The 1971-77 Mercury Comet was a rebadged version of the highly successful Ford Maverick that launched in 1969. These Comets never sold as well as the Maverick but served nicely as an entry level model for Mercury. This 1973 edition is as sweet as you’ll likely find, especially since it seems to be largely original. It looks to be the second time this car has appeared on Barn Finds, when the original owner sold it in 2017. The car can be found in Raymore, Missouri and is available here on eBay where the bidding has reached $11,100 and the reserve is still looming,

Until three years ago, this was a one-owner car, literally owned by a little old lady in California (no, not Pasadena). At the time of its previous review by us, it was said to have 35,533 miles. Today, it has 35,976 miles, meaning its only seen road time since to the tune of 444 miles. The seller’s recent trip between Kansas and Oklahoma consumed 350 of that, leaving less than 100 miles of use in the last 45 months. The most significant visual change is that a set of 15-inch Magnum 500 wheels have been added with Goodrich Radial T/A tires. The original rims and tires will come with the sale, too.

Time has been kind to this car. The factory yellow paint looks great and there are no noticeable issues with rust. The stick-on moldings along the middle of the doors look to have been removed. The glass is all good, including the windshield. The original interior appears solid with nothing needing attention, although it looks as though the dash pad has seen too much of the Sun.

The 302 V-8 and automatic transmission, which were options in the Comet in ‘73, are said to run as smoothly as they should and are numbers-matching, of course. The engine compartment isn’t quite as clean as it was before. The car has picked up a new dual exhaust system along with the list of things that were done to the car before its prior sale. The next owner will be in possession of a bunch of original paperwork and documentation, dating back to the original selling Ford dealership. A photograph of the elderly original owner is provided from the day it changed hands in 2017.

NADA pegs the top end of this vintage of the Comet at $10,000. But this car is unusually well-kept and documented, so it’s no surprise that the bidding has already surpassed that and will likely go higher. But if you were to buy this car to show and cherish as it has been in the past, the purchase price today won’t really matter in 5 or 10 years.