What's the longest distance you've driven your maverick?

Yep, it's 97 degrees at 10 pm. Can't wait till fall and get the Comet back on the road.

 

Longest trip was 200 miles 1 way, but I have put about 4500 miles on it in the 6 months since I bought it.

 

I did segments of three Hot Rod Power Tours in mine ( 1999, 2000, and 2001). Around 500 miles each time. I don't know how anyone does the entire tour ... most of the long haulers looked really tired.

The Comet made it with no glitches, but it was my daily driver at that time, too. I've put over 90K miles on it over the years. It pretty much knows the 180 mile round trip to Orlando and back by itself ... ... I was doing that every 2-3 weeks for a while.

 

I drove the comet I own about 40mi the day I brought it home. The engine sounds like a can full of marbles. Thats o.k. though I only bought it as a parts car. Now for the maverick, I drive it around town regularly, the longest sustained trip was 30mi or so.

 

Longest single trip was about 650 miles, but I've done many 200-300 miles trips also.

 

Since I'm out in the truck all the time, I don't get to drive the Maverick very much. But I drive it where ever when ever, day, night, winter or summer. Driving it to work & back is a 92 mile round trip.

 

Like Tim, I spend more time in the truck than anything else. Most of my Mav driving has been within a 45 mile radius of the house. Right now, she's down for more new paint. Hope to have that done in the next month or so. Then maybe a set of new tires and I'll be ready for some longer distance driving.

 

The furthest my '72 has driven in one day was 850 miles. That was from Suwanee, GA, up through Murphy, NC and then over to Waxhaw, NC (near Charlotte), and back. That was to go pick up this car. I drove the '72 there, and drove the 4 door back, with my brother following me in the '72. That was 425 very nervous, yet mind numbingly boring miles I drove that 4 door, considering it had no license plate, horrible tires, barely had brakes, the previous owner hardly drove the car in the year he had it and knew very little about it, etc. It ended up breaking down when we got within 5 minutes from my house. My '72 made the trip without issue though, as expected. About to hit 125,000 miles in the '72 in 4 1/2 years of driving it daily, 353,000 total on the body (only original drivetrain part left is the drive shaft).. I take the car on 200+ mile trips very regularly, and wouldn't hesitate to drive it anywhere.

 

As to the Comet GTs and Sprint, all the traveling they have done has been on the farm, except a short trip down the road with the Sprint. I have, however, driven my blk XR7 htp to Louisville 3 times for car shows and family visits. I am getting ready to take the trip again in my '73 Stang conv, 800 miles one way, probably 2000 miles before the trip is done. I get off on the 2 lanes as much as possible, only way to travel in a classic car. One day, I hope to travel there in a Mav or Comet.

Jim

 

post on miles driven

Good Morning.

The longest I drove my Maverick was from Chino California, through Bishop, California, through Oregon, to Spokane Washington, back down to Chico, California, and Paradise, California to Rowland Heights California. No telling how many miles that was. I was in a different state of mind. Didn't care. Just drove. It's a damned fine car. And probably the finest car that I've ever owned...because it's been tested. And it's been proved to be superior. Not a bunch of computer garbage. Got something like 226,000 miles on her and never had the block cracked except for a timing chain and gear. What the hell is that worth? Priceless to me.

I bought the car for $700 back in 1987, April 10th. I've driven it daily for all that time. With a few small exceptions, in Law they'd call it misdemeanors, sometimes there is a problem that needs to be corrected. But even at this late stage, who could argue with the reliability of such a vehicle. They talk about "Car Facts", but I have 22 years of Car Facts under my belt. But I bought it in 1987, 15 years after it's inception. So, I don't have any problem with FoMoCo, Or any complaints by anybody. This is, and always has been an event, and a vehicle that I would consider to be a quintessential applicant for a "hall of fame" type of vehicle. Classic, Jesus, what the hell is a classic? We're talking 22 years ownership plus 15 years before that to equal 37 years of drive ability. Not just drive ability, but daily drive ability.

My conclusion is, Ford Motor Company, you did well with the Maverick.

Jerry Sanford

As far as I'm concerned, not only will I restore the damage done by the bozos who did their little "hit and run crap" , but I want to make this item of history, something special.

 

I drove my 1st Maverick, a '71 Grabber, to Army AIT at Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center in Aurora, Colorado from Lafayette, In. in April 1973 and then returned home in November. We took the same car on our honeymoon to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mi. in 1975.
My current Maverick was shipped from California on a trailer and has been driven only locally since it's arrival.
Bruce

 

That is awesome. Do you have any pics of the car? 226,000 isn't bad at all for as long as you have driven it. If I keep driving mine at the current rate I am for as long as you have driven yours, I'll have put something like 610,000 on it just driving it myself, or 838,000 total miles on it.

 

Shorty, same car, same color

Shorty,

Same Car, same color. Yours looks really really good. Mine needs a paint job badly. I finally assembled all of the stuff to do the body work. They wanted $1800 to do the body work. I've got a degree in Art, I've done sculpture, I figure I can straighten everything so it's about as close to true as you can get. There's a little bit of rust, especially in the trunk. I bought something for that from Rusteco. Haven't tried it yet. But it looks very promising. I posted some pictures I took when I joined this web site. They definitely show the condition of the paint.

Right now I've got to replace the fuel pump. She died on me last night and I barely got her home. Just put a new carburetor on her. Been having a little start/stall problem. Took it to a shop (one of two) in Reno that will work on a car that old, and they got her started, tweaked her, said everything looked fine including the fuel pressure. She ran fine for the next week. I had a new Holley 2bbl (yeh, I wanted to keep it close to stock, I've been the buy and install speed parts route, but with a drive train this old, there are too many prohibitive factors) that I bought that needed re jetting and adjusting for this altitude. I had that done at another shop. Worked fine that day. Next day, I took her out to go get a new fuel pump. Call me stupid, but if something goes wrong, I tend to replace all the probable causes with new parts. The fuel pump was the last item on the list, even though I was told the fuel pressure looked ok. I drove around quite a bit, and as I was reaching home, she started stalling. I got home, checked the internet, and the symptoms match the problem.

I suppose what I'll do as far as pictures is concerned is that I'll post work in progress photos. Many of the cars I see on this site are in excellent shape. You would be proud to drive your car down the street here in Reno during "Hot August Nights", which is now. That's where I want to be. I want my car to look as good as yours come next year.

I remember a cable tech looking at my computer systems and remarking, where you are is where I want to be. So my next project is the Car.

Best to you, Jerry

 

Jamie, what are you trying to do?, corner the market! I appreciate your comment. Seems like you've got a long drive to work. My experience is that the Maverick is the only car that gave me fair warning when something was going to go wrong. A lot of times I didn't know what it was. But she has been dependable. Pics, refer to shorty thread.

 

When I was in the service I drove my mav back and forth from md to nc every other weekend until I went on deployment to the med.