When most sellers want their vintage car to sell, they list it with a full description (including history) and a variety of photographs. In the case of this 1953 Mercury, the seller has done the opposite. All we’re told is it “drives good” and is “pretty darn clean.” No mention of the model or mileage is made and only a single photo is provided (not of the complete car). But if there’s enough here to scratch an itch you may have, the Merc is in Thornton, New Hampshire, and is/was available here on Facebook Marketplace for $3,200. A nod goes to Bruce M for this tip.
The Monterey was the premium model for Mercury in 1953 (the era of the “shoebox” Ford Motor Co. products. So we’ll assume that’s what we have here. The 4-door sedan was popular, and a 255 cubic inch V8 would have been offered (Ford’s was 239 CI). Here’s a photo of what the rear section of this car might look like (the photo is borrowed from Motorious and is not of the seller’s car). We think it has an automatic transmission, and the seller may be willing to trade it for a truck or an AWD vehicle. You could also do a package deal with him/her for a Sportster 1200 (not pictured). Also, if you have a plow, that might be tradeable, too!
Facebook marketplace ads are so often just pathetic. A lot like this one. One pic that doesn’t even show the whole car. I am sometimes just amazed at how poor they can be.
And from what little there is I would think this car would move pretty quickly with a better listing. Oh well.
May be a nice car and a great deal but with that pathetic ad, we’ll never know.
A “pretty darn clean” driver for $3,200?
Shut up and take my money. Like many here I’m sure, I’ve made mistakes that cost a lot more money.
If I lived close to this car I’d go look at it – might be a bargain !
Not enough information and lack of pictures.
There are 3 or 4 ads on Marketplace showing this car with various prices. I’m not sure if it will be a scam or not.
OR… we might have but one photo, because the car has been in an accident that would show pretty nasty damage on the right-front, the other side, and part of the rear?
If you look up 53 Mercury on Facebook Marketplace, you’ll see an ad for this car showing the right side, or part of it.
Be honest seller, you’re not selling this thing, you just want to see if anyone has any interest at all. Not many would take a second look at tank, the only reason I did was because I grew up in a 54 Merc. Even professionally restored you couldn’t ask what it would cost for the restoration. But thanks for the memories. I wish you the best of luck seller. That auto trans is a rare item, hopefully it works cuz to rebuild it would take big $.
If he is actually selling it for that money then why not just drive it? Everyone doesn’t need a professionally restored car
I did check out the ad and he gets extreme ratings, either 5 star or 1 star, average 3 stars. I can understand that a “plow truck” trade might be handy this time of year in NH. I did own 2 of these 53 Mercurys in the early 70’s, both 2 doors. So, this got my curiosity. One of them had the Mercomatic trans. I still have a Fordomatic in the garage from the first year 1951, from a low milage wood wagon. They’re all cast iron case and heavy. This one needs a visit before sale. Bring your snow boots.
Snow boots indeed! (depending on WHERE in New Hampshire, that is — if it’s near Portsmouth, then NOT so much). I saw a metallic pine-green(?) ’53 Mercury hardtop, with matching interior and Merc-O-Matic (that emblem was on the left side of the trunk-lid, not on the right), that appeared to be one dandy survivor. The paint, still shiny, looked original — and the chrome was about perfect, with the type of finish we saw in the 1950s and not that “mirror” appearance which restored chrome has. The top of the windshield was tinted green, and the entire car presented as though this were about 1956. It had dealer plates on it, and I could see that the clock was not running. The original A.M. radio was there, as was its antenna. But the entire interior was close to “showroom” and looked original. I did not track it down, because I knew beforehand that it would be priced at way above my budget. But it’s nice to “dream”. If I had about $50,000, I would have waited to see the driver — and if it were all that it appeared, I would have bought it on the spot. Confession, in 1953, I wanted either a new Mercury Monterey, or a new Chrysler New Yorker (NOT the Imperial!)
Nice photo of a car and garage. Serious lack of focus here.
I live about 2 hours from there. If I were single, I might take a drive up there and come back with it.
40 years ago we were looking for a house and my wife and a woman friend were on a walk. They saw a dwelling with an “open House” sign. they went in. The only detail I remember about the house was that the guy had little bottles of spices suspended by strings from the kitchen ceiling.
He was on SSI and was lonely and just wanted to have someone to talk to. The house was not for sale.
Wonder if this is something like that.
There are a lot more pictures in another listing on FB Marketplace.