips!

After using the name for a single year (1961) on a full-size U.S. Mercury, it became a forerunner, along with the Ford Fairlane, as an intermediate. Smaller than a Monterey but larger than a Comet, the packaging size may have been just right, although mid-range American cars wouldn’t flourish until General Motors joined the fray in 1964. Three engines were offered in 1962, including a 170 cubic inch inline-6 and two V8s, 221 or 260 CI. We don’t know which of the two “Windsor” V8s resides in the seller’s car, and it has a “3-on-the-tree” manual transmission.

The seller’s Merc is the Meteor Custom, which came with more window dressing than the standard model. It’s one of 23,500 Custom 4-door sedans built in 1962 (only pillared body styles were offered during the Meteor’s brief two-year run). Sales were significantly below those of the similar Fairlane, and Mercury dropped out of the mid-size market in 1964 (although only temporarily).

We’re told this sedan is an “original” car, with just 51,000 miles on it, and that applies to the paint and motor (how about the nice interior?). The car is said to have “super low rust,” though the photos don’t demonstrate where it is. This Mercury is a solid-running car that should be an easy drive to go anywhere, and the aftermarket Keystone wheels give the machine a bit of a “tough” look. Unless you have your heart set on two doors, this could be a great Cars & Coffee cruiser.