After spending the past 11-years hidden away in a barn, this 1973 Mercury Marquis Brougham has emerged into the light of day. It appears to be in good condition and won’t need a lot of work to return it to active duty once again. If you like the idea of affordable luxury, this is a classic that could be worth a closer look. It is located in Stacy, Minnesota, and has been listed for sale here on craigslist. This giant could be your for $3,500.
The Medium Blue Mercury has spent more than a decade parked on a concrete floor in a barn. There was a moisture barrier under the car, so it has remained well preserved. The photo quality isn’t the greatest, but they do paint a reasonably positive picture. The owner makes no mention of rust problems, and the only area that I can place a question mark over is a small spot in the lower front fender on the passenger side. Even then, I’m not entirely sure whether this is rust or something else. The paint shines beautifully, and the Blue vinyl top looks to be in good condition. The panels are straight, with no apparent dings or dents. There is a fender skirt fitted to the driver’s side of the Mercury, but the other side appears to be missing. The hubcaps aren’t fitted to the vehicle, but all four of them are present. What can be seen of the chrome and trims looks good, and there are no visible issues with the tinted glass.
The 1973 Marquis Brougham offered buyers two engines, and this is the 429-4V version. It is backed by a C6 automatic transmission, while the vehicle also features power steering and power front disc brakes. This engine was capable of producing 198hp, and even though the Marquis was a luxury car, this was enough to propel it through the ¼ mile in a respectable 18.3 seconds. It was also a thirsty beast and would return an average fuel consumption of 10.7 mpg. That would have made it a relatively expensive daily driver when it was new. The Mercury does run, but given the fact that it has been sitting, it will require a thorough check before it could be considered to be roadworthy. The owner mentions an issue with the brakes, but it isn’t clear what this is. It would be worth the effort and cost to hand the vehicle to a suitably qualified mechanic to have this checked. There would be nothing worse than finding that you need the brakes urgently and discovering that they’ve gone on vacation. That is guaranteed to ruin your day.
The Brougham is a luxury car, and one look at the interior confirms this. The seats feature plush upholstery with deep buttoning, while the dash features acres of faux woodgrain. The interior presents well, although the owner indicates that there is a problem with the headliner. He doesn’t elaborate on what this is, nor does he supply any photos. The condition of the upholstery is impressive, with no signs of any tears, seam separations, or stains. The dash appears to be faultless, and there are no signs of any appreciable wear on the carpet. The only aftermarket addition that I can spot is what seems to be an FM converter under the dash. Reinforcing the luxury theme is the inclusion of air conditioning, power windows, power seats, and remote exterior mirrors.
If this 1973 Mercury is as good as the photos and listing suggest, it could represent an affordable way for someone to dip their toe into the classic car scene. It is highly unlikely that these will ever command high values, but stranger things have happened in the classic car world. So, if you are quite partial to a touch of luxury, then maybe you should give this car a closer look.
Looks pretty good. Full size two door, a type of car which has been out of production for decades already. Even if you had to spend a grand or so to get it running right and looking better, you wouldn’t have much into it. And then roll slowly and elegantly into Cars & Coffee, where people will want to see and talk to you about your palatial cruiser.
I agree with Bob, this car looks good especially at the price. If this car were within a hundred miles of me, I’d go get it tomorrow. It’s perfect for picking your friends and relatives up at the airport!
That’s a lot of car for the price! If you can live with the awful fuel consumption and have a garage big enough for it, then this is the car for you. The overall condition is impressive and you probably won’t see another at your favorite Cars ‘n Coffee cruise. Great car for someone who wants to bring the whole tribe along for a spin.
Another phrase I haven’t heard in a long time: “FM converter”.
Other than the title missing this is a clean looking car for the price.
I think you missed an aftermarket addition. Isn’t that a high mount stop light above the trunk? Which probably means someone drilled a hole in the metal!
No, the only ones I ever saw, clamped on with a bracket, same as most CB antennas. More “permanent” installations added/substituted a strip of double sided tape like is used to hold body molding on.
I had a 1972 Grand Marquis. Very comfortable, but 7-10 MPG!!! Couldn’t afford to keep driving it.
It’s not like you’re ever going to enter this is a concours.
I’ve been watching a lot of late-night TV this year, and I’m really jonesing for an early 70s tank like this. Or a Ford LTD, or Chevy Caprice. If you bought this and towed it straight to the dealer to fix those brakes and go through it, change all the fluids, I’ll bet you could drive it straight through to the coast.
When I was growing up, THESE were REAL Mercurys. They were in their own class. Sadly, they would later become gussied up Fords, leading to a long slow decline.
My father had one same color but it had a white hardtop 2dr same motor I love that car when he bought it in early 74 they stole it from dwntwn Detroit in 1978 i remember I was 10yrs old he found it they had burned it such a nice car he always had it clean looking nice wish I could buy that one its the closest I’ve seen to his nvr got to drive it was to young dam
I had a black 74 back in the day. Looked just like this one. Bought it as a recovery vehicle. With only 1,500 miles it was like new mechanically. All the glass had been hammered out of it and the body had a bunch of small dents. I repaired and painted it. Great driver. Smoooooth ride.
Parents had one when I was in high school! Big land yacht! Nice car!
Owned a 73 2 door in 1975. 429 with a 4 barrel. Terrible gas mileage, poor performance for such a large engine but great highway cruiser. Need to make sure the headlight doors work, can be very troublesome to repair.
I’ve sold two of these in the last 6 months, both four doors and both with less than 50K miles. They sold for $4000 each, so this price seems rather reasonable for 429 2 door.
Very nice car and definitely one you won’t see many duplicates of. I hear all the whining about miles per gallon, but in all honesty I don’t think anyone here is going to use it as a daily driver where it might matter. I’m thinking that most won’t drive it a thousand miles a year so I can’t see the 10 vs 20 MPG will be much of a factor over a year. I also feel but it’s a very low price to enjoy a throwback to the days of American conspicuous consumption. I sure hope somebody buys that car to enjoy it for all it is.