Is this the nicest 1973 Mercury Comet on the planet? The seller bought this car from the 100-year old original owner who only “drove it to church and the store.” It’s listed on eBay with a mouth-gaping current bid price of over $9,500 and the reserve isn’t met! The seller gives a hint at what they’re thinking of for a reserve: the $13,000 to $15,000 range! If you just have to have it, for some reason, just fork over $15,500 and it’s yours. It’s located in San Ramon, California.
I hope that the original owner got a good price when she sold this car to the current owner/seller. It sounds like a lot of work has gone into sorting out a few things that may not have been up to date, maintenance-wise: “New voltage regulator, new alternator, new fuel filter, new plugs and wires, new points, “new rebuilt carburetor”, new thermostat, new steel radiator and cap, new starter, and 4 brand new tires.” It’s a total of more than $1,600 worth of recent work.
With 35,553 miles this could be one of the lowest-mile Comets left, and it sure looks like it’s in the best condition of any that I’ve seen in a long, long time. The yellow color is hard to beat and especially when it’s carried down to the original wheels with hub caps instead of the usually-seen aftermarket mags. Give me this original look any day of the week.
The interior looks equally as perfect as the exterior does. Brown vinyl isn’t the top choice of most people in 2017 but it sure was popular in the 1970s. Power steering and AM/FM radio are present here but that’s it for luxuries, at least as far as 1973 standards go. In 1973, a popular option was the “Decor Package” which included a vinyl top, vinyl bucket seats, body-colored wheel covers, extra sound insulation and plush carpet, and wide vinyl-insert body-side moldings. This car is probably more desirable without those things, at least in my opinion. But, when it comes to collector vehicles, usually the more options the better.
This is the optional 302 cubic-inch V8 which would have had 138 hp. There’s an automatic transmission backing up this super clean engine, would you have expected anything other than that? The seller has listed this car before and apparently the bids got up to $12,000 but it didn’t meet the reserve. Wow! NADA lists the “high retail” value for a similar car to be $11,200! Wow, again! To think that this car, or any Comet other than a loaded Comet GT, could be worth more than $10,000 blows my mind. Have you seen a nicer Comet?
Nice looking and a V8 but asking way to much…sorry seller
Looks like they will get at least $11,100
I had forgotten all about the sticker on the dash, warning you to confirm you were in park with the park brake set. because the car might launch in to the garage door while running unattended like my friends did while we were in high school.. oh yeah the comet is as nice as one will get. ford did not waste any time trying to integrate the giant front bumper.
Yes, my Dad got one of those stickers from Ford for his ’70 Tbird in the 1980’s, & he put it on the inner A pillar.
68 custom,………………
you said it exactly right with your comment about that damn front bumper. It wasn’t just Ford, Mercury, etc. It was all three of the Big Three Auto companies. They all were in the weeds with the mandated 5 mph bumpers, and didn’t know how to integrate them into the body designs. The absolute worst years in body design for the Big Three.
This is a very nice car with the exception of that horrible front bumper.
Car doesn’t have an AM/FM radio, just an AM. Very nice car!
Sorry, any Comet later than’67 loses it for me.
Looks like the seller is in no hurry to sell and thinks it’s a Cougar not a Comet…
Haileys comet will return before this one sells for 15k.
Very nice car but over priced.
Thank God…..finally something someone cared for/put a car away that is not GREEN! I actually like green…..but enuf’s enuf !
haha, so true. the nice color cars got the wheels drove off of them and scrapped
I had a red one with black interior very clean with just over 20,000 miles on it. Had alot of weirdos following me to work wanting to buy it
Its not overpriced if someone is willing to buy. Nice car anyway
Very nice car! I hope the flipper paid a fair price to or is splitting the profit with the original owner.
I’m sure not, I bet he gave her $3,000 tops
We all should be this coherent at 100. I have no doubts what so ever on this. It really is nothing special, aside from the fact, of what a time capsule this is. Price? They’re going to get it, and then some, maybe a couple times over. Nobody saved these, they were throw away cars. I’m sure there’s several folks here, me included, that helped put the final nail in the coffin with cars like these. Amazing find, apparently, they are still out there. Gotta be running dry sooner or later, which probably justifies the price.
Regarding that sticker on the dash, Ford products needing that warning label as the transmission shifter would have a habit of slipping out of Park on its own. I believe the problem was a weak detent on the shifter mechanism. On a ’72 Colony Park that I owned recently, I learned to give the shifter a bit of a jam when putting into Park to ensure it was seated properly. Before I learned to give it that jam, I too, and much to my surprise, had the wagon slip out of Park and into Reverse.
IIRC, Ford got sued over the issue and mailing out the sticker was how they avoided recalling the vehicles, elegantly making their poor design the customers’ problem.
Yup, have a 73 F-150 that has a habit of taking off in reverse on its own.
Does anybody ever keep cars like this,
or just the flippers?
I bought a ’68 Cortina automatic out of
an estate,with 34000 miles on it.It was like a
brand new/old car.
It was my daily driver,until it got totaled
by a girl in a White Hyundai pulled out in front
of my Son.
These kind of cars make great daily drivers.
I think this car was floating around somewhere online once before. Current bid is over 11g with a buy it now of 15500? For a Comet? What am I missing here? I’m sorry I sold my 71 Comet 302 4 speed GT now..
It’s real cute, but still a crude little economy car from the 70’s.
Too bad vehicles aren’t like houses, where you can see the ‘last sold for’ price.
I’ll bet grandma didn’t get half of what he’s asking.
Hi Chebby, Bingo! A flipper with a conscience isn’t going to get very far.
wow it has ac
I don’t see that.
More Maverick-palloza on BF!!!
I just hope that poor lady with her furry companion was paid a fair price for the car. I think this Seller is finding some naive individuals. What do you think is going to happen to all the seals in the engine or tranmission and rear axle once you start driving this Comet. Worst car I ever purchased was a very low mileage original little old lady owner ’69 Nova. I paid dearly for that car when I bought it and once I started driving it and will never buy a low mileage car again as everything starts going wrong with it when the miles start adding up.
Yes, as miles accumulate on a car, things wear out. Are you saying you’ll only buy high milage cars from now on, then?
I spit out my drink when I saw the price. Wow! Its not a Mustang. Can a $14K Levi’s Gremlin be far behind?
I bet he knows the bidders. I can’t believe people are that stupid. He might be able to get a real $5000. People don’t live by the wish book for values. If someone pays his reserve it might one day be worth if it stays in the same condition, but they better be young and have free storage.
Ha! Love this. To look at…too nice for me :)
Blah blah blah, nothing is worth anything unless it’s the same old tired muscle cars. This car is priceless. It is the only one. It even has a V8. I may not agree with making ten grand on a little old lady’s car, but how can this not be worth the money.
the most valuable Comet is an oxymoron, and you’d have to be one to pay 11K for a Comet.
At one hundred years old, I’m guessing she drove it to more places than the store and church. Most likely her travels included a number of trips to a doctor’s office; just a hunch. Never the less, it is a very nice survivor.
I purchased a similar car from the estate of the original owner. A ’75 Valiant Brougham sedan from San Diego with 25k on the clock. Paid $1,500 and it was every bit as nice as this Comet so I tend to agree that the bidding is a good bit inflated. Getting the sale price out of it again, well, that’s another matter altogether.
Wayne, although I am not much of a Mopar guy, or a Ford guy, Oldsmobiles and Cadillacs are my thing, I would take your Valiant over this Comet anyday. It looks great. This Comet, as nice as it is, it’s way overpriced. Something does not seem right. I can not believe people are bidding that much on it. I have to wonder if some of the higher bids are from friends, trying to help the seller’s car look to be more wanted than it really is. Even with no reserve, fake bids can still happen. Time will tell if the car is relisted again.
Don’t believe the 73’s would have voltage regulators, would have been built into the alternator. I agree with others that I hope the woman was not taken advantage of, seeing as there was an ample opportunity to get almost nothing for the car from an unscrupulous.
…..unscrupulous flipper. I agree about low mileage cars. As the years add up, but not the mileage, everything dries out or corrodes or metal fatigue kicks in. I bought a 26k mile 68 Buick Special from a little old lady owner in 2007. Car ran great until the hoses burst and the carbon began to blow out of the exhaust pipe.
This is a nice looking car but I to must agree that the price is a bit high, especially with the US exchange on Canadian. I had a ’73 but it did not have the oversized front bumper or “extra” stickers. This might have been something to do with US verus Canadian vehicles or production date. With the 302 and very little trim the car was a bit of a “sleeper” as it had not issues in holding it’s own against some of the GT models.
All ’73 Comet’s had this one year only ‘medium’ sized front bumper with the small rear bumper. The ’71-’72’s had the small bumpers front and rear. The ’74-’77’s had the large bumpers front and rear.
My Mom purchased one of these as her first car that she purchased herself. 302 2bbl, p/s, manual brakes, auto, and A/C. It had the fit & finish of a East German Trabant. The seats were reminiscent of a hay wagon, with squeaks & tattles like crazy. A Pinto would blow the doors off of this car. It wouldn’t turn the tires if it were on blocks. It got 17 MPG. Traded it for a ’72 Olds Toronado with the venerable 455. It got 17 MPG as well. It would smoke the front tires down to the valve stems and got the same mileage.
The Comet ( I called it the Vomit ), had good looks on the outside, but a poorly designed car. A love it or leave it design.
Auction update: this great Mercury Comet sold for $11,800!
Another high prices classic. The one I bought, new in ’73 cost $3200 CDN, of the lot. very similar options to this one. But as someone else posted there may be one who will fork out the cash.