“Driving fun teams up with solid economy in this sporty sub-compact. That’s why Gremlin leaves a lasting impression wherever it is seen and driven – and that’s just about everywhere.” Or so says a 1973 AMC brochure. This 1973 AMC Gremlin X looks like a solid car that needs some interior work, and it can be found here on eBay in Hanford, California. The seller has an opening bid price of $4,000 listed and nobody has clicked on it yet. Thanks to Pat L. for sending in this tip!
I like Gremlins anyway but I really like this one. Just to get it out of the way, no, it doesn’t have a 304 V8, but it has a big-six that’s legendary among AMC and Jeep fans, and a three-speed manual transmission. I know, cool. Plus, it’s Mellow Yellow – a faded version of Mellow Yellow, but nonetheless.
Here’s the one exterior flaw that really stands out, the dent on the leading edge of the left rear quarter panel. It’s very fixable, of course, and there appears to be a bit of rust appearing in the cracks and crevases. We don’t see underneath but if this was a California car – despite being by the salty ocean – it’s in much nicer condition than a car from the Northeast would be.
The crack in the top of the padded dash is my biggest worry here. Seats are easy and you can see from this back seat photo that they’re basically gone, but the seller is including a complete carpet kit in black, a new brake master cylinder (to replace the current drippy one), nicer sun visors, and a few other minor parts. The major part is a matching set of AMC mag wheels! That’s a major score, in my opinion, even though they’re from a Pacer… Ok, so maybe it isn’t a major score and I’d leave the wheels on it that are shown in the photos anyway.
The engine is AMC’s famous 258-cu.in. OHV inline-six, which would have been rated at 110 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque when new. It looks a little burnt like the interior is, but it runs and drives and has a new distributor, water pump, along with shocks and new wheel cylinders, although they could use some adjustment. Hagerty is over $16,000 for an excellent example and you couldn’t drop this car off at a restoration shop and have them go at it for that cost, but if you do the work yourself, it may be doable. Any thoughts on this Gremlin?
The desert sun has cooked the innards of this Gremmy, but I wonder if someone had one with a rotten body that could donate an entire interior. I had those same wheels on my 78 Concord hatchback. Put them on my red Pacer and it really classed it up with white letter tires.
The 3spd makes it. 🤷♂️
Can you get new carpet, seat covers, and other interior bits for the Gremmy? A brief Google search shows that this might be problematic.
It says not only in the right up on this but also in the eBay ad that it comes with a brand new carpet kit. So that answers one of your questions right there.
Is that a wine cork shift knob? Or a beer tap?
looks like a beer tap to me.
all in all not bad for the price. only thing i would do after the fix up, would be to find a 5spd for it.
then again i just happen to know of a 4.0 w/ a 2wd 5spd just dying for a new home.
quick!!!! some one stop me i ‘ve got too many in front of me as it is.
That looks like the stock 3-speed.
Those are not robust transmissions. Replacing one is relatively easy; but FINDING one, at this late date, will be well-nigh impossible.
I broke the 2-3 shifter fork in mine; and the search for a three-speed took us far and wide. Found ONE rebuilder with a stash – but we found out why he had it. Because he couldn’t rebuild for excrement.
After three failures of rebuilt transmissions, the relatively-clean 1972 went into the line to the shredder. That was in 1988 – parts are completely unobtanium now.
Best bet, if the transmission were to fail (and it probably will) would be to look for a 2WD Cherokee and try to fit the stock four-speed. I’d think it should fit – the AMC 4 was based on the six; and the power, FI four and carb six, were about equal.
In fact, to improve handling, I’d put the new FI four in there, and lighten up the nose.
Gremlin with out a v8 ain’t great plus the carpeting interior and possibly hidden rust fyi gremlins always rot up under rear bumper and fuel tank 1000.00 or less not worth it if you ask me
It seems silly, now, all these years later, but I wish I could replicate the feeling I had buying my first brand-new car. A 1973 Gremlin X. There was something special about seeing the line of Gremlins as my dad and I pulled up to the Rambler Ranch (real name). I grew tired of it in less than two years, but did take a trip to Alaska in it. It’s funny how things change. I traded cars a lot back in those days, but now I keep a car a long time. My ’08 Mercury Grand Marquis is peeling like an onion, but it’s the most reliable car I’ve ever owned.
My college roommate’s younger brother bought one of these new in 1973. It was a Levi’s Edition with a 304 and a 4-speed. He named it Rebecca after some song by a long-forgotten rock band and like any 20-something he loved that car.
Shortly after his girlfriend ended up pregnant and the car (and the payments) went away. His step-mother sympathized, saying, “A guy doesn’t often get the chance to buy a new car.”
Well, she got a new grandbaby and the young family were going into the hand-thrown pottery business last I heard. Every time I see a Gremlin I think of that kid.
Many years later I spotted one in the backyard of a house in the southern Indiana town where I ended up (not throwing pots). It was painted semi-flat black and had huge rear tires giving it a sinister forward rake. The owner had attached a 4-beam Cibie style light bar on the back edge of the roof.
Brodie’s little brother would have loved it.
Always thought they looked like a Hornet that got rear-ended. I think it’s gonna take an extremely avid AMC fan to fork it over for this one. There’s many more desirable Ramblers out there
I had a 1973 gremlin it wasn’t the gremlin x but that six moved her with a 3 speed. I loved driving it but she finally died after much abuse
Had one of these with both a built 6 and a 304. The 304 one has a 3 speed with the “mystery shifter”. You had to run the pattern just right or you would miss the shift. The 302 was a fun car.
…304 was a fun car.