Here we have a 1975 Maverick Grabber located in Alberta, Canada for a purchase price of $10,000 CND.  With the present exchange, it would be approx. $7,400 US. Listed here on Kijiji,  a Canadian ad service similar to Craigslist. This one sparked my interest with the original Grabber decal package and a relatively unusually 302 3 speed combination.  The seller claims recent restoration, but honestly, I don’t see it; it looks more original to me.  Apparently, it was purchased new by the sellers’ mother, and a family issue reluctantly forces the sale of it.

Multiple pictures are provided but none of the engine or underside. The exterior pictures make the car look good, but all are taken at a distance with relatively poor resolution. The vehicle as shown in the pictures was recently driven in the mud, further obscuring typical problem areas such as rear quarters, rockers, bottoms of the doors and such. There is simply not enough information to give a good assessment t of the overall body without better pictures. However, living in Eastern Canada I can say first hand that western cars are always coveted here.  The perception is that very little road salt is/was used in the western provinces. I really don’t know if that is true or not, but without the wild temp swings and salt air, being a western prairie car certainly has its advantages.

The ad makes the claim it is fully restored, but I see room for improvement. Reproduction wheel centers are available, as are door panels. Overall the interior looks in good shape with factory buckets. The hood lip trim may be a little more difficult to find as It looks to have a minor dent at the peak. The Grabber striping looks to be in good shape without cracking. 1975 marked the second year of production without the distinctive twin scoop Grabber hood. It is a common misconception the Grabber package represented a performance package. For the Maverick it was designated as an appearance only, more of a marketing promotion to counter similar type of offerings from GM and Chrysler. In this year it included things such as the stripe package, dual sport mirrors, and blackout treatment on the rear panel. A 4-speed was never available from the factory, if you wanted to row through the gears a 3 speed on the floor was it.

It is almost impossible to look at this car and not focus on the size of bumpers. In the past, a popular modification among Maverick enthusiasts would be to convert to smaller early model thin bumpers. It gives a better proportion to which the car is designed. However, this generally involves finding a donor car to obtain not only the bumpers but valance panels, brackets, and minor filler pieces. In my opinion, this car seems to be able to carry the bigger bumper look with the later Grabber package and imitation magnum 500 wheels, it. I wouldn’t be in a hurry to convert the bumpers on this one.

Overall this car looks in good shape and to me would be a fun summer cruiser with minimal work. I can’t image a V8 3-speed Maverick being much fun in the winter snow or ice! Providing the 302 is sound I would drive it as is, but with a few cosmetic improvements. The price seems a little on the high side, but it is a relatively rare car with the Grabber V8/3 speed combination. I don’t think a comparatively solid 6 cylinder 2-dr could be converted to V8 power for less. What do you the Barn Finder readers think?