What Do You Guys Think?

From what I can see from the pictures it needs a new rear bumper,seat covers,probably a new hood since the hood lip molding is missing that is usually a sign that hood lip is rotted out, depending on the rust in floor pans, trunk, cowl area I would only be willing to give him $1,500 and expect to spend another
$1,000 on it at least to get it in better condition.

I am on the west coast and cars are cheaper here so market is better

 

I'm not going to bang my head against the wall, trying to figure out a price, if you listen to everyone here, you'll never make up you mind on a price...The car is worth what the seller will take for it, do some dealing.
73's are a nice choice to fix up, they are already half way there if you want to do a small bumper swap, or they are a one year only design, which is kind cool. If the doors haven't been replaced, you can move the arm rests, so you can use either style door panels, they also have the cut out for speakers in the kick panels, which is nice if you enjoy a nice sound system in your car.
Looks like a decent car, just take your time, and look it over good. Cowl, torque boxes, floors, trunk drops, and the frame rails where the leaf springs mount...those are the worst rust spots. Hoods and trunk lids can be replaced easily.

 

Good to see pictures ... It does look good from a distance.

It is a car that is factory-equipped for A/C, even though the compressor is long gone. At least you have the right stuff in the dash.

It will need a trunk and a hood by the looks of it ... pretty common. The chrome strip under the hood usually holds water and rots them. ( I drill "drains" into mine.)

If that is original paint, the car looks pretty solid. I am doubting that it is though, so anything could be hiding there. If so, you really need to hunt for filler, etc.

Test the cowls to see if they leak into the car. If they do, that is a big repair. Search that here on the board for details. Also establish how bad the floors are and if that affects the torque boxes.

What else to consider here is ... how far do you want to go with this? Is the goal to be an immediate daily driver?... might be a bit too rough for that. Or do you think you want to really dive into it and redo most of it? ... it may be a good starting point.

If the car is really solid, I would say it should fall in the $1500 range with all the issues that I can see right now. There were a lot of these cars made ... they are not "rare" ... just "uncommon" at this point in time. Don't look to make money on one.

 

I wouldn't offer anything for the car and pass. You don't always buy the first car you see. You should be able buy a rust free car for the price he's asking. Keep looking and don't be afraid to travel.

 

Thanks for the help guys, I really appreciate it. I'm gonna let it go and take your advice. I'll just keep my eyes open and see what I can find. Patience is definitely not my strong suit, but I'll hang in there. I just saw a barn find 1971 Chevelle SS with a 454 come up for sale for $5,500. It needs work but damn that would be cool. That car deserves a proper frame off restoration. I doubt there's too many of those sitting around that haven't been touched at all in 43 years.

 

The compressor is still there....just look for it.

As stated already....you need to decide what your goals are.

The wheels are a nice touch and add value.

 

You need to come up with a budget of how much you want to spend, and then buy the BEST car you can.

 

I have a decent chunk of change, but I need a car that I can depend on. I figured that I could get a cool project car for around $2,500 and then spend the rest on a primary car that's reliable. Lately though, I'm tempted to spend all my money on a really cool older car. I just don't want to be stupid and have an awesome car that I can't afford to fix if something goes wrong.

I know that I should get a newer car for now and then get a solid project car later, but you know how that goes. I just feel like if I put it off it will never happen. I've wanted a project car since I was a little kid, but I've moved a lot, haven't had garages, and I can't get a good enough job to be able to afford something cool.

 

The last thing I'd want, is an old car for a everyday driver.

 

That's because you're old and they were affordable when you were young.

 

In my opinion, you are not ready for a project car. You need primary transportation first. I personally don't see a Maverick, especially a $2500, being something you can buy and be ready to go from day one, especially with what you said (and I "bolded") above.

I think the oldest I would want to go in 1995 for a daily driver

And they were not that old when WE got 'em.

 

I would bump that up one year to 1996 .... that is when OBD II started. You can sort out a lot of things on your own with a scanner. You still need to be able to analyse why your car is throwing a code, but it is a bit easier. My DD is a pristine 1998 Explorer Sport. I got it with just 55K miles. It now is nudging 100K.

For a daily driver, nothing beats throwing a key in it and going. Carburated cars are fussy. It's not like I don't absolutely love my Comet, but starting it on a cold day is a ritual (no choke, lumpy cam ...).

 

I've never used a Maverick as a daily driver, even 25 years ago.

 

I did. Drive it Monday through Saturday.....fix it on Sunday.

 

I never used a Maverick as a daily driver, but I used Comets for a while ....