In 1971, after a year and half of Ford selling the Maverick at only Ford dealers, it was time to share it with Mercury. Recipe for Mercury’s version of Maverick: take one Ford Maverick, replace front grille, protrude the hood and front bumper, replace taillights with Mercury Montego taillights, add Mercury badging, resurrect the Comet name. Here is a 1971 Mercury Comet for sale here on Craigslist in Stover, Missouri. Thanks to Barnfinds reader Rocco B. for bringing this car to our attention.
The car wears its original factory paint. The seller believes it will polish up nice, but there are a few surface rust areas on the hood and roof. Even though the car is wearing aftermarket wheels on the rear, the seller has all four original wheel covers. The car is very solid but it has been sitting for twenty years. The car has the exterior decor group which included the upper chrome bodyside molding.
The interior pictures are not very good, but from what is seen of the seats is that they are still in good condition. As shown in the picture above, the interior does need a good cleaning. The car’s radio seems to be missing, but this dashboard looks like one that a radio could be easily added to. The car does not have air conditioning, but it does have 3-speed manual transmission on the floor. The keys are missing along with the title.
The engine is the 302 cubic inch V-8 with 2 barrel carburetor. After sitting twenty years, it may take a little more than coaxing to get it running. There’s no word of how many miles are on the odometer. The seller is asking $2,900. Are you the person to wake this car from its twenty-year sleep?
I think it would make a cool street rod however you have to be willing to spend the buck to make into a cool street rod. Never be worth a whole lot. Just fast and fun.
If a title was easy to get why didn’t he do it himself and raise the asking price to cover his costs. I wonder if he will give you a bill of sale with his name on it? If not, run away as fast as you can.
Steve R
This is being sold by Crusty… He has a good rep. The problem with this car is the price is at least a third too high..
Yeah. No title? See ya. Otherwise…C’mon…air up the tires, roll up the windows, vacuum out the inside….AND get a title. Do you want to sell it or just show us?
Neat-o…..just don’t see streetable ones for some money often with a stick.
This is a very interesting car and looks like it would be a fun incremental in your garage restoration. Its got me thinking that it could very well surprise us with appreciating value too. Nice set up with that sweet V8 and stick. Bench seat too.
It just needs some Nu-Finish. It’ll restore the shine to this weather-beaten car.
The sides, maybe. But enlarging the photo that shows the hood makes me think that ain’t gonna “buff right out”.
On that note, was this car originally dark blue? Look at the engine bay.
I think Ford painted the engine bays black, may look blue in the photos. The fender bolts are still black oxide (no one would ever mask those off), so I think the claim of original paint is true.
Hmm no title or keys 🔑
Did you pick it up off the side of the road in a field like the van recently listed without asking ????
Take the door panel off and take the door tumbler to a lock smith to get door keys made off its numbers listed on it to work trunk and doors as well as pull the ignition switch by pulling my the wheel and working with the neutral safety Switch rod .. spend twenty to max of a hundred bucks .. take an effort ..
When one buys not Borrow ? a car
Why the heck …not do a lil work here and reap cash in your pocket….
I like the Maves and Comets
Mavericks and Comets were popular as fleet cars, as they were cheap to buy. That completes the list of their plusses. My friend left our company which had 6 cylinder mavericks and went with a competitor. His company car was a brand new V8. At a week old, he accelerated to enter a freeway, and the cooling fan lunched the radiator.
Our 6 cylinders were slow and got poor milage. I condidered them to be a penalty box.
I always laugh when I see a Maverick or a Comet advertised on this or other sites as being desirable. These were really bad cars. The company I worked for at the time decided to use them as company cars. My Maverick left me along side several country roads and in cold weather was really problematic. My boss had a Comet. One day we were driving along and the needle simply fell off the fuel gauge! About two years later, the company switched to the Granada/Monarch platform…no improvement.
LOL. Essentially the same platform as the Maverick/Comet.
As a matter of fact the Granada/Monarch were supposed to be the next generation M/C, but Ford found that sales of them were still respectable and kicked the G/M upmarket.
A gas supply panic will do that to small car sales.
Funny how people will say what a piece of crap these are, but praise the 60’S Mustangs. They are the same undercarriage, just a different skin on the outside.
Ok, time to make everyone sick: My grandpa traded his 1967 Camaro RS, convertible, no less, for a ’74 Maverick 4-door with the wheezing and ever-crappy straight six. (please insert emotional response here) That turd-brown POS was handed down to my older brother, and died a quiet and deserved death (finally) in the winter of ’88.
Seems to me I remember a V8 Maverick on here about a year or so ago for $3k that was road ready. For $2900 with no keys or title you’d better have an awful soft spot in your heart for this exact year, color and model.
King-sized Pinto. Not interested.
I have only good things to say on these (inc all the torquie i6) refrain instead and mention a neighbor garage that put 1 of the 2 ‘big6’ in (of the 7 motors the last 2 – 240 & 300) the Mav & gets 10 sec quarter mi at the drags. Did it on low budget oem mostly, too. See Carcraft 8/’10 cover story “Mad Mike”.
I like this car. It’s just that all the previous comments make me ask questions about acceptance. I don’t think the “seller” is really interested in selling. A bunch of little things could be done to put some cash in his pocket real soon. But, he isn’t doing them.