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Mini Fins: 1961 Mercury Comet

1961 Mercury Comet

The seller of this Comet says that this “barn car” has some body rust but no images or further details are given. There is 74K showing on the odometer though. The seats, headliner, and brake lines have been recently replaced.  The car is said to run great and a battery cutoff switch has been installed under the dash.  The owner says: “It’s a great car, not fast but a great piece of jet age Detroit to cruise around in”. Find it here on Hemmings where it’s priced at $4,000 (negotiable).

Comments

  1. Avatar Luke Fitzgerald

    Had a jam job – so what, I guess – wouldn’t you steam clean the engine and spring for some whitewalls? – is that the correct shifter angle? I suppose for less than 4 large its ok if it goes and has floors

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  2. Avatar Cassidy

    That prndl handle does look high, but the close-up doesn’t show that the handle as bent so its looks ok. Nice looking interior, but since its a Vermont car, a close inspection of the underside is definitely warranted. I wouldn’t mind owning it, but I’ll never buy a rust belt car again; I don’t care how nice the top half looks!

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    • Avatar Ed P

      If my memory is correct, Ford shift levers did go very high.

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  3. Avatar Chris in WNC

    NO-NO-NO-NO whitewalls on this car, please…..

    if the rust is manageable this would be a great driver!

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  4. Avatar piper62j

    I can’t believe it.. I took my drivers’ ed class in one of these.. Couldn’t kill it with all the new drivers that handled it.. Really a sweet mover.. Cheap to own and a good “get arounder”.. Nice. Eh Hem….! Price is a little off the mark.. IMHO

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  5. Avatar Dolphin Member

    Looks like a pretty nice Comet, and I like that orange-peel-blue paint—the color part, not the orange peel part. But if you want an early ’60s “compact” car as they were called back then, if this one goes and had floors, as Luke says, it might be worth an offer. That kind of ad tells me you could buy this for less than the asking if you show up with cash money. My guess is that the seller doesn’t want to have to repaint it to move it.

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  6. Avatar JW454

    With it being an automatic, I think I would find a 289 or later 60’s 302 to boost the power but I leave the rest as is.

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    • Avatar Jason Houston

      Yes, but then you mess up the suspension and it will never handle properly. If you don’t like a 6-cylinder car, buy a Mustang or Falcon or later Comet with a V8. V8s are better performance cars anyway.

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  7. Avatar Chris A.

    I learned to drive on one of these in pale blue with a three on the tree. The shift lever actually broke when my dad shifted from second to third. Horrible seats, steering and brakes. Ford Falcon with fins. My sister named it the “vomit”. She and I would fight over who got to drive the ’58 VW convertible instead of being seen in the vomit. Build quality was non existent.

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  8. Avatar L. Good

    I bought a 1961 Comet, automatic, two door, black brand new. in 1969 my husband gave me a new Pontiac and sold my beautiful comet for a lousey $400 to some guys who wanted to make a racer out of it in Houston, Texas. My heart always ached to have my car back…my favorite car of all time…I know it is really a Falcon motor (who cares). I got great gas mileage…6 cylinder. If I had the money, I would buy this car in a New York second! Those slanted tail lights captured my heart and I still wish I had mine back!

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  9. Avatar Robert Jordan

    The Comet was brand engineered cousin to the Ford Falcon but is was original to be the Edsel Comet. Talk about the right hand not knowing what the left hand was doing. The 1960 and 1961 Comet became its own make. Starting in 1962 the Comet became a model under Mercury.

    Like 0

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