One car that often makes top ten lists, and rarely in a good sort of way, is the AMC Gremlin.  While I totally get why many autos end up on hate forums, this is one I don’t really understand the reasoning behind, and it’s probably because of the distant fond memories of my father choosing his Gremlin over my mom’s Malibu sedan to teach me to drive in.  These cars were tough and capable of handling a lot of abuse, and V8 engines were available for a number of years, making them among the smaller US cars available at the time with an 8-cylinder powerplant.  With a freshly rebuilt 304 under the hood, this 1974 model can be seen here on Craigslist in Dryden, New York, and you can get behind the wheel today for $17,000.  Rocco B., thanks for finding this mischievous mythical creature and sending us the tip!

The Gremlin in my nuclear family had an inline-6 engine with a 3-speed manual, and while it wasn’t fast by any means, the car was enjoyable to drive, even though some peers enjoyed poking fun at it.  The seller doesn’t reveal if this one came from the factory with a 304, but that’s what’s under the hood now, and it’s stated to be delivering 230 horsepower.  That’s plenty for a car this size, and there should be years of life left, as it’s said to have covered less than 100 miles since a complete rebuild.  It’s connected to an automatic transmission, with no mention of whether it’s the factory component or has received any mechanical attention recently.

This one is also stated to have been completely repainted, but there aren’t any other exterior details provided beyond that, such as whether any bodywork has ever been performed.  The sheet metal appears straight for the most part, and the overall appearance is pretty good, with the black stripes adding a touch of sportiness to the sides.  Thankfully, the owner includes eight pictures from underneath, which seem to show a solid platform.  One of the photos gives us a good look at the exhaust system, which features a pair of Cherry Bomb-style mufflers with side-exiting exhaust in front of the rear wheels, so this little Gremlin is going to be loud inside at all times.

Aside from being reported as in very good condition, no further details are given about the interior.  However, this seems like a reasonable assessment, and it’s probably satisfactory unless the buyer is looking for something beyond just a fun driver.  Some aftermarket gauges have been added under the dash, but there’s no radio, which is OK, as it probably couldn’t be heard over the exhaust sounds anyway.  I’m certainly on board with what this 1974 AMC Gremlin has to offer, but I’m not sure this one is quite $17k worth of enjoyment.  What are your thoughts here?