Green was the scene in the 1970s, there is no question about it. Green clothes, green appliances, and green cars. This nice looking serene, green 1976 Ford Maverick is in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and it sure looks like it could be driven home. The seller has it listed on Craigslist with an asking price of $4,500 or best offer. Thanks for the great tip on this car, Pat L!
A good portion of the Barn Finds reader family would have been alive in 1976 to have experienced the green 1970s. Not “green” as in the 2010s buzzword about sustainability, I mean literally green as in dang near everything was green. Ok, there were also harvest gold, burnt orange, and brown for colors, but it seems like there were an awful lot of green cars in those days. Earth tones, from the Euell Gibbons eating roots and berries and Grape Nuts era. To tell you the truth, I miss it. The era, not Grape Nuts.
This was the second to the last year for the Maverick and they had just gotten big bumpers a year or two previously, not adding to the car’s charm in any way what so ever. This example looks like it’s in great condition and it’s quite fancy for a Maverick with a vinyl top, full wheel covers, and a few interior options.
And what an interior. Those seats look like new as does almost everything else inside. The back seat looks like it has almost stretch-out legroom and since the rear passengers have their own doors it’ll be easy for you to haul your friends around. This car has AC and even an aftermarket Sears cruise control, which is the only thing that isn’t working according to the seller. It has 79,000 miles on it and the “Transmission and torque converter were rebuilt less than 200 miles ago.”
The 250 cubic-inch inline-six “Runs and drives great.” With power steering, power front disc brakes, and AC this could theoretically be a nice commuter car and it would surely be more interesting to drive than a newer beater for $4,500. Did any of you live through the 1970s and if so, did you own a green car? Any thoughts on this nice Maverick?
There’s green pulling me in again. Six or not, this could be my dry day driver.
That’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout, Tim! Bring 35 $100 bills with you, it could work and you’d have the last laugh. It looks like a great car.
I’ve always thought of the Maverick (and its Comet cousin) to be handsome little cars, with a bit of a European flair. Shame about the post ’72 bumpers as they do take away from the good looks. I’d be tempted to replace those park benches with the earlier thin bumpers.
I’m sure the 2 door or crush it crowd will hate it, which makes me like the car even more.
Great little around town cars.
And it’s already gone.
Yep. Deleted by author
Funny, I bookmarked this very ad yesterday morning.
One of my dad’s friends talked him into buying this exact model in 1976, except it was brown. Gas prices were climbing and his Pontiac Catalina, with the usual 400 engine, could drink more than Hank Williams, Jr., so he took the plunge. Dad said it was the worst purchase he ever made. It kept stalling out while driving down the road and the dealer couldn’t figure it out. We got a new Buick LeSabre (with custom red velour seats) the day that Maverick stalled on the railroad tracks.
Dad bought a brand new 76 Volare in the fall of 75. Slant six, should have run like a champ, but by then the primitive pollution controls made a well running engine a thing of the past. Ran good on the test drive, bought it, then a few weeks later the misery began. After the crummy 12 month, 12K warranty ran out, we went to the local junk yard and got a carb and manifold off a 1972 Dart. After that it ran flawlessly to 247000 miles and only was junked then because the body structure was too rusty to be safe, the slant six was still purring well. Did we make the air foul? Maybe a little, but if we had a stall at a bad intersection and got T-boned by a big truck, all those chemicals from the undertaker might have leeched into the ground water. I say we did the planet a solid.
Funny we bought a new Aspen that exhibited the same problem. and after the warranty ran out the local gas station and garage put a jiffy kit in the carb and it ran perfectly!
Nice story but wats it got to do with the maverick?
By the time this story posted, the Maverick was already gone, so we may as well share 70’s car stories.
BSherm brought up the Maverick stalling, so the topic was switched to that…seems a pretty logical progression to me.
In 1975 I spent my life time accumulation of tractor driving wages,two dollars per hour, on a new Cougar. Jade green with white leather interior and vinyl top. We bought it in Denver Co. at Vista Lincoln Mercury ,5000 South Broadway. I remember asking the sales man if they had any Cougars, he said to follow him out back and take a look. 90 to choose from, Thats my green car story.
Had 1973 Comet 2dr, with the sport white top 302 V8 w/ C4 Auto in the floor. Lots of fun to drive and held it’s own in several street races in the late 70’s. 900.00 bought in 1978.
Green cars? Yes; British racing green, My first and second new cars and several used cars were green. Now, most brands offer 2 grays, 1 blue, plus black and white. Maybe a red.
We had a fleet of these Mavericks. They were very nasty. Mavericks were designed as cheap 2 doors and the conversion to a four door was poorly done. Drivability was poor along with gas milage. We had sixes. My friend worked for a competitor and got a V8 company car. At a week old, he nailed it entering the freeway, and the fan lunched the radiator.
My FIL helped my newly divorced SIS, with four kids, shop for a new car. She bought a 4 door Maverick. She didn’t like it new, and learned to hate it,
The Novas and Darts were much better.
Green. Mom had a forest green ’73 Caprice Classic 4 door hard top. An ok car, but nobody really liked it that much – little character. Malaise with very little brougham. Its saving grace was that it was her first car with A/C.
Her father had a completely stripped ’73 Dart Sport in pea green with a green and yellow plaid interior. Very low rent, but it had a large trunk and took them to Mexico several times. That was the car I learned to drive in at 14 on rural roads in NW Ohio. I got my height late, so I had to slump to get the clutch to the floor, and then I couldn’t see over the wheel. That frustrated my teacher/grandfather but did not dissuade him from having me drive. That man had nerves of steel!
When looking for an entry car to build with my son, we were looking at the Mavericks and Comet. I think you can still get deals on these cars and build a pretty nice car. I love the green. I own a green car and when I had it painted, I got a lot of push back for not painting it black or white…..anything but green. The body shop who did the body and paint in the early 90’s convinced me to keep it the original Fathom green. I’m glad he did.
Here is pic that shows more of the green.
Don’t tell me the car has sold already. Craigslist ads seem to be taken down as quickly as they’re posted, giving people little to no chance to check out the car.
Yes, green. 66 Comet Caliente 2 door hardtop was Earl Scheib [deluxe] avocado green metallic.
My parent’s 66 Mercury Montclair was Palisades turquoise, a beautiful metallic blue green. Their friend’s 70 Olds 98 was forest green metallic with white vinyl top and was quite elegant.
95 Saturn SL 1 I bought was almost the same shade of blue green as my parent’s old Mercury, one of the reasons I bought it. It’s been painted a shade of purple by my brother sourced from an Audi color chart since then.
There was a frost green metallic 71 AMC Ambassador with dark green vinyl top in the showroom when my parents bought their 71 Gremlin that I have never forgotten.
I’ve seen a few last generation Cruzes in a dark metallic green that looked fantastic.
I had a neighbour when I was a boy who had a Maverick Grabber. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. I didn’t think it was a bad car, I didn’t think it was a great car. I thought it was an okay car for transportation to and from work. By the time I was old enough to drive a car, such cars had long been driven to the ground, or sold to someone else. But I’ve always liked the Maverick and the Comet. I would’ve preferred the four door sedan over the two door.
I’ve had a few green cars over the years:
’70 Corvette – came to me painted baby blue, repainted back to original green.
’73 Barracuda – came to me painted dark metallic green, kept it that way.
There are still some green vehicles being made. Honda has a nice green on its HR-V, which I will never buy.
Right now, the family owns 4 vehicles – all black. Not planned, it just worked out that way. Better than white, IMO.
I had a Maverick just like this one years ago, however the exterior had been repainted black. Interior was still green, oddly enough. Car stranded me many times. Would stall while driving it, but wouldn’t immediately restart. Minutes later, it would. Very frustrating!
On these Mavericks, does anybody know why the 2 doors always look like the front end sits higher than the rear and on the four doors both ends look even?
Is there a difference on the suspension from one to the other?
I am talking about stock off the lot examples.
Just so you guys know, the Maverick was the entry level car for Ford in Mexico. The Pinto was never sold here.
Almost all of them were V8 with stick shifts.
They are easy to find for sale, but the asking prices have been going up and up recently. I am not sure if any of them are actually selling, but people see what older Mustangs are going for and raise the price on their Mavericks.
We will see where they level out in the future.
My Dad bought a new 1977 Cadillac Seville triple green. Exterior, padded vinyl top and green leather interior. Sharp looking car, but he only kept it for about 18 months.
I had one exactly like this one except a little different! Mine was blue with white vinyl top, and a 302 but basically the same! These were great cars in the day! Always dependable! Wished I still had it actually, I have recently thought about it often!
At least the 250 six has more oomph than the basic 200. The 302s were pretty gutsy in these little cars.
It’s a shame that neither the Maverick, nor the Comet were available as a station wagon. I would’ve bought one.