This 1974 Ford Maverick is in the Tucson, Arizona area and the owner is asking for a reasonable offer, there is no set price on this one. It’s on Craigslist so if you’re a rare collector of 4-door Mavericks, you know that Craigslist ads disappear without any notice; get in touch and drive this one home.
No, it’s not an oxymoron to say that a Ford Maverick looks good, this one does look good, at least to me. Even with its dreaded extra two doors. Although, that always opens up Pandora’s Box when the two-door vs. four-door car discussion comes up. I like four-door cars, as do a few million other people, but a lot of folks don’t like them. This car is in “very good condition”, according to the seller. The NADA guide shows a “value” of a 1974 Ford Maverick four-door sedan at between $1,200 and $3,175 so adjust your offers accordingly. The 1974 Mavericks had larger rear bumpers and a larger trunk.
You’ll want to spend a long weekend removing the seats and doing a deep-cleaning and detailing of the interior for sure. It looks well used but mainly just dirty, not abused. Is that a crack that I see in the steering wheel? I’m guessing that the dash has a crack or two because of the dash cover. Ford sold the Maverick from 1970 to 1979 in various countries including Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela; not to mention, of course, the US.
This car looks like it’s in great shape to me, I don’t see any rust from the three exterior photos included, and the engine looks great, just needing some light detailing to make it ready for car show duty. There is no mention as to if this is Ford’s standard engine for the Maverick in 1974, a 200 cubic inch, six-cylinder engine with 84 hp, or a 250 cubic inch, six-cylinder with 91 hp; I’m guessing the former. This car even has AC and it works! The seller doesn’t have a set price on this one, they say to make a cash offer. What would you think this one is worth? $1,500? $2,500? What would you offer if you were a Maverick lover?
With a rust-free 4 door Maverick as a starting point, one could recreate the (in)famous Gapp & Rousch Tijuana Taxi!
I’m strangely drawn to this. In the fall of 1995, fresh out of the Army and needing cheap wheels, I bought this cars powder blue twin from an old man who had it parked in his yard. $300 and a set of fresh tires and I was set. Not fast, not exciting but dead reliable. In the winter of 95/96 the Portland area was inundated with heavy snow and then rain. Major flooding and landslides, it was a mess. Before all heck broke loose, I was coming home from work on highway 30 headed through the Linton area. Hearing a strange rumble I looked to my left to see most of the hills of Forest Park sliding toward me. Pulled it into low gear and buried it, the little bastard drove about a mile through a couple feet of water and mud. Water coming in the bottom of the doors and you should have seen the look on the state troopers face when I drove out. Made it home with a new respect for that little car. The following summer, the girl I later married was afraid it wasn’t going to live much longer, so with some misgivings I sold it off to a high school girl in town. We bought a 200sx from a friend of hers that lived 3 weeks and blew up. I still see my Maverick driving around the St. Helens area from time to time, 20 years later. Wish this was closer I’d buy it for a backup work car.
That, sir, is one excellent story! Thanks for sharing.
Welcome! Not sure why my best memories are of lower end Fords, but I do love them!
I remember that flood and all the mayhem. I was living in Portland at that time and moved to New Mexico during the flood. Right after I passed through the Gorge on I84 for my move to the Southwest, a major landslide took place that shutdown the freeway for a long time. When I arrive in Albuquerque there hadn’t been any precipitation for 90 days and everyone was complaining about the drought.
Anyway… This Maverick would be a pretty cool daily driver.
People always forget that the NADA stuff is for one in very good condition,not a rust bucket.
With that being said that looks like a cool rust free maverick.
I like it about 1500.00 much
2 doors 2 many.. if you can get past that then you have a 1500 to 1800 dollar car with a very reliable motor. It’s easy to work on cheap parts. It’s a great 1st car . Only strange thing is the temp plates why go through all the trouble if you’re flipping the car.
I recall these being very dependable wheels, and the body design has always been easy on the eye to me. I’ve mostly see small-blocks being swapped into these now, everyone wants to make a fake Grabber, but that I6-auto is the preferable combo for me. Always liked these.
1500 Bucks for a reliable car that is simple to work on if it does break down and parts are easy to come by. These things are/were not pretty however they were meant to be straight forward point A to point B reliable transportation. This would be a great first car for someone.
Probably the least desirable classic out there for me (due to the oversized bumpers and underpowered engine) , but after seeing Grant’s story about driving one through a mudslide, I can certainly see why this one would bring back good memories for him and other previous owners.
My first (running) car was a white 4 door Maverick with the 200 ci. My father bought it for $250, and despite everything I tried (in order to get rid of it) I could not destroy that car. It would go up hills in the winter that my friend’s jeep couldn’t get up. Horribly ugly exterior lines and early 70’s interior, but it would start every day and get me where I needed to go. Not quickly, but I go there. My attempt to make it look better by adding rattle can racing stripes was a miserable fail, but when you are 16 and driving a Maverick to school, you get sort of desperate. I think I’ll pass on this one.
I grew up in Tucson, and still visit there a lot……everything is rust-free out there! Just driving around neighborhoods, you see cars like this all over……